Open Journals at Memorial University
Not a member yet
1472 research outputs found
Sort by
Evaluative simulation: An innovative approach to summative assessment in an anesthesia residency program
Get PDFThe use of Entrustable Professional Activities in Memorial University's Phase 4 (clerkship) curriculum
Get PDFIf You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em
Get PDFQuestions of how people influence and skew polling outcomes as respondents have long been at the core of methodological debates for empirical political scientists. In the study of public opinion and voting intentions, though, this perspective can only treat one direction of the relationship between respondents and polls. This article intends to highlight the effects of this relationship's converse: the effects of polling on voterintention. Bandwagon effects, underdog effects, and strategic voting are boiled down to their essences as functions of political expectations and it is argued that the publications of voter-intention polls (horse-race polls) during election periods can influence the expectations and calculations of prospective voters
Biofuels, A Sustainable Alternative to Fossil Fuels?
Get PDFFinding a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels is important for mitigating climate change. Currently, there is no sustainable alternative to fossil fuels that is affordable, accessible, and manageable on a global scale. A commonly proposed alternative to fossil fuels is biofuels, which are fuels composed of plant-based materials (e.g. maize and sugarcane). In this article, I will explore whether biofuels are a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. I argue that the use of biofuels should not increase as an alternative to fossil fuels because of the negative implications biofuels have on environmental sustainability, food security, and poverty. Using a contentious political economy framework posed by Neville (2015), I show that negative biofuel implications often intersect with each other. This work contributes to the field of political economy, and to green energy policy. In finding that biofuels are not a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, investments in new technologies will help find an alternative that is affordable, accessible, and manageable.
Why Gamification is Malarkey
Get PDFWithin education, gamification is described as an emerging trend, a tool, and possibly the holistic approach of a new pedagogy (Biro, 2013; Dicheva, Dichev, Agre, & Angelova, 2015). Supporters of gamification state that, if done properly, you can increase student satisfaction, engagement, effectiveness and efficiency (Urh, Vukovic, Jereb, & Pintar, 2015). Within my own context of teaching in higher education, this is a very appealing proposition; the ability to harness the power of games without the difficulty of trying to implement games within my courses. And like many, I’ve been drawn in by promotional-style conference presentations that tout the many advantages of gamification and how easy it is to implement. At first glance it all seems very innovative and exciting. But not all gamification is created equal, and there are those who are outright against the idea. Ian Bogost (2015) is one such individual. In his infamous article, Why Gamification is Bullshit, he even goes so far as to re-label it as “exploitationware” created by marketing consultants with the sole purpose of deception and profit. While I agree with his underlying issues around the vagueness of the term, I felt that his reasoning did not do his argument justice and did not apply to the use of gamification in educational contexts. With this paper, I hope to revisit his idea. I do this not from the view that gamification is bullshit, but with the view that it shows evidence of malarkey; a term designed to obscure, mislead or impress (Malarkey. dictionary.com unabridged.). Beginning with some counterarguments in support of gamification, I use this paper to focus on the false novelty of gamification, its lacking research, and the problems associated with its subjective application
School Counsellors’ Perspectives and Practices Regarding Informed Consent
Get PDFObtaining informed consent can be challenging when counselling youth in a school setting. This study explored how school counsellors (n=123) in Newfoundland and Labrador obtained informed consent when counselling youth. Surveys were distributed to school counsellors via an online survey platform. Findings suggested that many school counsellors obtained informed consent from their student clients regardless of their students’ ages. Importantly though, some variation did exist among participants in terms of informed consent practices as well as parental/guardian access to student client information practices. Perceptions regarding the nature and importance of information to provide through the informed consent process varied in some cases. Implications for policy, future research, and practice are highlighted
How Can the Jazz Singer Improvise Through Vocalecosystems?
Get PDFKnowledge of vocal improvised music, whether demonstrated by high or low obscure pitch sounds, the beating of the chest while making music sounds, vocal pitch matching or vocal animation with or without the use of technology, has paved the way for a steady stream of vocal artists through the years, each dedicated to vocal exploration. While jazz vocal improvisation appears on the surface to involve few or no rules, it is a form of communication between artist and listener, where the artist adheres to a set of rules or principles. Here the jazz improviser is treated as part of an ecosystem, a concept in the biological sciences that comprises a set of interacting organisms and environments in a particular place. Within the jazz vocal improvisational ecosystem there are various roles, approaches and activities. What follows is a description showing how the analogy with biological ecosystems can be applied to a ‘vocal ecology’ and how this viewpoint may also aid the improvising jazz vocalist in artistic expression
Determining and Enhancing the Competencies of the School-Based Choir Conductor through a Capability Building Program
Get PDFThe power of choral singing has been proven to be significant in transforming every person into better individuals. This can be achieved if the school choir director who delivers the training has the technical knowledge, rehearsal techniques, and conducting skills which are essential to maintain a competitive school choir.Using descriptive survey research method the competencies of the school choir directors as to musical competencies, managerial competencies, and musicianship competencies were determined and enhanced through a capability building program conducted.Moreover, it showed that before the conduct of the capability building program the respondents have moderate competence on musical competencies and low competence on managerial competencies and musicianship competencies. A significant difference existed after the conduct of the program specifically on the managerial competencies and musicianship competencies among school choir directors which signified high competence as observed in the respondents’ choir demonstration
A Content Analysis of ACDA National Conference Interest Sessions: 1960 – 2013
Get PDFSince its inception in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) has hosted national conferences (N = 28) designed to serve professional choral conductors and choral educators. Previous studies indicated that such conferences primarily were comprised of live choral performances by invited choirs. That research also reported, however, that over 30% of conference events were educationally focused interest sessions (Price & Orman, 2007). The present study categorized and analyzed interest sessions (N = 458) by subject area, topic, presentation format, and ensemble/voice type listed in ACDA National Conference programs, 1960 – 2013. Results indicated that choral conducting and choral techniques was the most frequent subject area represented, followed by choral literature and performance practice, style, and interpretation. Vocal technique, vocal production and tone was the most frequent topic presented followed by multicultural music. Folk, pop, jazz, and rock was the stylistic topic most frequently present in performance practice, style, and interpretation. Like previous studies, choral literature sessions were found to be a high interest topic. However, unlike previous studies, the sessions about technology, assessment, and standards tended to be of low interest to ACDA