101 research outputs found
Educational and institutional flexibility of Australian educational software
No full text
Purpose
This paper aims to provide context for papers in this special issue on Australasian e-learning. The paper aims to examine the background to Australian flexible and transnational education and to evaluate the educational and intuitional flexibility of three typical products of the Australian educational software industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The history of Australian distance education is summarised and drivers for flexible education are presented. A model of flexible educational software is introduced with three dimensions: educational, institutional and support/training. Three educational software products are informally reviewed using this model to establish that the current generation of Australian educational software offers significant educational and institutional flexibility.
Findings
The three examples of Australian educational software rate highly in both educational and institutional flexibility and also offer excellent support.
Research limitations/implications
The existence of hot spots of educational technology innovation in relatively isolated areas such as Perth and Tasmania warrants further investigation.
Practical implications
The Australian educational software industry produces extremely flexible products with excellent support that are worthy of consideration by international customers. Policy makers in Australia are alerted that current policies in ICT off shoring and the Australian Research Quality Framework (equivalent to the British Research Assessment Exercise) may threaten this industry, which contributes to sizable exports in transnational education.
Originality/value
The paper brings the flexible nature of Australian educational software to light for an international audience.
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Energy Solutions
No full textThis report was prepared by Pacific Gas and Electric Company and funded by California utility customers under the auspices of the California Publi
Evaluating a principled approach to the design of resource based interactive learning environments
No full textToday’s technology supports the design of more and more sophisticated resource-based learning (RBL) environments. RBL is a kind of learning environment in which a set of strategies are integrated for the promotion of student-centred learning. These strategies are about how to combine specially designed learning resources, interactive media and technologies into the learning environment . However, unless we provide meaningful learning content and context, the resources and other multimedia technologies are merely information resources and tools. How to design a good course is always a challenge to course designers. Principles that are based on learning theories can give courses designers a good guide. One main aim of this study is to set out a principled approach to course design for interactive multimedia learning environments. The principled approach is based on conversation theory(CT), a theory of learning and teaching. The second main aim is an evaluation of the principled approach to course design for interactive learning environments, using case studies of courses, where one or all of the principles have been applied. In the course design and learning theories literature various principles are provided. However, in general these principles have not been fully evaluated. The evaluation study reported here is thus a major contribution to the field. A third aim is to exemplify and evaluate aknowledge and task analysis based approach to generate adaptive teaching for helping students learn the required knowledge correctly and efficiently. The research processes of this study were:(1) to build a conceptual framework for CT and interactive learning environments through a literature review;(2) to describe the course design principles and how they are applied in course design;(3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the principled course design model with two case studies (4)to use a knowledge and task analysis based approach to generate adaptive teaching for helping students learn the required knowledge correctly and effciently and adaptive teaching with one case study;(5) to present the conclusions and future areas of research
Energy intake in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis
No full textConstitutive activation of WASp leads to abnormal cytotoxic cells with increased granzyme B and degranulation response to target cells
No full textX-linked neutropenia (XLN) is caused by gain-of-function mutations in the actin regulator Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp). XLN patients have reduced numbers of cytotoxic cells in peripheral blood; however, their capacity to kill tumor cells remains to be determined. Here, we examined NK and T cells from 2 patients with XLN harboring the activating WASpL270P mutation. XLN patient NK and T cells had increased granzyme B content and elevated degranulation and IFN-γ production when compared with healthy control cells. Murine WASpL272P NK and T cells formed stable synapses with YAC-1 tumor cells and anti-CD3/CD28-coated beads, respectively. WASpL272P mouse T cells had normal degranulation and cytokine response whereas WASpL272P NK cells showed an enhanced response. Imaging experiments revealed that while WASpL272P CD8+ T cells had increased accumulation of actin upon TCR activation, WASpL272P NK cells had normal actin accumulation at lytic