Credit: A Teaching Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clanton, Brandolyn; And Others

Intended for teachers of secondary school students, five lessons on consumer credit are presented. In the first lesson students identify and evaluate sources of credit, compare some of the costs and benefits of credit, and learn to apply criteria used in evaluating applications for credit. In the second lesson, students learn about two basic types…

A CAI (Computer-Assisted Instruction) Course on Constructing PLANIT lessons: Development, Content, and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

courseware package on how to program lessons for an automated system. Since PLANIT (Programming Language for Interactive Teaching) is the student/author...assisted instruction (CAI), how to program PLANIT lessons, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the package for select Army users. The resultant courseware

Lessons and challenges from adaptation pathways planning applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haasnoot, M.; Lawrence, J.; Kwakkel, J. H.; Walker, W.; Timmermans, J.; Bloemen, P.; Thissen, W.

2015-12-01

Planning for adaptation to dynamic risks (e.g., because of climate change) is a critical need. The concept of 'adaptive policies' is receiving increasing attention as a way of performing strategic planning that is able to address many of the inherent challenges of uncertainty and dynamic change. Several approaches for developing adaptive policies are available in the literature. One approach, for which several applications already exist, is Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP). Pathway maps enable policy analysts, decision makers, and stakeholders to recognize potential 'locked-in' situations and to assess the flexibility, robustness, and efficacy of decision alternatives. Most of the applications of DAPP have been in deltas, coastal cities, or floodplains, often within the context of climate change adaptation. In this talk, we describe the DAPP approach and present a framework for designing signposts as adaptation signals, together with an illustrative application for the Rhine River in the Netherlands. We also draw lessons and challenges from pathways applications that differ in environment, culture, and institutional context. For example, the Dutch Delta Programme has used pathways to identify short-term decisions and long-term policy options. In Bangladesh, an application is in its early phase. Steps before generating pathways - such as long- term thinking in multiple possible futures and acknowledging uncertainties - are already a big challenge there. In New Zealand, the 'Sustainable Delta Game' has been used as the catalyst for pathways thinking by two local councils. This has led to its application in decision making for coastal and flood risk management and economic analysis of policy options.

The Measurement of Psychological Constructs in Peace Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Daniel J.

Peace education research typically is designed to evaluate the effects of a single lesson or a group of lessons (unit) on some attitudinal or learning outcomes. The current research was designed to evaluate a set of procedures for identifying a mix of peace education lessons that desirably impact on students. Three curriculum consultants were…

Lesson Study: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Richard; Weinhardt, Felix; Wyness, Gill; Rolfe, Heather

2017-01-01

Lesson Study is a popular approach to teacher professional development used widely in Japan. It involves a small group of teachers co-planning a series of lessons based on a shared learning goal for the pupils, with one teacher leading the co-constructed lesson and their colleagues invited to observe pupil learning in the lesson. The team then…

Perceptions of College-Level Music Performance Majors Teaching Applied Music Lessons to Young Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredrickson, William E.

2007-01-01

The present study was designed to examine the reflections of college music performance majors (N = 12) who were teaching private music lessons. Students were instructed to keep a journal during one private lesson of their choice per week. Results indicated initial expectations of lessons that were consistently lower than lesson evaluations after…

An Integrative Lesson on Searching, Tracking Citations, and Evaluating a Scholarly Article

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ragains, Patrick

2013-01-01

In this column, the author discusses a lesson in the credit-bearing information literacy course for honors undergraduates at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The lesson comes last in a unit including resource instruction, search practice, and culminating in the reading and evaluation of a scholarly work. The course, Honors 235: Research in…

Driving social impact with common global indicators for healthy lifestyle programs: lessons learned.

PubMed

Robinson, Nicole R; Gin, Julia; Kamath-Jha, Shilpa; Infantes, Michel; Hernandez, Ricardo; Alberg-Seberich, Michael; Suri, Devika; Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael

2014-09-01

Partnerships between corporate entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in delivering community focused health and well-being programs are becoming increasingly valuable especially in the context of promoting healthy lifestyles around the globe. The Mondelēz International Foundation (MIF) has funded healthy lifestyles community based programs targeting children and youth through partnership with seven global NGOs. To assess collective impact of these programs, it is crucial to identify best practices and common impact indicators that can be measured across programs. MIF therefore organized the Healthy Lifestyles Evaluation Workshop to explore these pertinent questions. Share best practices and identify common impact indicators to measure the success of current and future MIF funded healthy lifestyles programs. Analysis of the Program Impact Pathways (PIPs) and measured output of each of the seven programs. Individual and combined analysis of PIPs of the seven NGO programs led to identification of three critical impact indicators: nutrition knowledge, physical activity, and healthier eating, and also enabled NGOs to identify pathways to improve program delivery among the target population. This workshop enabled MIF and partner NGOs to came together to align on metrics and future engagement approaches for promoting and evaluating community based healthy lifestyles programs.

Oxidative bioelectrocatalysis: From natural metabolic pathways to synthetic metabolons and minimal enzyme cascades.

PubMed

Minteer, Shelley D

2016-05-01

Anodic bioelectrodes for biofuel cells are more complex than cathodic bioelectrodes for biofuel cells, because laccase and bilirubin oxidase can individually catalyze four electron reduction of oxygen to water, whereas most anodic enzymes only do a single two electron oxidation of a complex fuel (i.e. glucose oxidase oxidizing glucose to gluconolactone while generating 2 electrons of the total 24 electrons), so enzyme cascades are typically needed for complete oxidation of the fuel. This review article will discuss the lessons learned from natural metabolic pathways about multi-step oxidation and how those lessons have been applied to minimal or artificial enzyme cascades. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biodesign for Bioenergetics--the design and engineering of electronic transfer cofactors, proteins and protein networks, edited by Ronald L. Koder and J.L. Ross Anderson. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pathways and Challenges to Innovation in Aerospace

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terrile, Richard J.

2010-01-01

This paper explores impediments to innovation in aerospace and suggests how successful pathways from other industries can be adopted to facilitate greater innovation. Because of its nature, space exploration would seem to be a ripe field of technical innovation. However, engineering can also be a frustratingly conservative endeavor when the realities of cost and risk are included. Impediments like the "find the fault" engineering culture, the treatment of technical risk as almost always evaluated in terms of negative impact, the difficult to account for expansive Moore's Law growth when making predictions, and the stove-piped structural organization of most large aerospace companies and federally funded research laboratories tend to inhibit cross-cutting technical innovation. One successful example of a multi-use cross cutting application that can scale with Moore's Law is the Evolutionary Computational Methods (ECM) technique developed at the Jet Propulsion Lab for automated spectral retrieval. Future innovations like computational engineering and automated design optimization can potentially redefine space exploration, but will require learning lessons from successful innovators.

Are We There Yet? Evaluating Library Collections, Reference Services, Programs, and Personnel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins-Carter, Jane; Zweizig, Douglas L.

1985-01-01

This second in a five-lesson tutorial on library evaluation focuses on the evaluation of library collections. Highlights include the seven-step evaluation process described in lesson one; quantitative methods (total size, unfilled requests, circulation, turnover rate); and qualitative methods (impressionistic, list-checking). One required and…

Teachers Connect "with" Technology: Online Tools Build New Pathways to Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Vicki L.; Olson, Lynn

2013-01-01

Teachers, curriculum experts, and other educators work together using online tools developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create high-quality, useful lessons and research-based instructional tools incorporating the Common Core State Standards.

Space Flight Resource Management Training for International Space Station Flight Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Keefe, William S.

2011-01-01

Training includes both SFRM-dedicated lessons and SFRM training embedded into technical lessons. Goal is to reduce certification times by 50% and integrated simulations by 75-90%. SFRM is practiced, evaluated and debriefed in part task trainers and full-task simulation lessons. SFRM model and training are constantly being evaluated against student/management feedback, best practices from industry/ military, and latest research.

Evaluating a Moving Target: Lessons Learned from Using Practical Participatory Evaluation (P-PE) in Hospital Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wharton, Tracy; Alexander, Neil

2013-01-01

This article describes lessons learned about implementing evaluations in hospital settings. In order to overcome the methodological dilemmas inherent in this environment, we used a practical participatory evaluation (P-PE) strategy to engage as many stakeholders as possible in the process of evaluating a clinical demonstration project.…

Risk communication in the case of the Fukushima accident: Impact of communication and lessons to be learned.

PubMed

Perko, Tanja

2016-10-01

Risk communication about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011 was often not transparent, timely, clear, nor factually correct. However, lessons related to risk communication have been identified and some of them are already addressed in national and international communication programmes and strategies. The Fukushima accident may be seen as a practice scenario for risk communication with important lessons to be learned. As a result of risk communication failures during the accident, the world is now better prepared for communication related to nuclear emergencies than it was 5 years ago The present study discusses the impact of communication, as applied during the Fukushima accident, and the main lessons learned. It then identifies pathways for transparent, timely, clear and factually correct communication to be developed, practiced and applied in nuclear emergency communication before, during, and after nuclear accidents. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:683-686. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Genome engineering with TALENs and ZFNs: repair pathways and donor design.

PubMed

Carroll, Dana; Beumer, Kelly J

2014-09-01

Genome engineering with targetable nucleases depends on cellular pathways of DNA repair after target cleavage. Knowledge of how those pathways work, their requirements and their active factors, can guide experimental design and improve outcomes. While many aspects of both homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) are shared by a broad range of cells and organisms, some features are specific to individual situations. This article reviews the influence of repair mechanisms on the results of gene targeting experiments, with an emphasis on lessons learned from experiments with Drosophila. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Growth of Mathematics Teachers during Professional Activity Based on the Task of Lesson Explaining

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Aihui

2007-01-01

"Lesson explaining" has been developed in China from an evaluative resource to an effective form of teacher professional development with the value of emphasizing teacher reflective practice. This paper begins with a general description of lesson explaining. Then an example of "explaining" a mathematics lesson for teaching…

Safety and Mission Assurance for In-House Design Lessons Learned from Ares I Upper Stage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Joel M.

2011-01-01

This viewgraph presentation identifies lessons learned in the course of the Ares I Upper Stage design and in-house development effort. The contents include: 1) Constellation Organization; 2) Upper Stage Organization; 3) Presentation Structure; 4) Lesson-Importance of Systems Engineering/Integration; 5) Lesson-Importance of Early S&MA Involvement; 6) Lesson-Importance of Appropriate Staffing Levels; 7) Lesson-Importance S&MA Team Deployment; 8) Lesson-Understanding of S&MA In-Line Engineering versus Assurance; 9) Lesson-Importance of Close Coordination between Supportability and Reliability/Maintainability; 10) Lesson-Importance of Engineering Data Systems; 11) Lesson-Importance of Early Development of Supporting Databases; 12) Lesson-Importance of Coordination with Safety Assessment/Review Panels; 13) Lesson-Implementation of Software Reliability; 14) Lesson-Implementation of S&MA Technical Authority/Chief S&MA Officer; 15) Lesson-Importance of S&MA Evaluation of Project Risks; 16) Lesson-Implementation of Critical Items List and Government Mandatory Inspections; 17) Lesson-Implementation of Critical Items List Mandatory Inspections; 18) Lesson-Implementation of Test Article Safety Analysis; and 19) Lesson-Importance of Procurement Quality.

Clinical pathway for video-assisted thoracic surgery: the Hong Kong story.

PubMed

Sihoe, Alan D L

2016-02-01

A clinical pathway provides a scheduled, objective protocol for the multi-disciplinary, evidence-based management of patients with a specific condition or undergoing a specific procedure. In implementing a clinical pathway for the care of patients receiving video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in Hong Kong, many insights were gained into what makes a clinical pathway work: meticulous preparation and team-building are keys to success; the pathway must be constantly reviewed and revisions made in response to evolving clinical need; and data collection is a key element to allow auditing and clinical research. If these can be achieved, a clinical pathway delivers not only measurable improvements in patient outcomes, but also fundamentally complements clinical advances such as VATS. This article narrates the story of how the clinical pathway for VATS in Hong Kong was created and evolved, highlighting how the above lessons were learned.

BeHealthy Charities Aid Foundation Program, Russia: a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis.

PubMed

Mukhina, Marina; Novikova, Irina

2014-09-01

In 2007, the Charities Aid Foundation Branch in Russia, under the initiative of and with financial support from the Mondelēz International Foundation and Mondelēz International, launched the charitable BeHealthy Program. The program's main focus is the implementation of four interrelated activities: conducting lessons for schoolchildren on healthy nutrition, with an emphasis on breakfast; healthy cooking lessons with children; cultivating nutritional plants; and providing conditions to encourage children to engage in more physical activity. The program serves more than 13,000 children attending public schools in the Leningrad (Lomonosovskii District), Vladimir, and Novgorod regions. BeHealthy provides funding for schools and comprehensive educational materials to help schoolchildren develop habits of healthy nutrition and physical activity, as well as consulting and expert support for school staff and other key stakeholders. The program brings in experts on program implementation and training for teachers. Curriculum support also includes printed and Web-based healthy lifestyle educational materials on best practices and positive experience, as well as meetings and conferences with school representatives and local authorities. One of the biggest challenges for program managers is to fully understand the complexities of the program, and why and how it is expected to induce changes in healthy lifestyle behaviors of the schoolchildren. For more comprehensive understanding, we performed a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis to identify Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs) and a suite of core indicators of the program's impact on healthy lifestyles. The findings were presented at the Healthy Life-styles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13-14 September 2013, under the auspices of the Mondelēz International Foundation. First, we developed an updated logic model based on how the program was executed. We then translated the logic model into a PIP diagram, where pathways that lead from one activity to the next were defined as the program processes. The PIP diagram is a road map to help ensure that the program inputs and activities lead to expected outcomes. Based on this road map, the program identifies and tracks its CCPs. Ensuring implementation of program activities and evaluating pre-post knowledge and behavior of participants were identified as CCPs. The PIP analysis was very useful for understanding realistic expectations for the potential of BeHealthy and its inputs. As a result, we now plan to evaluate the impact of the program and, on this basis, further improve the program's implementation and dissemination to other locations.

Analysing the Integration of Engineering in Science Lessons with the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterman, Karen; Daugherty, Jenny L.; Custer, Rodney L.; Ross, Julia M.

2017-01-01

Science teachers are being called on to incorporate engineering practices into their classrooms. This study explores whether the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric, a new rubric designed to target best practices in engineering education, could be used to evaluate the extent to which engineering is infused into online science lessons. Eighty lessons…

Enterprise transformation :lessons learned, pathways to success.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slavin, Adam M.; Woodard, Joan Brune

2006-05-01

In this report, we characterize the key themes of transformation and tie them together in a ''how to'' guide. The perspectives were synthesized from strategic management literature, case studies, and from interviews with key management personnel from private industry on their transformation experiences.

Online survey software as a data collection tool for medical education: A case study on lesson plan assessment.

PubMed

Kimiafar, Khalil; Sarbaz, Masoumeh; Sheikhtaheri, Abbas

2016-01-01

Background: There are no general strategies or tools to evaluate daily lesson plans; however, assessments conducted using traditional methods usually include course plans. This study aimed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of online survey software in collecting data on education in medical fields and the application of such softwares to evaluate students' views and modification of lesson plans. Methods: After investigating the available online survey software, esurveypro was selected for assessing daily lesson plans. After using the software for one semester, a questionnaire was prepared to assess the advantages and disadvantages of this method and students' views in a cross-sectional study. Results: The majority of the students (51.7%) rated the evaluation of classes per session (lesson plans) using the online survey as useful or very useful. About 51% (n=36) of the students considered this method effective in improving the management of each session, 67.1% (n=47) considered it effective in improving the management of sessions for the next semester, and 51.4% (n=36) said it had a high impact on improving the educational content of subsequent sessions. Finally, 61.4% (n=43) students expressed high and very high levels of satisfaction with using an online survey at each session. Conclusion: The use of online surveys may be appropriate to improve lesson plans and educational planning at different levels. This method can be used for other evaluations and for assessing people's opinions at different levels of an educational system.

Designing Star Quality S.O.S. Lesson Plans. Tips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Ruth V.

2007-01-01

Once a lesson plan has been submitted to S.O.S., it goes to two independent evaluators, who review every part of the plan, from the title to related standards, using a common rubric. Each section of the lesson plan is rated as either Acceptable, Needs Improvement, or Unacceptable. The collective ratings of all sections of the lesson plan are then…

Assistant practitioners: lessons learned from licensed practical nurses.

PubMed

Whittingham, Katrina

The role of the assistant practitioner (AP) needs to be defined so they have clear career pathways and opportunities for professional development. The author sought to learn from other countries where a sustained effort had been made to support practitioners fulfilling this intermediate role. The equivalent of an AP in Canada is the licensed practical nurse (LPN); LPNs are subject to clear regulation and practice within their remit of their license. The author travelled to Alberta, Canada, and performed a qualitative study to investigate the role of the LPN. LPNs undertake a 2-year diploma-level course and have the opportunity to enhance their careers through specialist courses or to train as a RN. LPNs benefit from careful regulation, enabling them to have a clear scope of practice, a career structure with opportunities for development and consistent ethical standards. Lessons can be learned from the LPN model and put in practice in the UK; APs need a consistent education programme, a career pathway that promotes development and effective regulation.

Development of a digital clinical pathway for emergency medicine: Lessons from usability testing and implementation failure.

PubMed

Gutenstein, Marc; Pickering, John W; Than, Martin

2018-06-01

Clinical pathways are used to support the management of patients in emergency departments. An existing document-based clinical pathway was used as the foundation on which to design and build a digital clinical pathway for acute chest pain, with the aim of improving clinical calculations, clinician decision-making, documentation, and data collection. Established principles of decision support system design were used to build an application within the existing electronic health record, before testing with a multidisciplinary team of doctors using a think-aloud protocol. Technical authoring was successful, however, usability testing revealed that the user experience and the flexibility of workflow within the application were critical barriers to implementation. Emergency medicine and acute care decision support systems face particular challenges to existing models of linear workflow that should be deliberately addressed in digital pathway design. We make key recommendations regarding digital pathway design in emergency medicine.

Improving the redistribution of the security lessons in healthcare: An evaluation of the Generic Security Template.

PubMed

He, Ying; Johnson, Chris

2015-11-01

The recurrence of past security breaches in healthcare showed that lessons had not been effectively learned across different healthcare organisations. Recent studies have identified the need to improve learning from incidents and to share security knowledge to prevent future attacks. Generic Security Templates (GSTs) have been proposed to facilitate this knowledge transfer. The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether potential users in healthcare organisations can exploit the GST technique to share lessons learned from security incidents. We conducted a series of case studies to evaluate GSTs. In particular, we used a GST for a security incident in the US Veterans' Affairs Administration to explore whether security lessons could be applied in a very different Chinese healthcare organisation. The results showed that Chinese security professional accepted the use of GSTs and that cyber security lessons could be transferred to a Chinese healthcare organisation using this approach. The users also identified the weaknesses and strengths of GSTs, providing suggestions for future improvements. Generic Security Templates can be used to redistribute lessons learned from security incidents. Sharing cyber security lessons helps organisations consider their own practices and assess whether applicable security standards address concerns raised in previous breaches in other countries. The experience gained from this study provides the basis for future work in conducting similar studies in other healthcare organisations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online survey software as a data collection tool for medical education: A case study on lesson plan assessment

PubMed Central

Kimiafar, Khalil; Sarbaz, Masoumeh; Sheikhtaheri, Abbas

2016-01-01

Background: There are no general strategies or tools to evaluate daily lesson plans; however, assessments conducted using traditional methods usually include course plans. This study aimed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of online survey software in collecting data on education in medical fields and the application of such softwares to evaluate students' views and modification of lesson plans. Methods: After investigating the available online survey software, esurveypro was selected for assessing daily lesson plans. After using the software for one semester, a questionnaire was prepared to assess the advantages and disadvantages of this method and students’ views in a cross-sectional study. Results: The majority of the students (51.7%) rated the evaluation of classes per session (lesson plans) using the online survey as useful or very useful. About 51% (n=36) of the students considered this method effective in improving the management of each session, 67.1% (n=47) considered it effective in improving the management of sessions for the next semester, and 51.4% (n=36) said it had a high impact on improving the educational content of subsequent sessions. Finally, 61.4% (n=43) students expressed high and very high levels of satisfaction with using an online survey at each session. Conclusion: The use of online surveys may be appropriate to improve lesson plans and educational planning at different levels. This method can be used for other evaluations and for assessing people’s opinions at different levels of an educational system. PMID:28491839

How are we doing? Evaluation as part of sexuality education.

PubMed

Brick, P

1997-01-01

In 1986, Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey (PPGNNJ) began to evaluate its sex education programs. First PPGNNJ staff evaluated a 1-day, 40-minute lesson designed to help high school students 1) identify risk behavior for unplanned pregnancy, 2) estimate risk, and 3) review basic contraceptive methods. This project showed that a single lesson could substantially increase knowledge about contraception and comfort with the idea of condoms and family planning (FP) clinic use. A second PPGNNJ evaluation project revealed that adding a motivational video to the lesson increased the feeling of comfort expressed about use of an FP clinic and that PPGNNJ staff were more effective than regular teachers in promoting change in attitudes about FP services, but teachers were more effective in promoting longterm knowledge of risk. Evaluation of five popular AIDS prevention videos revealed that all of the videos significantly increased HIV/AIDS knowledge and motivation to seek protection. However, the videos made many viewers feel helpless about their ability to protect themselves and unwilling to support an AIDS home in their neighborhood. PPGNNJ's staff also designed the "Human Sexuality Questionnaire" to determine the impact of a five-session sex education program delivered to high-risk youth. This tool is now used in program evaluation nationwide. Evaluation of two date rape prevention strategies (a single-lesson, interactive date-rape scenario and a video) revealed a significant impact on females and none on males. Testing of a 1994 video and discussion session designed to improve adolescent attitudes towards use of an FP clinic also had positive results. While these evaluation methodologies were not problem-free, evaluation forced PPGNNJ staff to define objectives and lessons, enter a new collaboration with schools, and use results to continually evaluate work.

Aging in America: Fact, Fiction and Feeling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strubbe, Mary A.

Thirteen lessons on aging in America, appropriate for the secondary school level, are presented. Each lesson is designed to take approximately one day and includes the goal, objectives, background information, reproducible student handouts, materials and equipment needed, procedures, and evaluation forms. In the first lesson students examine their…

One-Two Punch: Utilizing Teacher Research Experiences and Related Classroom Activities to Increase Student Interest in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wold-Brennon, R.; Cooper, S. K.

2014-12-01

Through collaborations between scientists and educators, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership developed a series of marine geosciences classroom activities and lesson plans -- including the Adopt-a-Microbe project, a collection of hands-on science lessons that use the sub-seafloor microbiology topics to provide engaging pathways for K-12 students to learn about the world around them. The goal of these activities has been to introduce youth to deep ocean exploration, inspire interest in microbial oceanography, and foster higher education goals and career paths in related sciences for our youth. From the beginning, these lessons were developed in close working relationships between scientists and educators, and the lessons geared towards middle school have been recently piloted with the intent to maximize sustained student interest in STEM topics. While teaching these units, educators used surveys, polls, group discussions, and interviews to shed light on correlations between student interest in STEM and their close proximity to exemplary and enthusiastic educators and student leaders who are active in STEM activities such as research projects and expeditions. Educators continue to use Adopt-a-Microbe and related expedition science-based lessons to explore the broader impacts of their professional development in the Geosciences on their students' professed interest in STEM.

Engaging stakeholders: lessons from the use of participatory tools for improving maternal and child care health services.

PubMed

Ekirapa-Kiracho, Elizabeth; Ghosh, Upasona; Brahmachari, Rittika; Paina, Ligia

2017-12-28

Effective stakeholder engagement in research and implementation is important for improving the development and implementation of policies and programmes. A varied number of tools have been employed for stakeholder engagement. In this paper, we discuss two participatory methods for engaging with stakeholders - participatory social network analysis (PSNA) and participatory impact pathways analysis (PIPA). Based on our experience, we derive lessons about when and how to apply these tools. This paper was informed by a review of project reports and documents in addition to reflection meetings with the researchers who applied the tools. These reports were synthesised and used to make thick descriptions of the applications of the methods while highlighting key lessons. PSNA and PIPA both allowed a deep understanding of how the system actors are interconnected and how they influence maternal health and maternal healthcare services. The findings from the PSNA provided guidance on how stakeholders of a health system are interconnected and how they can stimulate more positive interaction between the stakeholders by exposing existing gaps. The PIPA meeting enabled the participants to envision how they could expand their networks and resources by mentally thinking about the contributions that they could make to the project. The processes that were considered critical for successful application of the tools and achievement of outcomes included training of facilitators, language used during the facilitation, the number of times the tool is applied, length of the tools, pretesting of the tools, and use of quantitative and qualitative methods. Whereas both tools allowed the identification of stakeholders and provided a deeper understanding of the type of networks and dynamics within the network, PIPA had a higher potential for promoting collaboration between stakeholders, likely due to allowing interaction between them. Additionally, it was implemented within a participatory action research project. PIPA also allowed participatory evaluation of the project from the perspective of the community. This paper provides lessons about the use of these participatory tools.

Phonics Pathways. 7th Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiskes, Dolores G.

This book uses phonics to teach reading in a complete manual for beginning and remedial readers of all ages. The book builds sounds and spelling patterns slowly and systematically into syllables, phrases, and sentences of gradually increasing complexity, presenting only one sound per lesson--each new sound builds upon previously learned skills for…

Pathways to Tolerance: Student Diversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daugherty, Dorothy, Ed.; Stanhope, Victoria, Ed.

Ideas for schools to support tolerance and celebrate student diversity are presented in this volume of reprinted articles. Titles include: (1) "One of Us, One of Them: Lessons in Diversity for a School Psychologist" (M. M. Chittooran); (2) "The Tolerance-in-Action Campaign" (H. M. Knoff); (3) "Immigrant Parents and the…

A Board Game about Space and Solar System for Primary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirikkaya, Esma Bulus; Iseri, Sebnem; Vurkaya, Gurbet

2010-01-01

Visual elements that used in lessons are necessary because they make learning more permanent. Also the visuals that used in evaluation part of the lesson should decrease the anxiety of students and provide them with correct evaluation. The board games among the visuals which can be used in evaluation part are quite effective for getting feedback…

An Evaluation of Privatized Military Family Housing: Lessons Learned

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA MBA PROFESSIONAL REPORT An Evaluation of Privatized Military Family Housing...TYPE AND DATES COVERED MBA Professional Report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE An Evaluation of Privatized Military Family Housing: Lessons Learned 5...Peeler et al. 2007, chap. 5, 105). Baldwin (1996) reports that during the 1960s and 1970s military family housing privatization programs fell out of

Using theories of change to design monitoring and evaluation of community engagement in research: experiences from a research institute in Malawi

PubMed Central

Gooding, Kate; Makwinja, Regina; Nyirenda, Deborah; Vincent, Robin; Sambakunsi, Rodrick

2018-01-01

Background: Evaluation of community and public engagement in research is important to deepen understanding of how engagement works and to enhance its effectiveness. Theories of change have been recommended for evaluating community engagement, for their ability to make explicit intended outcomes and understandings of how engagement activities contribute to these outcomes. However, there are few documented examples of using theories of change for evaluation of engagement. This article reports experience of using theories of change to develop a framework for evaluating community engagement in research at a clinical research organisation in Malawi. We describe the steps used to develop theories of change, and the way theories of change were used to design data collection plans. Based on our experience, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of the theory of change approach. Methods: The theories of change and evaluation framework were developed through a series of workshops and meetings between engagement practitioners, monitoring and evaluation staff, and researchers. We first identified goals for engagement, then used ‘so that’ chains to clarify pathways and intermediate outcomes between engagement activities and goals. Further meetings were held to refine initial theories of change, identify priority information needs, and define feasible evaluation methods. Results: The theory of change approach had several benefits. In particular, it helped to construct an evaluation framework focused on relevant outcomes and not just activities. The process of reflecting on intended goals and pathways also helped staff to review the design of engagement activities. Challenges included practical considerations around time to consider evaluation plans among practitioners (a challenge for evaluation more generally regardless of method), and more fundamental difficulties related to identifying feasible and agreed outcomes. Conclusions: These experiences from Malawi provide lessons for other research organisations considering use of theories of change to support evaluation of community engagement. PMID:29560418

Using theories of change to design monitoring and evaluation of community engagement in research: experiences from a research institute in Malawi.

PubMed

Gooding, Kate; Makwinja, Regina; Nyirenda, Deborah; Vincent, Robin; Sambakunsi, Rodrick

2018-01-01

Background: Evaluation of community and public engagement in research is important to deepen understanding of how engagement works and to enhance its effectiveness. Theories of change have been recommended for evaluating community engagement, for their ability to make explicit intended outcomes and understandings of how engagement activities contribute to these outcomes. However, there are few documented examples of using theories of change for evaluation of engagement. This article reports experience of using theories of change to develop a framework for evaluating community engagement in research at a clinical research organisation in Malawi. We describe the steps used to develop theories of change, and the way theories of change were used to design data collection plans. Based on our experience, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of the theory of change approach. Methods: The theories of change and evaluation framework were developed through a series of workshops and meetings between engagement practitioners, monitoring and evaluation staff, and researchers. We first identified goals for engagement, then used 'so that' chains to clarify pathways and intermediate outcomes between engagement activities and goals. Further meetings were held to refine initial theories of change, identify priority information needs, and define feasible evaluation methods. Results: The theory of change approach had several benefits. In particular, it helped to construct an evaluation framework focused on relevant outcomes and not just activities. The process of reflecting on intended goals and pathways also helped staff to review the design of engagement activities. Challenges included practical considerations around time to consider evaluation plans among practitioners (a challenge for evaluation more generally regardless of method), and more fundamental difficulties related to identifying feasible and agreed outcomes. Conclusions: These experiences from Malawi provide lessons for other research organisations considering use of theories of change to support evaluation of community engagement.

