Interdisciplinary project working in engineering education

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the interdisciplinary project programme implemented by the Faculty of Technology at Plymouth University teamed with three Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professors in Principles of Engineering Design. We examine the challenges encountered in developing such a scheme and identify the processes that were put in place to ensure the quality of the course and to support and maximize student performance. Prior to commencement of the programme the Dean and Vice Chancellor had developed clear objectives and expectations for building upon the significant achievements of the six schools comprising the Faculty of Technology. These objectives were: (a) For the Faculty: ? Provide a focus and impetus for the development of multidisciplinary design in a new portfolio of Masters-level (4 year) engineering courses. ? Enhance the teaching of design in all engineering courses. ? Strengthen a design-oriented approach to all teaching in engineering courses. ? Enhance students' enthusiasm and awareness through greater contact with senior practitioners. ? Improve the understanding of both staff and students concerning the principles of modern engineering design and manufacturing/construction in contemporary professional practice. ? Provide experience and an understanding of the value of interdisciplinary working. (b) For the students: ? Give students the opportunity to tackle problems outside their disciplines. ? Help students understand the relationships between different disciplines. ? Develop innovative and creative solutions to open-ended problems. ? Develop management skills. ? Develop personal and interpersonal skills. ? Focus on developing team-working skills. ? Develop communications and presentation skills. In addition to providing students with a significant intellectual challenge the interdisciplinary project is designed to help them gain a broader insight into problem-solving and in dealing with uncertainty--the essences of engineering. Our experience leads us to believe that both undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students would benefit from working in interdisciplinary teams whilst at university and that having done so they would leave university better fitted for careers in engineering.     

Play behavior of hearing impaired children: integrated and segregated settings

The free-play behavior of young hearing impaired children in integrated and segregated settings was compared using a multielement baseline design. Two children, aged 3 and 5, were observed using momentary time sampling of their play as they alternated from one setting to the other. Data were collected in ech setting for various categories of play behavior. The categories were derived from the classic play categories of Parten and Smilansky. Results indicate that the children engaged in more socially advanced play in the integrated setting.     

THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF ORAL EXAMINATIONS IN ASSESSING COGNITIVE SKILLS IN MEDICINE1

In order to attempt to assess aspects of clinical competence, not adequately assessed by other means, the Center for the Study of Medical Education, University of Illinois College of Medicine together with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery developed oral examinations in formats specifically designed to yield information on high level cognitive functioning. The examinations were administered to 784 candidates for certification in January 1968. Reliability of the oral problem-solving component score pooled from four examiners was approximately .50. Assessment of content, construct, and concurrent validity made by questionnaire and factor analytic studies indicated that the oral tests identified factors not measured by multiple-choice tests and, therefore, significantly improved the relationship between supervisory evaluations and test scores.     

Wandel in der Fremdsprachenpolitik der DDR

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Perianal findings in prepubertal children selected for nonabuse: a descriptive study

The results of the perianal portion of a project designed to collect normative data of the anogenital anatomy from a representative sample of prepubertal children is presented. A total of 318 children were examined by three physicians from a child sexual abuse evaluation program. After screening for the onset of puberty and the possibility of undetected abuse, 267 subjects remained. The sample included 161 girls and 106 boys ranging in age from 2 months to 11 years. The perianal findings that were encountered with the greatest frequency included erythema (41%), increased pigmentation (30%), and venous engorgement (52%) after two minutes in the knee-chest position. Wedge-shaped smooth areas in the midline, with or without depressions, were found both anterior and posterior to the anus in 26% of the children. Anal skin tags/folds were discovered anterior to the anus in 11%. In 49% of the children there was some dilatation of the anus which opened and closed intermittently in 62%. Flattening of the anal verge and rugae occurred during dilatation by the midpoint of the examination in 44% and 34%, respectively. Perianal findings that were found infrequently in all subgroups included skin tags/folds (0%) and scars (1%) outside the midline, anal dilatation greater than 20 mm without the presence of stool in the rectal ampulla (1.2%), irregularity of the anal orifice after complete dilatation (3%), and prominence of the anal verge (3%). No abrasions, hematomas, fissures, or hemorrhoids were encountered. Less commonly detected findings within specific subgroups included perianal erythema in girls (32%) as compared to boys (57%), pigmentation in the lighter skinned white children (22%) when compared to black (53%) and Hispanic (58%) children, and venous congestion at the beginning of the examination (7%) when compared to the same findings after four minutes in the knee-chest position (73%). There were no perianal skin tags/folds found in the boys. The relatively high incidence of perianal soft tissue changes that were found in this study, when compared to the frequency of similar observations in children suspected of having been sexually abused, reemphasizes the caution medical examiners must exercise in rendering an opinion as to the significance of medical findings.     

Making values education everyone's business

Adults are typically required to make values‐based decisions multiple times each day.Why, then, should a discussion of values not be explicit across the college curriculum and intentionally integrated into the cocurriculum? The authors describe a place where the work of values education is widely shared.     

The Relationship between Attitudes, Knowledge, and Demographic Variables of High School Teachers Regarding Food Irradiation

ABSTRACT:  The purpose of this study was to use a validated instrument to determine the attitudes and knowledge of high school teachers regarding food irradiation, and to determine the correlations among their knowledge and attitudes and certain demographic variables. Knowledge and attitudes about food irradiation were measured in selected high school family and consumer sciences teachers ( n = 121) who taught Food and Nutrition, Food Science and Technology, and/or Food Production Management and Services, via a 24-item instrument with 6 factors. Results revealed these teachers held neutral to positive attitudes about the safety of irradiated foods, their perception of the risk of foodborne illness, and learning about food irradiation, and neutral to negative perceptions of their understanding of food irradiation and their competence to teach about it. These teachers had a moderate knowledge base regarding food irradiation. Teachers' attitudes regarding the safety of food irradiation were positively correlated with their perceived understanding of food irradiation, actual knowledge of it, and competence to teach about it. Their perceived understanding of food irradiation was positively correlated with competence to teach about it, knowledge, and attitudes toward the safety of food irradiation. The only demographic variable correlated with knowledge or attitudes was teachers' previous food irradiation educational experiences. These data suggest the importance of education for family and consumer sciences teachers concerning food irradiation.