synapses triggered through NKp46 signaling but had impaired response to lymphocyte function associated antigen-1 engagement. When compared with WT mice, WASpL272P mice showed reduced growth of B16 melanoma and increased capacity to reject MHC class I-deficient cells. Together, our data suggest that cytotoxic cells with constitutively active WASp have an increased capacity to respond to and kill tumor cells.sponsorship: The authors are grateful to the XLN patients and their family for supporting our study. We would like to thank Nancy Boeck and Sanne Smits at UZ Leuven for the valuable comments and/or technical instructions. We are grateful to the staff of the Department of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology animal facility. This work was supported by travel awards from Swedish Cancer Society, Erik and Edith Fernstrom Foundation, and Swedish Society for Medical Research to JSK; a PhD fellowship from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia SFRH/BD/117035/2016 to MMSO; a postdoctoral fellowship from Swedish Society for Medical Research to JR; a postdoctoral fellowship from Wenner-Gren Foundation to MBS; a postdoctoral fellowship from Olle Engkvist Byggmastare foundation to MH; a postdoctoral fellowship from the Swedish Cancer Society to MK; a Region Stockholm clinical research appointment, Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Society for Medical Research, the Swedish Medical Association, Clas Groschinsky Memorial Foundation, Ake Wiberg Foundation, Magnus Bergvall Foundation, Karolinska Institutet Foundation to HB; an MD-PhD (CSTP) fellowship and a clinical internship (research AT) from Karolinska Institutet to AS; NIH grants R01AI067946 and R01AI120989 to JSO; and Swedish Research Council, Swedish Cancer Society, Childhood Cancer Fund, a Strat Can BlueSky award, the European Commission 7th Framework Programme Marie Curie reintegration grant (249177), Ake Olsson Foundation, Ake Wiberg Foundation, Bergvall Foundation, King Gustaf V's 80-year foundation, and Karolinska Institutet to LSW. LSW is a Ragnar Soderberg Fellow in Medicine and holds a senior researcher position supported by the Childhood Cancer Fund. (Swedish Cancer Society, Erik and Edith Fernstrom Foundation, Swedish Society for Medical Research, Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia|SFRH/BD/117035/2016, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Olle Engkvist Byggmastare foundation, Region Stockholm, Swedish Medical Association, Clas Groschinsky Memorial Foundation, Ake Wiberg Foundation, Magnus Bergvall Foundation, Karolinska Institutet Foundation, Karolinska Institutet, NIH|R01AI067946, NIH|R01AI120989, Swedish Research Council, Childhood Cancer Fund, Strat Can BlueSky award, European Commission 7th Framework Programme Marie Curie reintegration grant|249177, Ake Olsson Foundation, Bergvall Foundation, King Gustaf V's 80-year foundation, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia|SFRH/BD/117035/2016)status: Publishe
An Analysis of the Effects of Prereferral Interventions on the Reduction of Inappropriate Classroom Behaviors
No full textv, 127 leaves. Advisor: Marion PanyanThe problem. The author identified a number of concerns with traditional special education services which suggest the need to investigate different methods of remediating student problems within the mainstream classroom environment. These included: (a) the educational community's
failure to meet the intent of P.L. 94-142, (b) an increasing number of individuals with mild disabilities, (c) the high cost of special education, (d) the lack of objectivity in
determining which students are eligible for special education, and (e) the general ineffectivenegs of special education instructional services. The purpose of this study was to determine whether consultants using the Mainstream
Assessment Team: A Handbook on Prereferral Intervention (MAT) (Fuchs, Fuchs, Reeder, Gilman, Fernstrom, Bahr, & Moore, 1989) as an operational tool, could successfully assist classroom teachers in reducing inappropriate behaviors of students being considered for special education evaluation.
Procedures. Three school psychologists (serving as
consultants) received abbreviated instruction in all phases of the MAT. Working with regular education teachers from three different elementary schools, the consultants used MAT techniques in intervening with 14 different students under
consideration for special education referral.
Findinqs. Compared to gender-matched peers, who served as comparison students, the 14 target students demonstrated a significant reduction in inappropriate behavior, indicating that the MAT can be an effective tool in reducing inappropriate behavior in the mainstream classroom environment.
Conclusions. While the MAT proved successful in
reducing inappropriate behaviors, additional efforts are necessary to validate its utility as an operational treatment methodology.Specifically, more work is needed in: (a) understanding the dynamics in selecting and training consultants, (b) identifying the types of problems treatable
by the MAT, (c) broadening sample sizes and constructing longitudinal studies to strengthen external validity, and (d) socially validating the MAT as a treatment intervention. While this study demonstrated the potential of the MAT as an effective classroom intervention method, until these issues are addressed, its overall usefulness and generalizability in remediating problems without relying on special education services is indeterminable
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