Supporting collaborative dissection through the development of an online wiki positively impacts the learning of veterinary anatomy

An innovative series of dissections of the canine abdomen was created to facilitate social distancing in the dissection room following COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the UK. In groups of six, first-year veterinary students took turns dissecting selected parts of the canine abdomen while maintaining social distancing and documenting their work with video and photographs. Here, students learned about the canine abdominal anatomy by dissecting, recording the dissections of others in their group, and compiling the recorded material into a collaborative electronic media portfolio (Wiki). An online formative multiple-choice test was created to test students' knowledge of the canine abdominal anatomy. The result analysis showed that although students achieved the learning outcomes only by studying the Wiki, they had better performance in the anatomical areas where they learned through the dissection (p < 0.05). Student performance was very similar in the areas in which they were present in the dissection room and participated in recording the dissection compared with the areas that they effectively dissected (p > 0.05). A qualitative thematic analysis was developed to understand students' opinions via their feedback on this dissection approach. Our results showed that student collaboration and the development of practical skills were the most valued aspects of this dissection teaching initiative. Moreover, these results show that developing a group Wiki has a positive impact on student achievement of learning objectives, with a practical hands-on dissection being fundamental for the optimal learning of the canine abdominal anatomy.     

Long- and Short-Term Portfolio Choices of Paintings

In their paper on price comovements of paintings, Ginsburgh and Jeanfils show that in three important markets (London, Paris and New York), prices of well-known and lesser known painters 'move together' (are cointegrated). They conclude that therefore, an investor may be indifferent between the two groups of painters. We show that this is not the case, since well-known painters are less risky, and that though returns may be comparable, the share of well-known painters in a portfolio of paintings might be as high as 90%. We also construct long-run and short-run portfolios and show that these may be very different. These short-term portfolios give interesting insights which help in characterizing each of the three markets.     

Effect of hand paddles and parachute on butterfly coordination

This study investigated the effects of hand paddles, parachute and hand paddles plus parachute on the inter-limb coordination of butterfly swimming. Thirteen male swimmers were evaluated in four random maximal intensity conditions: without equipment, with hand paddles, with parachute and with hand paddles + parachute. Arm and leg stroke phases were identified by 2D video analysis to calculate the total time gap (T1: time between hands’ entry in the water and high break-even point of the first undulation; T2: time between the beginning of the hand’s backward movement and low break-even point of the first undulation; T3: time between the hand’s arrival in a vertical plane to the shoulders and high break-even point of the second undulation; T4: time between the hand’s release from the water and low break-even point of the second undulation). The swimming velocity was reduced and T1, T2 and T3 increased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. No changes were observed in T4. Total time gap decreased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. It is concluded that hand paddles do not influence the arm-to-leg coordination in butterfly, while parachute and hand paddles + parachute do change it, providing a greater propulsive continuity.     

Output-feedback binary adaptive control of MIMO systems using monitoring function

The problem of adaptive control design for multivariable linear time-invariant plants with unknown control direction is considered. A solution is proposed based on the SDU factorization of the high frequency gain matrix (HFG) and the monitoring function approach. The adaptation scheme is the binary model reference adaptive control (BMRAC) which utilizes parameter projection and sufficiently high adaptation gains. The signs of the leading principal minors of the HFG define the control directions, and the lack of knowledge of which is a major challenge in the multivariable framework. The role of the monitoring function is to monitor the output error transient and then provide the necessary changes of the adaptation gain signs to guarantee a stable adaptive control. In addition to proving the signal boundedness of the resulting closed-loop system, the output tracking error is shown to be asymptotically as well as exponentially practically stable, i.e., exponentially stable with respect to a small residual compact set of size inversely proportional to the BMRAC adaptation gain. The latter implies good transient properties of the output tracking error in contrast to conventional adaptive laws which only guarantee asymptotic stability but can lead to extremely slow error convergence. The extension of the proposed approach to matched disturbances is also briefly discussed following the classical paradigm of disturbance estimators. Numerical results with a visual servoing application illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.     