Hurricane Sandy and Adaptation Pathways in New York: Lessons from a First-Responder City

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenzweig, Cynthia; Solecki, William

2014-01-01

Two central issues of climate change have become increasingly evident: Climate change will significantly affect cities; and rapid global urbanization will increase dramatically the number of individuals, amount of critical infrastructure, and means of economic production that are exposed and vulnerable to dynamic climate risks. Simultaneously, cities in many settings have begun to emerge as early adopters of climate change action strategies including greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation. The objective of this paper is to examine and analyze how officials of one city - the City of New York - have integrated a flexible adaptation pathways approach into the municipality's climate action strategy. This approach has been connected with the City's ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy, which struck in the October 2012 and resulted in damages worth more than US$19 billion. A case study narrative methodology utilizing the Wise et al. conceptual framework (see this volume) is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the flexible adaptation pathways approach in New York City. The paper finds that Hurricane Sandy serves as a ''tipping point'' leading to transformative adaptation due to the explicit inclusion of increasing climate change risks in the rebuilding effort. The potential for transferability of the approach to cities varying in size and development stage is discussed, with elements useful across cities including the overall concept of flexible adaptation pathways, the inclusion of the full metropolitan region in the planning process, and the co-generation of climate-risk information by stakeholders and scientists.

Developing a Scale to Measure Students' Attitudes toward Chemistry Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Derek

2009-01-01

Students' attitudes toward chemistry lessons in school are important dependent variables in curriculum evaluation. Although a variety of instruments have been developed by researchers to evaluate student attitudes, they are plagued with problems such as the lack of theoretical rationale and of empirical evidence to support the construct validity…

Investigating Island Evolution: A Galapagos-Based Lesson Using the 5E Instructional Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeFina, Anthony V.

2002-01-01

Introduces an inquiry-based lesson plan on evolution and the Galapagos Islands. Uses the 5E instructional model which includes phases of engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Includes information on species for exploration and elaboration purposes, and a general rubric for student evaluation. (YDS)

Pricing and reimbursement experiences and insights in the European Union and the United States: Lessons learned to approach adaptive payer pathways.

PubMed

Faulkner, S D; Lee, M; Qin, D; Morrell, L; Xoxi, E; Sammarco, A; Cammarata, S; Russo, P; Pani, L; Barker, R

2016-12-01

Earlier patient access to beneficial therapeutics that addresses unmet need is one of the main requirements of innovation in global healthcare systems already burdened by unsustainable budgets. "Adaptive pathways" encompass earlier cross-stakeholder engagement, regulatory tools, and iterative evidence generation through the life cycle of the medicinal product. A key enabler of earlier patient access is through more flexible and adaptive payer approaches to pricing and reimbursement that reflect the emerging evidence generated. © 2016 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Enhancement of Productive Thinking in Institutionalized Mental Retardates. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ladner, Judith L.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a supplementary program of 30 lessons to increase the productive thinking abilities (divergent thinking) of educable mentally handicapped students. An experimental group of 30 institutionalized children were given the supplementary lessons at a rate of three per week. The lessons, based…

Experimental Evaluation of Prepared Lesson Plans on Instruction in Vocational Agriculture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahrens, Donald Louis

To determine the value of prepared lesson plans on instruction in vocational agriculture, 12 randomly selected Iowa high schools with approved vocational agriculture programs were randomly divided into two groups of six including a control group and a treatment group. Prepared lesson plans provided the only variance in instruction. Two meetings…

Modeling the Effects of Reading Lessons on Text Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omanson, Richard C.; And Others

A study evaluated the effectiveness of various models constructed to account for how children read and comprehended a story presented in a directed reading lesson. A commercial directed reading lesson was revised to introduce information related to the story and to help the children form a "map" of the central story content. Data were…

An Example of Learning about Plastics and Their Evaluation as a Contribution to Education for Sustainable Development in Secondary School Chemistry Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burmeister, Mareike; Eilks, Ingo

2012-01-01

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a secondary school lesson plan for chemistry education on the topic Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The lessons focus both on the chemistry of plastics and on learning about the societal evaluation of competing, chemistry-based industrial products. A specific teaching method was…

The effectiveness of Concept Mapping Content Representation Lesson Study (ComCoReLS) model to improve skills of Creating Physics Lesson Plan (CPLP) for pre-service physics teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwaningsih, E.; Sutoyo, S.; Wasis; Prahani, B. K.

2018-03-01

This research is aimed to analyse the effectiveness of ComCoReLS (Concept Mapping Content Representation Lesson Study) model towards the improvement skills of Creating Physics Lesson Plan (CPLP) for pre-service physics teacher. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 12 pre-service physics teacher at University of Malang State (Indonesia) in academic year 2016/2017. Data collection was conducted through test and interview. Skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Physics Lesson Plan Evaluation Sheet (PLPES). The data analysis technique was done by using paired t-test and n-gain. The CoMCoReLS model consists of 5 phases, including (1) Preparation, (2) Coaching, (3) Guided Practice, (4) Independent Practice, and (5) Evaluation. In the first, second, third and fifth phases are done at University of Malang State, while the fourth phase (Independent Practice) is done in SMAN 1 Singosari, SMAN 2 Malang, SMA Lab UM, MAN 3 Malang. The results showed that there was a significant increase in skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher at α = 5% and n-gain average of high category. Thus, the ComCoReLS model is effective for improving skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher.

The challenge of documenting water quality benefits of conservation practices: a review of USDA-ARS's conservation effects assessment project watershed studies.

PubMed

Tomer, M D; Locke, M A

2011-01-01

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project was established to quantify water quality benefits of conservation practices supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 2004, watershed assessment studies were begun in fourteen agricultural watersheds with varying cropping systems, landscapes, climate, and water quality concerns. This paper reviews USDA Agricultural Research Service 'Benchmark' watershed studies and the challenge of identifying water quality benefits in watersheds. Study goals included modeling and field research to assess practices, and evaluation of practice placement in watersheds. Not all goals were met within five years but important lessons were learned. While practices improved water quality, problems persisted in larger watersheds. This dissociation between practice-focused and watershed-scale assessments occurred because: (1) Conservation practices were not targeted at critical sources/pathways of contaminants; (2) Sediment in streams originated more from channel and bank erosion than from soil erosion; (3) Timing lags, historical legacies, and shifting climate combined to mask effects of practice implementation; and (4) Water quality management strategies addressed single contaminants with little regard for trade-offs among contaminants. These lessons could help improve conservation strategies and set water quality goals with realistic timelines. Continued research on agricultural water quality could better integrate modeling and monitoring capabilities, and address ecosystem services.

Developing Culturally Responsive Surveys: Lessons in Development, Implementation, and Analysis from Brazil's African Descent Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Merle L.; Tillman, Ayesha S.

2015-01-01

Considerable empirical research, along with a growing body of conceptual and theoretical literature, exists on the role of culture and context in evaluation. Less scholarship has examined culturally responsive surveys in the context of international evaluation. In this article, the authors present lessons learned from the development,…

Draft version 1.0 final report : evaluation methods and lessons learned from the Minnesota Department of Transportation intelligent vehicle initiative field operational test

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-09-26

This report on the Evaluation Methods and Lessons Learned for the Mn/DOT Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) Field Operational Test (FOT) documents the goals and objectives, research approach, methods, and findings of a program to measure the feasib...

Evaluation of a poison prevention lesson for kindergarten and third grade students

PubMed Central

Liller, K.; Craig, J.; Crane, N.; McDermott, R.

1998-01-01

Objectives—The purpose of this study was to evaluate the MORE HEALTH poison prevention lesson that is given to kindergarten and third grade students in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lesson reaches approximately 6000 students per year. Methods—The evaluation was based on a post-test only control group design. Three schools were chosen as evaluation sites and three served as control settings. Students were administered a previously tested, age appropriate questionnaire that addressed the goals of the poison lessons. In addition, a survey was developed for intervention school parents to determine their poison prevention practices. Results—One hundred ninety four intervention schoolchildren and 184 control schoolchildren completed the study. Children in the intervention schools consistently answered more questions correctly than those in the control schools. The parent survey showed that the majority have homes that are safe from poisons, although fewer than 50% said they had syrup of ipecac in their homes. Conclusions—These results show that key concepts related to poison prevention can be communicated effectively to primary school students and parents report having homes safe from many poisons. PMID:9788094

Action Steps for Advancing Transfer Student Success: Lessons Learned from Cross-Institutional Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolinsky, Rebecca; Rhodes, Terrel L.; McCambly, Heather

2016-01-01

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) launched Quality Collaboratives (QC): Assessing and Reporting Degree Qualifications Profile Competencies in the Context of Transfer in 2011 as a three-year project that engaged educational, assessment, and policy leaders in student learning outcomes assessment and transfer pathways.…

Paradoxes in Policy Practice: Signaling Postsecondary Pathways in the Rust Belt

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitra, Dana; Halabi, Saamira

2012-01-01

Context: Research increasingly suggests that the high school diploma has lost its meaning as a symbol of life preparation. Having faced economic struggles earlier and longer than most regions of the United States, the "Rust Belt" region offers important lessons for the broader nation regarding how high schools might prepare youth for…

Family Engagement. National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Newsletter. Volume 20, Number 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duckenfield, Marty, Ed.

2008-01-01

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Family/School Relationships: Relationships That Matter; (2) Program Profile; (3) Engaging Families in the Pathway to College: Lessons From Schools That Are Beating the Odds (Anne T.…

Implementing the WorkAdvance Model: Lessons for Practitioners. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazis, Richard; Molina, Frieda

2016-01-01

WorkAdvance is a sectoral workforce development program designed to meet the needs of workers and employers alike. For unemployed and low-wage working adults, the program provides skills training in targeted sectors that have good-quality job openings with room for advancement within established career pathways. For employers in those sectors,…

The development, evaluation and performance of molecular diagnostics for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Bates, Matthew; Zumla, Alimuddin

2016-01-01

The unique pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB) poses several barriers to the development of accurate diagnostics: a) the establishment of life-long latency by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) after primary infection confounds the development of classical antibody or antigen based assays; b) our poor understanding of the molecular pathways that influence progression from latent to active disease; c) the intracellular nature of M.tb infection in tissues means that M.tb and/or its components, are not readily detectable in peripheral specimens; and d) the variable presence of M.tb bacilli in specimens from patients with extrapulmonary TB or children. The literature on the current portfolio of molecular diagnostics tests for TB is reviewed here and the developmental pipeline is summarized. Also reviewed are data from recently published operational research on the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay and discussed are the lessons that can be taken forward for the design of studies to evaluate the impact of TB diagnostics.

Effects of Lesson Study on Science Teacher Candidates' Teaching Efficacies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pektas, Murat

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the lesson study process on science teacher candidates' teaching in terms of lesson plan content, pedagogy and classroom management based on expert, peer and self-evaluations. The participants of this case study consisted of 16 teacher candidates in elementary science education in their…

An Action Research Study: Using Classroom Guidance Lessons to Teach Middle School Students about Sexual Harassment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Rebecca C.

2006-01-01

This article describes a three-part classroom guidance lesson that teaches middle school students the definition of sexual harassment, the difference between flirting and sexual harassment, and the harmful effects of sexual harassment. An action research study evaluated the effectiveness of the lessons in decreasing referrals for sexual harassment…

Physically Active Lessons: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Sarah; Gildea, Aideen Gildea; Sloan, Seaneen; Thurston, Allen

2015-01-01

This is a report of a pilot study of the Physically Active Lessons (PAL) programme, which was piloted in five primary schools in Hertfordshire between February and July 2014. PAL involves adapting lesson plans to combine short bursts of physical activity with academic content. The study had two aims: (1) to explore the feasibility of adapting a…

World Hunger: Famine in Africa. Sample Lessons, Secondary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neeson, Eileen; And Others

This model social studies lesson includes a simulated interview with a relief worker describing the famine conditions in Ethiopia. A map of Africa and pictures of famine victims are included. The objectives of the lesson are to have students describe the situation in Ethiopia, analyze the causes, and evaluate solutions to the famine. In the model…

Evaluation of the "Respect Not Risk" firearm safety lesson for 3rd-graders.

PubMed

Liller, Karen D; Perrin, Karen; Nearns, Jodi; Pesce, Karen; Crane, Nancy B; Gonzalez, Robin R

2003-12-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the MORE HEALTH "Respect Not Risk" Firearm Safety Lesson for 3rd-graders in Pinellas County, Florida. Six schools representative of various socioeconomic levels were selected as the test sites. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. A total of 433 matched pretests/posttests were used to determine the effectiveness of the class in increasing student knowledge about firearm safety. The results revealed a significant increase in the mean scores on the posttest compared with the pretest. Qualitative findings showed the lesson was positively received by both students and teachers, and 65% of responding students reported discussing the lesson with family members. School nurses are encouraged to take a leading role in promoting firearm injury prevention to students.

Lessons learned from case studies of inhalation exposures of workers to radioactive aerosols

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoover, M.D.; Fencl, A.F.; Newton, G.J.

1995-12-01

Various Department of Energy requirements, rules, and orders mandate that lessons learned be identified, evaluated, shared, and incorporated into current practices. The recently issued, nonmandatory DOE standard for Development of DOE Lessons Learned Program states that a DOE-wide lessons learned program will {open_quotes}help to prevent recurrences of negative experiences, highlight best practices, and spotlight innovative ways to solve problems or perform work more safely, efficiently, and cost effectively.{close_quotes} Additional information about the lessons learned program is contained in the recently issued DOE handbook on Implementing U.S. Department of Energy Lessons Learned Programs and in October 1995 DOE SAfety Notice onmore » Lessons Learned Programs. This report summarizes work in progress at ITRI to identify lessons learned for worker exposures to radioactive aerosols, and describes how this work will be incorporated into the DOE lessons learned program, including a new technical guide for measuring, modeling, and mitigating airborne radioactive particles. Follow-on work is focusing on preparation of {open_quotes}lessons learned{close_quotes} training materials for facility designers, managers, health protection professionals, line supervisors, and workers.« less

Analysing the integration of engineering in science lessons with the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterman, Karen; Daugherty, Jenny L.; Custer, Rodney L.; Ross, Julia M.

2017-09-01

Science teachers are being called on to incorporate engineering practices into their classrooms. This study explores whether the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric, a new rubric designed to target best practices in engineering education, could be used to evaluate the extent to which engineering is infused into online science lessons. Eighty lessons were selected at random from three online repositories, and coded with the rubric. Overall results documented the strengths of existing lessons, as well as many components that teachers might strengthen. In addition, a subset of characteristics was found to distinguish lessons with the highest level of engineering infusion. Findings are discussed in relation to the potential of the rubric to help teachers use research evidence-informed practice generally, and in relation to the new content demands of the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards, in particular.

Signalling pathways and mechanisms of protection in pre- and postconditioning: historical perspective and lessons for the future

PubMed Central

Cohen, Michael V; Downey, James M

2015-01-01

Ischaemic pre- and postconditioning are potent cardioprotective interventions that spare ischaemic myocardium and decrease infarct size after periods of myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion. They are dependent on complex signalling pathways involving ligands released from ischaemic myocardium, G-protein-linked receptors, membrane growth factor receptors, phospholipids, signalling kinases, NO, PKC and PKG, mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels, reactive oxygen species, TNF-α and sphingosine-1-phosphate. The final effector is probably the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and the signalling produces protection by preventing pore formation. Many investigators have worked to produce a roadmap of this signalling with the hope that it would reveal where one could intervene to therapeutically protect patients with acute myocardial infarction whose hearts are being reperfused. However, attempts to date to show efficacy of such an intervention in large clinical trials have been unsuccessful. Reasons for this inability to translate successes in the experimental laboratory to the clinical arena are evaluated in this review. It is suggested that all patients with acute coronary syndromes currently presenting to the hospital and being treated with platelet P2Y12 receptor antagonists, the current standard of care, are indeed already benefiting from protection from the conditioning pathways outlined earlier. If that proves to be the case, then future attempts to further decrease infarction will have to rely on interventions which protect by a different mechanism. PMID:25205071

Lessons learned using a values-engaged approach to attend to culture, diversity, and equity in a STEM program evaluation.

PubMed

Boyce, Ayesha S

2017-10-01

Evaluation must attend meaningfully and respectfully to issues of culture, race, diversity, power, and equity. This attention is especially critical within the evaluation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational programming, which has an explicit agenda of broadening participation. The purpose of this article is to report lessons learned from the implementation of a values-engaged, educative (Greene et al., 2006) evaluation within a multi-year STEM education program setting. This meta-evaluation employed a case study design using data from evaluator weekly systematic reflections, review of evaluation and program artifacts, stakeholder interviews, and peer review and assessment. The main findings from this study are (a) explicit attention to culture, diversity, and equity was initially challenged by organizational culture and under-developed evaluator-stakeholder professional relationship and (b) evidence of successful engagement of culture, diversity, and equity emerged in formal evaluation criteria and documents, and informal dialogue and discussion with stakeholders. The paper concludes with lessons learned and implications for practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solid-State Lighting: Early Lessons Learned on the Way to Market

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandahl, Linda J.; Cort, Katherine A.; Gordon, Kelly L.

2013-12-31

The purpose of this report is to document early challenges and lessons learned in the solid-state lighting (SSL) market development as part of the DOE’s SSL Program efforts to continually evaluate market progress in this area. This report summarizes early actions taken by DOE and others to avoid potential problems anticipated based on lessons learned from the market introduction of compact fluorescent lamps and identifies issues, challenges, and new lessons that have been learned in the early stages of the SSL market introduction. This study identifies and characterizes12 key lessons that have been distilled from DOE SSL program results.

Regulation of DNA Alkylation Damage Repair: Lessons and Therapeutic Opportunities

PubMed Central

Soll, Jennifer M.; Sobol, Robert W.; Mosammaparast, Nima

2016-01-01

Alkylation chemotherapy is one of the most widely used systemic therapies for cancer. While somewhat effective, clinical responses and toxicities of these agents are highly variable. A major contributing factor for this variability is the numerous distinct lesions that are created upon alkylation damage. These adducts activate multiple repair pathways. There is mounting evidence that the individual pathways function cooperatively, suggesting that coordinated regulation of alkylation repair is critical to prevent toxicity. Furthermore, some alkylating agents produce adducts that overlap with newly discovered methylation marks, making it difficult to distinguish between bona fide damaged bases and so called ‘epigenetic’ adducts. We discuss new efforts aimed at deciphering the mechanisms that regulate these repair pathways, emphasizing their implications for cancer chemotherapy. PMID:27816326

Summary of Planned Implementation for the HTGR Lessons Learned Applicable to the NGNP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ian Mckirdy

2011-09-01

This document presents a reconciliation of the lessons learned during a 2010 comprehensive evaluation of pertinent lessons learned from past and present high temperature gas-cooled reactors that apply to the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project along with current and planned activities. The data used are from the latest Idaho National Laboratory research and development plans, the conceptual design report from General Atomics, and the pebble bed reactor technology readiness study from AREVA. Only those lessons related to the structures, systems, and components of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), as documented in the recently updated lessons learned report are addressed.more » These reconciliations are ordered according to plant area, followed by the affected system, subsystem, or component; lesson learned; and finally an NGNP implementation statement. This report (1) provides cross references to the original lessons learned document, (2) describes the lesson learned, (3) provides the current NGNP implementation status with design data needs associated with the lesson learned, (4) identifies the research and development being performed related to the lesson learned, and (5) summarizes with a status of how the lesson learned has been addressed by the NGNP Project.« less

Effectiveness evaluation of simulative workshops for newly licensed drivers.

PubMed

Rosenbloom, Tova; Eldror, Ehud

2014-02-01

The current study set to examine the effects of simulator use in driving instruction on newly licensed drivers, comparing the road safety knowledge and reported intended behavior, as well as the actual driving performance of new drivers. Participants consisted of 280 newly licensed driver, of which 140 whose drivers license training included additional simulator-based lessons, and 140 drivers whose training precluded simulator-based lessons. All drivers answered questionnaires pertaining to their intended safe driving behaviors (according to Ajzen's (2000) theory of planned behavior), and to their traffic safety knowledge. Of the initial sample, 40 drivers received actual driving performance evaluation by an expert driving instructor, as well as by in-vehicle data recorders (IVDRs). We assumed that safer drivers report safer driving intentions, demonstrate greater traffic safety knowledge, evaluated as safer drivers by the driving instructor, and display lower and stable driving parameters on the IVDRs. We hypothesized that theoretical driving studies combined with practical training on simulators will elevate the safety level of novices driving. Hierarchical regression analyses on driving intentions indicated that drivers who did not receive simulator-based lessons demonstrated safer driving intentions compared to drivers who received simulator-based lessons. This pattern possibly indicating the drivers who received simulator-based lessons felt more confident in their driving abilities compared to drivers who did not receive simulated training. No significant difference was found in traffic safety knowledge, or in the evaluation of the expert driving instructor. IDVR data comparisons indicated drivers who received simulator-based lessons braked more often and were less prone to headway events, suggesting a more responsive driving style. These findings do not point to any significant advantage or disadvantage of the current simulator-based driving training over other driving training methods. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Еvaluation of health status of children attending primary schools with different organization of physical education lessons

PubMed

Kondratiuk, Oleksandra S.; Korshun, Maria M.; Garkavyi, Serhii I.; Garkavyi, Serhii S.

2018-01-01

The mandatory swimming lesson in primary schools, equipped with swimming pools, was introduced without studying of its health-saving effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health status of pupils studying in schools with different organization of physical education lessons. Cross-sectional study was organized in two schools with different organization of physical education lessons. The experimental group (E) consisted of 408 children of 1‑4 year of study (210 girls and 198 boys) who during one of the lessons of physical education were engaged in swimming in the school basin. Control group (C) consisted of 279 primary school children (210 girls and 156 boys) from a neighboring educational institution where all physical education lessons were organized in the gym. The health status was evaluated using classical method of complex assessment of the state of health with the subsequent assignment of each child to one of the health groups. In result of evaluation of state of health there was established that among pupils from E group the proportion of boys with harmonious anthropometric parameters is higher (p<0.05), children from this group are stronger than C group (p<0.05). The prevalence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the eyes among pupils in E group was lower comparing to the C group (p<0.01). In the E group percentage of pupils assigned to health group I was significantly higher and lower for the II (children with some morpho-functional abnormalities) comparing to the C group. Organization of one mandatory swimming lesson per week in primary school has positive effect on health status of children.

Improving Efficiency and Quality of the Children's ASD Diagnostic Pathway: Lessons Learned from Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, Marion; Burns, Morag; Gray, Duncan; Bremner, Lynne; Clegg, Sarah; Russell, Lucy; Smith, Charlie; O'Hare, Anne

2018-01-01

The 'autism diagnosis crisis' and long waiting times for assessment are as yet unresolved, leading to undue stress and limiting access to effective support. There is therefore a significant need for evidence to support practitioners in the development of efficient services, delivering acceptable waiting times and effectively meeting guideline…

Creating Pathways for Low-Skill Adults: Lessons for Community and Technical Colleges from a Statewide Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Carol A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational experiences and outcomes of low-skill adults in West Virginia's community and technical colleges, providing a more detailed profile of these students. Data for the variables were obtained from archival databases through a cooperative agreement between state agencies. Descriptive statistics…

Signaling Pathways that Mediate Neurotoxin-Induced Death of Dopamine Neurons

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

lessons from the analysis of mutant mice. J. Cell Biol. 157, 441–453. Reimertz C., Kogel D., Rami A., Chittenden T. and Prehn J. H. (2003) Gene expression...Bauerbach E, Poppe M, Krieglstein J, Prehn JH (2002) p75 neurotrophin receptor is required for constitutive and NGF-induced survival signalling in PC12

Community Partnerships: Pathways to Meaningful Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Sarah B.; Karp, Karen S.; Lentz, Tova; Nadler, Jennifer

2013-01-01

This article showcases the benefits of the alliance the authors have established during the past two years with the Barnes Foundation to add more mathematics activities to their repertoire and to integrate more art into their mathematics lessons. Recently, they decided to focus on activities at the K-grade 2 level that could be used as an on-site…

Teacher Collaborative Learning through the Lesson Study: Identifying Pathways for Instructional Success in a Singapore High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Christine Anne; Chong, Wan Har

2010-01-01

Research shows teacher collaborative learning to be a powerful vehicle to mobilise teacher instructional change and pedagogical practices, and to improve student achievement. For such undertakings to have positive impact, understanding the visible features of collaborative structures may not be sufficient to ensure sustainable practice. Instead,…

Lessons Learned: How Early College High Schools Offer a Pathway for High School Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaniuka, Theodore Stefan; Vickers, Melinda

2010-01-01

In 2002, Early College High Schools Initiative became a reality across the United States for students and educators looking for ways to improve student graduation rates, college attendance, and overall student achievement. This mixed method case study found that (a) the early college high school environment supported the academic success of…

Exploring the Adolescent's Creative Pathways: Mindfulness, Role Fluidity, Story, and the Dramatic Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNees, David

2015-01-01

David McNees' deep foray into creativity theory and drama begins with mindfulness as a preparation for adolescent focus. This article discusses role incarnation, the correlation of the three-period lesson to Landy's role theory, the creation and re-creation of personal story and identity, archetypal heroes, and how the adaptability learned in…

Promising Practices in Young Adult Employment: Lessons Learned from EMT Career Pathway Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Loh-Sze

2015-01-01

The National Fund for Workforce Solution's Young Adult Initiatives aim to test and implement new strategies for targeting America's young adults and share this information so that employers and workforce development can join forces in investing in the millions of young adults across the nation. This case study will focus on challenges and…

Preserving Musicality through Pictures: A Linguistic Pathway to Conventional Notation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordquist, Alice L.

2016-01-01

The natural musicality so often present in children's singing can begin to fade as the focus of a lesson shifts to the process of reading and writing conventional notation symbols. Approaching the study of music from a linguistic perspective preserves the pace and flow that is inherent in spoken language and song. SongWorks teaching practices…

Encouraging Reflective Practice in Conservatoire Students: A Pathway to Autonomous Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, Gemma; Harrison, Scott; Dwyer, Rachael

2017-01-01

This paper reports on first-year conservatoire students' reflections on their one-to-one performance learning through a reflective journal. One-to-one lessons have been a central part of the education of performing musicians, although their place in the twenty-first-century conservatoire is not beyond challenge. Recent research has indicated that…

Promising Practices in Young Adult Employment: Lessons Learned from Manufacturing and Automotive Career Pathway Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Stacey

2015-01-01

The National Fund's Young Adult Initiatives aim to test and implement new strategies for targeting America's young adults and share this information so that employers and workforce development can join forces in investing in the millions of young adults across the nation. This case study focuses on promising findings from automotive and…

Lessons Learned through the Piedmont Futures Program: Why Career Education Is Important to Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughey-Commers, Erin

2011-01-01

Hands-on learning with business professionals is at the heart of the educators' approach with the Piedmont Futures program at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Too often educators provide the answers before students have asked the questions; they create career pathways without providing students with sufficient opportunities to explore which…

An Evaluation of Geographic Information Systems in Social Studies Lessons: Teachers' Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aladag, Elif

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the applicability of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), used increasingly in primary and secondary education across the world, in social studies lessons in Turkey. In line with this aim, 14 social studies teachers working in the province of Aydin, Turkey received a 6-hour training course about GIS during the…

The Supporting Healthy Marriage Evaluation: Early Lessons from the Implementation of a Relationship and Marriage Skills Program for Low-Income Married Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaubert, Jennifer Miller; Knox, Virginia; Alderson, Desiree Principe; Dalton, Christopher; Fletcher, Kate; McCormick, Meghan

2010-01-01

This report presents early implementation and operational lessons from the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) evaluation. Funded by the Administration for Children and Families, SHM uses a rigorous research design to test the effectiveness of a new approach to improving outcomes for low-income children: strengthening the marriages and relationships…

First External Evaluations of Quality Assurance Agencies--Lessons Learned. ENQA Workshop Report 10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costes, Nathalie; Curvale, Bruno; Kraft, Michael G.; Llavori, Rafael; Malan, Thierry; Szanto, Tibor

2010-01-01

This report is a product of an ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) seminar on the first external evaluations of quality assurance agencies, held in Paris in July 2008. The seminar took stock of the achieved reviews of agencies to learn lessons from these first outcomes and, hence, provided a platform for…

Janitorial Unit Prepared for Carr Grocery Employees. Custodian's Guide Prepared for the Anchorage School District Custodial Employees. Workplace Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Jan; And Others

This packet contains lesson plans and an evaluation for a janitorial unit designed to teach reading and writing skills to grocery store janitors. The lesson plans were developed, using the Laubach literacy method, for a workplace literacy project at Carr Grocery Store in Anchorage, Alaska. The lesson plans, which are correlated with Laubach skills…

Comparative analysis of the countermeasures taken to mitigate exposure of the public to radioiodine following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents: lessons from both accidents.

PubMed

Uyba, Vladimir; Samoylov, Alexander; Shinkarev, Sergey

2018-04-01

In the case of a severe radiation accident at a nuclear power station, the most important radiation hazard for the public is internal exposure of the thyroid to radioiodine. The purposes of this paper were (i) to compare countermeasures conducted (following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents) aimed at mitigation of exposure to the thyroid for the public, (ii) to present comparative estimates of doses to the thyroid and (iii) to derive lessons from the two accidents. The scale and time of countermeasures applied in the early phase of the accidents (sheltering, evacuation, and intake of stable iodine to block the thyroid) and at a later time (control of 131I concentration in foodstuffs) have been described. After the Chernobyl accident, the estimation of the thyroid doses for the public was mainly based on direct thyroid measurements of ~400 000 residents carried out within the first 2 months. The highest estimates of thyroid doses to children reached 50 Gy. After the Fukushima accident, the estimation of thyroid doses was based on radioecological models due to a lack of direct thyroid measurements (only slightly more than 1000 residents were measured). The highest estimates of thyroid doses to children were a few hundred mGy. Following the Chernobyl accident, ingestion of 131I through cows' milk was the dominant pathway. Following the Fukushima accident, it appears that inhalation of contaminated air was the dominant pathway. Some lessons learned following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents have been presented in this paper.

