“Picturing Them Right in Front of Me”: Guidelines for Implementing Video Communication in Online and Blended Learning

We provide actionable strategies that teachers can follow when implementing asynchronous video communication and feedback in their own courses. These strategies are based on our own research over many years in the use of asynchronous video in online teaching, as well as our review of the literature, and are provided to foster greater discussion on the pedagogical strategies surrounding the use of video in online teaching.     

Out of school: a phenomenological exploration of extended non-attendance

The concept of “extended non-attendance” (“school phobia” or “school refusal”) was distinguished from truancy early in the twentieth century, and refers to children who fear school and avoid attending. Despite much subsequent research, outcomes for those affected remain poor, and their voices remain largely absent from the evidence base. The current study sought to address this by examining the experiences of four secondary-age children with extended attendance difficulties. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted in participants’ homes, subsequently analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Although participants differed markedly in their perception of the causes of their non-attendance, their support experiences appear remarkably similar. Emergent themes include being disbelieved, experiencing fragmented support, and feeling blamed and punished. Implications for practitioners include the importance of ensuring early intervention, the need to consider the individual child, and the importance of making sure that local intervention practices are informed by the evidence base.     

Expectancy effects in tennis: The impact of opponents' pre-match non-verbal behaviour on male tennis players

Abstract

In this study, we examined the impact of a male opponent's pre-match body language and clothing (general vs. sports-specific) on how his performances were judged by an observer. Forty male tennis players viewed videos of a male target tennis player warming up and then observed playing footage of the target. Each participant viewed the target player warming up displaying one of four combinations of body language and clothing (positive body language/tennis-specific clothing; positive body language/general sportswear; negative body language/tennis-specific clothing; negative body language/general sportswear). Participants rated the performance of the tennis player and gave their perceptions of the likely outcome of a tennis match with the target player. Analyses of variance indicated that clothing and body language had an interactive effect on both outcome expectations and ratings of performance. The findings support the contention that the initial impressions athletes form of their opponents can influence the way in which they judge the performances of opponents and their perceived likelihood of success against the same opponents.     

罗宾·威廉姆斯:白天不懂夜的黑

罗宾·威廉姆斯的离世突然而毫无预兆。或者说,在世人眼中,他不应该以这种方式突然离开人们的视线。我们只记得他欢乐的模样,哪怕在严肃的剧情片或是晦暗不明的惊悚片,我们也期待他有那么一两句幽默台词能引得观众捧腹大笑。所以我们不断发问:他看上去那么乐观开朗、没心没肺,怎会以自杀的方式了却自己的一生呢?殊不知镁光灯之外的他,终生与酒精、毒品以及抑郁症纠缠,台上的欢笑不过是他的职业需求,嘴角牵扯的笑容根本没有到达眼底     

Psychometric characteristics of integrated multi-specialty examinations: Ebel ratings and unidimensionality

Over recent years, UK medical schools have moved to more integrated summative examinations. This paper analyses data from the written assessment of undergraduate medical students to investigate two key psychometric aspects of this type of high-stakes assessment. Firstly, the strength of the relationship between examiner predictions of item performance (as required under the Ebel standard setting method employed) and actual item performance (‘facility’) in the examination is explored. It is found that there is a systematic pattern of difference between these two measures, with examiners tending to underestimate the difficulty of items classified as relatively easy, and overestimating that of items classified harder. The implications of these differences for standard setting are considered. Secondly, the integration of the assessment raises the question as to whether the student total score in the exam can provide a single meaningful measure of student performance across a broad range of medical specialties. Therefore, Rasch measurement theory is employed to evaluate psychometric characteristics of the examination, including its dimensionality. Once adjustment is made for item interdependency, the examination is shown to be unidimensional with fit to the Rasch model implying that a single underlying trait, clinical knowledge, is being measured.     

Instructions to Adopt an External Focus Enhance Muscular Endurance

Abstract

The influence of internal (movement focus) and external (outcome focus) attentional-focusing instructions on muscular endurance were investigated using three exercise protocols with experienced exercisers. Twenty-three participants completed a maximal repetition, assisted bench-press test on a Smith's machine. An external focus of attention resulted in significant (p < .05) improvements in performance compared to the internal focus of attention, but not the control condition. Seventeen participants completed repetitions to failure at 75% 1-RM on free bench-press and squat exercises. In both tasks, externally focused instructions resulted in significantly greater repetitions to failure than control and internal focus conditions (p < .05). These results support previous research showing beneficial effects of externally focused instructions on movement efficiency.     

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as collaborative working: a case study in shared practice and collective purpose

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has yet to fully enter the mainstream of life in higher education. In this case study, we consider a specific network focused on the reform of engineering education. The network involves global collaboration within the discipline of Engineering and is based around curricular activity that affects entire departments or groups of staff. We suggest that SoTL should pay greater attention to collaboration that addresses substantive disciplinary purposes, further embodying these purposes through spaces, motivations and capacities for action in the disciplinary and departmental setting. We frame our argument around a theoretical model of collaborative working in higher education and go on to offer a synoptic overview of ways to articulate common purpose around teaching and learning at large. Our account highlights potential drivers for such collaborative activity in other settings. In this way, we offer a means for others to develop the collective commitments, structures and understanding needed to mainstream SoTL within specific disciplinary or departmental settings.