Interaction and interpersonality in online discussion forums

This longitudinal study evaluated the amount and type of interaction and interpersonal content in messages posted by online graduate students in small group asynchronous forums. It also assessed the relationship between interpersonality and interactivity. To achieve this, a new coding scheme was developed to categorize the content of online forums. The results suggest that cultivating interpersonality online leads to increased participation and expands the depth of discussion, thus facilitating online collective knowledge building. Finally, regulating the complexity of interactions and fostering the development of a cohesive group of participants through increased interpersonal exchanges may render more controlled patterns of interactive online behavior and improve collective learning.     

A theoretical note on concepts and the need for Cyclic Concept Maps

This article examines concepts and propositions from a theoretical perspective, and establishes the need for and develops an extension to Concept Maps (CMaps), called Cyclic Concept Maps (Cyclic CMaps). Cyclic CMaps are considered to be an appropriate tool for representing knowledge of functional or dynamical relationships between concepts. CMaps, on the other hand, are viewed as an appropriate tool for representing hierarchic or static knowledge. The two maps complement each other and collectively capture a larger domain of knowledge, thus forming a more effective knowledge representation tool. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 741–766, 2005     

The robed baron: The academic profession in the Italian university

The Italian academic profession is subject to complex bureaucratic structures and many strains as the result of rapid academic expansion but very limited resources. The ladder up the academic profession is both complicated and very difficult. Norms of professionalism are in conflict with the traditional patron system. This paper analyzes the current situation of the academic profession in Italian universities, and stresses a discussion of the career ladder and how it works in the academic system.Data for this paper have been collected as part of a research grant no. 73.00982.09 from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.     

Expanding and enacting transformative meanings of equity,diversity and social justice in science education

Cultural Studies of Science Education - In this paper, we provide a conceptual critique of the various constructs often used to justify policies and/or research to promote equity, diversity and...     

The distinction of excellent students in the Portuguese state school as a strategy of educational marketing accountability

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - The mechanisms of academic distinction of the best students, such as the Honours Boards of Excellence and Value, emerge in Portuguese state...     

钮琇《觚剩·睐娘》本事考

本文对清代作家钮琇所撰《觚剩》中的名篇《睐娘》进行考证,包括故事的发生地、人物原型、姓氏、家族关系、作者与故事人物的关系、历史背景等。另外,本文也对《睐娘》中的虚构成分作出适当的评介。     

A multilevel approach for the damage assessment of Historic masonry towers

In the paper some case studies of damaged towers in Italy are presented: the Tower Masserano of Palace Ferrero - La Marmora at Biella, the bell tower of the Collegiata of San Vittore at Arcisate, and three medieval towers in Alba. A methodology is put forward for combining laboratory and nondestructive testing methods with monitoring systems in order to reach the goal of evaluating the state of conservation of historic towers and its evolution in time.     

Geological risk assessment for cultural heritage conservation in karstic caves

The increasing awareness of some local and international authorities has promoted the appearance of new legislation and the rising of research works focused in the prevention of damage to the cultural heritage in karstic caves. Nevertheless, karstic areas usually imply complex studies, and a universal methodology is very difficult to establish. This work exposes the basic methodology for the geological risk assessment in archaeological site and/or rock art bearing karstic caves getting a strategy that provides flexibility to adjust specific methods according to the conditions of different cases. The integrated use of basic geological (mapping, petrology, stratigraphy…) and geotechnical (rock mass quality analytical methods and indexes) techniques used in engineering geology is proposed. Those techniques permit the geological characterization of the rock mass, the hazard identification and the analysis and the geological risk assessment of the research area. Obtained geological risk areas could be included in protection areas that could be used as the basis for the selection of the areas where further investigations and the application of prevention/mitigation measures would have a better cost/benefit ratio. The geological risk should be considered together with other type risk evaluations in order to define effective protection areas.     

Exploring the effects of substituting basketball players in high-level teams

Substituting basketball players during competition is a key process to optimise collective performance. Available research on this topic is scarce, probably due to the difficulty in isolating these effects; thus, the aim of this study was to identify the temporal effects of substitutions in basketball (Spanish professional basketball league). The sample was composed of 1118 substitutions gathered from 21 basketball games. The analysed variables were coach-controlled (player and team’s personal fouls, player in and player out roles, player’s in and out minutes on-court and timeout situation); on-court (foul committed, free throws, 2- and 3-point field-goal effectiveness) and situational variables (scoreline, quality of opposition, game location and game quarter). The results showed positive scoring performances after the substitution for all the analyses. During the first quarter, there were significant effects for fouls committed, scoreline and game location after the substitution. The player’s out personal fouls, free-throw effectiveness, player in, minutes on-court player in, timeout situation and 3-point field-goal effectiveness were significant during the second quarter. The team’s personal fouls, game location, and scoreline were identified as important in the third quarter. The fourth quarter did not show significant effects on the independent variables. Current findings allow optimising coaches’ plans and team management of on-court and bench players throughout the game.