What motivates enrolment in programming MOOCs?

Learners who enrol in massive open online courses (MOOCs) have different backgrounds and tend to have different motivations than learners in traditional courses. Based on value-expectancy theory, an instrument was developed to measure motivation for enrolling in a programming MOOC. A study with 1229 adult participants in Estonian-language programming course “About Programming” was conducted to validate the instrument. Results of confirmatory factor analysis validated the 7-factor scale named factors influencing enrolment in MOOC (FIEM). FIEM comprises three factors of expectancies, three factors of values and one factor of social influence. The highest and lowest rated motivational factors influencing enrolment in programming MOOC are discussed in the paper. Interest in and expectations for the course, personal suitability of distance learning and suitability for family and work are the highest-rated motivational factors for those who enrol in MOOC. Usefulness related to own children, social influence and usefulness to related to certification were the lowest rated. The results of this study can be useful for designers of programming MOOCs and the developed scale might be used in future studies.     

A New Approach to Quality Assurance for Higher Education

This article describes the Engineering Professors' Conference (EPC) approach to quality assurance for Higher Education Institutions, which is currently the only formalized alternative to British Standard 5750 'Quality Systems'. The EPC approach is based on principles of quality assurance and Total Quality Management which have been developed in industry. These ideas are briefly outlined, and an opinion expressed on the interpretation and application of BSS7S0 for HE. The EPC model is explained, illustrated with example elements taken from the EPC Specification and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. A top-down approach to the development of an institutional quality system is described, based on a quality policy statement. Areas of activity which have an important impact on the quality of education are identified, emphasising the quality assurance requirements of academic departments. Supporting and administrative quality system requirements are also described, as these also play an important role in the quality of education. Formal quality procedures and documentation in key areas are proposed.     

论中小企业信息系统战略

中小企业是国民经济发展的支撑力量。加强信息系统建设对中小企业的发展具有重大意义。中小企业应制定信息系统战略计划的目标 ,解决信息系统建设和实施信息系统战略中的问题 ,选择适合本企业的信息系统战略计划方法。参考文献 5。     

Social support and recovery from sport injury: elite skiers share their experiences.

Research suggests that social support can be an important coping resource for athletes recovering from sport injury. Few studies have investigated this claim, however. To address this gap in the literature, 10 elite downhill skiers who had recovered from serious sport injuries were interviewed about the sources of stress associated with injury and the role of social support in recovery from sport injury. This paper presents the social supportfindings that emergedfrom this research'. Content analyses of the social support data revealed that the skiers needed various types of emotional, informational, and tangible support from the occurrence of injury through the return to full activity. Members of the treatment team, the ski team, and the skiers' home support net works provided social support throughout these phases. In general, the skiers were satisfied with the support received, indicating that it reduced distress and kept them motivated throughout recovery. The findings from this research have implications for the design of sport injury interventions.     

血液氧自由基、血乳酸、主观用力感觉、心率与运动强度相关性的研究

为探索抗氧化运动强度与监控指标的确定,采用CR2000RC氧自由基生化分析仪、LT 1710血乳酸测定仪、Borg(15、10)主观用力感觉等级量表、心率监测系统对受试者(n=9)从事300、600、900、1200、1500KPM/min不同强度踏车(Monark839E)运动(每级负荷运动5min)时血液氧自由基、血乳酸、主观用力感觉、心率的变化进行测定,并对其进行了相关性分析。结果表明:心率、RPE(15、10)与运动强度(KPM/min)之间呈现高度线性相关,r=0 959、0 923、0 918;血液氧自由基浓度与运动强度、心率、RPE之间的相关性较低,但其变化趋势类似于血乳酸的变化,低强度时(≤900KPM/min)虽运动强度增加但血液氧自由基浓度保持不变,当运动强度超过900KPM/min时,血液氧自由基浓度随运动强度增加而增加;RPE10与血乳酸之间的相关程度高于RPE15、心率、运动强度与血乳酸的相关程度。认为心率、RPE(15、10)可作为监控抗氧化运动强度的理想指标;血液氧自由基浓度不能作为运动强度的监控指标;从抗氧化运动角度而言,健身运动的强度应以血乳酸4mM、心率130beats/min、RPE15值11、RPE10值3左右为宜。     

Alternative technologies and social studies textbooks

In order to determine the potential of alternative technologies in social studies education, we must understand the goals of such education, the capabilities of the technologies, and teachers’ and students’ responses to new technologies. The author suggests that the new technologies can contribute to the goals of learning about the past, learning about democratic life and institutions, and making students knowledgeable as consumers and producers of information. One major obstacle is a lack of time and money for teachers to experiment with the technologies. Stephen T. Kerr is professor of education in the College of Education at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the application of new technologies in schools and other educational environments, and particularly on the ways in which technology affects the social structure (roles and expectations, instructional patterns, organization) of those institutions. He has done work on human-computer interaction, as well as on how new communication technologies have changed the educational system of the former USSR.     

Inclusive Education in China: Conceptualisation and Realisation

This paper examines the historical background of the development of special education and how “Learning in Regular Classrooms” (LRC) has become the major service delivery model to universalise compulsory education for children with disabilities in China. The authors assert that the current model of inclusive education in China was conceptualised through the influence of the Western ideology of inclusion and the practical consideration of Chinese socio-economical conditions. To realise this model, a number of strategies were introduced and widely practised in an attempt to effectively implement the LRC programs. Adverse social climate, the exam-oriented education system, and limited resources in all aspects, however, remained as critical elements to be overcome for the future development of inclusive education in China. The LRC model is expected to continue to be the main form of inclusive education in China.     

Assessing School Readiness: Validity and Bias in Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers' Ratings

As a part of efforts to evaluate and monitor the increasing public investment in early childhood education, teachers are being asked to assess children's school readiness. In this study, preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers rated children's skills in three areas (kindergarten readiness, academic skills, and communication skills), and these ratings were compared with direct assessments of the children's skills. Ratings by both groups of teachers tended to be more highly related to basic skills, such as counting and number naming, than to abilities such as solving applied problems and using expressive and receptive vocabulary. Preschool teachers' ratings had a lower association with children's observed skills and abilities than kindergarten teachers' ratings. Ratings of children attending Head Start were systematically inflated, but this relationship was mediated to a significant extent by the teachers' levels of education. More educated teachers rated children in a manner consistent with the children's directly assessed skills. Implications of these findings for informing future efforts to assess school readiness by using teacher ratings are discussed.