Science Engagement and Literacy: A retrospective analysis for students in Canada and Australia

Given international concerns about students' pursuit (or more correctly, non-pursuit) of courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this study is about achieving a better understanding of factors related to high school students' engagement in science. The study builds on previous secondary analyses of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) datasets for New Zealand and Australia. For the current study, we compared patterns of science engagement and science literacy for male and female students in Canada and Australia. The study's secondary analysis revealed that for all PISA measures included under the conceptual umbrella of engagement in science (i.e. interest, enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy, self-concept and motivation), 15-year-old students in Australia lagged their Canadian counterparts to varying, albeit modest, degrees. Our retrospective analysis further shows, however, that gender equity in science engagement and science literacy is evident in both Canadian and Australian contexts. Additionally, and consistent with our previous findings for indigenous and non-indigenous students in New Zealand and Australia, we found that for male and female students in both countries, the factor most strongly associated with variations in engagement in science was the extent to which students participate in science activities outside of school. In contrast, and again for both Canadian and Australian students, the factors most strongly associated with science literacy were students' socioeconomic backgrounds, and the amount of formal time spent doing science. The implications of these results for science educators and researchers are discussed.     

Developing inclusive teachers from an inclusive curricular perspective

This article defines inclusive education in light of the Education for All agenda. It then describes key considerations for developing inclusive teachers from the perspective of an inclusive curriculum which seeks to address the needs of all learners. It concludes by outlining several key policy discussion areas which must be addressed if inclusive educational reforms are to be sustained.     

Environmental Perception as a Diagnostic Probe of Environmental Complexity Levels

Purpose: Educational methods to diagnose and improve the level of environmental conception are required. The present work reports a methodology based on studies about the environmental perception of a university public, divided into general students and those related to the forest sciences, who are involved with disciplines and researches related to e.g. environmental management.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The environmental perception obtained from the graphical representation of environment and the most relevant actions indicated by the students to achieve the environmental conservation, divided in four levels of complexity, were correlated using principal component analysis.

Findings: The students from both groups having the highest scores in environmental perception prioritize actions related to the comprehension and responsibility levels, while the ideal scenario would be to indicate actions related to competence and citizenship. Thus, the complex concept about environment of the students is still incipient and, therefore, educational strategies can be traced based on the profiles obtained.

Practical Implications: The method for environmental perception can be designed for different populations and a scheme relating environmental perception with four levels of actions on behalf of the environmental conservation is proposed to diagnose environmental conceptions, as well as to guide educational strategies about socio-ecological system.

Originality/Value: A semi-quantitative method was developed to estimate, clearly and directly, the level of complexity about the environmental knowledge of university students and, consequently, to predict the actions on behalf of the environmental conservation that they would probably perform.     

Checklist and context-bound evaluations of online learning in higher education

A review is undertaken of what different commentators have written about the evaluation of educational courseware in higher education. Speculation is made on the reasons for the lack of such evaluations. The role of checklists for evaluating online courseware is discussed despite the acknowledged limitations. Checklists have been developed at Edith Cowan University specifically for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. These checklists are intended to be useful indicators of the areas where online learning materials are strong and identify areas that may be deficient rather than to arrive at a numeric score. The form of checklist proposed is a valuable screening device to use before undertaking a context‐bound evaluation of courseware. Contextual evaluations are a complementary and valuable alternative to traditional forms of evaluation of educational courseware, such as checklists. A case is also made in this article for using a checklist developed for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. It is argued that, when used in conjunction with a context‐bound approach, such checklists may be more useful in indicating the pedagogical quality of online learning materials. Quality of the instructional design remains an important consideration in evaluating courseware. Continuing comments and dissent are invited on the value of contextual evaluations of educational courseware to reinvigorate the debate over appropriate ways of evaluating online courseware that will provide helpful information for higher education.     

Portrayals of science and scientists,and ‘science for citizenship’

There are increasing calls in the science education community for ‘science for citizenship’ as an important goal for the school science curriculum of the 21st century. The potential influence of portrayals of science and scientists in popular culture on the achievement of this goal is explored in this paper through a review of the literature. We develop a framework of important questions citizens ask in considering personal and social decision making in relation to science and technology issues, and how portrayals of science and scientists might contribute to this decision making process.