Optimization of the felge on parallel bars

The felge, or undersomersault, on parallel bars has become an important skill in men's artistic gymnastics as it forms the basis of many complex variations. To receive no deductions from the judges, the felge must be performed without demonstrating the use of strength to achieve the final handstand position. Two male gymnasts each performed nine trials of the felge from handstand to handstand while data were recorded using an automatic motion capture system. The highest and lowest scoring trials of each gymnast, as determined by four international judges, were chosen for further analysis. The technique used by each gymnast was optimized using a computer simulation model so that the final handstand position could be achieved with straight arms. Two separate optimizations found different techniques identified in the coaching literature that are used by gymnasts. Optimum simulations resulted in improved performances through a combination of increased vertical velocity and height of the mass centre at release. Although the optimum technique found close to the gymnasts' own technique was more demanding in terms of the strength required, it offered the potential for more consistent performance and future developments in skill complexity.     

Understanding responsibility in Responsible AI. Dianoetic virtues and the hard problem of context

Ethics and Information Technology - During the last decade there has been burgeoning research concerning the ways in which we should think of and apply the concept of responsibility for Artificial...     

THE TEACHER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES OF PROSPECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS

Nine prospective secondary mathematics teachers were interviewed about their teaching internship experience. The results of these interviews revealed that 7 of the 9 participants professed to value reform-oriented teaching and conceptual understanding in mathematics, yet all were paired with cooperating teachers who seemed to value traditional instruction and procedural understanding in mathematics. We explored the reasons that some of these student interns had positive experiences with their cooperating teachers and university supervisors while others had negative experiences. We found that the participants valued (a) critical feedback that was constructive and contained concrete recommendations for improvement, (b) freedom to use their own teaching methods, and (c) a friendly and supportive relationship with their mentors. The differing teaching philosophies of student teachers and their cooperating teachers contributed to negative experiences only when student teachers were not allowed freedom in their teaching methods.     

IMPACT OF A RESTORATIVE CARE PROGRAM IN THE NURSING HOME

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a progressive mobility restorative program on nursing home residents' ability to perform selected activities of daily living (ADLs) and the amount of staff assistance needed to help residents complete these ADLs. A one group repeated measures design study was conducted in a 255-bed university affiliated geriatrics center. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) specially trained in restorative mobility techniques worked with residents individually for at least 15 minutes per day, five days per week to achieve their individualized mobility goals. Items on ADL Self-Performance and ADL Support Provided from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) were collected at baseline, three months, and six months. Thirty-eight of 42 residents (90%) were included in the analyses and 31 residents (82%) completed at least 25 days of restorative activities. Some residents improved their ADL self-performance at three and six months (15% and 33%, respectively) and decreased in the amount of ADL support provided at three and six months (26% and 31%, respectively). Total ADL self-performance and support provided did not change significantly over the six-month period. Most residents maintained their baseline ADL self-performance and level of ADL support provided over the six-month study. A progressive mobility restorative program implemented by a certified nursing assistant specially trained in restorative techniques resulted in most residents maintaining their baseline ADL self-performance abilities and the level of assistance provided by staff. Studies are needed to determine if these types of programs can actually improve functional abilities and decrease the level of staff assistance needed to complete ADLs or if they are effective in maintaining or delaying functional loss and staff burden.     

On the role of impact evaluation of quality assurance from the strategic perspective of quality assurance agencies in the European higher education area

In this paper the current national legislations, the quality assurance approaches and the activities of impact analysis of three quality assurance agencies from Romania, Spain and Germany are described from a strategic perspective. The analysis shows that the general methodologies (comprising, for example, self-evaluation reports, peer reviews, on-site visits, assessment reports, follow-up measures) and main subjects of quality assurance in higher education (such as study programmes and institutional structures and processes) are very similar in the sample cases. However, up to now, impact evaluation of quality assurance has not been implemented systematically in the sample agencies (as in many others). This is the more relevant since the European standards of quality assurance in higher education oblige quality assurance agencies to analyse their general findings and observe the effects of their activities. Against that background, it is argued that methodologically sound impact analyses of quality assurance interventions in higher education institutions should be seen as an integral part of the agencies’ own quality assurance because it would make their work more transparent and easier to improve systematically. The paper identifies some professionalisation needs required for impact evaluation competences: staff and peers who are qualified by methodological knowledge but also by ‘soft’ skills such as project and conflict management.     

School-based parental involvement: a comparative assessment of predictors of satisfaction in South-East Europe

Exploring a unique region concerning educational reforms in the past 20?years, the present study empirically investigates the attitudes towards parental involvement in school life in a comparative perspective of south-eastern European (SEE) countries for the 2008/2009 school year. Based on a multiple regression model for nine different countries, the research examines the predictors of satisfaction with school–parent partnerships from the parents’ perspective in the SEE context. The 2009 Cross-National Survey of Parents provided detailed evidence of attitudes and practices in educational setups in the Balkans for a representative sample of parents with one or more children enrolled in primary or secondary education. The findings indicate that the most reliable explanatory variable for the parents’ satisfaction with ways of getting involved in school life is the attribution of school–parent roles, with effects knocking on to all the other factors, including the understanding of the need to participate and the feeling of being a stakeholder in the educational process.