Applying computerized-scoring models of written biological explanations across courses and colleges: prospects and limitations     

Ha M  Nehm RH  Urban-Lurain M  Merrill JE 《CBE life sciences education》2011,10(4):379-393

Our study explored the prospects and limitations of using machine-learning software to score introductory biology students’ written explanations of evolutionary change. We investigated three research questions: 1) Do scoring models built using student responses at one university function effectively at another university? 2) How many human-scored student responses are needed to build scoring models suitable for cross-institutional application? 3) What factors limit computer-scoring efficacy, and how can these factors be mitigated? To answer these questions, two biology experts scored a corpus of 2556 short-answer explanations (from biology majors and nonmajors) at two universities for the presence or absence of five key concepts of evolution. Human- and computer-generated scores were compared using kappa agreement statistics. We found that machine-learning software was capable in most cases of accurately evaluating the degree of scientific sophistication in undergraduate majors’ and nonmajors’ written explanations of evolutionary change. In cases in which the software did not perform at the benchmark of “near-perfect” agreement (kappa > 0.80), we located the causes of poor performance and identified a series of strategies for their mitigation. Machine-learning software holds promise as an assessment tool for use in undergraduate biology education, but like most assessment tools, it is also characterized by limitations.  相似文献   

Harnessing technology to improve formative assessment of student conceptions in STEM: forging a national network   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Haudek KC  Kaplan JJ  Knight J  Long T  Merrill J  Munn A  Nehm R  Smith M  Urban-Lurain M 《CBE life sciences education》2011,10(2):149-155

Concept inventories, consisting of multiple-choice questions designed around common student misconceptions, are designed to reveal student thinking. However, students often have complex, heterogeneous ideas about scientific concepts. Constructed-response assessments, in which students must create their own answer, may better reveal students' thinking, but are time- and resource-intensive to evaluate. This report describes the initial meeting of a National Science Foundation-funded cross-institutional collaboration of interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education researchers interested in exploring the use of automated text analysis to evaluate constructed-response assessments. Participants at the meeting shared existing work on lexical analysis and concept inventories, participated in technology demonstrations and workshops, and discussed research goals. We are seeking interested collaborators to join our research community.  相似文献   

Building Measurements: Assessing Success of the Library's Changing Physical Space     

Christopher Stewart  Assistant Professor 《The Journal of Academic Librarianship》2011,37(6):539-541

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Popular E-Content at The New York Public Library: Successes and Challenges     

Christopher Platt 《Publishing Research Quarterly》2011,27(3):247-253

Updated from a presentation given at Biblionext.it in Rome in April 2011, this article will highlight The New York Public Library’s success with e-books and other forms of popular e-content and our efforts to stay one step ahead of the consumer shift from print reading to e-reading. Consumer e-reading is dominated by Amazon.com in the US, followed by one of the largest chain bookstores, BarnesandNoble.com. The availability of digital versions of very popular titles, coupled with the explosion of e-readers, tablets, and smartphones that are priced competitively and fairly easy to use, are helping move a lot of Americans into the e-book world. Last month, Amazon.com announced they sold more e-books than physical books for the first time ever. Print books are not going away, but our experience is that it is clear e-books are no longer just an extra format to offer, they are integral to our future.  相似文献   

A validated search assessment tool: assessing practice-based learning and improvement in a residency program     

Gurpreet K Rana  Doreen R Bradley  Stanley J Hamstra  Paula T Ross  Robert E Schumacher  John G Frohna  Hilary M Haftel  Monica L Lypson 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):77-81

Objective:

The objective of this study was to validate an assessment instrument for MEDLINE search strategies at an academic medical center.

Method:

Two approaches were used to investigate if the search assessment tool could capture performance differences in search strategy construction. First, data from an evaluation of MEDLINE searches from a pediatric resident''s longitudinal assessment were investigated. Second, a cross-section of search strategies from residents in one incoming class was compared with strategies of residents graduating a year later. MEDLINE search strategies formulated by faculty who had been identified as having search expertise were used as a gold standard comparison. Participants were presented with a clinical scenario and asked to identify the search question and conduct a MEDLINE search. Two librarians rated the blinded search strategies.