Comparative analysis of the countermeasures taken to mitigate exposure of the public to radioiodine following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents: lessons from both accidents

PubMed Central

Uyba, Vladimir; Samoylov, Alexander; Shinkarev, Sergey

2018-01-01

Abstract In the case of a severe radiation accident at a nuclear power station, the most important radiation hazard for the public is internal exposure of the thyroid to radioiodine. The purposes of this paper were (i) to compare countermeasures conducted (following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents) aimed at mitigation of exposure to the thyroid for the public, (ii) to present comparative estimates of doses to the thyroid and (iii) to derive lessons from the two accidents. The scale and time of countermeasures applied in the early phase of the accidents (sheltering, evacuation, and intake of stable iodine to block the thyroid) and at a later time (control of 131I concentration in foodstuffs) have been described. After the Chernobyl accident, the estimation of the thyroid doses for the public was mainly based on direct thyroid measurements of ~400 000 residents carried out within the first 2 months. The highest estimates of thyroid doses to children reached 50 Gy. After the Fukushima accident, the estimation of thyroid doses was based on radioecological models due to a lack of direct thyroid measurements (only slightly more than 1000 residents were measured). The highest estimates of thyroid doses to children were a few hundred mGy. Following the Chernobyl accident, ingestion of 131I through cows’ milk was the dominant pathway. Following the Fukushima accident, it appears that inhalation of contaminated air was the dominant pathway. Some lessons learned following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents have been presented in this paper. PMID:29415268

Newspaper Lesson Aids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Communication: Journalism Education Today (C:JET), 1986

1986-01-01

Provides photocopy-ready lesson aids on story ideas, interviewing, inverted pyramid writing style, newswriting, sports/scavenger hunt, finding feature material, identifying feature leads, feature lead selection, evaluating feature leads, compiling survey material, cutlines, headlines, paste-up rules, advertising, final semester project, newspaper…

Epidemiologic methods lessons learned from environmental public health disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina.

PubMed

Svendsen, Erik R; Runkle, Jennifer R; Dhara, Venkata Ramana; Lin, Shao; Naboka, Marina; Mousseau, Timothy A; Bennett, Charles

2012-08-01

Environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants may have devastating effects. While much is known about their immediate devastation, far less is known about long-term impacts of these disasters. Extensive latent and chronic long-term public health effects may occur. Careful evaluation of contaminant exposures and long-term health outcomes within the constraints imposed by limited financial resources is essential. Here, we review epidemiologic methods lessons learned from conducting long-term evaluations of four environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants at Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville (South Carolina, USA). We found several lessons learned which have direct implications for the on-going disaster recovery work following the Fukushima radiation disaster or for future disasters. These lessons should prove useful in understanding and mitigating latent health effects that may result from the nuclear reactor accident in Japan or future environmental public health disasters.

What Is a Scientific Experiment? The Impact of a Professional Development Course on Teachers' Ability to Design an Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pérez, María del Carmen B.; Furman, Melina

2016-01-01

Designing inquiry-based science lessons can be a challenge for secondary school teachers. In this study we evaluated the development of in-service teachers' lesson plans as they took part in a 10-month professional development course in Peru which engaged teachers in the design of inquiry-based lessons. At the beginning, most teachers designed…

Heart Mountain Relocation Center: A Lesson Using Primary Source Documents To Critically Analyze the Relocation of Japanese Americans to Wyoming. AHC Primary Sources in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyoming Univ., Laramie. American Heritage Center.

This lesson, for grades 7-12, correlates with Era 8, Standard 3c of the National History Standards for United States History: "evaluate the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and assess the implication for civil liberties." The lesson provides background on the internment of Japanese Americans during the war and…

Relationship between Activity Noise, Voice Parameters, and Voice Symptoms among Female Teachers.

PubMed

Pirilä, Sirpa; Pirilä, Paula; Ansamaa, Terhi; Yliherva, Anneli; Sonning, Samuel; Rantala, Leena

2017-01-01

Our interest was in how teachers' voices behave during the delivery of lessons in core subjects (e.g., mathematics, science, etc.). We sought to evaluate the relationship between voice sound pressure level (SPL), vocal fundamental frequency (F0), voice symptoms, activity noise, and differences therein during the first and the last lessons in core subjects of the day. The participants were 24 female elementary school teachers. Voice symptoms were evaluated by questionnaire. The data were recorded on 2 portable voice accumulators (VoxLog) from the first and last lessons of the day. The versions of accumulators differed by frequency weighting; therefore, the analysis and the results of noise and voice SPL were treated separately: unweighted (group 1) and A-weighted (group 2). Difference in voice SPL followed difference in activity noise. F0 increased between the first and last lessons. Correlations were found between differences in the noise and the voice symptoms of tiredness and dryness. Irritating mucus was associated with high F0 during the first lesson. An apparent increase in voice loading due to the activity noise was observed during lessons in core subjects. Collaboration between specialists in voice and acoustics and teachers and pupils is needed to reduce this voice loading. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Improving conceptual and procedural knowledge: The impact of instructional content within a mathematics lesson.

PubMed

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R; Loehr, Abbey M

2016-12-01

Students, parents, teachers, and theorists often advocate for direct instruction on both concepts and procedures, but some theorists suggest that including instruction on procedures in combination with concepts may limit learning opportunities and student understanding. This study evaluated the effect of instruction on a math concept and procedure within the same lesson relative to a comparable amount of instruction on the concept alone. Direct instruction was provided before or after solving problems to evaluate whether the type of instruction interacted with the timing of instruction within a lesson. We worked with 180 second-grade children in the United States. In a randomized experiment, children received a classroom lesson on mathematical equivalence in one of four conditions that varied in instruction type (conceptual or combined conceptual and procedural) and in instruction order (instruction before or after solving problems). Children who received two iterations of conceptual instruction had better retention of conceptual and procedural knowledge than children who received both conceptual and procedural instruction in the same lesson. Order of instruction did not impact outcomes. Findings suggest that within a single lesson, spending more time on conceptual instruction may be more beneficial than time spent teaching a procedure when the goal is to promote more robust understanding of target concepts and procedures. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Object processing in the infant: lessons from neuroscience.

PubMed

Wilcox, Teresa; Biondi, Marisa

2015-07-01

Object identification is a fundamental cognitive capacity that forms the basis for complex thought and behavior. The adult cortex is organized into functionally distinct visual object-processing pathways that mediate this ability. Insights into the origin of these pathways have begun to emerge through the use of neuroimaging techniques with infant populations. The outcome of this work supports the view that, from the early days of life, object-processing pathways are organized in a way that resembles that of the adult. At the same time, theoretically important changes in patterns of cortical activation are observed during the first year. These findings lead to a new understanding of the cognitive and neural architecture in infants that supports their emerging object-processing capacities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Lessons learned" : evaluation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) implementation at Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-06-01

The purpose of this lessons learned is to document the experience with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) : implementation at the Santee Wateree Regional Transportation authority (SWRTA). SWRTA is a public : transportation provider servin...

Towards a Philosophically and a Pedagogically Reasonable Nature of Science Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yacoubian, Hagop Azad

This study, primarily theoretical in nature, explores a philosophically and pedagogically reasonable way of addressing nature of science (NOS) in school science. NOS encompasses what science is and how scientific knowledge develops. I critically evaluate consensus frameworks of NOS in school science, which converge contentious philosophical viewpoints into general NOS-related ideas. I argue that they (1) lack clarity in terms of how NOS-related ideas could be applied for various ends, (2) portray a distorted image of the substantive content of NOS and the process of its development, and (3) lack a developmental trajectory for how to address NOS at different grade levels. As a remedy to these problems, I envision a NOS curriculum that (1) explicates and targets both NOS as an educational end and NOS as a means for socioscientific decision making, (2) has critical thinking as its foundational pillar, and (3) provides a developmental pathway for NOS learning using critical thinking as a progression unit. Next, I illustrate a framework for addressing NOS in school science referred to as the critical thinking—nature of science (CT-NOS) framework. This framework brings together the first two of the three elements envisioned in the NOS curriculum. I address the third element by situating the CT-NOS framework in a developmental context, borrowing from the literature on learning progressions in science and using critical thinking as a progression unit. Finally, I present an empirical study of experienced secondary science teachers’ views of a NOS lesson prepared using the CT-NOS framework. The teachers attended a professional development workshop at which the lesson, and the characteristics of the CT-NOS framework, were presented. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed that most teachers found the lesson to be somewhat feasible for a secondary science classroom, useful or somewhat useful to their students, and interesting. The teachers focused on 14 features of the lesson in their judgments and recommendations. The study revealed a number of teacher challenges generally related to critical thinking and its teaching as well as to the distinction between critical thinking about NOS and critical thinking with NOS.

Phonics Pathways: Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling. 10th Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiskes, Dolores G.

2011-01-01

This tenth edition of the best-selling book teaches reading using sounds and spelling patterns. These sounds and patterns are introduced one at a time, and slowly built into words, syllables, phrases, and sentences. Simple step-by-step directions begin every lesson. Although originally designed for K-2 emergent readers, this award-winning book is…

Taoist Lessons for Educational Leaders: Gentle Pathways to Resolving Conflicts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Daniel

2012-01-01

This book explores ways in which educational leaders can apply the wisdom of the Tao in their day-to-day work in schools. It offers an alternative to the standard ways of western thinking to give the leader more possibilities when confronting a situation. We tend to value immediate and decisive action, winning, directing, and getting one's way.…

(Re)Telling Lived Experiences in Different Tales: A Potential Pathway in Working towards an Inclusive PE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berg Svendby, Ellen

2016-01-01

Existing research reveals that there are large discrepancies between the rhetoric of inclusive practice and what actually takes place in physical education (PE) lessons. PE appears to be a conservative subject, where little has changed over the years, despite increased diversity in schools and new modes of movement in society at large. In this…

EPA's ToxCast Project: Lessons learned and future directions for use of HTS in predicting in vivo toxicology -- A Chemical Perspective

EPA Science Inventory

U.S. EPA’s ToxCast and the related Tox21 projects are employing high-throughput screening (HTS) technologies to profile thousands of chemicals, which in turn serve as probes of a wide diversity of targets, pathways and mechanisms related to toxicity. Initial models relating ToxCa...

Globalizing Lessons Learned from Regional-scale Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, S. M.

2016-02-01

The Mid Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) has accumulated a decade of experience designing, building and operating a Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System for the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). MARACOOS serves societal goals and supports scientific discovery at the scale of a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME). Societal themes include maritime safety, ecosystem decision support, coastal inundation, water quality and offshore energy. Scientific results that feed back on societal goals with better products include improved understanding of seasonal transport pathways and their impact on phytoplankton blooms and hypoxia, seasonal evolution of the subsurface Mid Atlantic Cold Pool and its impact on fisheries, biogeochemical transformations in coastal plumes, coastal ocean evolution and impact on hurricane intensities, and storm sediment transport pathways. As the global ocean observing requirements grow to support additional societal needs for information on fisheries and aquaculture, ocean acidification and deoxygenation, water quality and offshore development, global observing will necessarily evolve to include more coastal observations and forecast models at the scale of the world's many LMEs. Here we describe our efforts to share lessons learned between the observatory operators at the regional-scale of the LMEs. Current collaborators are spread across Europe, and also include Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and South Africa. Specific examples include the development of a world standard QA/QC approach for HF Radar data that will foster the sharing of data between countries, basin-scale underwater glider missions between internationally-distributed glider ports to developed a shared understanding of operations and an ongoing evaluation of the global ocean models in which the regional models for the LME will be nested, and joint training programs to develop the distributed teams of scientists and technicians required to support the global network. Globalization includes the development of international networks to coordinate activities, such as the Global HF Radar network supported by GEO, the global Everyone's Glider Organization supported by WMO and IOC, and the need for professional training supported by MTS.

Mixed method evaluation of the Virtual Traveller physically active lesson intervention: An analysis using the RE-AIM framework.

PubMed

Norris, E; Dunsmuir, S; Duke-Williams, O; Stamatakis, E; Shelton, N

2018-02-02

Physically active lessons integrating movement into academic content are a way to increase children's physical activity levels. Virtual Traveller was a physically active lesson intervention set in Year 4 (aged 8-9) primary school classes in Greater London, UK. Implemented by classroom teachers, it was a six-week intervention providing 10-min physically active Virtual Field Trips three times a week. The aim of this paper is to report the process evaluation of the Virtual Traveller randomized controlled trial according to RE-AIM framework criteria (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance). A mixed methods approach to evaluation was conducted with five intervention group classes. Six sources of data were collected via informed consent logs, teacher session logs, teacher and pupil questionnaires, teacher interviews and pupil focus groups. High participation and low attrition rates were identified (Reach) alongside positive evaluations of Virtual Traveller sessions from pupil and teachers (Effectiveness). Participants were from more deprived and ethnic backgrounds than local and national averages, with Virtual Traveller having the potential to be a free intervention (Adoption). 70% of sessions were delivered overall (Implementation) but no maintenance of the programme was evident at three month follow-up (Maintenance). Mixed method evaluation of Virtual Traveller showed potential for it to be implemented as a low-cost physically active lesson intervention in UK primary schools. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The final days of Solar Max - Lessons learned from engineering evaluation tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donnelly, Michael L.; Croft, John W.; Ward, David K.; Thames, Michael A.

1990-01-01

End-of-life engineering evaluation tests were performed on Solar Max between October and November 1989. The tests included four-wheel control law operation; reaction wheel rundowns; modular power subsystem standard power regulator unit voltage-temperature level tests; battery rundown/2nd plateau determination; high gain antenna retraction and jettison; and solar array jettison. This paper presents these tests, their results, and the lessons learned from them.

Implementing a lessons learned process at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fosshage, Erik D.; Drewien, Celeste A.; Eras, Kenneth

2016-01-01

The Lessons Learned Process Improvement Team was tasked to gain an understanding of the existing lessons learned environment within the major programs at Sandia National Laboratories, identify opportunities for improvement in that environment as compared to desired attributes, propose alternative implementations to address existing inefficiencies, perform qualitative evaluations of alternative implementations, and recommend one or more near-term activities for prototyping and/or implementation. This report documents the work and findings of the team.

White matter pathways in persistent developmental stuttering: Lessons from tractography.

PubMed

Kronfeld-Duenias, Vered; Civier, Oren; Amir, Ofer; Ezrati-Vinacour, Ruth; Ben-Shachar, Michal

2018-03-01

Fluent speech production relies on the coordinated processing of multiple brain regions. This highlights the role of neural pathways that connect distinct brain regions in producing fluent speech. Here, we aim to investigate the role of the white matter pathways in persistent developmental stuttering (PDS), where speech fluency is disrupted. We use diffusion weighted imaging and tractography to compare the white matter properties between adults who do and do not stutter. We compare the diffusion properties along 18 major cerebral white matter pathways. We complement the analysis with an overview of the methodology and a roadmap of the pathways implicated in PDS according to the existing literature. We report differences in the microstructural properties of the anterior callosum, the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the right cingulum in people who stutter compared with fluent controls. Persistent developmental stuttering is consistently associated with differences in bilateral distributed networks. We review evidence showing that PDS involves differences in bilateral dorsal fronto-temporal and fronto-parietal pathways, in callosal pathways, in several motor pathways and in basal ganglia connections. This entails an important role for long range white matter pathways in this disorder. Using a wide-lens analysis, we demonstrate differences in additional, right hemispheric pathways, which go beyond the replicable findings in the literature. This suggests that the affected circuits may extend beyond the known language and motor pathways. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social media campaigns that make a difference: what can public health learn from the corporate sector and other social change marketers?

PubMed

Freeman, Becky; Potente, Sofia; Rock, Vanessa; McIver, Jacqueline

2015-03-30

A great deal of enthusiasm and interest exists in using social media for public health communications, but few research studies have examined its success in promoting and adopting protective health behaviours. To begin to understand how best to develop effective online social marketing campaigns, this paper provides a summary of success factors and key lessons learnt from selected social media campaign case studies. Case study review Methods: A selection of case studies was reviewed for lessons in campaign development, delivery and evaluation from both the corporate and public health sectors. Information about the objective of the campaign, the tactics used and the lessons learnt was extracted from each case study. Lessons learnt from across the case studies were then sorted according to themes. Lessons from the nine case studies selected were categorised into eight themes: planning, use of social media tools, community, content, personal benefits, promotion, costs and challenges. Outcome evaluation data were lacking in the case studies. Overall, the nine case studies show that social media hold promise in changing user behaviours and that social media are highly effective in recruiting participants and motivating them to take small, concrete actions. The case studies also demonstrate that there is room in social media for targeted, inexpensive, small-scale projects, as well as large, well-funded, mass-reach marketing blitzes. Social media campaign process and impact evaluation measures are readily available. Outcome evaluation models and measures are needed to better assess the effectiveness of social media campaigns in changing health behaviours.

Wires in the soup: quantitative models of cell signaling

PubMed Central

Cheong, Raymond; Levchenko, Andre

2014-01-01

Living cells are capable of extracting information from their environments and mounting appropriate responses to a variety of associated challenges. The underlying signal transduction networks enabling this can be quite complex, necessitating for their unraveling by sophisticated computational modeling coupled with precise experimentation. Although we are still at the beginning of this process, some recent examples of integrative analysis of cell signaling are very encouraging. This review highlights the case of the NF-κB pathway in order to illustrate how a quantitative model of a signaling pathway can be gradually constructed through continuous experimental validation, and what lessons one might learn from such exercises. PMID:18291655

Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis: A Colorful Pathway

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Sola, M. Águila; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel

2012-01-01

Plant carotenoids are a family of pigments that participate in light harvesting and are essential for photoprotection against excess light. Furthermore, they act as precursors for the production of apocarotenoid hormones such as abscisic acid and strigolactones. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the genes and enzymes of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway (which is now almost completely elucidated) and on the regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. We also discuss the relevance of Arabidopsis as a model system for the study of carotenogenesis and how metabolic engineering approaches in this plant have taught important lessons for carotenoid biotechnology. PMID:22582030

Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF assay

PubMed Central

Shinnick, Thomas M; Starks, Angela M; Alexander, Heather L; Castro, Kenneth G

2018-01-01

The lack of capacity to provide laboratory confirmation of a diagnosis of tuberculosis disease (TB) is contributing to enormous gaps in the ability to find, treat and follow TB patients. WHO estimates that globally only about 57% of the notified new cases of pulmonary TB in 2012 and about 19% of rifampicin-resistant TB cases were laboratory confirmed. The Cepheid Xpert® MTB/RIF assay has been credited with revolutionizing laboratory testing to aid in the diagnosis of TB and rifampicin-resistant TB. This semi-automated test can detect both the causative agent of TB and mutations that confer rifampicin resistance from clinical specimens within 2 h after starting the test. In this article, we review the performance of the test, its pathway to regulatory approval and endorsement, guidelines for its use and lessons learned from the implementation of the test in low-burden, high-resource countries and in high-burden, low-resource countries. PMID:25373876

Signalling pathways and mechanisms of protection in pre- and postconditioning: historical perspective and lessons for the future.

PubMed

Cohen, Michael V; Downey, James M

2015-04-01

Ischaemic pre- and postconditioning are potent cardioprotective interventions that spare ischaemic myocardium and decrease infarct size after periods of myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion. They are dependent on complex signalling pathways involving ligands released from ischaemic myocardium, G-protein-linked receptors, membrane growth factor receptors, phospholipids, signalling kinases, NO, PKC and PKG, mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels, reactive oxygen species, TNF-α and sphingosine-1-phosphate. The final effector is probably the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and the signalling produces protection by preventing pore formation. Many investigators have worked to produce a roadmap of this signalling with the hope that it would reveal where one could intervene to therapeutically protect patients with acute myocardial infarction whose hearts are being reperfused. However, attempts to date to show efficacy of such an intervention in large clinical trials have been unsuccessful. Reasons for this inability to translate successes in the experimental laboratory to the clinical arena are evaluated in this review. It is suggested that all patients with acute coronary syndromes currently presenting to the hospital and being treated with platelet P2Y12 receptor antagonists, the current standard of care, are indeed already benefiting from protection from the conditioning pathways outlined earlier. If that proves to be the case, then future attempts to further decrease infarction will have to rely on interventions which protect by a different mechanism. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

A Place of Transformation: Lessons from the Cosmic Serpent Informal Science Education Professional Development Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peticolas, L.; Maryboy, N.; Begay, D.; Stein, J.; Valdez, S.; Paglierani, R.

2012-08-01

A cultural disconnect exists between Western scientists and educators and Native communities in terms of scientific worldviews and Indigenous ways of knowing. This cultural disconnect manifests itself in the lack of participation of Native Americans in Western science and a lack of appreciation by Western scientists of Native science. Our NSF-Funded project "Cosmic Serpent: Bridging Native and Western Learning in Museum Settings" set out to provide a way for informal science education practitioners and tribal museum practitioners to learn about these two worldviews in such a way as to inform their educational practice around these concepts. We began with a pilot workshop in year one of this four-year project. We then provided two week-long professional development workshops in three regions within the Western U.S., and culminated with a final conference for all participants. In total, the workshops served 162 participants, including 115 practitioners from 19 tribal museums and 41 science, natural history, and cultural museums; 23 tribal community members; and 24 "bridge people" with knowledge of both Indigenous and Western science. For this article, we focus on the professional and personal transformations around culture, knowledge, science, and worldviews that occurred as a part of this project. We evaluated the collaborative aspects of this grant between the Indigenous Education Institute; the Center for Science Education at the University of California, Berkeley; the Institute for Learning Innovation; Native Pathways; Association for Science and Technology Centers; and the National Museum of the American Indian. Using evaluation results, as well as our personal reflections, we share our learnings from a place of transformation. We provide lessons we learned with this project, which we hope others will find relevant to their own science education work.

Orientation/Time Management Skill Training Lesson: Development and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-07-01

instructional environment. This Orientation/ Time Management lesson provides students with appropriate role models for increasing acceptance of their...time savings can be obtained by a combination of this type of orientation and time management skill training with a computer-based progress targeting

PACIFIC SALMON: LESSONS LEARNED FOR RECOVERING ATLANTIC SALMON

EPA Science Inventory

n evaluation of the history of efforts to reverse the long-term decline of Pacific Salmon provides instructive policy lessons for recovering Atlantic Salmon. From California to southern British Columbia, wild runs of Pacific salmon have universally declined and many have disappe...

Owl Pellets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Craig D.

1987-01-01

Provides complete Project WILD lesson plans for 20-45-minute experiential science learning activity for grades 3-7 students. Describes how students construct a simple food chain through examination of owl pellets. Includes lesson objective, method, background information, materials, procedure, evaluation, and sources of owl pellets and posters.…

Body Image in Primary Schools: A pilot evaluation of a primary school intervention program designed by teachers to improve children's body satisfaction.

PubMed

Halliwell, Emma; Yager, Zali; Paraskeva, Nicole; Diedrichs, Phillippa C; Smith, Hilary; White, Paul

2016-12-01

Body Image in the Primary School (Hutchinson & Calland, 2011) is a body image curriculum that is widely available but has not yet been evaluated. This study evaluates a set of 6 of the 49 available lessons from this curriculum. Seventy-four girls and 70 boys aged 9-10 were recruited from four primary schools in the UK. Schools were randomly allocated into the intervention condition, where students received 6hours of body image lessons, or to lessons as normal. Body esteem was significantly higher among girls in the intervention group, compared to the control group, immediately post intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Moreover, girls with lowest levels of body esteem at baseline reported the largest gains. Internalization was significantly lower among boys in the control group compared to the intervention group at 3-month follow-up. The pattern of results among the control group raises interesting issues for intervention evaluation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Lesson plan profile of senior high school biology teachers in Subang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohayati, E.; Diana, S. W.; Priyandoko, D.

2018-05-01

Lesson plan have important role for biology teachers in teaching and learning process. The aim of this study was intended to gain an overview of lesson plan of biology teachers’ at Senior High Schools in Subang which were the members of biology teachers association in Subang. The research method was descriptive method. Data was collected from 30 biology teachers. The result of study showed that lesson plan profile in terms of subject’s identity had good category with 83.33 % of average score. Analysis on basic competence in fair category with 74.45 % of average score. The compatibility of method/strategy was in fair category with average score 72.22 %. The compatibility of instrument, media, and learning resources in fair category with 71.11 % of average score. Learning scenario was in good category with 77.00 % of average score. The compatibility of evaluation was in low category with 56.39 % of average score. It can be concluded that biology teachers in Subang were good enough in making lesson plan, however in terms of the compatibility of evaluation needed to be fixed. Furthermore, teachers’ training for biology teachers’ association was recommended to increasing teachers’ skill to be professional teachers.

Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain: economic evaluation.

PubMed

Hollinghurst, Sandra; Sharp, Debbie; Ballard, Kathleen; Barnett, Jane; Beattie, Angela; Evans, Maggie; Lewith, George; Middleton, Karen; Oxford, Frances; Webley, Fran; Little, Paul

2008-12-11

An economic evaluation of therapeutic massage, exercise, and lessons in the Alexander technique for treating persistent back pain. Cost consequences study and cost effectiveness analysis at 12 month follow-up of a factorial randomised controlled trial. 579 patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain recruited from primary care. Normal care (control), massage, and six or 24 lessons in the Alexander technique. Half of each group were randomised to a prescription for exercise from a doctor plus behavioural counselling from a nurse. Costs to the NHS and to participants. Comparison of costs with Roland-Morris disability score (number of activities impaired by pain), days in pain, and quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Comparison of NHS costs with QALY gain, using incremental cost effectiveness ratios and cost effectiveness acceptability curves. Intervention costs ranged from pound30 for exercise prescription to pound596 for 24 lessons in Alexander technique plus exercise. Cost of health services ranged from pound50 for 24 lessons in Alexander technique to pound124 for exercise. Incremental cost effectiveness analysis of single therapies showed that exercise offered best value ( pound61 per point on disability score, pound9 per additional pain-free day, pound2847 per QALY gain). For two-stage therapy, six lessons in Alexander technique combined with exercise was the best value (additional pound64 per point on disability score, pound43 per additional pain-free day, pound5332 per QALY gain). An exercise prescription and six lessons in Alexander technique alone were both more than 85% likely to be cost effective at values above pound20 000 per QALY, but the Alexander technique performed better than exercise on the full range of outcomes. A combination of six lessons in Alexander technique lessons followed by exercise was the most effective and cost effective option.

Final Report on the Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives. Lessons Learned about Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Statewide Systemic Reform. WCER Working Paper No. 2003-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heck, Daniel J.; Weiss, Iris R.; Boyd, Sally E.; Howard, Michael N.; Supovitz, Jonathan A.

2003-01-01

This document represents the first of two volumes presented in "Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives Program" (Norman L. Webb and Iris R. Weiss). In an effort to evaluate the impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSIs) on student achievement and the lessons that could be learned from the National Science…

Evaluating Failures and near Misses in Human Spaceflight History for Lessons for Future Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barr, Stephanie

2010-01-01

Studies done in the past have drawn on lessons learned with regard to human loss-of-life events. However, an examination of near-fatal accidents can be equally useful, not only in detecting causes, both proximate and systemic, but also for determining what factors averted disaster, what design decisions and/or operator actions prevented catastrophe. Binary pass/fail launch history is often used for risk, but this also has limitations. A program with a number of near misses can look more reliable than a consistently healthy program with a single out-of-family failure. Augmenting reliability evaluations with this near miss data can provide insight and expand on the limitations of a strictly pass/fail evaluation. This paper intends to show how near-miss lessons learned can provide crucial data for any new human spaceflight programs that are interested in sending man into space

Evaluating Failures and Near Misses in Human Spaceflight History for Lessons for Future Human Spaceflight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, Stephanie

2010-09-01

Studies done in the past have drawn on lessons learned with regard to human loss-of-life events. However, an examination of near-fatal accidents can be equally useful, not only in detecting causes, both proximate and systemic, but also for determining what factors averted disaster, what design decisions and/or operator actions prevented catastrophe. Binary pass/fail launch history is often used for risk, but this also has limitations. A program with a number of near misses can look more reliable than a consistently healthy program with a single out-of-family failure. Augmenting reliability evaluations with this near miss data can provide insight and expand on the limitations of a strictly pass/fail evaluation. This paper intends to show how near-miss lessons learned can provide crucial data for any new human spaceflight programs that are interested in sending man into space.

A Geographic Glimpse of Central Texas and the Borderlands: Images and Encounters. Pathways in Geography Resource Publication No. 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, James F., Ed.; Tuason, Julie A., Ed.

This guide seeks to provide a closer look at the diversity found within central Texas and the borderlands and offers a good general background to understanding some of the challenges facing the region. The book is divided into two parts with articles and lesson plans written by several authors. Part 1, "Views and Viewpoints," includes:…

Teacher Career Advancement Initiatives: Lessons Learned from Eight Case Studies. Phase II of Creating Sustainable Teacher Career Pathways: A 21st Century Imperative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natale, Catherine Fisk; Gaddis, Lynn; Bassett, Katherine; McKnight, Katherine

2016-01-01

The purpose of this report is to describe what the authors learned from studying eight teacher career advancement initiatives implemented across a variety of contexts, including urban, suburban, and rural districts; high poverty and affluent districts; and in schools/districts both with and without strong union presence. They describe key…

Epidemiologic Methods Lessons Learned from Environmental Public Health Disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina

PubMed Central

Svendsen, Erik R.; Runkle, Jennifer R.; Dhara, Venkata Ramana; Lin, Shao; Naboka, Marina; Mousseau, Timothy A.; Bennett, Charles

2012-01-01

Background: Environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants may have devastating effects. While much is known about their immediate devastation, far less is known about long-term impacts of these disasters. Extensive latent and chronic long-term public health effects may occur. Careful evaluation of contaminant exposures and long-term health outcomes within the constraints imposed by limited financial resources is essential. Methods: Here, we review epidemiologic methods lessons learned from conducting long-term evaluations of four environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants at Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville (South Carolina, USA). Findings: We found several lessons learned which have direct implications for the on-going disaster recovery work following the Fukushima radiation disaster or for future disasters. Interpretation: These lessons should prove useful in understanding and mitigating latent health effects that may result from the nuclear reactor accident in Japan or future environmental public health disasters. PMID:23066404

Iterating between lessons on concepts and procedures can improve mathematics knowledge.

PubMed

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Koedinger, Kenneth

2009-09-01

Knowledge of concepts and procedures seems to develop in an iterative fashion, with increases in one type of knowledge leading to increases in the other type of knowledge. This suggests that iterating between lessons on concepts and procedures may improve learning. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the instructional benefits of an iterative lesson sequence compared to a concepts-before-procedures sequence for students learning decimal place-value concepts and arithmetic procedures. In two classroom experiments, sixth-grade students from two schools participated (N=77 and 26). Students completed six decimal lessons on an intelligent-tutoring systems. In the iterative condition, lessons cycled between concept and procedure lessons. In the concepts-first condition, all concept lessons were presented before introducing the procedure lessons. In both experiments, students in the iterative condition gained more knowledge of arithmetic procedures, including ability to transfer the procedures to problems with novel features. Knowledge of concepts was fairly comparable across conditions. Finally, pre-test knowledge of one type predicted gains in knowledge of the other type across experiments. An iterative sequencing of lessons seems to facilitate learning and transfer, particularly of mathematical procedures. The findings support an iterative perspective for the development of knowledge of concepts and procedures.

