A Student Guide for Interpreting Case Material

Abstract

The use of peers in the evaluation of teaching is part of a larger trend in postsecondary education toward a more systematic assessment of classroom performance. Many scholars believe that certain aspects of teaching can be assessed only by classroom observation. This study examines the use that peer reviewers make of teaching products, especially peer observation reports, during the promotion and tenure review process. Results indicate that peer observation reports are seen as an important component in evaluating teaching effectiveness, though perhaps not the best indicator of effective teaching. Despite flaws in peer observation instruments, the results from classroom observation are seen as valid and are used in deliberations about faculty teaching performance.     

Bionic mechanical design and 3D printing of novel porous Ti6Al4V implants for biomedical applications

Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B - In maxillofacial surgery, there is a significant need for the design and fabrication of porous scaffolds with customizable bionic structures and...     

A finite element analysis of the stress distribution to the mandible from impact forces with various orientations of third molars

Objective

To investigate the stress distribution to the mandible, with and without impacted third molars (IM3s) at various orientations, resulting from a 2000-Newton impact force either from the anterior midline or from the body of the mandible.

Materials and methods

A 3D mandibular virtual model from a healthy dentate patient was created and the mechanical properties of the mandible were categorized to 9 levels based on the Hounsfield unit measured from computed tomography (CT) images. Von Mises stress distributions to the mandibular angle and condylar areas from static impact forces (Load I-front blow and Load II left blow) were evaluated using finite element analysis (FEA). Six groups with IM3 were included: full horizontal bony, full vertical bony, full 450 mesioangular bony, partial horizontal bony, partial vertical, and partial 450 mesioangular bony impaction, and a baseline group with no third molars.

Results

Von Mises stresses in the condyle and angle areas were higher for partially than for fully impacted third molars under both loading conditions, with partial horizontal IM3 showing the highest fracture risk. Stresses were higher on the contralateral than on the ipsilateral side. Under Load II, the angle area had the highest stress for various orientations of IM3s. The condylar region had the highest stress when IM3s were absent.

Conclusions

High-impact forces are more likely to cause condylar rather than angular fracture when IM3s are missing. The risk of mandibular fracture is higher for partially than fully impacted third molars, with the angulation of impaction having little effect on facture risk.

     

Learning in an Honors Program

Abstract. This article describes a program of demanding courses offered in an academic community to nontraditional and at-risk, first- and second-year students at a research university. The delivery of instruction uses multiple pedagogies, including collaborative learning and labs where students work together under the guidance of undergraduate assistants. A research study showed that students in the program perform better than traditional students in equivalent courses. In addition, this study provides strong evidence that when students of the program take the same subsequent classes offered to the general university population, their success rates match or exceed those of their traditional classmates.     

Music as a tool for environmental education and advocacy: artistic perspectives from musicians of the Playlist for the Planet

Environmental education is a key tool in humanity’s efforts to address environmental issues. The arts can help provide some of the affective components of environmental education – emotions, values, and motivations driving pro-environmental behavior. As one of the arts, music can captivate, entertain, and create a sense of community. Using non-probabilistic purposive sampling, we interviewed a cohort of environmentally aware musicians with the goal of understanding their mental constructions around the role of music in environmental education and advocacy. A constant comparative coding method was used to code the interviews. The analysis revealed four artistic and five quality dimensions that the participants considered when sharing their pro-environmental values through their music. The four artistic dimensions emerged as continua representing ranges of choice regarding how a musician might create and deliver an environment-related song. The five quality dimensions emerged as recommendations for effectiveness of messaging through art that is perceived as authentic.     

Traditional balance and slackline training are associated with task-specific adaptations as assessed with sensorimotor tests

The purpose of this study was to measure alterations in sensorimotor skills and balance resulting from slackline training and conventional balance training. Forty-three physically fit subjects were randomized into three groups. Two groups practiced three times a week for 15?minutes, including at least once supervised session, on the slackline or perform conventional balance training for 6 weeks. The control group was not allowed to perform any balance training. Before and after the intervention, the subjects underwent sensorimotor and strength tests. The results of our intra-class correlation analysis showed that the stability parameters from the multifunctional training device (MFT, 0.7), the height during the countermovement jump (CMJ, 0.95) and the maximum force (0.88) during leg press showed excellent reliability. A post hoc comparison indicated a larger effect of conventional training (almost 11% reduction in MFT stability) compared with slackline training in group-wide comparisons of the pre- to the post-training measurements. The factor analysis showed that stability and sensorimotor assessment using MFT were correlated, as were height during CMJ and maximal force during leg press, which represented dynamic strength. Because CMJ had the highest intra-class correlation value, it was chosen over maximum force from leg press. For these reasons, only two out of nine measured parameters, namely MFT stability and CMJ, were analysed across groups. The only observed difference between the two groups was MFT stability (slackline???1.5%, conventional???13%), whereas the improvement of CMJ was the same (slackline?+?3%, conventional?+?3%). It can be concluded that slacklining is partly complementary to conventional sensorimotor training.