The Psychometric Properties of Classroom Response System Data: A Case Study

Classroom response systems (often referred to as “clickers”) have slowly gained adoption over the recent decade; however, critics frequently doubt their pedagogical value starting with the validity of the gathered responses: There is concern that students simply “click” random answers. This case study looks at different measures of response reliability, starting from a global look at correlations between formative clicker responses and summative examination performance to how clicker questions are used in context. It was found that clicker performance is a moderate indicator of course performance as a whole, and that while the psychometric properties of clicker items are more erratic than those of examination data, they still have acceptable internal consistency and include items with high discrimination. It was also found that clicker responses and item properties do provide highly meaningful feedback within a lecture context, i.e., when their position and function within lecture sessions are taken into consideration. Within this framework, conceptual questions provide measurably more meaningful feedback than items that require calculations.     

Genetics and Neuroscience in Dyslexia: Perspectives for Education and Remediation

ABSTRACT— Our understanding of the causes of a developmental disorder like dyslexia has received recent input from both neuroscience and genetics. The discovery of 4 candidate genes for dyslexia and the identification of neuronal networks engaged when children read and spell are the basis for introducing this knowledge into education. However, the input from educational practitioners as well as empirical knowledge from research on learning also contribute significantly to our understanding of how children acquire the basic skills for learning to read and spell. It is imperative to merge the knowledge acquired from research in the fields of neuroscience, genetics, and empirical education, as well as to understand how the learning brain and instruction interact. Doing so can be seen as a major step in attaining an optimal approach for teaching, reading, and spelling and for finding the best suited and most effective treatment concepts for dyslexic children and adolescents.     

Development of an Interdisciplinary, Intercultural Master’s Program on Sustainability: Learning from the Richness of Diversity

The purpose of this article is to describe a joint effort between three European and six Latin American universities to create an international Master’s degree program on Sustainable Development and Management. Faculty members from these institutions are working together on this unusual and innovative project, which recognizes the importance of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools in international projects and programs. The article provides information about the ongoing interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue and the learning process that is occurring throughout the development of the program.

Amplifiers for precise oscillographic measurements

If the amplifier-oscillograph is to attain the fidelity of frequency reproduction of the unaided oscillograph, the amplifier circuit must be designed, constructed, and used with discretion. In no portion of the circuits, in neither the amplifier itself nor the connected measuring circuits, is it permissible for the associated resistances, capacitances, and inductances to produce time constants so large as to suppress any of the frequencies which the oscillograph vibrator would reproduce normally. Steadiness of the amplifier is a prime consideration, usually attainable with moderately high gain units by having sure electrical contacts and the component parts operated conservatively within their respective ratings. Interference is frequently a source of considerable difficulty and great care must be exercised not to permit it to cause erroneous measurements.A method of compensating for the steady component of the amplifier output current has been investigated and when properly used, has been found neither to impair the sensitivity of the instrument appreciably nor to require critical adjustment.Consideration also has been given to the photographic technique involved in oscillography in order that its full possibilities might be realized.An instrument has been described and discussed which had a sensitivity of about 1.7 millivolts per mm. deflection. When the maximum permissible input resistance of 0.1 megohm was used, a current sensitivity of about 1.7 × 10^?8 amperes per mm. deflection was attained. A greater value of input resistance could not be used without the possibility of introducing serious distortion.     

更快、更高、更强?运动行为道德和不道德的解释

The Olympic motto Citius,Altius,Fortius indicates thekey value attributed to performance and progress in sport .However,there are various and to a certain extent,contradic-tory views on what sport performances ought to be all about .Asystematic and critic…     

Work Habits of Students in Traditional and Online Sections of an Introductory Physics Course: A Case Study

The study compares the work habits of two student groups in an introductory physics course, one in traditional and one in online sections. Both groups shared the same online materials and online homework, as well as the same discussion boards and examinations, but one group in addition had traditional lectures. The groups were compared with respect to amount and frequency of access to different online course resources. It was found that with few exceptions, both groups exhibited very similar work habits. Students in the online sections more frequently accessed content pages and more frequently contributed to course discussions. It was also found that regular access of the materials throughout the week, rather than only on homework deadline nights, is a predictor of success on examinations, and that this indicator is more reliable for students in the online sections. Overall, though, the effect of traditional lectures is minimal.