Selected Lessons Learned in Space Shuttle Orbiter Propulsion and Power Subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hernandez, Francisco J.; Martinez, Hugo; Ryan, Abigail; Westover, Shayne; Davies, Frank

2011-01-01

Over its 30 years of space flight history, plus the nearly 10 years of design, development test and evaluation, the Space Shuttle Orbiter is full of lessons learned in all of its numerous and complex subsystems. In the current paper, only selected lessons learned in the areas of the Orbiter propulsion and power subsystems will be described. The particular Orbiter subsystems include: Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), Hydraulics and Water Spray Boiler (WSB), Mechanical Flight Controls, Main Propulsion System (MPS), Fuel Cells and Power Reactant and Storage Devices (PRSD), Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS), Reaction Control System (RCS), Electrical Power Distribution (EPDC), electrical wiring and pyrotechnics. Given the complexity and extensive history of each of these subsystems, and the limited scope of this paper, it is impossible to include most of the lessons learned; instead the attempt will be to present a selected few or key lessons, in the judgment of the authors. Each subsystem is presented separate, beginning with an overview of the hardware and their function, a short description of a few historical problems and their lessons, followed by a more comprehensive table listing of the major subsystem problems and lessons. These tables serve as a quick reference for lessons learned in each subsystem. In addition, this paper will establish common lessons across subsystems as well as concentrate on those lessons which are deemed to have the highest applicability to future space flight programs.

Personalised Medicine: Genome Maintenance Lessons Learned from Studies in Yeast as a Model Organism.

PubMed

Abugable, Arwa A; Awwad, Dahlia A; Fleifel, Dalia; Ali, Mohamed M; El-Khamisy, Sherif; Elserafy, Menattallah

2017-01-01

Yeast research has been tremendously contributing to the understanding of a variety of molecular pathways due to the ease of its genetic manipulation, fast doubling time as well as being cost-effective. The understanding of these pathways did not only help scientists learn more about the cellular functions but also assisted in deciphering the genetic and cellular defects behind multiple diseases. Hence, yeast research not only opened the doors for transforming basic research into applied research, but also paved the roads for improving diagnosis and innovating personalized therapy of different diseases. In this chapter, we discuss how yeast research has contributed to understanding major genome maintenance pathways such as the S-phase checkpoint activation pathways, repair via homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining as well as topoisomerases-induced protein linked DNA breaks repair. Defects in these pathways lead to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Thus, the understanding of the exact genetic defects underlying these diseases allowed the development of personalized medicine, improving the diagnosis and treatment and overcoming the detriments of current conventional therapies such as the side effects, toxicity as well as drug resistance.

Suitability of a structured Fundamental Movement Skills program for long day care centres: a process evaluation.

PubMed

Petrunoff, Nick; Lloyd, Beverley; Watson, Natalie; Morrisey, David

2009-04-01

Early childhood presents an opportunity to encourage development of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS). Implementation of a structured program in the Long Day Care (LDC) setting presents challenges. Implementation of a structured FMS program FunMoves was assessed in LDC in metropolitan New South Wales. LDC staff attended a training session conducted by trained Health Promotion Officers (HPOs) and completed an evaluation. During implementation HPOs completed lesson observations. De-identified attendance data was collected and director and staff feedback on the program including barriers to implementation was obtained via questionnaire. Qualitative information relevant to process evaluation was obtained via open questions on questionnaires, and a de-brief diary recording feedback from directors and staff. Knowledge of FMS and FunMoves and staff confidence to deliver the program were high after training. On average, staff stated they ran lessons more than the suggested twice weekly and the majority of children attended 1-3 lessons per week. However, lesson delivery was not as designed, and staff found FunMoves disruptive and time consuming. Six directors and the majority of staff thought that FunMoves could be improved. Structured program delivery was hampered by contextual issues including significant staff turnover and program length and structure being at odds with the setting. Implementation could be enhanced by guidelines for more flexible delivery options including less structured approaches, shorter and simpler lessons, ongoing conversations with the early childhood sector, in-centre engagement of staff and post-training support.

Weapon System Management to Directorate of Logistics Management Systems Requirements (XRB) DCS/Plans and Programs Air Force Logistics Command Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-14

Attachment 2 contains the reports and lessons learned which resulted from the Level II Weapon System Management activities. Attachment 3 contains the reports...and lessons learned which resulted from the Level III Weapon System Management activities. _____ r. Air Force Logistics Command Attn: Col. McConnell 2...May 14, 1982 Attachment 4 contains the plans and lessons learned which resulted from the RCC Evaluation activities. I am pleased to deliver these

The lift-fan powered-lift aircraft concept: Lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deckert, Wallace H.

1993-01-01

This is one of a series of reports on the lessons learned from past research related to lift-fan aircraft concepts. An extensive review is presented of the many lift-fan aircraft design studies conducted by both government and industry over the past 45 years. Mission applications and design integration including discussions on manifolding hot gas generators, hot gas dusting, and energy transfer control are addressed. Past lift-fan evaluations of the Avrocar are discussed. Lessons learned from these past efforts are identified.

The DigiLit Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxa, Julie; Christ, Tanya

2018-01-01

Selecting and integrating the use of digital texts/tools in literacy lessons are complex tasks. The DigiLit framework provides a succinct model to guide planning, reflection, coaching, and formative evaluation of teachers' successful digital text/tool selection and integration for literacy lessons. For digital text/tool selection, teachers need to…

Global Consultation Processes: Lessons Learned from Refugee Teacher Consultation Research in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neal, Colleen R.; Gosnell, Nicole M.; Ng, Wai Sheng; Clement, Jennifer; Ong, Edward

2018-01-01

The process of global consultation has received little attention despite its potential for promoting international mutual understanding with marginalized communities. This article details theory, entry, implementation, and evaluation processes for global consultation research, including lessons learned from our refugee teacher intervention. The…

Implementing Impact Evaluations of Malaria Control Interventions: Process, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations

PubMed Central

Hershey, Christine L.; Bhattarai, Achuyt; Florey, Lia S.; McElroy, Peter D.; Nielsen, Carrie F.; Yé, Yazoume; Eckert, Erin; Franca-Koh, Ana Cláudia; Shargie, Estifanos; Komatsu, Ryuichi; Smithson, Paul; Thwing, Julie; Mihigo, Jules; Herrera, Samantha; Taylor, Cameron; Shah, Jui; Mouzin, Eric; Yoon, Steven S.; Salgado, S. René

2017-01-01

Abstract. As funding for malaria control increased considerably over the past 10 years resulting in the expanded coverage of malaria control interventions, so did the need to measure the impact of these investments on malaria morbidity and mortality. Members of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership undertook impact evaluations of malaria control programs at a time when there was little guidance in terms of the process for conducting an impact evaluation of a national-level malaria control program. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), as a member of the RBM Partnership, has provided financial and technical support for impact evaluations in 13 countries to date. On the basis of these experiences, PMI and its partners have developed a streamlined process for conducting the evaluations with a set of lessons learned and recommendations. Chief among these are: to ensure country ownership and involvement in the evaluations; to engage stakeholders throughout the process; to coordinate evaluations among interested partners to avoid duplication of efforts; to tailor the evaluation to the particular country context; to develop a standard methodology for the evaluations and a streamlined process for completion within a reasonable time; and to develop tailored dissemination products on the evaluation for a broad range of stakeholders. These key lessons learned and resulting recommendations will guide future impact evaluations of malaria control programs and other health programs. PMID:28990921

Systems biology from micro-organisms to human metabolic diseases: the role of detailed kinetic models.

PubMed

Bakker, Barbara M; van Eunen, Karen; Jeneson, Jeroen A L; van Riel, Natal A W; Bruggeman, Frank J; Teusink, Bas

2010-10-01

Human metabolic diseases are typically network diseases. This holds not only for multifactorial diseases, such as metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes, but even when a single gene defect is the primary cause, where the adaptive response of the entire network determines the severity of disease. The latter may differ between individuals carrying the same mutation. Understanding the adaptive responses of human metabolism naturally requires a systems biology approach. Modelling of metabolic pathways in micro-organisms and some mammalian tissues has yielded many insights, qualitative as well as quantitative, into their control and regulation. Yet, even for a well-known pathway such as glycolysis, precise predictions of metabolite dynamics from experimentally determined enzyme kinetics have been only moderately successful. In the present review, we compare kinetic models of glycolysis in three cell types (African trypanosomes, yeast and skeletal muscle), evaluate their predictive power and identify limitations in our understanding. Although each of these models has its own merits and shortcomings, they also share common features. For example, in each case independently measured enzyme kinetic parameters were used as input. Based on these 'lessons from glycolysis', we will discuss how to make best use of kinetic computer models to advance our understanding of human metabolic diseases.

Physically active academic lessons: acceptance, barriers and facilitators for implementation.

PubMed

Dyrstad, Sindre M; Kvalø, Silje E; Alstveit, Marianne; Skage, Ingrid

2018-03-06

To improve health and academic learning in schoolchildren, the Active School programme in Stavanger, Norway has introduced physically active academic lessons. This is a teaching method combining physical activity with academic content. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the response to the physically active lessons and identify facilitators and barriers for implementation of such an intervention. Five school leaders (principals or vice-principals), 13 teachers and 30 children from the five intervention schools were interviewed about their experiences with the 10-month intervention, which consisted of weekly minimum 2 × 45 minutes of physically active academic lessons, and the factors affecting its implementation. All interviews were transcribed and analysed using the qualitative data analysis program NVivo 10 (QSR international, London, UK). In addition, weekly teacher's intervention delivery logs were collected and analysed. On average, the physically active academic lessons in 18 of the 34 weeks (53%) were reported in the teacher logs. The number of delivered physically active academic lessons covered 73% of the schools' planned activity. Physically active lessons were well received among school leaders, teachers and children. The main facilitators for implementation of the physically active lessons were active leadership and teacher support, high self-efficacy regarding mastering the intervention, ease of organizing physically active lessons, inclusion of physically active lessons into the lesson curricula, and children's positive reception of the intervention. The main barriers were unclear expectations, lack of knowledge and time to plan the physiclly active lessons, and the length of the physically active lessons (15-20 min lessons were preferred over the 45 min lessons). Physically active academic lessons were considered an appropriate pedagogical method for creating positive variation, and were highly appreciated among both teachers and children. Both the principal and the teachers should be actively involved the implementation, which could be strengthened by including physical activity into the school's strategy. Barriers for implementing physically active lessons in schools could be lowered by increasing implementation clarity and introducing the teachers to high quality and easily organized lessons. Clinicaltrail.gov ID identifier: NCT03436355 . Retrospectively registered: 16th of Feb, 2018.

Pathways to policy: Lessons learned in multisectoral collaboration for physical activity and built environment policy development from the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative.

PubMed

Politis, Christopher E; Mowat, David L; Keen, Deb

2017-06-16

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer funded 12 large-scale knowledge to action cancer and chronic disease prevention projects between 2009 and 2016 through the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative. Two projects, Healthy Canada by Design (HCBD) and Children's Mobility, Health and Happiness (CMHH), developed policies to address physical activity and the built environment through a multisectoral approach. A qualitative analysis involving a review of 183 knowledge products and 8 key informant interviews was conducted to understand what policy changes occurred, and the underlying critical success factors, through these projects. Both projects worked at the local level to change physical activity and built environment policy in 203 sites, including municipalities and schools. Both projects brought multisectoral expertise (e.g., public health, land use planning, transportation engineering, education, etc.) together to inform the development of local healthy public policy in the areas of land use, transportation and school travel planning. Through the qualitative analysis of the knowledge products and key informant interviews, 163 policies were attributed to HCBD and CMHH work. Fourteen "pathways to policy" were identified as critical success factors facilitating and accelerating the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy. Of the 14 pathways to policy, 8 had a focus on multisectoral collaboration. The lessons learned from the CLASP experience could support enhanced multisectoral collaborations to accelerate the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy in new jurisdictions across Canada and internationally.

Information technology enters the doctor's office: Part II--Six lessons about intended ... and unintended ... results.

PubMed

Frankel, P; Chernow, R; Rosenberg, W

1994-02-01

Part I of this article ("Six Design and Implementation Lessons," Physician Executive, Sept.-Oct. 1993, pp. 46-50) described an ambulatory utilization review (AUR) program designed and implemented by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and reviewed some of the lessons learned over the past five years. Those lessons pertained to the tasks of inventing a new information technology to measure and evaluate ambulatory care and some of the practical implementation issues associated with review of 30,000 small dollar value claims per day in 19 claim offices nationwide. This article turns to the basic purpose of AUR--to review the medical necessity and appropriateness of ambulatory utilization. One lesson learned about AUR in this context is that AUR works: savings from the program outweigh costs by almost 5:1. The more important lessons, however, stem from understanding how the savings are achieved, and what some of the other unintended benefits of the program are.

CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINING DIADROMOUS FISHES THROUGH 2100: LESSONS LEARNED FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

EPA Science Inventory

An evaluation of the history of efforts to reverse the long-term decline of Pacific Salmon in western North America provides instructive policy lessons for the potential recovery of diadromous fishes throughout the world. From California to southern British Columbia, wild runs of...

Urban partnership agreement and congestion reduction demonstration programs : lessons learned on congestion pricing from the Seattle and Atlanta household travel behavior surveys.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

This paper presents lessons learned from household traveler surveys administered in Seattle and Atlanta as part of the evaluation of the Urban Partnership Agreement and Congestion Reduction Demonstration Programs. The surveys use a two-stage panel su...

Perspectives on Blended Learning through the On-Line Platform, LabLessons, for Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jihad, Teeba; Klementowicz, Edward; Gryczka, Patrick; Sharrock, Chappel; Maxfield, MacRae; Lee, Yongjun; Montclare, Jin Kim

2018-01-01

The effectiveness of blended learning was evaluated through the integration of an online chemistry platform, LabLessons. Two modules, "Formation of Hydrogen" and "Titration," were designed by college mentors alongside classroom chemistry teachers to engage and allow high school students to better comprehend these scientific…

Evaluation of Natural Resource Education Materials: Implications for Resource Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pomerantz, Gerri A.

1991-01-01

An analysis of elementary school natural resource lessons (n=700) that focus on ecological principles, on resource management issues, and on analytical skill development affecting students' environmental behavior is presented. The fundamental conclusion is that very few of the lesson materials help to develop critical thinking skills and behaviors…

Orientation/Time Management Skill Training Lesson: Development and Evaluation. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobrovolny, Jacqueline L.; And Others

A lesson was developed containing materials designed to assist students in their adaptation to the novelties of a computer assisted or managed instructional environment, providing students with appropriate role models for increasing acceptance of their increased responsibility for learning and introducing a progress tracking approach to assist…

CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINING DIADROMOUS FISHES THROUGH 2100: LESSONS LEARNED FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

EPA Science Inventory

An evaluation of the history of efforts to reverse the long-term decline of Pacific salmon in western North America provides instructive policy lessons for the potential recovery of diadromous fishes throughout the world. From California to southern British Columbia, wild runs o...

Topical Research: Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynn, Karen

This lesson plan can be used in social studies, language arts, or library research. The instructional objective is for students to select a topic of study relating to Africa, write a thesis statement, collect information from media sources, and develop a conclusion. The teacher may assign the lesson for written or oral evaluation. The teacher…

The Effects of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Expository Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Othman, Yahya; Mahamud, Zamri; Jaidi, Noradinah

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of student achievement during comprehension lesson using metacognitive strategy and examine the effects of the strategy used in reading and understanding expository text lessons. Besides, this study also identified metacognitive strategy used by students in all three reading processes…

The Visible Classroom: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skipp, Amy; Tanner, Emily

2015-01-01

The Visible Classroom project aimed to use lesson transcripts to promote effective teaching practice and improve the attainment of pupils in primary school. The approach used "real-time captioning" technology to generate a live transcript of teachers' speech in lessons and was developed by the University of Melbourne and technology…

Lessons Learned from Military Performance Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Lauress L.

Lessons derived from the Job Performance Measurement (JPM) Project, which is overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel, for educational assessment are explored. The JPM Project was initiated to develop high fidelity measures of performance on the job that can be used to evaluate personnel…

Lesson study on 2nd grader of elementary school to improve the student’s numeracy skill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabowo, A.; Asih; Jumardi

2018-03-01

The purpose of this research is to find the most appropriate learning media of multiplication and division for the 2nd graders of elementary school. The study used the steps in the lesson study, Plan-Do-See. Data were taken using observation instruments, video documentation, and learning evaluation tools. Initially, teachers used gravel as media of multiplication and division. Students can solve numeracy problems when they learn by those media. In test, 80% of students were failure when the teacher evaluates them. By involving experts and partner teachers at school, classroom teachers can solve problems by discover multiplication and division media with the drawing media created by the students themselves. At the end of the lesson, 100% of students have mastered multiplication and division with the media.

Practical experience from the Office of Adolescent Health's large scale implementation of an evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.

PubMed

Margolis, Amy Lynn; Roper, Allison Yvonne

2014-03-01

After 3 years of experience overseeing the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs in a diversity of populations and settings across the country, the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) has learned numerous lessons through practical application and new experiences. These lessons and experiences are applicable to those working to implement evidence-based programs on a large scale. The lessons described in this paper focus on what it means for a program to be implementation ready, the role of the program developer in replicating evidence-based programs, the importance of a planning period to ensure quality implementation, the need to define and measure fidelity, and the conditions necessary to support rigorous grantee-level evaluation. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lessons learned from small store programs to increase healthy food access.

PubMed

Gittelsohn, Joel; Laska, Melissa N; Karpyn, Allison; Klingler, Kristen; Ayala, Guadalupe X

2014-03-01

To document implementation challenges and opportunities associated with small store interventions. Case study analysis of small store interventions conducted in 4 regions of the US. We systematically generated matrices to compare and contrast lessons learned to advance implementation science. Seven thematic areas were identified including: establishing relationships with stores, store owner and customer relationships, selection of intervention approaches, stocking healthier foods, evaluation, maintenance of changes, and dissemination. This information provides guidance to researchers and practitioners wishing to design, implement, and evaluate small store interventions.

Lessons learned: wrong intraocular lens.

PubMed

Schein, Oliver D; Banta, James T; Chen, Teresa C; Pritzker, Scott; Schachat, Andrew P

2012-10-01

To report cases involving the placement of the wrong intraocular lens (IOL) at the time of cataract surgery where human error occurred. Retrospective small case series, convenience sample. Seven surgical cases. Institutional review of errors committed and subsequent improvements to clinical protocols. Lessons learned and changes in procedures adapted. The pathways to a wrong IOL are many but largely reflect some combination of poor surgical team communication, transcription error, lack of preoperative clarity in surgical planning or failure to match the patient, and IOL calculation sheet with 2 unique identifiers. Safety in surgery involving IOLs is enhanced both by strict procedures, such as an IOL-specific "time-out," and the fostering of a surgical team culture in which all members are encouraged to voice questions and concerns. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advances in CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering: lessons learned from RNA interference

PubMed Central

Barrangou, Rodolphe; Birmingham, Amanda; Wiemann, Stefan; Beijersbergen, Roderick L.; Hornung, Veit; Smith, Anja van Brabant

2015-01-01

The discovery that the machinery of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 bacterial immune system can be re-purposed to easily create deletions, insertions and replacements in the mammalian genome has revolutionized the field of genome engineering and re-invigorated the field of gene therapy. Many parallels have been drawn between the newly discovered CRISPR-Cas9 system and the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in terms of their utility for understanding and interrogating gene function in mammalian cells. Given this similarity, the CRISPR-Cas9 field stands to benefit immensely from lessons learned during the development of RNAi technology. We examine how the history of RNAi can inform today's challenges in CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering such as efficiency, specificity, high-throughput screening and delivery for in vivo and therapeutic applications. PMID:25800748

Fellowships in Community Pharmacy Research: Experiences of Five Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy

PubMed Central

Snyder, Margie E.; Frail, Caitlin K.; Gernant, Stephanie A.; Bacci, Jennifer L.; Coley, Kim C.; Colip, Lauren M.; Ferreri, Stefanie P.; Hagemeier, Nicholas E.; McGivney, Melissa Somma; Rodis, Jennifer L.; Smith, Megan G.; Smith, Randall B.

2017-01-01

Objective To describe common facilitators, challenges, and lessons learned of five schools and colleges of pharmacy in establishing community pharmacy research fellowships. Setting Five schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States. Practice Description Schools and colleges of pharmacy with existing community partnerships identified a need and ability to develop opportunities for pharmacists to engage in advanced research training. Practice Innovation Community pharmacy fellowships, each structured as two years in length and in combination with graduate coursework, have been established at the University of Pittsburgh, Purdue University, East Tennessee State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Ohio State University. Evaluation Program directors from each of the five community pharmacy research fellowships identified common themes pertaining to program structure, outcomes, and lessons learned to assist others planning similar programs. Results Common characteristics across the programs include length of training, pre-requisites, graduate coursework, mentoring structure, and immersion into a pharmacist patient care practice. Common facilitators have been the existence of strong community pharmacy partnerships, creating a fellowship advisory team, and networking. A common challenge has been recruitment, with many programs experiencing at least one year without filling the fellowship position. All program graduates (n=4) have been successful in securing pharmacy faculty positions. Conclusion Five schools and colleges of pharmacy share similar experiences in implementing community pharmacy research fellowships. Early outcomes show promise for this training pathway in growing future pharmacist-scientists focused on community pharmacy practice. PMID:27083852

Intervention fidelity in a school-based diet and physical activity intervention in the UK: Active for Life Year 5.

PubMed

Campbell, Rona; Rawlins, Emma; Wells, Sian; Kipping, Ruth R; Chittleborough, Catherine R; Peters, Tim J; Lawlor, Debbie A; Jago, Russell

2015-11-11

Active for Life Year 5 (AFLY5) is an educational programme for Year 5 children (aged 9-10) designed to increase children's physical activity, decrease sedentary behaviour and increase fruit and vegetable intake. This paper reports findings from a process evaluation embedded within a randomised controlled trial evaluating the programme's effectiveness. It considers the fidelity of implementation of AFLY5 with a focus on three research questions: 1. To what extent was the intervention delivered as planned? 2. In what ways, if any, did the teachers amend the programme? and 3. What were the reasons for any amendments? Mixed methods were used including data collection via observation of the intervention delivery, questionnaire, teacher's intervention delivery log and semi-structured interviews with teachers and parents. Qualitative data were analysed thematically and quantitative data were summarised using descriptive statistics. Following training, 42 of the 43 intervention school teachers/teaching staff (98%) were confident they could deliver the nutrition and physical activity lessons according to plan. The mean number of lessons taught was 12.3 (s.d. 3.7), equating to 77% of the intervention. Reach was high with 95% of children in intervention schools receiving lessons. A mean of 6.2 (s.d. 2.6) out of 10 homeworks were delivered. Median lesson preparation time was 10 min (IQR 10-20) and 28% of lessons were reported as having been amended. Qualitative findings revealed that those who amended the lessons did so to differentiate for student ability, update them for use with new technologies and to enhance teacher and student engagement. Teachers endorsed the aims of the intervention, but some were frustrated with having to adapt the lesson materials. Teachers also a reported tendency to delegate the physical activity lessons to other staff not trained in the intervention. Fidelity of intervention implementation was good but teachers' enthusiasm for the AFLY5 programme was mixed despite them believing that the messages behind the lessons were important. This may have meant that the intervention messages were not delivered as anticipated and explain why the intervention was found not to be effective. ISRCTN50133740.

Food Service Trades. Instructional System Development Model for Vermont Area Vocational Centers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1975

The model curriculum guide in food service occupations consists of 26 units of study presented in outline form and intended for use at the secondary level. The outline presents a concept statement, behavioral objective, learning activities, teacher resource needs, suggested evaluation techniques, lesson objectives, a lesson/unit plan, and…

Evaluating Eyewitness Reports [Lesson Plan].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

This lesson offers students experience in making historical meaning from eyewitness accounts that present a range of different perspectives. Students begin with a case study in working with alternative reports of a single event: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. First, they compare two newspaper reports on the fire, then two memoirs of the fire…

The Real Lessons in School Reform from Britain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walford, Geoffrey

1993-01-01

John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe's booklet "A Lesson in School Reform from Great Britain (Brookings, 1992) and Denis Lawton's book "Education and Politics in the 1990s: Conflict or Consensus?" (Falmer, 1992) attempt to evaluate effects of recent educational changes in England and Wales. Lawton's thoughtful, scholarly analysis of the…

Case study and lessons learned for the Great Lakes ITS Program, Airport ITS Integration and the Road Infrastructure Management System projects, final report, Wayne County, Michigan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-03-02

This report presents the case study and lessons learned for the national evaluation of the Great Lakes Intelligent Transportation Systems (GLITS) Airport ITS Integration and Road Infrastructure Management System (RIMS) projects. The Airport ITS Integ...

Using lesson study to integrate information literacy throughout the curriculum.

PubMed

Stombaugh, Angie; Sperstad, Rita; Vanwormer, Arin; Jennings, Eric; Kishel, Hans; Vogh, Bryan

2013-01-01

To develop evidence-based practice skills, students need to be capable of retrieving various levels of scholarly information, evaluating its usefulness, and applying it to clinical practice. The authors discuss the process of developing an information literacy curriculum for a cohort of students over a 5-semester nursing program using lesson study.

Effects of an Elementary Strategy on Operations of Exclusion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Joseph T.

Effects of an advance organizer lesson (containing high-order science concepts relating to the law of capillary attraction, and an elementary problem-solving strategy for determining causal relations) were evaluated for a sample of 80 urban 6- and 10-year-old children. Significant sequential transfer effects were established from the lesson.…

Lessons in a Box Make a Difference for Head Start Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunkel, Kelly K.; Hurtado, Ghaffar A.; Conrad, Stephanie; Routh, Brianna; Joeng, Ju Ri; Harrison, Megan

2014-01-01

This article examines the health education implications of targeted nutrition lesson plans at Head Start programs in south central Minnesota. The Head Start program in Mankato and the University of Minnesota Extension collaborated to deliver and evaluate a nutrition education program directed at preschool children and their families. Nine lesson…

City Planning Unit: Grade 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalton, William Edward

Described is a project designed to make government lessons and economics more appealing to sixth-grade students by having them set up and run a model city. General preparation procedures and set-up of the project, specific lesson plans, additional activities, and project evaluation are examined. An actual 3-dimensional model city was set up on…

A Teacher's Guide to Resource - Use Outdoor Education Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor County Board of Public Instruction, Perry, FL.

Included in this guide are ideas on evaluation and conduct of outdoor education classes and unit guides and lesson plans. An interdisciplinary approach is emphasized and the unit guides and lesson plans present activities related to science, mathematics, social studies, art, and music relevant to outdoor education in general. Unit guides for soil,…

Assessing the Efficacy of a School Health Education Advocacy Lesson with College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallen, Michele; Chaney, Beth H.; Birch, David A.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The researchers evaluated the efficacy of an advocacy lesson to assess change in intentions to advocate for school health education. This study also measured changes in participants' understanding the importance of school health education and perceived effectiveness in applying advocacy skills. Methods: A convenience sample of college…

Development and Evaluation of an Information Moral Lesson to Promote Awareness in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakai, Kyohei; Shiota, Shingo; Eguchi, Kiyotaka

2015-01-01

In conventional information moral education, lessons often focus only on trouble cases and perpetrators without examining the level of awareness among the parties involved. This is especially apparent among students who communicate over the Internet. For example, one student's perspective of writing ill on the Internet might greatly differ from…

Multiscale socioeconomic assessment across large ecosystems: lessons from practice

Treesearch

Rebecca J. McLain; Ellen M. Donoghue; Jonathan Kusel; Lita Buttolph; Susan Charnley

2008-01-01

Implementation of ecosystem management projects has created a demand for socioeconomic assessments to predict or evaluate the impacts of ecosystem policies. Social scientists for these assessments face challenges that, although not unique to such projects, are more likely to arise than in smaller scale ones. This article summarizes lessons from our experiences with...

Early Lessons Learned from Extramural School Programs That Offer HPV Vaccine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Kim A.; Entzel, Pamela; Berger, Wendy; Caskey, Rachel N.; Shlay, Judith C.; Stubbs, Brenda W.; Smith, Jennifer S.; Brewer, Noel T.

2013-01-01

Background: There has been little evaluation of school-located vaccination programs that offer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in US schools without health centers (ie, extramural programs). This article summarizes lessons learned from such programs. Methods: In July to August 2010, 5 programs were identi?ed. Semistructured, in-depth telephone…

Arts Impact: Lessons from ArtsBridge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shimshon-Santo, Amy R.

2010-01-01

Arts Impact summarizes lessons learned at the ArtsBridge Program. It is informed by in-depth participant observation, logic modeling, and quantitative evaluation of program impact on K-12 students in inner city schools and arts students at the University of California Los Angeles over a two year period. The case study frames its analysis through a…

Characterization versus Narration: Drama's Role in Multimedia Instructional Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cates, Ward Mitchell; Bishop, M. J.; Hung, Woei

2005-01-01

As part of an ongoing research program, the authors investigated the use of single-voiced narration and multi-voiced characterizations/monologues in a formative evaluation study of an instructional lesson on information processing. That lesson employed a design based on the use of content-related metaphors and a metaphorical graphical user…

A Practical Guide to Teaching Preschool Spanish.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Dianne Lynne

A curriculum for preschool Spanish instruction, consisting of a list of objectives, a pupil evaluation system, and 26 lesson plans, is presented. The curriculum is designed as an enrichment component for the preschool classroom and is best suited for four-year-old children who have already mastered the same concepts in English. The lessons utilize…

Using evaluation methods to guide the development of a tobacco-use prevention curriculum for youth: a case study.

