Exploring DNA structure with Cn3D

Researchers in the field of bioinformatics have developed a number of analytical programs and databases that are increasingly important for advancing biological research. Because bioinformatics programs are used to analyze, visualize, and/or compare biological data, it is likely that the use of these programs will have a positive impact on biology education. Over the past years, we have been working to help biology instructors introduce bioinformatics activities into their curricula by providing them with instructional materials that use bioinformatics programs and databases as educational tools. In this study, we measured the impact of a set of these materials on student learning. The activities in these materials asked students to use the molecular structure visualization program Cn3D to locate, identify, or analyze diverse features in DNA structures. Both the experimental groups of college and high school students showed significant increases in learning relative to control groups. Further, learning gains by the college students were correlated with the number of activities assigned. We conclude that working with Cn3D was important for improving student understanding of DNA structure. This study is one example of how a bioinformatics program for visualization can be used to support student learning.     

Remembering as discrimination in delayed matching to sample: Discriminability and bias

Task difficulty in delayed matching-to-sample tasks (DMTS) is increased by increasing the length of a retention interval. When tasks become more difficult, choice behavior becomes more susceptible to bias produced by unequal reinforcer ratios. Delaying reinforcement from choice behavior also increases both task difficulty and the biasing effect of unequal reinforcer probability. Six pigeons completed nine DMTS conditions with retention intervals of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 sec, in which reinforcer delays of 0, 2, and 4 sec were combined with ratios of reinforcer probabilities of .5/.5, .2/.8, and .8/.2 for correct red and green responses. Discriminability (logd) decreased with both increasing retention interval duration and increasing reinforcer delay. Sensitivity to reinforcement, the tendency for ratios of choice responses to follow unequal reinforcer probabilities, also increased as a function of both increasing retention interval and increasing reinforcer delay. The result is consistent with the view that remembering in DMTS tasks is a discriminated operant in which increasing task difficulty increases sensitivity to reinforcement.     

Intensive instruction affects brain magnetic activity associated with oral word reading in children with persistent reading disabilities

Fifteen children ages 7 to 9 years who had persistent reading difficulties despite adequate instruction were provided with intensive tutorial interventions. The interventions targeted deficient phonological processing and decoding skills for 8 weeks (2 hours per day) followed by an 8-week, 1-hour-per-day intervention that focused on the development of reading fluency skills. Spatiotemporal brain activation profiles were obtained at baseline and after each 8-week intervention program using magnetoencephalography during the performance of an oral sight-word reading task. Changes in brain activity were found in the posterior part of the middle temporal gyrus (Brodmann's Area [BA] 21: increased degree of activity and reduced onset latency), the lateral occipitotemporal region (BA 19/37: decreased onset latency of activation), and the premotor cortex (increased onset latency). Overall changes associated with the intervention were primarily normalizing, as indicated by (a) increased activity in a region that is typically involved in lexical--semantic processing (BA 21) and (b) a shift in the relative timing of regional activity in temporal and frontal cortices to a pattern typically seen in unimpaired readers. These findings extend previous results in demonstrating significant changes in the spatiotemporal profile of activation associated with word reading in response to reading remediation.     

混合式学习获得成功的重要因素：五种假设

基于面对面学习与数字化学习的经验,混合式学习作为二者的结合,成为当前富有前景的学习概念。但是混合式学习能否有效促进学习？哪些是影响混合式学习获得成功的重要因素？从教学方面来讲,要使混合式学习发挥真正的效用,必须正确认识混合式学习的经济价值和教育价值,用课程理念来设计学习过程,根据学习需求选择学习工具,综合考虑教学元素,帮助学生和教师做好新角色的准备。     

Simultaneous discrimination reversal learning in pigeons and humans: anticipatory and perseverative errors

