Learning more by being taught less: a “time-for-self-study” theory explaining curricular effects on graduation rate and study duration

In this article, an alternative for Tinto’s integration theory of student persistence is proposed and tested. In the proposed theory, time available for individual study is considered a major determinant of both study duration and graduation rate of students in a particular curriculum. In this view, other activities in the curriculum, in particular lectures, constrain self-study time and therefore must have a negative impact on persistence. To test this theory, we collected study duration and graduation rate information of all—almost 14,000 students—enrolling in eight Dutch medical schools between 1989 and 1998. In addition, information was gathered regarding the timetables of each of these curricula in the particular period: lectures hours, hours spent in small-group tutorials, practicals, and time available for self-study. Structural equation modeling was used to study relations among these variables. In line with our predictions, time available for self-study was the only determinant of graduation rate and study duration. Lectures were negatively related to self-study time, negatively related to graduation rate, and positively related to study duration. The results suggest that extensive lecturing may be detrimental in higher education. However, in the curricula employing limited lecturing considerable energy was spent in supporting self-study activities of students and preventing postponement of learning. Given our findings, both activities will likely have large pay offs, in particular in curricula with low graduation rates.     

An adaptive filtering algorithm to estimate sprint velocity using a single inertial sensor

The assessment of sprint velocity is useful for evaluating performance and guiding training interventions. In this paper, we describe an adaptive filtering algorithm to estimate sprint velocity using a single, sacrum-worn magneto-inertial measurement unit. Estimated instantaneous velocity, average 10 m interval velocity, and peak velocity during 40 m sprints from the proposed method were compared to a reference method using photocell position-time data. Concurrent validity of the proposed method was assessed using mean absolute error and mean absolute percent error for all velocity estimates. The significance of the mean error was assessed using a factorial ANOVA for average interval velocity and a paired-samples t test for peak velocity. Reliability was assessed using Bland–Altman 95% limits of agreement for repeated measures. Average interval velocity was underestimated early in the sprint (??0.25 to ??0.05 m/s) and overestimated later (0.13 m/s) with mean absolute error between 0.20 m/s (3.95%) and 0.62 m/s (7.78%). The average mean absolute error was 0.45 m/s (7.02%) for instantaneous velocity and 0.63 m/s (7.84%) for peak velocity. The limits of agreement grew progressively wider at greater distances (??0.59 to 0.34 m/s for 0–10 m and ??1.32 to 1.59 m/s for 30–40 m). The estimation error from the proposed method is comparable to other wearable sensor-based methods and suggests its potential use to assess sprint performance.