PubMed

Bridge, P D; Gallagher, R E; Berry-Bobovski, L C

2000-01-01

Fundamental to the development of educational programs and curricula is the evaluation of processes and outcomes. Unfortunately, many otherwise well-designed programs do not incorporate stringent evaluation methods and are limited in measuring program development and effectiveness. Using an advertising lesson in a school-based tobacco-use prevention curriculum as a case study, the authors examine the role of evaluation in the development, implementation, and enhancement of the curricular lesson. A four-phase formative and summative evaluation design was developed to divide the program-evaluation continuum into a structured process that would aid in the management of the evaluation, as well as assess curricular components. Formative and summative evaluation can provide important guidance in the development, implementation, and enhancement of educational curricula. Evaluation strategies identified unexpected barriers and allowed the project team to make necessary "time-relevant" curricular adjustments during each stage of the process.

Governing nanobiotechnology: lessons from agricultural biotechnology regulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Robbin S.

2011-04-01

This article uses lessons from biotechnology to help inform the design of oversight for nanobiotechnology. Those lessons suggest the following: first, oversight needs to be broadly defined, encompassing not just regulatory findings around safety and efficacy, but also public understanding and acceptance of the technology and its products. Second, the intensity of scrutiny and review should reflect not just risks but also perceptions of risk. Finally, a global marketplace argues for uniform standards or commercially practical solutions to differences in standards. One way of designing oversight to achieve these purposes is to think about it in three phases—precaution, prudence, and promotion. Precaution comes early in the technology or product's development and reflects real and perceived uncertainties. Prudence governs when risks and hazards have been identified, containment approaches established, and benefits broadly defined. Transparency and public participation rise to the fore. The promotional phase moves toward shaping public understanding and acceptance and involves marketing issues rather than safety ones. This flexible, three-phase approach to oversight would have avoided some of the early regulatory problems with agricultural biotechnology. It also would have led to a more risk-adjusted pathway to regulatory approval. Furthermore, it would avoid some of the arbitrary, disruptive marketing issues that have arisen.

Evidence for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons in medical and health-related conditions: a systematic review.

PubMed

Woodman, J P; Moore, N R

2012-01-01

Complementary medicine and alternative approaches to chronic and intractable health conditions are increasingly being used, and require critical evaluation. The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate available evidence for the effectiveness and safety of instruction in the Alexander Technique in health-related conditions. PUBMED, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, ISI Web-of-Knowledge, AMED, CINHAL-plus, Cochrane library and Evidence-based Medicine Reviews were searched to July 2011. Inclusion criteria were prospective studies evaluating Alexander Technique instruction (individual lessons or group delivery) as an intervention for any medical indication/health-related condition. Studies were categorised and data extracted on study population, randomisation method, nature of intervention and control, practitioner characteristics, validity and reliability of outcome measures, completeness of follow-up and statistical analyses.   Of 271 publications identified, 18 were selected: three randomised, controlled trials (RCTs), two controlled non-randomised studies, eight non-controlled studies, four qualitative analyses and one health economic analysis. One well-designed, well-conducted RCT demonstrated that, compared with usual GP care, Alexander Technique lessons led to significant long-term reductions in back pain and incapacity caused by chronic back pain. The results were broadly supported by a smaller, earlier RCT in chronic back pain. The third RCT, a small, well-designed, well-conducted study in individuals with Parkinson's disease, showed a sustained increased ability to carry out everyday activities following Alexander lessons, compared with usual care. The 15 non-RCT studies are also reviewed. Strong evidence exists for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons for chronic back pain and moderate evidence in Parkinson's-associated disability. Preliminary evidence suggests that Alexander Technique lessons may lead to improvements in balance skills in the elderly, in general chronic pain, posture, respiratory function and stuttering, but there is insufficient evidence to support recommendations in these areas. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A non-equivalent group pilot trial of a school-based physical activity and fitness intervention for 10-11 year old english children: born to move.

PubMed

Fairclough, Stuart J; McGrane, Bronagh; Sanders, George; Taylor, Sarah; Owen, Michael; Curry, Whitney

2016-08-24

PE lessons are the formal opportunity in schools for promotion of physical activity and fitness. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot PE intervention on physical activity, fitness, and psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 139 children aged 10-11 years from four schools. For six weeks children in two schools received a twice-weekly pilot 'Born to Move' (BTM) physical activity (PA) and fitness intervention alongside one regular PE lesson. Children in the two comparison (COM) schools received their regular twice weekly PE lessons. Outcomes were lesson time and whole-day light (LPA), moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA), and MVPA, and sedentary time, muscular fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and lesson-specific perceived exertion, enjoyment, and perceived competence. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0), midway through the intervention (T1), and at the end (T2) using ANOVAs and ANCOVAs. Intervention fidelity was measured using child and teacher surveys at T2 and analysed using Chi-square tests. The BTM group engaged in moderate PA for significantly more lesson time (29.4 %) than the COM group (25.8 %; p = .009, d = .53). The amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during the T1 BTM lesson contributed 14.0 % to total MVPA, which was significantly more than the COM group's T1 PE lesson (11.4 %; p < .001, d = .47). The BTM group were significantly more active during the whole-day (p < .05) and the school-day (p < .01). In both groups push-up test performance increased (p < .001) and CRF test performance decreased (p < .01). Perceived exertion, enjoyment, and perceived competence increased in both groups (p < .05), but the BTM group rated their enjoyment of the T1 BTM lesson higher than the COM group rated their PE lesson (p = .02, d = .56). The children's and teachers' responses to the intervention indicated that the delivery aims of enjoyment, engagement, inclusivity, and challenge were satisfied. The BTM pilot programme has potential to positively impact on physical activity, fitness, and psychosocial outcomes. Further, BTM was enjoyed by the children, and valued by the teachers. This study can inform the design of a modified larger-scale cluster RCT evaluation.

Training Teachers to Use Technology and Inquiry-based Learning Practices in the Geosciences through an Industry-University Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeal, K.; Buell, R.; Eiland, L.

2009-12-01

Teacher professional development centered about the Geosciences is necessary in order to train K-12 teachers about this science field and to effectively educate K-12 students about Earth processes. The partnership of industries, universities, and K-12 schools is a collaborative pathway to support these efforts by providing teachers access to technology, inquiry-based learning, and authentic field experiences within the Geosciences context. This research presents the results of Project SMARTER (Science and Mathematics Advancement and Reform utilizing Technology and Enhanced Resources), a co-lead industry-university partnership and teacher professional development workshop program that focused on technology and inquiry-based learning in the Geosciences. The workshop included fifteen teachers from five distressed counties in Mississippi as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Three (one science, once math, one technology) 7-12 grade teachers were selected from each school district and worked together during activities as a team to foster a cooperative learning experience. The two week workshop trained teachers on the use of a variety of technologies including: Vernier Probes and software, TI-calculators and presenter, Mimio Boards, GPS receivers, Google Earth, Excel, PowerPoint, projectors, and the use of historic geologic datasets. Furthermore, teachers were trained on proper field collection techniques, the use of Hach Kits and field probes, and the interpretation of geologic data. Each daily program incorporated the use of technology-rich and inquiry-based activities into one of the five Earth spheres: atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and anthrosphere. Results from the pre-post technology attitude survey showed that participating teachers significantly (p < 0.05) increased their confidence level in using technology. Furthermore, all participants self-reflected that the workshop both increased their interest in the Geosciences and their plans to integrate technology in future classroom activities. Qualitative responses from daily feedback forms and journal entries indicated that participating teachers were enthusiastic about inquiry-, technology-, and field-based learning activities and were willing to incorporate cross-discipline lesson plans. Evaluation of final lesson plans developed by the teachers during the workshop combined with follow-up classroom visits illustrated that the teachers appropriately developed classroom lessons to incorporate inquiry and technology and that they successfully implemented these lesson plans in their own classroom as a direct result of participating in workshop activities.

Lift-fan aircraft: Lessons learned-the pilot's perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerdes, Ronald M.

1993-01-01

This paper is written from an engineering test pilot's point of view. Its purpose is to present lift-fan 'lessons learned' from the perspective of first-hand experience accumulated during the period 1962 through 1988 while flight testing vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) experimental aircraft and evaluating piloted engineering simulations of promising V/STOL concepts. Specifically, the scope of the discussions to follow is primarily based upon a critical review of the writer's personal accounts of 30 hours of XV-5A/B and 2 hours of X-14A flight testing as well as a limited simulator evaluation of the Grumman Design 755 lift-fan aircraft. Opinions of other test pilots who flew these aircraft and the aircraft simulator are also included and supplement the writer's comments. Furthermore, the lessons learned are presented from the perspective of the writer's flying experience: 10,000 hours in 100 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft including 330 hours in 5 experimental V/STOL research aircraft. The paper is organized to present to the reader a clear picture of lift-fan lessons learned from three distinct points of view in order to facilitate application of the lesson principles to future designs. Lessons learned are first discussed with respect to case histories of specific flight and simulator investigations. These principles are then organized and restated with respect to four selected design criteria categories in Appendix I. Lastly, Appendix Il is a discussion of the design of a hypothetical supersonic short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) fighter/attack aircraft.

A professional experience learning community for secondary mathematics: developing pre-service teachers' reflective practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavanagh, Michael; McMaster, Heather

2015-12-01

This paper reports on the reflective practice of a group of nine secondary mathematics pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers participated in a year-long, school-based professional experience program which focussed on observing, co-teaching and reflecting on a series of problem-solving lessons in two junior secondary school mathematics classrooms. The study used a mixed methods approach to consider the impact of shared pedagogical conversations on pre-service teachers' written reflections. It also examined whether there were differences in the focus of reflections depending on whether the lesson was taught by an experienced mathematics teacher, or taught by a pair of their peers, or co-taught by themselves with a peer. Results suggest that after participants have observed lessons taught by an experienced teacher and reflected collaboratively on those lessons, they continue to reflect on lessons taught by their peers and on their own lessons when co-teaching, rather than just describe or evaluate them. However, their written reflections across all contexts continued to focus primarily on teacher actions and classroom management rather than on student learning.

BCL-2 Antagonism to Target the Intrinsic Mitochondrial Pathway of Apoptosis

PubMed Central

Gibson, Christopher J.; Davids, Matthew S.

2015-01-01

Despite significant improvements in treatment, cure rates for many cancers remain suboptimal. The rise of cytotoxic chemotherapy has led to curative therapy for a subset of cancers, though intrinsic treatment resistance is difficult to predict for individual patients. The recent wave of molecularly targeted therapies has focused on druggable activating mutations, and is thus limited to specific subsets of patients. The lessons learned from these two disparate approaches suggest the need for therapies that borrow aspects of both, targeting biological properties of cancer that are at once distinct from normal cells and yet common enough to make the drugs widely applicable across a range of cancer subtypes. The intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis represents one such promising target for new therapies, and successfully targeting this pathway has the potential to alter the therapeutic landscape of therapy for a variety of cancers. Here, we discuss the biology of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, an assay known as BH3 profiling that can interrogate this pathway, early attempts to target BCL-2 clinically, and the recent promising results with the BCL-2 antagonist venetoclax (ABT-199) in clinical trials in hematologic malignancies. PMID:26567361

Evaluating a Chronic Disease Management Improvement Collaboration: Lessons in Design and Implementation Fundamentals.

PubMed

Phillips, Kaye; Amar, Claudia; Elicksen-Jensen, Keesa

2016-01-01

For the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI), the Atlantic Healthcare Collaboration (AHC) was a pivotal opportunity to build upon its experience and expertise in delivering regional change management training and to apply and refine its evaluation and performance measurement approach. This paper reports on its evaluation principles and approach, as well as the lessons learned as CFHI diligently coordinated and worked with improvement project (IP) teams and a network of stakeholders to design and undertake a suite of evaluative activities. The evaluation generated evidence and learnings about various elements of chronic disease prevention and management (CDPM) improvement processes, individual and team capacity building and the role and value of CFHI in facilitating tailored learning activities and networking among teams, coaches and other AHC stakeholders.

Energy Options: A Curriculum Guide. Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfisterer, William, Ed.

The nine units in the curriculum guide on energy options focus on energy from coal, the sun, petroleum, the wind, water, and trees; and on heat pumps, energy conservation, and agriculture and energy. The units are comprised of from two to seven lessons. Each lesson contains objectives, approximate time, procedure, evaluation questions or methods,…

A Telepresence Learning Environment for Opera Singing: Distance Lessons Implementations over Internet2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alpiste Penalba, Francisco; Rojas-Rajs, Teresa; Lorente, Pedro; Iglesias, Francisco; Fernández, Joaquín; Monguet, Josep

2013-01-01

The Opera eLearning project developed a solution for opera singing distance lessons at the graduate level, using high bandwidth to deliver a quality audio and video experience that has been evaluated by singing teachers, chorus and orchestra directors, singers and other professional musicians. Prior to finding a technological model that suits the…

Introduction to Poultry Production. Instructor Guide [and] Student Reference. Volume 31, Number 3 [and] Number 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raphael, Katherine

This packet contains both teacher and student materials for a unit on poultry production in vocational agriculture courses and covers the following lessons: (1) overview of the poultry industry; (2) selection and evaluation; (3) production; (4) reproduction; (5) health issues; and (6) processing and marketing. The lessons include the following…

Teaching Critical, Ethical and Safe Use of ICT in Pre-Service Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Sang-Keun

2015-01-01

This paper describes two studies that examined the awareness of pre-service English teachers regarding issues of digital literacy, fair use of digital materials, and e-safety. The participants in Study One designed reading and listening lessons utilizing online materials and then evaluated their lessons in terms of digital literacy and fair use.…

Lessons Learned from the Private Sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robichaud, Robert J

This session is focused on lessons learned from private sector energy projects that could be applied to the federal sector. This presentation tees up the subsequent presentations by outlining the differences between private and federal sectors in objectives, metrics for determining success, funding resources/mechanisms, payback and ROI evaluation, risk tolerance/aversion, new technology adoption perspectives, and contracting mechanisms.

The Challenges of Planning Language Objectives in Content-Based ESL Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baecher, Laura; Farnsworth, Tim; Ediger, Anne

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the major patterns in content-based instruction (CBI) lesson plans among practicum teachers at the final stage of an MA TESOL program. One hundred and seven lesson plans were coded according to a typology developed to evaluate clarity and identify areas of potential difficulty in the design of…

Iterating between Lessons on Concepts and Procedures Can Improve Mathematics Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Koedinger, Kenneth

2009-01-01

Background: Knowledge of concepts and procedures seems to develop in an iterative fashion, with increases in one type of knowledge leading to increases in the other type of knowledge. This suggests that iterating between lessons on concepts and procedures may improve learning. Aims: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the…

Lessons Learned From Small Store Programs to Increase Healthy Food Access

PubMed Central

Gittelsohn, Joel; Laska, Melissa N.; Karpyn, Allison; Klingler, Kristen; Ayala, Guadalupe X.

2013-01-01

Objectives To document implementation challenges and opportunities associated with small store interventions. Methods Case study analysis of small store interventions conducted in 4 regions of the US. We systematically generated matrices to compare and contrast lessons learned to advance implementation science. Results Seven thematic areas were identified including: establishing relationships with stores, store owner and customer relationships, selection of intervention approaches, stocking healthier foods, evaluation, maintenance of changes, and dissemination. Conclusions This information provides guidance to researchers and practitioners wishing to design, implement, and evaluate small store interventions. PMID:24629559

Lessons learned from evaluating launch-site processing problems of Space Shuttle payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flores, Carlos A.; Heuser, Robert E.; Sales, Johnny R.; Smith, Anthony M.

1992-01-01

The authors discuss a trend analysis program that is being conducted on the problem reports written during the processing of Space Shuttle payloads at Kennedy Space Center. The program is aimed at developing lessons learned that can both improve the effectiveness of the current payload processing cycles as well as help to guide the processing strategies for Space Station Freedom. The payload processing reports from STS 26R and STS 41 are used. A two-tier evaluation activity is described, and some typical results from the tier one analyses are presented.

Effect of railway safety education on the safety knowledge and behaviour intention of schoolchildren.

PubMed

Silla, Anne; Kallberg, Veli-Pekka

2016-04-01

This study was designed to evaluate whether railway safety lessons are effective in increasing schoolchildren's safety knowledge and behaviour intention. The railway safety education in schools included a 45-min lesson on safe behaviour in a railway environment directed at 8-11 year old schoolchildren. The lessons were held in four schools located near railway lines in Finland. The effectiveness of this measure was evaluated based on a short survey directed at pupils before the lesson (base level) and around 2-3 months later (post-lesson) based on three variables which are considered as strong determinants of actual behaviour: behaviour intention, estimated dangerousness of the behaviour, and level of knowledge on the legality of the behaviour. The results show that the change in the share of correct answers was positive regarding all questions except for one question in which the difference was not significant. Based on this we can reasonably assume that railway safety education in schools can have a positive effect for all the measured variables, although the effect is not necessarily large. The results indicate that these positive changes can have a positive effect on the frequency of trespassing (i.e. fewer unsafe crossings in the future). We can further assume that reduction in the frequency of trespassing would reduce the frequency of trespassing accidents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fun on the Farm: Evaluation of a Lesson to Teach Students about the Spread of Infection on School Farm Visits

PubMed Central

Hawking, Meredith K. D.; Lecky, Donna M.; Verlander, Neville Q.; McNulty, Cliodna A. M.

2013-01-01

Background School visits to farms are a positive educational experience but pose risks due to the spread of zoonotic infections. A lesson plan to raise awareness about microbes on the farm and preventative behaviours was developed in response to the Griffin Investigation into the E. coli outbreak associated with Godstone Farm in 2009. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the delivery of the lesson plan in increasing knowledge about the spread of infection on the farm, amongst school students. Methods Two hundred and twenty-five 9–11 year old students from seven junior schools in England participated. Two hundred and ten students filled in identical questionnaires covering microbes, hand hygiene, and farm hygiene before and after the lesson. Statistical analysis assessed knowledge change using difference in percentage correct answers. Results Significant knowledge improvement was observed for all sections. In the ‘Farm Hygiene’ section, girls and boys demonstrated 18% (p<0.001) and 11% (p<0.001) improvement, respectively (girls vs. boys p<0.004). As girls had lower baseline knowledge the greater percentage improvement resulted in similar post intervention knowledge scores between genders (girls 80%, boys 83%). Conclusions The lesson plan was successful at increasing awareness of microbes on the farm and infection prevention measures and should be used by teachers in preparation for a farm visit. PMID:24146765

Fun on the farm: evaluation of a lesson to teach students about the spread of infection on school farm visits.

PubMed

Hawking, Meredith K D; Lecky, Donna M; Verlander, Neville Q; McNulty, Cliodna A M

2013-01-01

School visits to farms are a positive educational experience but pose risks due to the spread of zoonotic infections. A lesson plan to raise awareness about microbes on the farm and preventative behaviours was developed in response to the Griffin Investigation into the E. coli outbreak associated with Godstone Farm in 2009. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the delivery of the lesson plan in increasing knowledge about the spread of infection on the farm, amongst school students. Two hundred and twenty-five 9-11 year old students from seven junior schools in England participated. Two hundred and ten students filled in identical questionnaires covering microbes, hand hygiene, and farm hygiene before and after the lesson. Statistical analysis assessed knowledge change using difference in percentage correct answers. Significant knowledge improvement was observed for all sections. In the 'Farm Hygiene' section, girls and boys demonstrated 18% (p<0.001) and 11% (p<0.001) improvement, respectively (girls vs. boys p<0.004). As girls had lower baseline knowledge the greater percentage improvement resulted in similar post intervention knowledge scores between genders (girls 80%, boys 83%). The lesson plan was successful at increasing awareness of microbes on the farm and infection prevention measures and should be used by teachers in preparation for a farm visit.

Providing Community Education: Lessons Learned from Native Patient Navigators

PubMed Central

Burhansstipanov, Linda; Krebs, Linda U.; Harjo, Lisa; Watanabe-Galloway, Shinobu; Pingatore, Noel; Isham, Debra; Duran, Florence Tinka; Denny, Loretta; Lindstrom, Denise; Crawford, Kim

2014-01-01

Native Navigators and the Cancer Continuum (NNACC) was a community-based participatory research study among five American Indian organizations. The intervention required lay Native Patient Navigators (NPNs) to implement and evaluate community education workshops in their local settings. Community education was a new role for the NPNs and resulted in many lessons learned. NPNs met quarterly from 2008 through 2013 and shared lessons learned with one another and with the administrative team. In July 2012, the NPNs prioritized lessons learned throughout the study that were specific to implementing the education intervention. These were shared to help other navigators who may be including community education within their scope of work. The NPNs identified eight lessons learned that can be divided into three categories: NPN education and training, workshop content and presentation, and workshop logistics and problem-solving. A ninth overarching lesson for the entire NNACC study identified meeting community needs as an avenue for success. This project was successful due to the diligence of the NPNs in understanding their communities’ needs and striving to meet them through education workshops. Nine lessons were identified by the NPNs who provided community education through the NNACC project. Most are relevant to all patient navigators, regardless of patient population, who are incorporating public education into navigation services. Due to their intervention and budget implications, many of these lessons also are relevant to those who are developing navigation research. PMID:25087698

Lessons learned from the post-emergency TABLETOP exercise in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 28 and September 18, 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-07-01

On August 28 and September 18, 1990, Gulf States Utilities, the States of Louisiana and Mississippi, five local parishes, six Federal agencies, and the American Nuclear Insurers participated in a post-emergency TABLETOP exercise in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The purpose of the exercise was to examine the post-emergency roles, responsibilities, and resources of utility, State, local, Federal and insurance organizations in response to a hypothetical accident at the River Bend Station in Louisiana resulting in a significant release of radiation to the environment. In pursuit of this goal, five major focus areas were addressed: (1) ingestion pathway response; (2) reentry, relocationmore » and return; (3) decontamination of recovery; (4) indemnification of financial losses; and (5) deactivation of the emergency response. This report documents the lessons learned from that exercise.« less

Lessons from rare diseases of cartilage and bone.

PubMed

Gallagher, James A; Ranganath, Lakshminarayan R; Boyde, Alan

2015-06-01

Studying severe phenotypes of rare syndromes can elucidate disease mechanisms of more common disorders and identify potential therapeutic targets. Lessons from rare bone diseases contributed to the development of the most successful class of bone active agents, the bisphosphonates. More recent research on rare bone diseases has helped elucidate key pathways and identify new targets in bone resorption and bone formation including cathepsin K and sclerostin, for which drugs are now in clinical trials. By contrast, there has been much less focus on rare cartilage diseases and osteoarthritis (OA) remains a common disease with no effective therapy. Investigation of rare cartilage syndromes is identifying new potential targets in OA including GDF5 and lubricin. Research on the arthropathy of the ultra-rare disease alkaptonuria has identified several new features of the OA phenotype, including high density mineralized protrusions (HDMPs) which constitute a newly identified mechanism of joint destruction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A process evaluation of a social cognitive theory-based childhood obesity prevention intervention: the Comics for Health program.

PubMed

Branscum, Paul; Sharma, Manoj; Wang, Lihshing Leigh; Wilson, Bradley; Rojas-Guyler, Liliana

2013-03-01

Process evaluations are an often overlooked yet essential component of health promotion interventions. This study reports the results of a comprehensive process evaluation for the "Comics for Health" program, a childhood obesity prevention intervention implemented at 12 after-school programs. Qualitative and quantitative process data were collected using surveys, field notes, and open-item questionnaires, which assessed program fidelity, dose delivered, dose received, reach, recruitment, and context. Triangulation of methods was also employed to better understand how the program was implemented and received by the facilitator, staff members, and children in the program. Results indicated that program implementation had an almost perfect rate of fidelity with most lessons recording 100% tasks completed. Lessons were implemented in their intended order and lasted approximately 30 minutes as planned. After-school staff members reported that the program was well received by children, and this program should be replicated in the future. Attendance records showed that a majority of the children attended each lesson on the initial day of delivery (70.4%) and informal make-up lessons were implemented to compensate for the other children. Finally, several known sources of contamination were found such as past and concurrent exposure to similar health promotion interventions, which could potentially influence study outcomes. These findings will be used to help explain the results of this intervention and make recommendations for future intervention efforts.

The opportunities and challenges of multi-site evaluations: lessons from the jail diversion and trauma recovery national cross-site evaluation.

PubMed

Stainbrook, Kristin; Penney, Darby; Elwyn, Laura

2015-06-01

Multi-site evaluations, particularly of federally funded service programs, pose a special set of challenges for program evaluation. Not only are there contextual differences related to project location, there are often relatively few programmatic requirements, which results in variations in program models, target populations and services. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery-Priority to Veterans (JDTR) National Cross-Site Evaluation was tasked with conducting a multi-site evaluation of thirteen grantee programs that varied along multiple domains. This article describes the use of a mixed methods evaluation design to understand the jail diversion programs and client outcomes for veterans with trauma, mental health and/or substance use problems. We discuss the challenges encountered in evaluating diverse programs, the benefits of the evaluation in the face of these challenges, and offer lessons learned for other evaluators undertaking this type of evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE) Tutorial

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

C. L. Smith; S. T. Beck; S. T. Wood

2008-08-01

The Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE) refers to a set of computer programs that were developed to create and analyze probabilistic risk assessment (PRAs). This volume is the tutorial manual for the SAPHIRE system. In this document, a series of lessons are provided that guide the user through basic steps common to most analyses preformed with SAPHIRE. The tutorial is divided into two major sections covering both basic and advanced features. The section covering basic topics contains lessons that lead the reader through development of a probabilistic hypothetical problem involving a vehicle accident, highlighting the program’smore » most fundamental features. The advanced features section contains additional lessons that expand on fundamental analysis features of SAPHIRE and provide insights into more complex analysis techniques. Together, these two elements provide an overview into the operation and capabilities of the SAPHIRE software.« less

Impact of Chess Training on Mathematics Performance and Concentration Ability of Children with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholz, Markus; Niesch, Harald; Steffen, Olaf; Ernst, Baerbel; Loeffler, Markus; Witruk, Evelin; Schwarz, Hans

2008-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefit of chess in mathematics lessons for children with learning disabilities based on lower intelligence (IQ 70-85). School classes of four German schools for children with learning disabilities were randomly assigned to receive one hour of chess lesson instead of one hour of regular mathematics lessons…

Evaluating Primary School Student's Deep Learning Approach to Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilkörücü Göçmençelebi, Sirin; Özkan, Muhlis; Bayram, Nuran

2012-01-01

This study examines the variables which help direct students to a deep learning approach to science lessons, with the aim of guiding programmers and teachers in primary education. The sample was composed of a total of 164 primary school students. The Learning Approaches to Science Scale developed by Ünal (2005) for Science and Technology lessons…

Drawing Lessons from the Long War: What Operational Evaluation Methodology Should the Australian Army Use to Learn from Afghanistan and Iraq?

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-22

accessed August 2, 2013). 12 was established on the advice of Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener , 1st Earl Kitchener . The Australian Army’s...involvement in the First World War was an important companion to the subjective analysis to identify the lessons of the Australian Imperial Force. An

Lessons Learned on Communication and Engagement for Educator Evaluation: Colorado Case Study. Policy-to-Practice Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behrstock-Sherratt, Ellen; Biggers, Kietha; Fetters, Jenni

2012-01-01

With many efforts underway across the United States, state education agency (SEA) leaders have the opportunity to utilize the expertise of their contacts in other SEAs and regional comprehensive centers (RCCs) in their region and throughout the country to exchange ideas and share the lessons they have learned about involving stakeholders in…

Toxics in My Home? You Bet! Curriculum on Household Toxics for Grades 4-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purin, Gina; And Others

This curriculum consists of a one-week course of study designed to introduce students in grades 4-6 to (or increase their awareness of) toxic substances commonly found in the home. It includes an introduction/conceptual framework, four lessons, a unit evaluation, and appendices. Each lesson consists of a statement of purpose, objectives,…

A Comparative Study between Iranian and Japanese Students' Conceptions of "Ideal English Lesson"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jafari, Sakineh; Ketabi, Saeed

2014-01-01

With the shift in language teaching towards a more learner-centered approach, there is now an emphasis on considering learners' views on what goes on in the classroom. Involving learners in selecting and evaluating classroom activities as well as listening to their voices and preferences can be helpful for teachers in planning lesson and designing…

Design and Implementation of a Pilot Obesity Prevention Program in a Low-Resource School: Lessons Learned and Research Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baskin, Monica L.; Zunker, Christie; Worley, Courtney B.; Dial, Brenda; Kimbrough, Linda

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to describe the design, implementation, and lessons learned from an obesity prevention pilot program delivered in a low resource school in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: A planned program evaluation was conducted to: document explicitly the process of designing and implementing the program; and assess the…

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "Can Scholarships Alone Help Students Succeed? Lessons from Two New York City Community Colleges"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

"Can Scholarships Alone Help Students Succeed? Lessons from Two New York City Community Colleges" examined the effects of performance-based scholarships for low-income community college students (ages 22-35) who were required to enroll in remedial courses. The study evaluated the impact of the scholarships on continued community college…

Transforming High-Poverty Urban Middle Schools into Strong Learning Institutions: Lessons from the First Five Years of the Talent Development Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balfanz, Robert; Mac Iver, Doug

2000-01-01

Two developers of the Talent Development Middle School model discuss 10 lessons from implementing, refining, and evaluating this model in 5 high-poverty middle schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and describe obstacles encountered and breakthroughs experienced in developing the knowledge base, materials, and infrastructure of the model. (SLD)

No Second Chance to Make a First Impression: The "Thin-Slice" Effect on Instructor Ratings and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samudra, Preeti G.; Min, Inah; Cortina, Kai S.; Miller, Kevin F.

2016-01-01

Prior research has found strong and persistent effects of instructor first impressions on student evaluations. Because these studies look at real classroom lessons, this finding fits two different interpretations: (1) first impressions may color student experience of instruction regardless of lesson quality, or (2) first impressions may provide…

Piloting a Dispersed and Inter-Professional Lesson Study Using Technology to Link Team Members at a Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutsouris, George; Norwich, Brahm; Fujita, Taro; Ralph, Thomas; Adlam, Anna; Milton, Fraser

2017-01-01

This article presents an evaluation of distance technology used in a novel Lesson Study (LS) approach involving a dispersed LS team for inter-professional purposes. A typical LS model with only school teachers as team members was modified by including university-based lecturers with the school-based teachers, using video-conferencing and online…

How Is the Learning Environment in Physics Lesson with Using 7E Model Teaching Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turgut, Umit; Colak, Alp; Salar, Riza

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to reveal the results in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the process for learning environments to be designed in compliance with 7E learning cycle model in physics lesson. "Action research", which is a qualitative research pattern, is employed in this research in accordance with the aim of the…

What is the perceived impact of Alexander technique lessons on health status, costs and pain management in the real life setting of an English hospital? The results of a mixed methods evaluation of an Alexander technique service for those with chronic back pain.