Results:

Search strategy scores were significantly higher for residents who received training than the comparison group with no training. There was no significant difference in search strategy scores between senior residents who received training and faculty experts.

Conclusion:

The results provide evidence for the validity of the instrument to evaluate MEDLINE search strategies. This assessment tool can measure improvements in information-seeking skills and provide data to fulfill Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies.

Highlights

• The University of Michigan MEDLINE Search Assessment tool can be used to assess search skills in residency education.
• Five elements were identified as critical elements in the development of an effective MEDLINE search strategy: inclusion of all search concepts, appropriate use of Medical Subject Headings, appropriate use of search limits, successful combination of all concepts, and search efficiency.

Implications

• This validated assessment tool can serve as an effective means to measure improvements in residents'' information-seeking skills and provide data to fulfill Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies.

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Selected metabolic responses to skateboarding     

Hetzler RK  Hunt I  Stickley CD  Kimura IF 《Research quarterly for exercise and sport》2011,82(4):788-793

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Antecedents of perceived coach autonomy supportive and controlling behaviors: coach psychological need satisfaction and well-being     

Stebbings J  Taylor IM  Spray CM 《运动与训练心理学杂志》2011,33(2):255-272

Within the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) framework, research has considered the consequences of coaches' autonomy supportive and controlling behaviors on various athlete outcomes (e.g., motivation and performance). The antecedents of such behaviors, however, have received little attention. Coaches (N = 443) from a variety of sports and competitive levels completed a self-report questionnaire to assess their psychological need satisfaction, well-being and perceived interpersonal behaviors toward their athletes. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that coaches' competence and autonomy need satisfaction positively predicted their levels of psychological well-being, as indexed by positive affect and subjective vitality. In turn, coaches' psychological well-being positively predicted their perceived autonomy support toward their athletes, and negatively predicted their perceived controlling behaviors. Overall, the results highlight the importance of coaching contexts that facilitate coaches' psychological need satisfaction and well-being, thereby increasing the likelihood of adaptive coach interpersonal behavior toward athletes.  相似文献   

Measure of opportunity: assessing equitable conditions to learn twenty-first century thinking skills     

Anderson  Ross C.  Beach  Paul 《Learning Environments Research》2022,25(3):741-774

Learning Environments Research - Many school change efforts aim to foster conditions for the development of students’ twenty-first century skills in an equitable and comprehensive way, but...  相似文献   

Chinese teachers’ approaches to classroom assessment     

Coombs  Andrew  Rickey  Nathan  DeLuca  Christopher  Liu  Shujie 《Educational Research for Policy and Practice》2022,21(1):1-18

Educational Research for Policy and Practice - This study employed a quantitative research design to investigate Chinese teachers’ conceptions of classroom assessment and perceived skills. A...  相似文献   

The Effects of a Comprehensive Early Literacy Project on Preschoolers’ Language and Literacy Skills     

Yaoying Xu  Christopher Chin  Evelyn Reed  Cynthia Hutchinson 《Early Childhood Education Journal》2014,42(5):295-304

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a federally funded early literacy project that aimed to promote the school readiness skills of preschool-age children from low income families. Through daily, explicit, and systematic instruction, the project targeted to improve preschoolers’ oral language skills, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge that aligned with the existing curriculum of the local school district. Data were collected through multiple sources at the individual child level, classroom level, and from the family/home environment. Significant gains were found between pre- and post-tests in child outcomes, classroom environments, instructional practices, parent attitudes toward early literacy, and family involvement in literacy activities. Additionally, classroom organization was identified as a significant predictor for children’s receptive language skills. Limitations of the current study and implications for future research as well as instructional practices were discussed.  相似文献