Pigeons were trained on a two-choice simultaneous discrimination (red vs. green) that reversed midway through each session. After considerable training, they consistently made both anticipatory errors prior to the reversal and perseverative errors after the reversal, suggesting that time (or number of trials) into the session served as a cue for reversal. In Experiment 2, to discourage the use of time as a cue, we varied the location of the reversal point within the session such that it occurred semirandomly after Trial 10, 25, 40, 55, or 70. Pigeons still tended both to anticipate and to perseverate. In Experiment 3, we required 20 pecks to a stimulus on each trial to facilitate memory for the preceding response and sensitivity to local reinforcement contingencies, but the results were similar to those of Experiment 2. We then tested humans on a similar task with a constant (Experiment 4) or variable (Experiment 5) reversal location. When the reversal occurred consistently at the midpoint of the session, humans, like pigeons, showed a tendency to anticipate the reversal; however, they did not show perseverative errors. When the reversal location varied between sessions, unlike pigeons, humans adopted a win–stay/lose–shift strategy, making only a single error on the first trial of the reversal.     

Influence of study approaches and course design on academic success in the undergraduate anatomy laboratory

Many pre‐health professional programs require completion of an undergraduate anatomy course with a laboratory component, yet grades in these courses are often low. Many students perceive anatomy as a more challenging subject than other coursework, and the resulting anxiety surrounding this perception may be a significant contributor to poor performance. Well‐planned and deliberate guidance from instructors, as well as thoughtful course design, may be necessary to assist students in finding the best approach to studying for anatomy. This article assesses which study habits are associated with course success and whether course design influences study habits. Surveys (n = 1,274) were administered to students enrolled in three undergraduate human anatomy laboratory courses with varying levels of cooperative learning and structured guidance. The surveys collected information on potential predictors of performance, including student demographics, educational background, self‐assessment ability, and study methods (e.g., flashcards, textbooks, diagrams). Compared to low performers, high performers perceive studying in laboratory, asking the instructor questions, quizzing alone, and quizzing others as more effective for learning. Additionally, students co‐enrolled in a flipped, active lecture anatomy course achieve higher grades and find active learning activities (e.g., quizzing alone and in groups) more helpful for their learning in the laboratory. These results strengthen previous research suggesting that student performance is more greatly enhanced by an active classroom environment that practices successful study strategies rather than one that simply encourages students to employ such strategies inside and outside the classroom. Anat Sci Educ 11: 496–509. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: a meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions

This article presents findings from a meta-analysis of 213 school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten through high school students. Compared to controls, SEL participants demonstrated significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement. School teaching staff successfully conducted SEL programs. The use of 4 recommended practices for developing skills and the presence of implementation problems moderated program outcomes. The findings add to the growing empirical evidence regarding the positive impact of SEL programs. Policy makers, educators, and the public can contribute to healthy development of children by supporting the incorporation of evidence-based SEL programming into standard educational practice.     

The role of counselors serving deaf or hard of hearing students in public schools

Since enactment of Public Law 94-142, residential schools for d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/Dhh) students have lost enrollment to public schools. Public school counselors now must meet d/Dhh students' counseling needs. There is little literature on if and how counselors are doing this. The present study used a survey to evaluate the job satisfaction and expectations of 22 counselors working with d/Dhh students in programs across the United States. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 6 participants functioning as counselors for d/Dhh students. Results indicated that the counselors were generally pleased with their role, which, however, diverged markedly from the American School Counselor Association (2003) national model. The interviews revealed 5 themes that may be unique to counselors serving d/Dhh students in public schools: Authority Based on Experience, Director     

Predicting teacher commitment: The impact of school climate and social–emotional learning

The aim of this study was to investigate whether school climate and social–emotional learning impact teacher commitment. The sample included 664 public schoolteachers from British Columbia and Ontario in Canada. Participants completed an online questionnaire about teacher commitment, school climate, and social–emotional learning. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that positive school climates significantly predicted three forms of teacher commitment: greater general professional commitment, future professional commitment, and organizational commitment. Of the school climate variables, student relations and collaboration among staff predicted commitment. In addition, stronger beliefs and integration of social–emotional learning predicted two types of teacher commitment: greater general professional commitment and organizational commitment. Of the social–emotional learning variables, the support and promotion of a social–emotional learning culture across the school and comfort with and regular implementation of social–emotional learning in the classroom predicted greater teacher commitment. Implications for practice and research are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.