PubMed

McClean, Stuart; Brilleman, Sam; Wye, Lesley

2015-07-28

Randomised controlled trial evidence indicates that Alexander Technique is clinically and cost effective for chronic back pain. The aim of this mixed methods evaluation was to explore the role and perceived impact of Alexander Technique lessons in the naturalistic setting of an acute hospital Pain Management Clinic in England. To capture changes in health status and resource use amongst service users, 43 service users were administered three widely used questionnaires (Brief Pain Inventory, MYMOP and Client Service Resource Inventory) at three time points: baseline, six weeks and three months after baseline. We also carried out 27 telephone interviews with service users and seven face-to-face interviews with pain clinic staff and Alexander Technique teachers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed thematically. Those taking Alexander Technique lessons reported small improvements in health outcomes, and condition-related costs fell. However, due to the non-randomised, uncontrolled nature of the study design, changes cannot be attributed to the Alexander Technique lessons. Service users stated that their relationship to pain and pain management had changed, especially those who were more committed to practising the techniques regularly. These changes may explain the reported reduction in pain-related service use and the corresponding lower associated costs. Alexander Technique lessons may be used as another approach to pain management. The findings suggests that Alexander Technique lessons can help improve self-efficacy for those who are sufficiently motivated, which in turn may have an impact on service utilisation levels.

Toward industrial production of isoprenoids in Escherichia coli: Lessons learned from CRISPR-Cas9 based optimization of a chromosomally integrated mevalonate pathway.

PubMed

Alonso-Gutierrez, Jorge; Koma, Daisuke; Hu, Qijun; Yang, Yuchen; Chan, Leanne J G; Petzold, Christopher J; Adams, Paul D; Vickers, Claudia E; Nielsen, Lars K; Keasling, Jay D; Lee, Taek S

2018-04-01

Escherichia coli has been the organism of choice for the production of different chemicals by engineering native and heterologous pathways. In the present study, we simultaneously address some of the main issues associated with E. coli as an industrial platform for isoprenoids, including an inability to grow on sucrose, a lack of endogenous control over toxic mevalonate (MVA) pathway intermediates, and the limited pathway engineering into the chromosome. As a proof of concept, we generated an E. coli DH1 strain able to produce the isoprenoid bisabolene from sucrose by integrating the cscAKB operon into the chromosome and by expressing a heterologous MVA pathway under stress-responsive control. Production levels dropped dramatically relative to plasmid-mediated expression when the entire pathway was integrated into the chromosome. In order to optimize the chromosomally integrated MVA pathway, we established a CRISPR-Cas9 system to rapidly and systematically replace promoter sequences. This strategy led to higher pathway expression and a fivefold improvement in bisabolene production. More interestingly, we analyzed proteomics data sets to understand and address some of the challenges associated with metabolic engineering of the chromosomally integrated pathway. This report shows that integrating plasmid-optimized operons into the genome and making them work optimally is not a straightforward task and any poor engineering choices on the chromosome may lead to cell death rather than just resulting in low titers. Based on these results, we also propose directions for chromosomal metabolic engineering. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teaching and Learning Activity Sequencing System using Distributed Genetic Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, Tatsunori; Ishikawa, Tomotake; Okamoto, Toshio

The purpose of this study is development of a supporting system for teacher's design of lesson plan. Especially design of lesson plan which relates to the new subject "Information Study" is supported. In this study, we developed a system which generates teaching and learning activity sequences by interlinking lesson's activities corresponding to the various conditions according to the user's input. Because user's input is multiple information, there will be caused contradiction which the system should solve. This multiobjective optimization problem is resolved by Distributed Genetic Algorithms, in which some fitness functions are defined with reference models on lesson, thinking and teaching style. From results of various experiments, effectivity and validity of the proposed methods and reference models were verified; on the other hand, some future works on reference models and evaluation functions were also pointed out.

Importance Of Quality Control in Reducing System Risk, a Lesson Learned From The Shuttle and a Recommendation for Future Launch Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.; Messer, Bradley P.

2006-01-01

This paper presents lessons learned from the Space Shuttle return to flight experience and the importance of these lessons learned in the development of new the NASA Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). Specifically, the paper discusses the relationship between process control and system risk, and the importance of process control in improving space vehicle flight safety. It uses the External Tank (ET) Thermal Protection System (TPS) experience and lessons learned from the redesign and process enhancement activities performed in preparation for Return to Flight after the Columbia accident. The paper also, discusses in some details, the Probabilistic engineering physics based risk assessment performed by the Shuttle program to evaluate the impact of TPS failure on system risk and the application of the methodology to the CLV.

Assessing changes in HIV-related legal and policy environments: Lessons learned from a multi-country evaluation.

PubMed

Ferguson, Laura; Nicholson, Alexandra; Henry, Ian; Saha, Amitrajit; Sellers, Tilly; Gruskin, Sofia

2018-01-01

There is growing recognition in the health community that the legal environment-including laws, policies, and related procedures-impacts vulnerability to HIV and access to HIV-related services both positively and negatively. Assessing changes in the legal environment and how these affect HIV-related outcomes, however, is challenging, and understanding of appropriate methodologies nascent. We conducted an evaluation of a UNDP project designed to strengthen legal environments to support the human rights of key populations, in particular LGBT populations, women and girls, affected by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed data on activities designed to improve legal environments through a systematic document review and 53 qualitative interviews. The project made substantial strides towards legal change in many places, and examples provide broader lessons for work in this area. Two core pillars appear fundamental: a government-led participatory assessment of the legal environment, and building the capacity of those impacted by and engaged in this work. Systematic attention to human rights is vital: it can help open new spaces for dialogue among diverse stakeholders, foster new collaborations, and ensure local ownership, nuanced understanding of the political landscape, attention to marginalized populations, and accountability for (in)action. Entry points for effecting legal change go beyond "HIV laws" to also include other laws, national policies and strategies. Conducting legal environment assessments, multi-stakeholder dialogues, action planning and related activities, alongside capacity building, can contribute to changes in knowledge and attitudes directly relevant to reforming laws that are found to be harmful. Shorter-term goals along the causal pathway to legal change (e.g. changes in policy) can constitute interim markers of success, and recognition of these can maintain momentum. Increasing understanding of progress towards changes in the legal environment that can positively affect HIV-related outcomes is important in working to improve the health and lives of people living with HIV.

Assessing changes in HIV-related legal and policy environments: Lessons learned from a multi-country evaluation

PubMed Central

Nicholson, Alexandra; Henry, Ian; Saha, Amitrajit; Sellers, Tilly; Gruskin, Sofia

2018-01-01

Introduction There is growing recognition in the health community that the legal environment—including laws, policies, and related procedures—impacts vulnerability to HIV and access to HIV-related services both positively and negatively. Assessing changes in the legal environment and how these affect HIV-related outcomes, however, is challenging, and understanding of appropriate methodologies nascent. Methods We conducted an evaluation of a UNDP project designed to strengthen legal environments to support the human rights of key populations, in particular LGBT populations, women and girls, affected by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed data on activities designed to improve legal environments through a systematic document review and 53 qualitative interviews. Results The project made substantial strides towards legal change in many places, and examples provide broader lessons for work in this area. Two core pillars appear fundamental: a government-led participatory assessment of the legal environment, and building the capacity of those impacted by and engaged in this work. Systematic attention to human rights is vital: it can help open new spaces for dialogue among diverse stakeholders, foster new collaborations, and ensure local ownership, nuanced understanding of the political landscape, attention to marginalized populations, and accountability for (in)action. Entry points for effecting legal change go beyond “HIV laws” to also include other laws, national policies and strategies. Conclusion Conducting legal environment assessments, multi-stakeholder dialogues, action planning and related activities, alongside capacity building, can contribute to changes in knowledge and attitudes directly relevant to reforming laws that are found to be harmful. Shorter-term goals along the causal pathway to legal change (e.g. changes in policy) can constitute interim markers of success, and recognition of these can maintain momentum. Increasing understanding of progress towards changes in the legal environment that can positively affect HIV-related outcomes is important in working to improve the health and lives of people living with HIV. PMID:29474486

Processing thermally labile drugs by hot-melt extrusion: The lesson with gliclazide.

PubMed

Huang, Siyuan; O'Donnell, Kevin P; Delpon de Vaux, Sophie M; O'Brien, John; Stutzman, John; Williams, Robert O

2017-10-01

The formation of molecularly dispersed amorphous solid dispersions by the hot-melt extrusion technique relies on the thermal and mechanical energy inputs, which can cause chemical degradation of drugs and polymeric carriers. Additionally, drug degradation may be exacerbated as drugs convert from a more stable crystalline form to a higher energy amorphous form. Therefore, it is imperative to study how drug degrades and evaluate methods to minimize drug degradation during the extrusion process. In this work, gliclazide was used as a model thermally labile drug for the degradation kinetics and process optimization studies. Preformulation studies were conducted using thermal analyses, and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy to identify drug degradation pathways and to determine initial extrusion conditions. Formulations containing 10% drug and 90% AFFINISOL™ HPMC HME 100LV were then extruded using a twin screw extruder, and the extrudates were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, modulated dynamic scanning calorimetry, and potency testing to evaluate physicochemical properties. The energies of activation for both amorphous gliclazide, crystalline gliclazide, and gliclazide solution were calculated using the Arrhenius equation to further guide the extrusion optimization process. Preformulation studies identify two hydrolysis degradation pathways of gliclazide at elevated temperatures. The activation energy study indicates a significantly higher degradation rate for the amorphous gliclazide compared to the crystalline form. After optimization of the hot-melt extrusion process, including improved screw designs, machine setup, and processing conditions, gliclazide amorphous solid dispersion with ∼95% drug recovery was achieved. The ability to process thermally labile drugs and polymers using hot-melt extrusion will significantly expand the possible applications of this manufacturing process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health for Life in Primary Schools Program, United Kingdom: a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis.

PubMed

Passmore, Sandra; Donovan, Martin

2014-09-01

The Health for Life in Primary Schools Program helps schools promote healthy, active lifestyles through curriculum support related to healthy eating and cooking, growing food, physical activity, and family involvement. These interrelated strands are shown to have the greatest impact on healthy lifestyles, and the Health for Life in Primary Schools Program seeks to make these not one-off lessons, but a sustainable part of a school's culture. Each school involved with the program develops its own Action Plan in order to achieve program goals. Each school is assessed by an audit of facilities, skills, and curriculum at baseline and follow-up, and the pupils complete an on-line questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. Other impact measures are individual to the school and relate to its own Action Plan. Health for Life in Primary Schools sought to assess the cohesiveness and strength of the program using the Program Impact Pathways (PIP) model. The program was deconstructed to its individual parts, with each part assessed in terms of its contribution to the overall program and constraints upon its effectiveness. The PIP analysis helped clarify the logic and structure of the program, whether its objectives can be achieved, the Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs), and the impact measures required to demonstrate success. The core indicators identified for impact evaluation were knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of pupils around healthy eating cooking, growing food, and physical activity. The PIP model confirmed that the Health for Life in Primary Schools Program is well structured and is well suited to achieve its goals. The findings were presented at the Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13-14 September 2013, under the auspices of the Mondelēz International Foundation.

Lessons Learned from a Decade of Sudden Oak Death in California: Evaluating Local Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Janice; Lee, Christopher A.

2010-09-01

Sudden Oak Death has been impacting California’s coastal forests for more than a decade. In that time, and in the absence of a centrally organized and coordinated set of mandatory management actions for this disease in California’s wildlands and open spaces, many local communities have initiated their own management programs. We present five case studies to explore how local-level management has attempted to control this disease. From these case studies, we glean three lessons: connections count, scale matters, and building capacity is crucial. These lessons may help management, research, and education planning for future pest and disease outbreaks.

Lessons Learned from a Decade of Sudden Oak Death in California: Evaluating Local Management

PubMed Central

Alexander, Janice

2010-01-01

Sudden Oak Death has been impacting California’s coastal forests for more than a decade. In that time, and in the absence of a centrally organized and coordinated set of mandatory management actions for this disease in California’s wildlands and open spaces, many local communities have initiated their own management programs. We present five case studies to explore how local-level management has attempted to control this disease. From these case studies, we glean three lessons: connections count, scale matters, and building capacity is crucial. These lessons may help management, research, and education planning for future pest and disease outbreaks. PMID:20559634

Case studies in cholera: lessons in medical history and science.

PubMed Central

Kavic, S. M.; Frehm, E. J.; Segal, A. S.

1999-01-01

Cholera, a prototypical secretory diarrheal disease, is an ancient scourge that has both wrought great suffering and taught many valuable lessons, from basic sanitation to molecular signal transduction. Victims experience the voluminous loss of bicarbonate-rich isotonic saline at a rate that may lead to hypovolemic shock, metabolic acidosis, and death within afew hours. Intravenous solution therapy as we know it was first developed in an attempt to provide life-saving volume replacement for cholera patients. Breakthroughs in epithelial membrane transport physiology, such as the discovery of sugar and salt cotransport, have paved the way for oral replacement therapy in areas of the world where intravenous replacement is not readily available. In addition, the discovery of the cholera toxin has yielded vital information about toxigenic infectious diseases, providing a framework in which to study fundamental elements of intracellular signal transduction pathways, such as G-proteins. Cholera may even shed light on the evolution and pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis, the most commonly inherited disease among Caucasians. The goal of this paper is to review, using case studies, some of the lessons learned from cholera throughout the ages, acknowledging those pioneers whose seminal work led to our understanding of many basic concepts in medical epidemiology, microbiology, physiology, and therapeutics. PMID:11138935

Project-Based Learning Using Discussion and Lesson-Learned Methods via Social Media Model for Enhancing Problem Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jewpanich, Chaiwat; Piriyasurawong, Pallop

2015-01-01

This research aims to 1) develop the project-based learning using discussion and lesson-learned methods via social media model (PBL-DLL SoMe Model) used for enhancing problem solving skills of undergraduate in education student, and 2) evaluate the PBL-DLL SoMe Model used for enhancing problem solving skills of undergraduate in education student.…

I Read it on the Computer, It Must Be True--Evaluating Information from the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcovitz, David M.

1997-01-01

Presents a lesson plan that exposes students to a variety of information sources on the World Wide Web to teach them to begin to be critical consumers of information. Students are divided into groups and given Web addresses for an organization with a strong view on Nazism. Discusses alternate and follow-up lessons and student reactions. Lists Web…

Teaching Technology: From Knowing to Feeling Enhancing Emotional and Content Acquisition Performance through Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory in Technology and Design Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez-Martin, Jesus; Alvarez-Gragera, Garcia J.; Davila-Acedo, Maria Antonia; Mellado, Vicente

2017-01-01

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) can be a cognitive and emotional improvement if is taken into account in the standard development of the Technology lessons. This work presents a preliminary evaluation of the performance enhancement in two concomitant aspects: contents acquisition and emotional yield. The study was made on up to 150…

Measuring the software process and product: Lessons learned in the SEL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, V. R.

1985-01-01

The software development process and product can and should be measured. The software measurement process at the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has taught a major lesson: develop a goal-driven paradigm (also characterized as a goal/question/metric paradigm) for data collection. Project analysis under this paradigm leads to a design for evaluating and improving the methodology of software development and maintenance.

Evaluating Technology Transfer and Diffusion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozeman, Barry; And Others

1988-01-01

Four articles discuss the evaluation of technology transfer and diffusion: (1) "Technology Transfer at the U.S. National Laboratories: A Framework for Evaluation"; (2) "Application of Social Psychological and Evaluation Research: Lessons from Energy Information Programs"; (3) "Technology and Knowledge Transfer in Energy R and D Laboratories: An…

Integrating TeamSTEPPS® into ambulatory reproductive health care: Early successes and lessons learned.

PubMed

Paul, Maureen E; Dodge, Laura E; Intondi, Evelyn; Ozcelik, Guzey; Plitt, Ken; Hacker, Michele R

2017-04-01

Most medical teamwork improvement interventions have occurred in hospitals, and more efforts are needed to integrate them into ambulatory care settings. In 2014, Affiliates Risk Management Services, Inc. (ARMS), the risk management services organization for a large network of reproductive health care organizations in the United States, launched a voluntary 5-year initiative to implement a medical teamwork system in this network using the TeamSTEPPS model. This article describes the ARMS initiative and progress made during the first 2 years, including lessons learned. The ARMS TeamSTEPPS program consists of the following components: preparation of participating organizations, TeamSTEPPS master training, implementation of teamwork improvement programs, and evaluation. We used self-administered questionnaires to assess satisfaction with the ARMS program and with the master training course. In the first 2 years, 20 organizations enrolled. Participants found the preparation phase valuable and were highly satisfied with the master training course. Although most attendees felt that the course imparted the knowledge and tools critical for TeamSTEPPS implementation, they identified time restraints and competing initiatives as potential barriers. The project team has learned valuable lessons about obtaining buy-in, consolidating the change teams, making the curriculum relevant, and evaluation. Ambulatory care settings require innovative approaches to integration of teamwork improvement systems. Evaluating and sharing lessons learned will help to hone best practices as we navigate this new frontier in the field of patient safety. © 2017 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

Cancer therapy based on oncogene addiction.

PubMed

McCormick, Frank

2011-05-01

Tumor cells contain multiple mutations, yet they often depend on continued expressed of a single oncoprotein for survival. Targeting these proteins has led to dramatic responses. Unfortunately, patients usually progress, through drug resistance or adaptive resistance through reprogramming of signaling networks. The Ras-MAPK pathway provides examples of these successes and failures, and has revealed unexpected degrees of oncogene addiction and signaling complexity that are likely to be useful lessons for the future of targeted therapy. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Creating the first MedlinePlus "Go Local" service: lessons and recommendations from the evaluation of NC Health Info.

PubMed

Silbajoris, Christie; McDuffee, Diana; Olney, Cynthia

2007-01-01

NC Health Info is an online collection of North Carolina based health services Web sites that seamlessly links local health resources to topical health information on MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health information Web site. NC Health Info was the first project to connect local resources with MedlinePlus in the "Go Local" initiative. As such, NC Health Info serves as a model for other states to follow in connecting their own local information with Medline- Plus. This paper describes the processes used and lessons learned during a year-long evaluation of NC Health Info. Evaluation results may be of interest and applicable to any existing or planned "Go Local" project.

Test implementation of a school-oriented drug prevention program "Study without Drugs": pre- and post-testing for effectiveness.

PubMed

Ishaak, Fariel; de Vries, Nanne Karel; van der Wolf, Kees

2014-06-11

In this article, the test implementation of a school-oriented drug prevention program "Study without Drugs" is discussed. The aims of this study were to determine the results of the process evaluation and to determine whether the proposed school-oriented drug prevention program during a pilot project was effective for the participating pupils. Sixty second-grade pupils at a junior high school in Paramaribo, Suriname participated in the test implementation. They were divided into two classes. For the process evaluation the students completed a structured questionnaire focusing on content and teaching method after every lesson. Lessons were qualified with a score from 0-10. The process was also evaluated by the teachers through structured interviews. Attention was paid to reach, dose delivered, dose received, fidelity, connection, achieved effects/observed behaviors, areas for improvement, and lesson strengths. The effect evaluation was conducted by using the General Liniair Model (repeated measure). The research (-design) was a pre-experimental design with pre-and post-test. No class or sex differences were detected among the pupils with regard to the assessment of content, methodology, and qualification of the lessons. Post-testing showed that participating pupils obtained an increased knowledge of drugs, their drug-resisting skills were enhanced, and behavior determinants (attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, and intention) became more negative towards drugs. From the results of the test implementation can be cautiously concluded that the program "Study without Drugs" may yield positive results when applied in schools). Thus, this pilot program can be considered a step towards the development and implementation of an evidence-based school-oriented program for pupils in Suriname.

Test implementation of a school-oriented drug prevention program “Study without Drugs”: pre- and post-testing for effectiveness

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In this article, the test implementation of a school-oriented drug prevention program “Study without Drugs” is discussed. The aims of this study were to determine the results of the process evaluation and to determine whether the proposed school-oriented drug prevention program during a pilot project was effective for the participating pupils. Methods Sixty second-grade pupils at a junior high school in Paramaribo, Suriname participated in the test implementation. They were divided into two classes. For the process evaluation the students completed a structured questionnaire focusing on content and teaching method after every lesson. Lessons were qualified with a score from 0–10. The process was also evaluated by the teachers through structured interviews. Attention was paid to reach, dose delivered, dose received, fidelity, connection, achieved effects/observed behaviors, areas for improvement, and lesson strengths. The effect evaluation was conducted by using the General Liniair Model (repeated measure). The research (-design) was a pre-experimental design with pre-and post-test. Results No class or sex differences were detected among the pupils with regard to the assessment of content, methodology, and qualification of the lessons. Post-testing showed that participating pupils obtained an increased knowledge of drugs, their drug-resisting skills were enhanced, and behavior determinants (attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, and intention) became more negative towards drugs. Conclusions From the results of the test implementation can be cautiously concluded that the program “Study without Drugs” may yield positive results when applied in schools). Thus, this pilot program can be considered a step towards the development and implementation of an evidence-based school-oriented program for pupils in Suriname. PMID:24920468

Using Research and Evaluation to Support Comprehensive Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Thomas; Mayer, Alexander K.; Rutschow, Elizabeth Zachry

2016-01-01

This chapter explores the role that research and evaluation play in supporting comprehensive reform in community colleges, focusing on lessons from two major initiatives: Achieving the Dream and Completion by Design.

Practical Approaches to Evaluating Progress and Outcomes in Community-Wide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives.

PubMed

Tevendale, Heather D; Condron, D Susanne; Garraza, Lucas Godoy; House, L Duane; Romero, Lisa M; Brooks, Megan A M; Walrath, Christine

2017-03-01

This paper presents an overview of the key evaluation components for a set of community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. We first describe the performance measures selected to assess progress toward meeting short-term objectives on the reach and quality of implementation of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention interventions and adolescent reproductive health services. Next, we describe an evaluation that will compare teen birth rates in intervention communities relative to synthetic control communities. Synthetic controls are developed via a data-driven technique that constructs control communities by combining information from a pool of communities that are similar to the intervention community. Finally, we share lessons learned thus far in the evaluation of the project, with a focus on those lessons that may be valuable for local communities evaluating efforts to reduce teen pregnancy. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lessons learned from KSC processing on STS science, applications, and commercial payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, W. E.; Ragusa, J. M.

1984-01-01

The present investigation is concerned with an evaluation of the lessons learned in connection with the flights of the Shuttle orbiters Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery. A description is provided of several general and specific lessons related to the processing of free-flying and attached payloads. John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), as the prime launch and landing site, is responsible for managing all payload-to-payload, payload-to-simulated orbiter, and payload-to-orbiter operations. For each payload, a KSC Launch Site Support Manager (LSSM) is named as the primary point of contact for the customer. Attention is given to aspects of planning interaction, payload types, and problems of ground processing. The discussed lessons are partly related to the value of early contact between customers and KSC representatives, the primary point of contact, the launch site support plan, and the importance of customer participation.

Evaluating the Effects of Lesson Study as a Way to Help Student Teachers Learn How to Use Student Thinking when Planning and Revising Mathematics Lesson Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sisofo, Eric Joseph

2010-01-01

The use of student thinking in teaching has been linked to improved instruction and learning. It is reasonable to assume that the University of Delaware's undergraduate program might be interested in figuring out ways to develop this skill in its mathematics specialist pre-service teachers. Currently, the student teaching experience at the…

Adapting the Quebecois method for assessing implementation to the French National Alzheimer Plan 2008–2012: lessons for gerontological services integration

PubMed Central

Somme, Dominique; Trouvé, Hélène; Perisset, Catherine; Corvol, Aline; Ankri, Joël; Saint-Jean, Olivier; de Stampa, Matthieu

2014-01-01

Introduction Many countries face ageing-related demographic and epidemiological challenges, notably neurodegenerative disorders, due to the multiple care services they require, thereby pleading for a more integrated system of care. The integrated Quebecois method issued from the Programme of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy inspired a French pilot experiment and the National Alzheimer Plan 2008–2012. Programme of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy method implementation was rated with an evaluation grid adapted to assess its successive degrees of completion. Discussion The approaching end of the president's term led to the method's institutionalization (2011–2012), before the implementation study ended. When the government changed, the study was interrupted. The results extracted from that ‘lost’ study (presented herein) have, nonetheless, ‘found’ some key lessons. Key lessons/conclusion It was possible to implement a Quebecois integrated-care method in France. We describe the lessons and pitfalls encountered in adapting this evaluation tool. This process is necessarily multidisciplinary and requires a test phase. A simple tool for quantitative assessment of integration was obtained. The first assessment of the tool was unsatisfactory but requires further studies. In the meantime, we recommend using mixed methodologies to assess the services integration level. PMID:24959112

Development and evaluation of the Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson.

PubMed

Liller, K D; Noland, V; Rijal, P; Pesce, K; Gonzalez, R

2002-11-01

The Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson was delivered to nearly 2,000 fifth-grade students in 15 rural schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lesson covered animal, machinery, water, and general safety topics applicable to farming in Florida. A staggered pretest-posttest study design was followed whereby five schools received a multiple-choice pretest and posttest and the remainder of the schools (N = 10) received the posttest only. Results of the study showed a significant increase in the mean number of correct answers on the posttests compared to the pretests. There was no significant difference in the mean number of correct answers of those students who received the pretest and those students who had not, eliminating a "pretest" effect. This study fills an important gap in the literature by evaluating a farm safety curriculum offered in the elementary school setting. It also included migrant schoolchildren in the study population. It is strongly recommended that agricultural safety information be included into the health education curriculum of these elementary schools.

Methods used and lessons learnt in conducting document reviews of medical and allied health curricula - a key step in curriculum evaluation.

PubMed

Rohwer, Anke; Schoonees, Anel; Young, Taryn

2014-11-02

This paper describes the process, our experience and the lessons learnt in doing document reviews of health science curricula. Since we could not find relevant literature to guide us on how to approach these reviews, we feel that sharing our experience would benefit researchers embarking on similar projects. We followed a rigorous, transparent, pre-specified approach that included the preparation of a protocol, a pre-piloted data extraction form and coding schedule. Data were extracted, analysed and synthesised. Quality checks were included at all stages of the process. The main lessons we learnt related to time and project management, continuous quality assurance, selecting the software that meets the needs of the project, involving experts as needed and disseminating the findings to relevant stakeholders. A complete curriculum evaluation comprises, apart from a document review, interviews with students and lecturers to assess the learnt and taught curricula respectively. Rigorous methods must be used to ensure an objective assessment.

Blended learning: strengths, challenges, and lessons learned in an interprofessional training program.

PubMed

Lotrecchiano, G R; McDonald, P L; Lyons, L; Long, T; Zajicek-Farber, M

2013-11-01

This field report outlines the goals of providing a blended learning model for an interdisciplinary training program for healthcare professionals who care for children with disabilities. The curriculum blended traditional face-to-face or on-site learning with integrated online interactive instruction. Credit earning and audited graduate level online coursework, community engagement experiences, and on-site training with maternal and child health community engagement opportunities were blended into a cohesive program. The training approach emphasized adult learning principles in different environmental contexts integrating multiple components of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program. This paper describes the key principles adopted for this blended approach and the accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned. The discussion offers examples from training content, material gathered through yearly program evaluation, as well as university course evaluations. The lessons learned consider the process and the implications for the role of blended learning in this type of training program with suggestions for future development and adoption by other programs.

Pregnancy and Parenting Support for Incarcerated Women: Lessons Learned

PubMed Central

Shlafer, Rebecca J.; Gerrity, Erica; Duwe, Grant

2017-01-01

Background There are more than 200,000 incarcerated women in U.S. prisons and jails, and it is estimated that 6% to 10% are pregnant. Pregnant incarcerated women experience complex risks that can compromise their health and the health of their offspring. Objectives Identify lessons learned from a community–university pilot study of a prison-based pregnancy and parenting support program. Methods A community–university–corrections partnership was formed to provide education and support to pregnant incarcerated women through a prison-based pilot program. Evaluation data assessed women’s physical and mental health concerns and satisfaction with the program. Between October 2011 and December 2012, 48 women participated. Lessons Learned We learned that providing services for pregnant incarcerated women requires an effective partnership with the Department of Corrections, adaptations to traditional community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches, and resources that support both direct service and ongoing evaluation. Conclusions Effective services for pregnant incarcerated women can be provided through a successful community– university–corrections partnership. PMID:26548788

Evidence-Based versus Junk-Based Evaluation Research: Some Lessons from 35 Years of the Evaluation Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berk, Richard

2011-01-01

Along with the late Howard Freeman, Richard Berk was a founding editor of "Evaluation Review" (then "Evaluation Quarterly") in 1977. He resigned as editor of this journal at the end of 2010. In this article, he reflects on his experiences. (Contains 3 notes.)

Managing Evaluation in a Federal Public Health Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schooley, Michael W.

2009-01-01

The author, a federal manager who leads development and maintenance of evaluation for specific public health programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tells the story of developing an evaluation unit in the Office on Smoking and Health. Lessons about managing evaluation, including his practices and related principles, are…

Design of study without drugs--a Surinamese school-based drug-prevention program for adolescents.

PubMed

Ishaak, Fariel; de Vries, Nanne Karel; van der Wolf, Kees

2015-10-12

The aim of this study was to design the content and accompanying materials for a school-based program--Study without Drugs--for adolescents in junior secondary schools in Suriname based on the starting points and tasks of the fourth step of the Intervention Mapping protocol (which consists of six steps). A program based on this protocol should include a combination of theory, empirical evidence, and qualitative and quantitative research. Two surveys were conducted when designing the program. In Survey I, teachers and students were asked to complete a questionnaire to determine which school year they thought would be most appropriate for implementing a drug-prevention program for adolescents (we completed a similar survey as part of previous research). An attempt was made to identify suitable culturally sensitive elements to include in the program. In Survey II, the same teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire to determine the programs' scope, sequence, structure, and topics as well as the general didactic principles to serve as a basis for program design. After outlining the program plan, lessons, and materials, we conducted a formative pretest evaluation among teachers, students, and parents. That evaluation included measures related to the program's attractiveness, comprehensibility, and usefulness. The resulting lessons were presented to the teachers for assessment. The drug-prevention program we developed comprises 10 activities and lasts 2-2.5 months in an actual school setting. The activities take place during Dutch, biology, physical education, art, religion, and social studies lessons. We based the structure of the lessons in the program on McGuire's Persuasion Communication Model, which takes into account important didactic principles. Evaluations of the program materials and lesson plans by students, teachers, and parents were mostly positive. We believe that using the fourth step of the Intervention Mapping protocol to develop a drug-prevention intervention for adolescents has a produced promising, feasible program.

Lessons Learned for Collaborative Clinical Content Development

PubMed Central

Collins, S.A.; Bavuso, K.; Zuccotti, G.; Rocha, R.A.

2013-01-01

Background Site-specific content configuration of vendor-based Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a vital step in the development of standardized and interoperable content that can be used for clinical decision-support, reporting, care coordination, and information exchange. The multi-site, multi-stakeholder Acute Care Documentation (ACD) project at Partners Healthcare Systems (PHS) aimed to develop highly structured clinical content with adequate breadth and depth to meet the needs of all types of acute care clinicians at two academic medical centers. The Knowledge Management (KM) team at PHS led the informatics and knowledge management effort for the project. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the role, governance, and project management processes and resources for the KM team’s effort as part of the standardized clinical content creation. Methods We employed the Center for Disease Control’s six step Program Evaluation Framework to guide our evaluation steps. We administered a forty-four question, open-ended, semi-structured voluntary survey to gather focused, credible evidence from members of the KM team. Qualitative open-coding was performed to identify themes for lessons learned and concluding recommendations. Results Six surveys were completed. Qualitative data analysis informed five lessons learned and thirty specific recommendations associated with the lessons learned. The five lessons learned are: 1) Assess and meet knowledge needs and set expectations at the start of the project; 2) Define an accountable decision-making process; 3) Increase team meeting moderation skills; 4) Ensure adequate resources and competency training with online asynchronous collaboration tools; 5) Develop focused, goal-oriented teams and supportive, consultative service based teams. Conclusions Knowledge management requirements for the development of standardized clinical content within a vendor-based EHR among multi-stakeholder teams and sites include: 1) assessing and meeting informatics knowledge needs, 2) setting expectations and standardizing the process for decision-making, and 3) ensuring the availability of adequate resources and competency training. PMID:23874366

1982 World's Fair Transportation System Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-12-01

Each World's Fair is a unique event. Many of the lessons learned in : transportation planning are, however, transferable to other special events. The : Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) sponsored this study to identify : and evaluate th...

Development of an Interdisciplinary STEM Classroom Activity for Radio Receiver Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Kristina

2015-01-01

Introduction The development of a mini STEM-based classroom activity designed to integrate these two fields into one project for middle school aged students is presented here. This lesson involves small groups of students constructing a small AM radio receivers. The lesson surrounding the activity focuses on both the physical nature of electromagnetic and AC waves, circuit design, practical applications to AM radio broadcasting, and research applications of radio telescopes. These tools have shown a significant increase in the lesson's primary concept understanding among 6th grade students, as well as net positive STEM awareness and enthusiasm.Content The primary teaching point for the students to consider and learn during this lesson is 'How does scientific application influence engineering design, and vice versa?' The lesson surrounds the hands-on activity of having students construct their own AM radio receiver. Wave theory and the use of radio instruments for astronomy research are also taught in a traditional lecture format. The activity is designed to complement middle school curriculum, although it has been tested and found suitable for high school and older students as well as the general public.Evaluation and ImpactThe evaluation tool that used for the student groups in this project was a Fryer chart, which is a four panel chart with the main topic listed in the center and a single question in each of the four panels. The students are asked to answer the questions in the chart before and after they participate in the lesson activity, each time in a different colored pencil so that the scores can be given to each student before and after they participated in the activity. Student scores improved from 4.5 to 17.9 out of a total of 20 possible points. This is an overall increase of 67% of the total possible points. The questions asked on the quiz cover the range of wave theory, circuit design, and scientific explanation. This factor of improvement shows that the lesson designed for this fellowship project is effective at teaching students about each of those concepts with a single teaching activity.

Assessing the effectiveness of the Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit: a curriculum for enhancing farmworkers' understanding of pesticide safety concepts.

PubMed

LePrevost, Catherine E; Storm, Julia F; Asuaje, Cesar R; Arellano, Consuelo; Cope, W Gregory

2014-01-01

Among agricultural workers, migrant and seasonal farmworkers have been recognized as a special risk population because these laborers encounter cultural challenges and linguistic barriers while attempting to maintain their safety and health within their working environments. The crop-specific Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit (Toolkit) is a pesticide safety and health curriculum designed to communicate to farmworkers pesticide hazards commonly found in their working environments and to address Worker Protection Standard (WPS) pesticide training criteria for agricultural workers. The goal of this preliminary study was to test evaluation items for measuring knowledge increases among farmworkers and to assess the effectiveness of the Toolkit in improving farmworkers' knowledge of key WPS and risk communication concepts when the Toolkit lesson was delivered by trained trainers in the field. After receiving training on the curriculum, four participating trainers provided lessons using the Toolkit as part of their regular training responsibilities and orally administered a pre- and post-lesson evaluation instrument to 20 farmworker volunteers who were generally representative of the national farmworker population. Farmworker knowledge of pesticide safety messages significantly (P<.05) increased after participation in the lesson. Further, items with visual alternatives were found to be most useful in discriminating between more and less knowledgeable farmworkers. The pilot study suggests that the Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit is an effective, research-based pesticide safety and health intervention for the at-risk farmworker population and identifies a testing format appropriate for evaluating the Toolkit and other similar interventions for farmworkers in the field.

Central collecting and evaluating of major accidents and near-miss-events in the Federal Republic of Germany--results, experiences, perspectives.

PubMed

Uth, Hans-Joachim; Wiese, Norbert

2004-07-26

Lessons learnt from accidents are essential sources for updating state of the art requirements in process safety. To improve this input by a systematic way in the FRG, a central body for collecting and evaluating major accident (ZEMA) was established in 1993. ZEMA is part of the Federal Environmental Agency. All events which are to be notified due to the German Regulation on Major Accidents (Störfall-Verordnung) are centrally collected, analysed (deducing lessons learnt) and documented by ZEMA. The bureau is also responsible for the dissemination of the lessons learnt to all stake holders. This work is done in co-operation with the German Major-Accident Hazard Commission (Störfallkommission) and other international bodies like European MAHB. At the time being, over 375 events from 1980 to 2002 are registered in Germany. For each event, a separate data sheet is published in annual reports, first started in 1993. All information is also available at. A summary evaluation on the events from 1993 to 1999 is presented and some basic lessons learnt are shown. The results from root cause analysis underline the importance of maintenance, detailed knowledge of chemical properties, human factor issues and the role of safety organisation especially connected with subcontractors. The German notification system is described in detail and some experience with the system is reported. Keeping in mind that collecting reports from notified major accidents is only a small amount compared with all the events which might be interesting to learn from, the German Major-Accident Hazard Commission has established a separate body, the subcommittee "Incident Evaluation", which is in charge with collecting and evaluating of minor and near-miss events. Since 1994, a concept for the registration and evaluation of those non-notifiable events was developed. From 2000 on, the concept has been put into operation. Its main elements are; 1. reporting of the incident by the plant operator to an information collecting point of its trust, 2. passing the anonymous report to the "Incident Evaluation" subcommittee, 3. evaluation and classification whether the incident is safety relevant or not and, 4. publishing the relevant information to all interested stake holders, preparing of summary evaluation results in certain areas. Up to now, two brochures on "waste gas pipes" and "obstructions of pipes" were published.

Solar Decathlon 2017: Final Report and Lessons Learned

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Incorporated, Energetics

This final report introduces the Solar Decathlon 2017 Program Administrator, Core Advisory Committee, event sponsors and donors, and regional stakeholders that were integral to the success of Solar Decathlon 2017. The substantial balance of this report presents evaluative metrics and lessons learned about the primary aspects of administering Solar Decathlon 2017, including Project Management, Competition and Site Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Communications, Sponsor Management, Education Programming, and Volunteer Coordination. Several appendices compliment the discussion.

Raising Students' Perception of the Relevance of Science Teaching and Promoting Communication and Evaluation Capabilities Using Authentic and Controversial Socio-Scientific Issues in the Framework of Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feierabend, Timo; Eilks, Ingo

2010-01-01

This paper describes the development of different lesson plans dealing with authentic and controversial socio-scientific issues in the framework of climate change. These lesson plans orient themselves along the socio-critical, problem-oriented approach to science teaching. They deal with the use of bioethanol as an alternative fuel and with the…

New Directions in European Vocational Education and Training Policy and Practice: Lessons for Australia. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Roger; Simons, Michele; Maher, Katie

2009-01-01

In light of recent developments in educational policy and the positioning of vocational education and training (VET) across the European Union, it was timely to explore these new directions and the lessons for Australian VET. A striking feature both in the European Union and Australia is the wide scope of issues that governments are addressing and…

Moving Nursing Program Portfolio Assessment From Midterm to End of Program: Lessons Learned.

PubMed

Hickey, Kari; Rossetti, Jeanette; Oldenburg, Nancy; Abendroth, Maryann; Uhlken, Connie; Musker, Kathleen; Peters, Bradley; Paramore, Patricia

Portfolio assessment promotes a culture of evidence, evaluates program outcomes, and provides an opportunity to assess the acquisition of knowledge and skills that are not easily assessed by examinations and other traditional assessment methods in nursing curricula. The portfolio program of 1 Midwestern school of nursing recently moved portfolio assessment to the end of program. The process of this change including logistics, rubric development, and lessons learned is highlighted.

Evaluation results for intelligent transportation systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-11-09

This presentation covers the methods of evaluation set out for EC-funded ITS research and demonstration projects, known as the CONVERGE validation quality process and the lessons learned from that approach. The new approach to appraisal, which is bei...

The Impact of Evaluation: Lessons Drawn from the Evaluations of Five Early Childhood Education Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granville, Arthur C.; And Others

Five different program evaluations were described to indicate those qualities which make an evaluation effective or not effective. Evaluation effectiveness was defined as impact on decision making or long-term policy formation, and influence upon a variety of audiences. Robert D. Matz described the First Chance Project, and concluded that the…

Approaches for assessing risks to sensitive populations: Lessons learned from evaluating risks in the pediatric populations*

EPA Science Inventory

Assessing the risk profiles of potentially sensitive populations requires a 'tool chest' of methodological approaches to adequately characterize and evaluate these populations. At present, there is an extensive body of literature on methodologies that apply to the evaluation of...

Critical Measurement Issues in Translational Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glasgow, Russell E.

2009-01-01

This article summarizes critical evaluation needs, challenges, and lessons learned in translational research. Evaluation can play a key role in enhancing successful application of research-based programs and tools as well as informing program refinement and future research. Discussion centers on what is unique about evaluating programs and…

Effects of stroke education using an animated cartoon and a manga on elementary school children.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Yuki; Yokota, Chiaki; Miyashita, Fumio; Amano, Tatsuo; Shigehatake, Yuya; Oyama, Satoshi; Itagaki, Naruhiko; Okumura, Kosuke; Toyoda, Kazunori; Minematsu, Kazuo

2014-08-01

Stroke education for the youth is expected to reduce prehospital delay by informing the bystander of appropriate action to take and providing knowledge to prevent onset of stroke in future. Previously, we developed effective teaching materials consisting of an animated cartoon and a Manga for junior high school students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of our educational materials for stroke education taught by schoolteachers to elementary school children. Using our teaching materials, a 30-minute lesson was given by trained general schoolteachers. Questionnaires on stroke knowledge (symptoms and risk factors) and action to take on identification of suspected stroke symptoms were filled out by school children before, immediately after, and at 3 months after completion of the lesson. A total of 219 children (aged 10 or 11 years) received the stroke lesson. Stroke knowledge significantly increased immediately after the lesson compared with before (symptoms, P < .001; risk factors, P < .001); however, correct answer rates decreased at 3 months immediately after completion of the lesson (symptoms, P = .002; risk factors, P = .045). The proportion of the number of children calling emergency medical service on identifying stroke symptoms was higher immediately after the lesson than baseline (P = .007) but returned to the baseline at 3 months after the lesson. Stroke lesson by schoolteachers using our teaching materials consisting of an animated cartoon and a Manga that was previously used for junior high school students was feasible for elementary school children. However, revision of the materials is required for better retention of stroke knowledge for children. Copyright © 2014 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Outcomes and lessons learned from evaluating TRICARE's disease management programs.

PubMed

Dall, Timothy M; Askarinam Wagner, Rachel C; Zhang, Yiduo; Yang, Wenya; Arday, David R; Gantt, Cynthia J

2010-06-01

To share outcomes and lessons learned from an evaluation of disease management (DM) programs for asthma, congestive heart failure (CHF), and diabetes for TRICARE patients. Multiyear evaluation of participants in voluntary, opt-out DM programs. Patient-centered programs, administered by 3 regional contractors, provide phone-based consultations with a care manager, educational materials, and newsletters. The study sample consisted of 23,793 asthma, 4092 CHF, and 29,604 diabetes patients with at least 6 months' tenure in the program. Medical claims were analyzed to quantify program effect on healthcare utilization, medical costs, and clinical outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis with an historical control group was used to predict patient outcomes in the absence of DM. The difference between actual and predicted DM patient outcomes was attributed to the program. A patient survey collected data on program satisfaction and perceived usefulness of program information and services. Modest improvements in patient outcomes included reduced inpatient days and medical costs, and (with few exceptions) increased percentages of patients receiving appropriate medications and tests. Annual per patient reductions in medical costs were $453, $371, and $783 for asthma, CHF, and diabetes program participants, respectively. The estimated return on investment was $1.26 per $1.00 spent on DM services. Findings suggest that the DM programs more than pay for themselves, in addition to improving patient health and quality of life. Lessons learned in program design, implementation, effectiveness, and evaluation may benefit employers contemplating DM, DM providers, and evaluators of DM programs.

Logistics Lessons Learned in NASA Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, William A.; DeWeck, Olivier; Laufer, Deanna; Shull, Sarah

2006-01-01

The Vision for Space Exploration sets out a number of goals, involving both strategic and tactical objectives. These include returning the Space Shuttle to flight, completing the International Space Station, and conducting human expeditions to the Moon by 2020. Each of these goals has profound logistics implications. In the consideration of these objectives,a need for a study on NASA logistics lessons learned was recognized. The study endeavors to identify both needs for space exploration and challenges in the development of past logistics architectures, as well as in the design of space systems. This study may also be appropriately applied as guidance in the development of an integrated logistics architecture for future human missions to the Moon and Mars. This report first summarizes current logistics practices for the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and the International Space Station (ISS) and examines the practices of manifesting, stowage, inventory tracking, waste disposal, and return logistics. The key findings of this examination are that while the current practices do have many positive aspects, there are also several shortcomings. These shortcomings include a high-level of excess complexity, redundancy of information/lack of a common database, and a large human-in-the-loop component. Later sections of this report describe the methodology and results of our work to systematically gather logistics lessons learned from past and current human spaceflight programs as well as validating these lessons through a survey of the opinions of current space logisticians. To consider the perspectives on logistics lessons, we searched several sources within NASA, including organizations with direct and indirect connections with the system flow in mission planning. We utilized crew debriefs, the John Commonsense lessons repository for the JSC Mission Operations Directorate, and the Skylab Lessons Learned. Additionally, we searched the public version of the Lessons Learned Information System (LLIS) and verified that we received the same result using the internal version of LLIS for our logistics lesson searches. In conducting the research, information from multiple databases was consolidated into a single spreadsheet of 300 lessons learned. Keywords were applied for the purpose of sorting and evaluation. Once the lessons had been compiled, an analysis of the resulting data was performed, first sorting it by keyword, then finding duplication and root cause, and finally sorting by root cause. The data was then distilled into the top 7 lessons learned across programs, centers, and activities.

Design and Evaluation of a Net Zero Energy Low-Income Residential Housing Development in Lafayette, Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dean, J.; VanGeet, O.; Simkus, S.

This report outlines the lessons learned and sub-metered energy performance of an ultra low energy single family ranch home and duplex unit, called the Paradigm Pilot Project and presents the final design recommendations for a 153-unit net zero energy residential development called the Josephine Commons Project. Affordable housing development authorities throughout the United States continually struggle to find the most cost-effective pathway to provide quality, durable, and sustainable housing. The challenge for these authorities is to achieve the mission of delivering affordable housing at the lowest cost per square foot in environments that may be rural, urban, suburban, or withinmore » a designated redevelopment district. With the challenges the U.S. faces regarding energy, the environmental impacts of consumer use of fossil fuels and the increased focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, housing authorities are pursuing the goal of constructing affordable, energy efficient and sustainable housing at the lowest life-cycle cost of ownership. This report outlines the lessons learned and sub-metered energy performance of an ultra-low-energy single family ranch home and duplex unit, called the Paradigm Pilot Project and presents the final design recommendations for a 153-unit net zero energy residential development called the Josephine Commons Project. In addition to describing the results of the performance monitoring from the pilot project, this paper describes the recommended design process of (1) setting performance goals for energy efficiency and renewable energy on a life-cycle cost basis, (2) using an integrated, whole building design approach, and (3) incorporating systems-built housing, a green jobs training program, and renewable energy technologies into a replicable high performance, low-income housing project development model.« less

Recent insights into C3 glomerulopathy

PubMed Central

Barbour, Thomas D.; Pickering, Matthew C.; Cook, H. Terence

2013-01-01

‘C3 glomerulopathy’ is a recent disease classification comprising several rare types of glomerulonephritis (GN), including dense deposit disease (DDD), C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) and CFHR5 nephropathy. These disorders share the key histological feature of isolated complement C3 deposits in the glomerulus. A common aetiology involving dysregulation of the alternative pathway (AP) of complement has been elucidated in the past decade, with genetic defects and/or autoantibodies able to be identified in a proportion of patients. We review the clinical and histological features of C3 glomerulopathy, relating these to underlying molecular mechanisms. The role of uncontrolled C3 activation in pathogenesis is emphasized, with important lessons from animal models. Methods, advantages and limitations of gene testing in the assessment of individuals or families with C3 glomerulopathy are discussed. While no therapy has yet been shown consistently effective, clinical evaluation of agents targeting specific components of the complement system is ongoing. However, limits to current knowledge regarding the natural history and the appropriate timing and duration of proposed therapies need to be addressed. PMID:23479095

Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Case Study of HIV and Inflammatory Joint Disease.

PubMed

Rahman, Faisal; Martin, Seth S; Whelton, Seamus P; Mody, Freny V; Vaishnav, Joban; McEvoy, John William

2018-04-01

The epidemiologic data associating infection and inflammation with increased risk of cardiovascular disease is well established. Patients with chronically upregulated inflammatory pathways, such as those with HIV and inflammatory joint diseases, often have a risk of future cardiovascular risk that is similar to or higher than patients with diabetes. Thus, it is of heightened importance for clinicians to consider the cardiovascular risk of patients with these conditions. HIV and inflammatory joint diseases are archetypal examples of how inflammatory disorders contribute to vascular disease and provide illustrative lessons that can be leveraged in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Managing chronic inflammatory diseases calls for a multifaceted approach to evaluation and treatment of suboptimal lifestyle habits, accurate estimation of cardiovascular disease risk with potential upwards recalibration due to chronic inflammation, and more intensive treatment of risk factors because current tools often underestimate the risk in this population. This approach is further supported by the recently published CANTOS trial demonstrating that reducing inflammation can serve as a therapeutic target among persons with residual inflammatory risk for cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantized Step-up Model for Evaluation of Internship in Teaching of Prospective Science Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sindhu, R. S.

2002-01-01

Describes the quantized step-up model developed for the evaluation purposes of internship in teaching which is an analogous model of the atomic structure. Assesses prospective teachers' abilities in lesson delivery. (YDS)

Evaluation results for intelligent transport systems (ITS) : abstract

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-11-09

This paper summarizes the methods of evaluation set out for EC-funded ITS research and demonstration projects, known as the CONVERGE validation quality process and the lessons learned from that approach. The new approach to appraisal, which is being ...

Tales from the Paleoclimate Underground: Lessons Learned from Reconstructing Extreme Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frappier, A. E.

2017-12-01

Tracing patterns of paleoclimate extremes over the past two millennia is becoming ever more important in the effort to understand and predict costly weather hazards and their varied societal impacts. I present three paleoclimate vignettes from the past ten years of different paleotempestology projects I have worked on closely, illustrating our collective challenges and productive pathways in reconstructing rainfall extremes: temporal, spatial, and combining information from disparate proxies. Finally, I aim to share new results from modeling multiple extremes and hazards in Yucatan, a climate change hotspot.

Pandemic planning in the shipping industry--lessons learnt from the 2009 Influenza Pandemic.

PubMed

Bunyan, Kate

2011-01-01

The events around the 2009 A/H1N1 Influenza Pandemic highlighted the need for better planning to ensure protection of those on vessels, protection for ports of call, and protection of business assets (business continuity). The variety of stakeholders involved in the management of a pandemic made it difficult to achieve a cohesive plan during the event itself. By considering the actions during the last pandemic, and the literature available for the shipping industry on pandemic planning, a pathway to better preparation is suggested.

Bee SAFE, a Skill-Building Intervention to Enhance CAM Health Literacy: Lessons Learned.

PubMed

Shreffler-Grant, Jean; Nichols, Elizabeth G; Weinert, Clarann

2018-05-01

The purpose is to describe a feasibility study of a skill-building intervention to enhance health literacy about complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among older rural adults and share lessons learned. A study was designed to examine the feasibility of an intervention to enhance CAM health literacy. The theme was "Bee SAFE" for Be a wise user of CAM, Safety, Amount, From where, and Effect. Modules were presented face to face and by webinar with older adults at a senior center in one small rural community. The team achieved its purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating the intervention and assessing if it could be implemented in a rural community. The implementation challenges encountered and lessons learn are discussed. By improving CAM health literacy, older rural adults with chronic health conditions can make well-reasoned decisions about using CAM for health promotion and illness management. The goal is to implement the Bee SAFE intervention in other rural communities; thus team members were attentive to lessons to be learned before investing time, effort, and expense in the larger intervention. It is hoped that the lessons learned can be instructive to others planning projects in rural communities.

Approaches for Assessing Risks to Sensitive Populations: Lessons Learned from Evaluating Risks in the Pediatric Population

EPA Science Inventory

Assessing the risk profiles of potentially sensitive populations requires a "tool chest" of methodological approaches to adequately characterize and evaluate these populations. At present, there is an extensive body of literature on methodologies that apply to the evaluation of t...

Afterschool Alliance Backgrounder: Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afterschool Alliance, Washington, DC.

Noting that various types of evaluations of after-school programming conducted over the last several years have provided useful information to providers and to policymakers, this report summarizes the lessons learned from independent evaluations of after-school programs. The following overall findings are supported with a delineation of findings…

Teaching Critical Evaluation Skills for World Wide Web Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tate, Marsha; Alexander, Jan

1996-01-01

Outlines a lesson plan used by an academic library to evaluate the quality of World Wide Web information. Discusses the traditional evaluation criteria of accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage as it applies to the unique characteristics of Web pages: their marketing orientation, variety of information, and instability. The…

Lessons Learned From Community-Based Approaches to Sodium Reduction

PubMed Central

Kane, Heather; Strazza, Karen; Losby PhD, Jan L.; Lane, Rashon; Mugavero, Kristy; Anater, Andrea S.; Frost, Corey; Margolis, Marjorie; Hersey, James

2017-01-01

Purpose This article describes lessons from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiative encompassing sodium reduction interventions in six communities. Design A multiple case study design was used. Setting This evaluation examined data from programs implemented in six communities located in New York (Broome County, Schenectady County, and New York City); California (Los Angeles County and Shasta County); and Kansas (Shawnee County). Subjects Participants (n = 80) included program staff, program directors, state-level staff, and partners. Measures Measures for this evaluation included challenges, facilitators, and lessons learned from implementing sodium reduction strategies. Analysis The project team conducted a document review of program materials and semi structured interviews 12 to 14 months after implementation. The team coded and analyzed data deductively and inductively. Results Five lessons for implementing community-based sodium reduction approaches emerged: (1) build relationships with partners to understand their concerns, (2) involve individuals knowledgeable about specific venues early, (3) incorporate sodium reduction efforts and messaging into broader nutrition efforts, (4) design the program to reduce sodium gradually to take into account consumer preferences and taste transitions, and (5) identify ways to address the cost of lower-sodium products. Conclusion The experiences of the six communities may assist practitioners in planning community-based sodium reduction interventions. Addressing sodium reduction using a community-based approach can foster meaningful change in dietary sodium consumption. PMID:24575726

Four strategic pathways for the realization of the right to health through civil society actions: challenges and practical lessons learned in the Egyptian context.

PubMed

Sabae, Ayman

2014-12-11

This article examines four distinctly different, yet fully complementary, strategic pathways adopted by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an Egyptian independent human rights organization, in its practical efforts to protect and guarantee the realization of the right to health to all Egyptians. It reflects upon practical experiences, covering strategic options that include proposing new legislation to policy makers, participatory formulation of new laws from the ground up, public advocacy, coalition building, and litigation. It also examines several factors that affect the decision on which strategic pathway to follow. It reflects on the politico-economic settings, the presence of political will, the scope and extent of impacted stakeholders and the degree of complexity of the cause in question. Copyright © 2014 Sabae. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Rationale and study protocol of the EASY Minds (Encouraging Activity to Stimulate Young Minds) program: cluster randomized controlled trial of a primary school-based physical activity integration program for mathematics.

PubMed

Riley, Nicholas; Lubans, David R; Holmes, Kathryn; Morgan, Philip J

2014-08-08

Novel strategies are required to increase school-based physical activity levels of children. Integrating physical activity in mathematics lessons may lead to improvements in students' physical activity levels as well as enjoyment, engagement and learning. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a curriculum-based physical activity integration program known as EASY Minds (Encouraging Activity to Stimulate Young Minds) on children's daily school time physical activity levels. Secondary aims include exploring the impact of EASY Minds on their engagement and 'on task' behaviour in mathematics. Grade 5/6 classes from eight public schools in New South Wales, Australia will be randomly allocated to intervention (n = 4) or control (n = 4) groups. Teachers from the intervention group will receive one day of professional development, a resource pack and asked to adapt their lessons to embed movement-based learning in their daily mathematics program in at least three lessons per week over a six week period. Intervention support will be provided via a weekly email and three lesson observations. The primary outcomes will be children's physical activity levels (accelerometry) across both the school day and during mathematics lessons (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time). Children's 'on-task' behaviour, enjoyment of mathematics and mathematics attainment will be assessed as secondary outcomes. A detailed process evaluation will be undertaken. EASY Minds is an innovative intervention that has the potential to improve key physical and academic outcomes for primary school aged children and help guide policy and practice regarding the teaching of mathematics. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12613000637741 13/05/2013.

An economic evaluation of Alexander Technique lessons or acupuncture sessions for patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized trial (ATLAS).

PubMed

Essex, Holly; Parrott, Steve; Atkin, Karl; Ballard, Kathleen; Bland, Martin; Eldred, Janet; Hewitt, Catherine; Hopton, Ann; Keding, Ada; Lansdown, Harriet; Richmond, Stewart; Tilbrook, Helen; Torgerson, David; Watt, Ian; Wenham, Aniela; Woodman, Julia; MacPherson, Hugh

2017-01-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture and usual care, and Alexander Technique lessons and usual care, compared with usual GP care alone for chronic neck pain patients. An economic evaluation was undertaken alongside the ATLAS trial, taking both NHS and wider societal viewpoints. Participants were offered up to twelve acupuncture sessions or twenty Alexander lessons (equivalent overall contact time). Costs were in pounds sterling. Effectiveness was measured using the generic EQ-5D to calculate quality adjusted life years (QALYs), as well as using a specific neck pain measure-the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). In the base case analysis, incremental QALY gains were 0.032 and 0.025 in the acupuncture and Alexander groups, respectively, in comparison to usual GP care, indicating moderate health benefits for both interventions. Incremental costs were £451 for acupuncture and £667 for Alexander, mainly driven by intervention costs. Acupuncture was likely to be cost-effective (ICER = £18,767/QALY bootstrapped 95% CI £4,426 to £74,562) and was robust to most sensitivity analyses. Alexander lessons were not cost-effective at the lower NICE threshold of £20,000/QALY (£25,101/QALY bootstrapped 95% CI -£150,208 to £248,697) but may be at £30,000/QALY, however, there was considerable statistical uncertainty in all tested scenarios. In comparison with usual care, acupuncture is likely to be cost-effective for chronic neck pain, whereas, largely due to higher intervention costs, Alexander lessons are unlikely to be cost-effective. However, there were high levels of missing data and further research is needed to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of these interventions.

Teaching pain recognition through art: the Ramsay-Caravaggio sedation scale.

PubMed

Poropat, Federico; Cozzi, Giorgio; Magnolato, Andrea; Monasta, Lorenzo; Borrometi, Fabio; Krauss, Baruch; Ventura, Alessandro; Barbi, Egidio

2018-01-31

Clinical observation is a key component of medical ability, enabling immediate evaluation of the patient's emotional state and contributing to a clinical clue that leads to final decision making. In medical schools, the art of learning to look can be taught using medical humanities and especially visual arts. By presenting a Ramsay sedation score (RSS) integrated with Caravaggio's paintings during a procedural sedation conference for pediatric residents, we want to test the effectiveness of this approach to improve the quality of learning. In this preliminary study, we presented videos showing sedated pediatric patients in the setting of a procedural sedation lesson to two randomized groups of residents, one attending a lesson on RSS explained through the masterpieces of Caravaggio, the other without artistic support. A week later we tested their learning with ten multi-choice questions focused on theoretical questions about sedation monitoring and ten more questions focused on recognizing the appropriate RSS viewing the videos. The primary outcome was the comparison of the total number of RSS layers properly recognized in both groups. We also evaluated the appreciation of the residents of the use of works of art integrated with the lesson. Eleven students were randomized to each group. Two residents in the standard lesson did not attend the test. The percentage of correct answers on the theoretical part was similar, 82% in the art group and 89% in the other (p > 0.05). No difference was found in the video recognition part of the RSS recognition test. Residents exposed to paintings shown great appreciation for the integration of the lesson with the Caravaggio's masterpieces. Adding artwork to a standard medical conference does not improve the performance of student tests, although this approach has been greatly appreciated by residents.

Development and evaluation of 'Pure Rush': An online serious game for drug education.

PubMed

Stapinski, Lexine A; Reda, Bill; Newton, Nicola C; Lawler, Siobhan; Rodriguez, Daniel; Chapman, Catherine; Teesson, Maree

2018-04-01

Learning is most effective when it is active, enjoyable and incorporates feedback. Past research demonstrates that serious games are prime candidates to utilise these principles, however the potential benefits of this approach for delivering drug education are yet to be examined in Australia, a country where drug education in schools is mandatory. The serious game 'Pure Rush' was developed across three stages. First, formative consultation was conducted with 115 students (67% male, aged 15-17 years), followed by feasibility and acceptability testing of a prototype of the game (n = 25, 68% male). In the final stage, 281 students (62% female, aged 13-16 years) were randomly allocated to receive a lesson involving Pure Rush or an active control lesson. The lessons were compared in terms of learning outcomes, lesson engagement and future intentions to use illicit drugs. Students enjoyed playing Pure Rush, found the game age-appropriate and the information useful to them. Both the Pure Rush and the active control were associated with significant knowledge increase from pre to post-test. Among females, multi-level mixed-effects regression showed knowledge gain was greater in the Pure Rush condition compared to control (β = 2.36, 95% confidence interval 0.36-4.38). There was no evidence of between condition differences in lesson engagement or future intentions to use illicit drugs. Pure Rush is an innovative online drug education game that is well received by students and feasible to implement in schools. [Stapinski LA, Reda B, Newton NC, Lawler S, Rodriguez D, Chapman C, Teesson M. Development and evaluation of 'Pure Rush': An online serious game for drug education. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017]. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

An economic evaluation of Alexander Technique lessons or acupuncture sessions for patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized trial (ATLAS)

PubMed Central

Essex, Holly; Parrott, Steve; Atkin, Karl; Ballard, Kathleen; Bland, Martin; Eldred, Janet; Hewitt, Catherine; Hopton, Ann; Keding, Ada; Lansdown, Harriet; Richmond, Stewart; Tilbrook, Helen; Torgerson, David; Watt, Ian; Wenham, Aniela; Woodman, Julia; MacPherson, Hugh

2017-01-01

Objectives To assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture and usual care, and Alexander Technique lessons and usual care, compared with usual GP care alone for chronic neck pain patients. Methods An economic evaluation was undertaken alongside the ATLAS trial, taking both NHS and wider societal viewpoints. Participants were offered up to twelve acupuncture sessions or twenty Alexander lessons (equivalent overall contact time). Costs were in pounds sterling. Effectiveness was measured using the generic EQ-5D to calculate quality adjusted life years (QALYs), as well as using a specific neck pain measure–the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). Results In the base case analysis, incremental QALY gains were 0.032 and 0.025 in the acupuncture and Alexander groups, respectively, in comparison to usual GP care, indicating moderate health benefits for both interventions. Incremental costs were £451 for acupuncture and £667 for Alexander, mainly driven by intervention costs. Acupuncture was likely to be cost-effective (ICER = £18,767/QALY bootstrapped 95% CI £4,426 to £74,562) and was robust to most sensitivity analyses. Alexander lessons were not cost-effective at the lower NICE threshold of £20,000/QALY (£25,101/QALY bootstrapped 95% CI -£150,208 to £248,697) but may be at £30,000/QALY, however, there was considerable statistical uncertainty in all tested scenarios. Conclusions In comparison with usual care, acupuncture is likely to be cost-effective for chronic neck pain, whereas, largely due to higher intervention costs, Alexander lessons are unlikely to be cost-effective. However, there were high levels of missing data and further research is needed to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of these interventions. PMID:29211741

LESSONS LEARNED AND NEXT STEPS FOR BUILDING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TRIBAL MATERNAL, INFANT, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITING.

PubMed

Whitmore, Corrie B; Sarche, Michelle; Ferron, Cathy; Moritsugu, John; Sanchez, Jenae G

2018-05-16

Authors in this Special Issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal shared the work of the first three cohorts of Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grantees funded by the Administration for Children and Families. Since 2010, Tribal MIECHV grantees have served families and children prenatally to kindergarten entry in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities across the lower 48 United States and Alaska. Articles highlighted challenges and opportunities that arose as grantees adapted, enhanced, implemented, and evaluated their home-visiting models. This article summarizes nine lessons learned across the articles in this Special Issue. Lessons learned address the importance of strengths-based approaches, relationship-building, tribal community stakeholder involvement, capacity-building, alignment of resources and expectations, tribal values, adaptation to increase cultural and contextual attunement, indigenous ways of knowing, community voice, and sustainability. Next steps in Tribal MIECHV are discussed in light of these lessons learned. © 2018 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

A Lesson in Carefully Managing Resources: A Case Study from an Evaluation of a Music Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobson, Kristin A.; Burkhardt, Jason T.

2012-01-01

Background: A music education program with a goal of enhancing cognitive development of preschool-aged children enrolled in local preschools is evaluated by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. The budget for the evaluation was small, and therefore presented several challenges to the evaluation team. Purpose: Through a case study…

Redesigning Teacher Evaluation: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Implementation in New Hampshire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Julie; Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie; Shakman, Karen; Bocala, Candice

2016-01-01

Many studies have called attention to the limitations of current teacher evaluation systems and the need for reform nationwide. This study addresses three research questions: (1) What are the features of the new teacher evaluation systems in New Hampshire's districts with SIG schools?; (2) To what extent did schools implement the evaluation system…

The Opinion of Students and Faculty Members about the Effect of the Faculty Performance Evaluation

PubMed Central

Ghahrani, Nassim; Siamian, Hasan; Balaghafari, Azita; Aligolbandi, Kobra; Vahedi, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Background: One of the most common ways that in most countries and Iran in determining the status of teacher training is the evaluation by students. The most common method of evaluation is the survey questionnaire provided to the study subjects, comprised of questions about educational activities. The researchers plan to evaluate the opinion of students and faculty members about the effect of the faculty performance evaluation at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in 2014-15. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional survey of attitudes of students and professors base their evaluation on the impact on their academic performance, have been studied. The populations were 3904 students and 149 faculty members of basic sciences Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Sample of 350 students and 107 students using Cochran formula faculty members through proportional stratified random sampling was performed. The data of the questionnaire with 28 questions on a Likert Spectrum, respectively. Statistical Analysis Data are descriptive and inferential statistics using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test is done. Results: Based on the results obtained from total of 350 students, 309 students and from total of 107 faculty members, 76 faculty of basic sciences, participated in this study. The most of the students, 80 (25.9%) of the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences and most of the faculty of basic sciences, 33 (4.43) of the medicine science faculty. Comments Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in comparison to the scope of the evaluation should test using Binominal test; we can conclude that in the field of regulatory, scientific, educational, and communications arena, there were no significant differences between the views of students. The greatest supporter of the education of 193 (62%) and most challengers of exam 147 (48%), respectively. Regarding the viewpoints of the faculty members at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences towards the evaluation domains, using binomial test, it could be concluded that only on the regulation domain with the significance level of 0.000, significant different was observed. So that, 30(23%) and 50(53%) supported of the effect of evaluation on the effect of evaluation of situation. Evaluation to improve the regulatory status of teachers and 70% (53 patients), the effects are positive. Students and faculty evaluations to compare the Mann-Whitney U test was used. The results show, only within the rules, with a significance level of 0.01 considered statistically significant relationship between teachers and students there. Conclusion: considering the viewpoints of students and faculty members about the impact of teacher performance evaluation of the students, most of the students believed that the greatest impact assessment has been on the improve educational performance entitled as responsibility of the faculty member for education, interest in presenting lessons, using audio-visual tools, having lesson plans, faculty members participate interest and enthusiasm in presenting lessons the use of teaching aids, lesson plans, faculty members participation in seminars, creating interest in students to participate in class discussions and expressing the importance of learning lessons perspective of teachers, but the faculty members viewpoints indicate the impact of evaluation on the regular attendance and discipline, the greatest impact assessment in the area of regulatory and compliance with the timely and orderly and thus their activities. PMID:26543421

The Opinion of Students and Faculty Members about the Effect of the Faculty Performance Evaluation.

PubMed

Ghahrani, Nassim; Siamian, Hasan; Balaghafari, Azita; Aligolbandi, Kobra; Vahedi, Mohammad

2015-08-01

One of the most common ways that in most countries and Iran in determining the status of teacher training is the evaluation by students. The most common method of evaluation is the survey questionnaire provided to the study subjects, comprised of questions about educational activities. The researchers plan to evaluate the opinion of students and faculty members about the effect of the faculty performance evaluation at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in 2014-15. In this descriptive cross-sectional survey of attitudes of students and professors base their evaluation on the impact on their academic performance, have been studied. The populations were 3904 students and 149 faculty members of basic sciences Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Sample of 350 students and 107 students using Cochran formula faculty members through proportional stratified random sampling was performed. The data of the questionnaire with 28 questions on a Likert Spectrum, respectively. Statistical Analysis Data are descriptive and inferential statistics using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test is done. Based on the results obtained from total of 350 students, 309 students and from total of 107 faculty members, 76 faculty of basic sciences, participated in this study. The most of the students, 80 (25.9%) of the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences and most of the faculty of basic sciences, 33 (4.43) of the medicine science faculty. Comments Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in comparison to the scope of the evaluation should test using Binominal test; we can conclude that in the field of regulatory, scientific, educational, and communications arena, there were no significant differences between the views of students. The greatest supporter of the education of 193 (62%) and most challengers of exam 147 (48%), respectively. Regarding the viewpoints of the faculty members at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences towards the evaluation domains, using binomial test, it could be concluded that only on the regulation domain with the significance level of 0.000, significant different was observed. So that, 30(23%) and 50(53%) supported of the effect of evaluation on the effect of evaluation of situation. Evaluation to improve the regulatory status of teachers and 70% (53 patients), the effects are positive. Students and faculty evaluations to compare the Mann-Whitney U test was used. The results show, only within the rules, with a significance level of 0.01 considered statistically significant relationship between teachers and students there. considering the viewpoints of students and faculty members about the impact of teacher performance evaluation of the students, most of the students believed that the greatest impact assessment has been on the improve educational performance entitled as responsibility of the faculty member for education, interest in presenting lessons, using audio-visual tools, having lesson plans, faculty members participate interest and enthusiasm in presenting lessons the use of teaching aids, lesson plans, faculty members participation in seminars, creating interest in students to participate in class discussions and expressing the importance of learning lessons perspective of teachers, but the faculty members viewpoints indicate the impact of evaluation on the regular attendance and discipline, the greatest impact assessment in the area of regulatory and compliance with the timely and orderly and thus their activities.

Lessons from trial-based cost-effectiveness analyses of mental health interventions: why uncertainty about the outcome, estimate and willingness to pay matters.

PubMed

Hoch, Jeffrey S; Dewa, Carolyn S

2007-01-01

The principal aim of this article is to share lessons learned by the authors while conducting economic evaluations, using clinical trial data, of mental health interventions. These lessons are quite general and have clear relevance for pharmacoeconomic studies. In addition, we explore how net benefit regression can be used to enhance consideration of key issues when conducting an economic evaluation based on clinical trial data. The first study we discuss found that cost-effectiveness results varied markedly based on the choice of both the patient outcome and the willingness to pay for more of that outcome. The importance of willingness to pay was also highlighted in the results from the second study. Even with a set willingness-to-pay value, most of the time the probability that the new treatment was cost effective was not 100%. In the third study, the cost effectiveness of the new treatment varied by patient characteristics. These observations have important implications for pharmacoeconomic studies. Namely, analysts must carefully consider choice of patient outcome, willingness to pay, patient heterogeneity and the statistical uncertainty inherent in the data. Net benefit regression is a useful technique for exploring these crucial issues when undertaking an economic evaluation using patient-level data on both costs and effects.

Effective Consumerism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daugherty, Mabel

This module, consisting of materials for use in conducting a consumer education mini-course, deals with effective consumerism. Covered in the individual lessons are the following topics: being prepared with information (sources of consumer information and subscription forms); evaluating warranties and service contracts; evaluating advertising and…

Katy Freeway : an evaluation of a second-generation managed lanes project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

The Katy Freeway Managed Lanes (KML) represents the first operational, multilane managed facility in : Texas and provides an opportunity to benefit from the lessons learned from the project. This study evaluated : multiple aspects of KML and the crit...

48 CFR 552.219-76 - Mentor Requirements and Evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... protégé firms will submit a “Lessons Learned” evaluation to the GSA Mentor-Protégé Program Manager at the... for Program exclusion and the effective date. The exclusion from the Program does not constitute a...

48 CFR 552.219-76 - Mentor Requirements and Evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... protégé firms will submit a “Lessons Learned” evaluation to the GSA Mentor-Protégé Program Manager at the... for Program exclusion and the effective date. The exclusion from the Program does not constitute a...

48 CFR 552.219-76 - Mentor Requirements and Evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... protégé firms will submit a “Lessons Learned” evaluation to the GSA Mentor-Protégé Program Manager at the... for Program exclusion and the effective date. The exclusion from the Program does not constitute a...

48 CFR 552.219-76 - Mentor Requirements and Evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... protégé firms will submit a “Lessons Learned” evaluation to the GSA Mentor-Protégé Program Manager at the... for Program exclusion and the effective date. The exclusion from the Program does not constitute a...

Evaluating Community-Based Participatory Research to Improve Community-Partnered Science and Community Health

PubMed Central

Hicks, Sarah; Duran, Bonnie; Wallerstein, Nina; Avila, Magdalena; Belone, Lorenda; Lucero, Julie; Magarati, Maya; Mainer, Elana; Martin, Diane; Muhammad, Michael; Oetzel, John; Pearson, Cynthia; Sahota, Puneet; Simonds, Vanessa; Sussman, Andrew; Tafoya, Greg; Hat, Emily White

2013-01-01

Background Since 2007, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Research Center (PRC) has partnered with the Universities of New Mexico and Washington to study the science of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Our goal is to identify facilitators and barriers to effective community–academic partnerships in American Indian and other communities, which face health disparities. Objectives We have described herein the scientific design of our National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study (2009–2013) and lessons learned by having a strong community partner leading the research efforts. Methods The research team is implementing a mixed-methods study involving a survey of principal investigators (PIs) and partners across the nation and in-depth case studies of CBPR projects. Results We present preliminary findings on methods and measures for community-engaged research and eight lessons learned thus far regarding partnership evaluation, advisory councils, historical trust, research capacity development of community partner, advocacy, honoring each other, messaging, and funding. Conclusions Study methodologies and lessons learned can help community–academic research partnerships translate research in communities. PMID:22982842

Lessons learned from the New York State mental health response to the September 11, 2001, attacks.

PubMed

Sederer, Lloyd I; Lanzara, Carol B; Essock, Susan M; Donahue, Sheila A; Stone, James L; Galea, Sandro

2011-09-01

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, the public mental health system in New York City mounted the largest mental health disaster response in history, called Project Liberty. The successes and challenges of Project Liberty are evaluated. The development of Project Liberty is summarized and analyzed from the perspective of the New York State and New York City officials and scientists who led the disaster response. Lessons learned that have implications for mental health support in future disaster responses are offered. A high level of interagency collaboration, engagement of nongovernmental organizations to provide services, media education efforts, and ongoing program evaluation all contributed to the program's successes. Mental health professionals' limited experiences with trauma, options for funding treatment, duration of clinical program, and existing needs assessments methodologies all proved challenging. Project Liberty was a massive and invaluable resource during the years of rebuilding in New York City in the wake of the attacks. Challenges faced have led to lessons of generalizable import for other mental health responses to large-scale events.

Resolving conflict creatively: evaluating the developmental effects of a school-based violence prevention program in neighborhood and classroom context.

PubMed

Aber, J L; Jones, S M; Brown, J L; Chaudry, N; Samples, F

1998-01-01

This study evaluated the short-term impact of a school-based violence prevention initiative on developmental processes thought to place children at risk for future aggression and violence and examined the influence of classroom and neighborhood contexts on the effectiveness of the violence prevention initiative. Two waves of developmental data (fall and spring) were analyzed from the 1st year of the evaluation of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP), which includes 5053 children from grades two to six from 11 elementary schools in New York City. Three distinct profiles of exposure to the intervention were derived from Management Information System (MIS) data on between classroom differences in teacher Training and Coaching in RCCP, Classroom Instruction in RCCP, and percentages of students who are Peer Mediators. Developmental processes that place children at risk were found to increase over the course of the school year. Children whose teachers had a moderate amount of training and coaching from RCCP and who taught many lessons showed significantly slower growth in aggression-related processes, and less of a decrease in competence-related processes, compared to children whose teachers taught few or no lessons. Contrary to expectation, children whose teachers had a higher level of training and coaching in the RCCP but taught few lessons showed significantly faster growth over time in aggressive cognitions and behaviors. The impact of the intervention on children's social cognitions (but not on their interpersonal behaviors) varied by context. Specifically the positive effect of High Lessons was dampened for children in high-risk classrooms and neighborhoods. Implications for future research on developmental psychopathology in context and for the design of preventive interventions are discussed.

Enhancing the quality of argumentation in school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, Jonathan; Erduran, Sibel; Simon, Shirley

2004-12-01

The research reported in this study focuses on the design and evaluation of learning environments that support the teaching and learning of argumentation in a scientific context. The research took place over 2 years, between 1999 and 2001, in junior high schools in the greater London area. The research was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, working with a group of 12 science teachers, the main emphasis was to develop sets of materials and strategies to support argumentation in the classroom, and to support and assess teachers' development with teaching argumentation. Data were collected by video- and audio-recording the teachers' attempts to implement these lessons at the beginning and end of the year. During this phase, analytical tools for evaluating the quality of argumentation were developed based on Toulmin's argument pattern. Analysis of the data shows that there was significant development in the majority of teachers use of argumentation across the year. Results indicate that the pattern of use of argumentation is teacher-specific, as is the nature of the change. In phase 2 of the project, the focus of this paper, teachers taught the experimental groups a minimum of nine lessons which involved socioscientific or scientific argumentation. In addition, these teachers taught similar lessons to a comparison group at the beginning and end of the year. The purpose of this research was to assess the progression in student capabilities with argumentation. For this purpose, data were collected from 33 lessons by video-taping two groups of four students in each class engaging in argumentation. Using a framework for evaluating the nature of the discourse and its quality developed from Toulmin's argument pattern, the findings show that there was improvement in the quality of students' argumentation. This research presents new methodological developments for work in this field.

The use of new technologies for nutritional education in primary schools: a pilot study.

PubMed

Rosi, A; Dall'Asta, M; Brighenti, F; Del Rio, D; Volta, E; Baroni, I; Nalin, M; Coti Zelati, M; Sanna, A; Scazzina, F

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was evaluating if the presence of a humanoid robot could improve the efficacy of a game-based, nutritional education intervention. This was a controlled, school-based pilot intervention carried out on fourth-grade school children (8-10 years old). A total of 112 children underwent a game-based nutritional educational lesson on the importance of carbohydrates. For one group (n = 58), the lesson was carried out by a nutritional educator, the Master of Taste (MT), whereas for another group, (n = 54) the Master of Taste was supported by a humanoid robot (MT + NAO). A third group of children (n = 33) served as control not receiving any lesson. The intervention efficacy was evaluated by questionnaires administered at the beginning and at the end of each intervention. The nutritional knowledge level was evaluated by the cultural-nutritional awareness factor (AF) score. A total of 290 questionnaires were analyzed. Both MT and MT + NAO interventions significantly increased nutritional knowledge. At the end of the study, children in the MT and MT + NAO group showed similar AF scores, and the AF scores of both intervention groups were significantly higher than the AF score of the control group. This study showed a significant increase in the nutritional knowledge of children involved in a game-based, single-lesson, educational intervention performed by a figure that has a background in food science. However, the presence of a humanoid robot to support this figure's teaching activity did not result in any significant learning improvement. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Program evaluation of Protovation Camp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, Laurel Lynell Martin

The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine the extent to which Protovation Camp utilized the combined resources of multiple institutions to impact student learning in science, technology, engineering, and math. The partnership consisted of multiple institutions: the university, providing graduate students to facilitate inquiry-based lessons; the science center, allowing the use of their facilities and resources; and the elementary school, contributing rising third through fifth grade campers. All of these components were examined. The mixed-methods approach used post hoc quantitative data for campers, which consisted of pre-test and post-test scores on the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA), the Draw-A-Scientist Test, and content tests based on the camp activities. Additionally, TOSRA scores and current survey results for the graduate students were used along with qualitative data collected from plusdelta charts to determine the impact of participation in Protovation Camp on teachers and students. Results of the program evaluation indicated that when students were taught inquiry-based lessons that ignite wonder, both their attitudes toward science and their knowledge about science improved. An implication for teacher preparation programs was that practicing inquiry-based lessons on actual students (campers) was an important component for teachers (graduate students) as they prepare to positively impact student learning in their own classrooms. Immediate feedback from the campers in the form of pre-test and post-test scores and from peers on plusdelta charts allowed the graduate students the opportunity to make needed adjustments to improve effectiveness before using the lesson with a new set of campers or later in their own classrooms. Keywords. Teacher preparation, Inquiry-based instruction, STEM instructions, University and museum partnerships

Physical Activity Measurements: Lessons Learned from the Pathways Study

PubMed Central

Going, Scott B.

2015-01-01

High obesity rates in American Indian children led to Pathways, a randomized school and community-based childhood prevention study. Seven tribes, five universities, the NIH/NHLBI, and four elementary schools partnered. Increasing physical activity (PA) was an important intervention target. PA assessment was based on study objectives, feasibility, and tribal acceptance. A time-segmented analysis was also desired. Two methods were developed during pilot testing, a new PA questionnaire and accelerometry. Together, the methods provided qualitative and quantitative information and showed 3 of 4 sites were able to increase average daily PA, although overall the control versus intervention difference was not significant. The main limitation was inability to distinguish PA among individuals. Accelerometer size and some community concerns led to a protocol based on a single day of wearing time. Newer model triaxial accelerometers which are much smaller and allow sampling of multiple days of activity are recommended for future studies. PMID:20689391

The restricted metabolism of the obligate organohalide respiring bacterium Dehalobacter restrictus: lessons from tiered functional genomics

PubMed Central

Rupakula, Aamani; Kruse, Thomas; Boeren, Sjef; Holliger, Christof; Smidt, Hauke; Maillard, Julien

2013-01-01

Dehalobacter restrictus strain PER-K23 is an obligate organohalide respiring bacterium, which displays extremely narrow metabolic capabilities. It grows only via coupling energy conservation to anaerobic respiration of tetra- and trichloroethene with hydrogen as sole electron donor. Dehalobacter restrictus represents the paradigmatic member of the genus Dehalobacter, which in recent years has turned out to be a major player in the bioremediation of an increasing number of organohalides, both in situ and in laboratory studies. The recent elucidation of the D. restrictus genome revealed a rather elaborate genome with predicted pathways that were not suspected from its restricted metabolism, such as a complete corrinoid biosynthetic pathway, the Wood–Ljungdahl (WL) pathway for CO2 fixation, abundant transcriptional regulators and several types of hydrogenases. However, one important feature of the genome is the presence of 25 reductive dehalogenase genes, from which so far only one, pceA, has been characterized on genetic and biochemical levels. This study describes a multi-level functional genomics approach on D. restrictus across three different growth phases. A global proteomic analysis allowed consideration of general metabolic pathways relevant to organohalide respiration, whereas the dedicated genomic and transcriptomic analysis focused on the diversity, composition and expression of genes associated with reductive dehalogenases. PMID:23479754

Electrophysiological experiments in microgravity: lessons learned and future challenges.

PubMed

Wuest, Simon L; Gantenbein, Benjamin; Ille, Fabian; Egli, Marcel

2018-01-01

Advances in electrophysiological experiments have led to the discovery of mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs) and the identification of the physiological function of specific MSCs. They are believed to play important roles in mechanosensitive pathways by allowing for cells to sense their mechanical environment. However, the physiological function of many MSCs has not been conclusively identified. Therefore, experiments have been developed that expose cells to various mechanical loads, such as shear flow, membrane indentation, osmotic challenges and hydrostatic pressure. In line with these experiments, mechanical unloading, as experienced in microgravity, represents an interesting alternative condition, since exposure to microgravity leads to a series of physiological adaption processes. As outlined in this review, electrophysiological experiments performed in microgravity have shown an influence of gravity on biological functions depending on ion channels at all hierarchical levels, from the cellular level to organs. In this context, calcium signaling represents an interesting cellular pathway, as it involves the direct action of calcium-permeable ion channels, and specific gravitatic cells have linked graviperception to this pathway. Multiple key proteins in the graviperception pathways have been identified. However, measurements on vertebrae cells have revealed controversial results. In conclusion, electrophysiological experiments in microgravity have shown that ion-channel-dependent physiological processes are altered in mechanically unloaded conditions. Future experiments may provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

International Space Station Materials: Selected Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golden, Johnny L.

2007-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) program is of such complexity and scale that there have been numerous issues addressed regarding safety of materials: from design to manufacturing, test, launch, assembly on-orbit, and operations. A selection of lessons learned from the ISS materials perspective will be provided. Topics of discussion are: flammability evaluation of materials with connection to on-orbit operations; toxicity findings for foams; compatibility testing for materials in fluid systems; and contamination control in precision clean systems and critical space vehicle surfaces.

Highlights of Total Quality Management in the Department of Defense: Lessons Learned, Quality Measurements and Innovative Practices

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-26

Quality Management (TQM) through both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Interviews were conducted with top executives from ten exemplar organizations within the Department of Defense (DOD). Survey questionnaires on perceptions of quality practices were administered to a sample of 102 representing members of the executive steering committees at the same organizations. Research identifies lessons learned by top executives during TQM implementation, discusses measures of organization-wide quality management , specifies evaluation mechanisms to

Cooper-Harper Experience Report for Spacecraft Handling Qualities Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Randall E.; Jackson, E. Bruce; Bilimoria, Karl D.; Mueller, Eric R.; Frost, Chad R.; Alderete, Thomas S.

2009-01-01

A synopsis of experience from the fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft communities in handling qualities development and the use of the Cooper-Harper pilot rating scale is presented as background for spacecraft handling qualities research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). In addition, handling qualities experiences and lessons-learned from previous United States (US) spacecraft developments are reviewed. This report is intended to provide a central location for references, best practices, and lessons-learned to guide current and future spacecraft handling qualities RDT&E.

The lesson learnt during interact - I and INTERACT - II actris measurement campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosoldi, Marco; Madonna, Fabio; Pappalardo, Gelsomina; Vande Hey, Joshua; Zheng, Yunhui

2018-04-01

The INTERACT-II (INTERcomparison of Aerosol and Cloud Tracking) campaign, performed at the CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (760 m a.s.l., 40.60° N, 15.72° E), aims to evaluate the performances of commercial automatic lidars and ceilometers for atmospheric aerosol profiling, through the comparison with Potenza EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar NETwork) lidars. The results of the campaign and the overall lesson learnt within INTERACT-I and INTERACT-II ACTRIS campaigns will be presented.

Politics of Monitoring and Evaluation: Lessons from the AIDS Epidemic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Lay, Paul; Manda, Valerie

2004-01-01

Conventional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) textbooks rarely address the various political influences exerted on M&E of public health programs. Policymakers are often the largest consumers of M&E information; indeed, the genesis of many public health program evaluation efforts is a need to inform public policy. People define "political…

Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resource (OER) Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2011

2011-01-01

The rubrics presented in this report represent an evaluation system for objects found within Open Education Resources. An object could include images, applets, lessons, units, assessments and more. For the purpose of this evaluation, any component that can exist as a stand-alone qualifies as an object. The rubrics in this packet can be applied…

Auditing and Evaluating University-Community Engagement: Lessons from a UK Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Angie; Northmore, Simon

2011-01-01

The growing importance of community and public engagement activities in universities has led to an increasing emphasis on auditing and evaluating university-community partnerships. However, the development of effective audit and evaluation tools is still at a formative stage. This article presents a case study of the University of Brighton's…

Using Youth Participatory Evaluation to Improve a Bullying Prevention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Adrienne M.; Sollie, Donna L.; Silva, Kelcie

2016-01-01

We conducted a youth participatory evaluation of a bullying prevention curriculum before the curriculum was implemented in communities. We partnered with youths from a young women leaders' program to reduce the number of lessons in an existing curriculum and determine which activities were likely to have the greatest impact. To evaluate the…

Checklist for Excellence in Science Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

2016-01-01

Science teachers need to evaluate their lessons and units of study, frequently, to stay abreast of recommended trends in the curriculum. Self evaluation is involved here. A quality science program must be implemented in order to assist learners to achieve as optimally as possible. Which guidelines should then serve in self evaluation?

"On the Level". Formative Evaluation: Coping With Stress. Research Report 72.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for Instructional Television, Bloomington, IN.

A formative evaluation was conducted of the instructional television program "Brad's Journey through Stress," from the Coping with Stress unit of "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons designed to aid secondary school students in dealing with personal and social growth. The evaluation involved 291 students in 9 classes in…

ORANGES evaluation phase I risk assessment report : phase I of the US DOT sponsored evaluation of the ORANGES electronic payment system field operational test

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-03-11

This document is the US DOT evaluation Risk Assessment report for Phase I of the ORANGES field operational test. This document consolidates working papers and incorporates an assessment of issues, risks, mitigation strategies and lessons learned look...

Micro vs Macro Planning: Achieving a Balance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slate, Judith J.; Gallagher, Jo D.

1994-01-01

The process of developing program evaluation models for Florida International University's college of education is described. One lesson learned was that a combination of macro- and microlevel planning is necessary for purposeful evaluation. A grid to aid decision making is also presented. (Author/MSE)

Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Randomized Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slavin, Robert E.; Cheung, Alan C. K.

2017-01-01

Large-scale randomized studies provide the best means of evaluating practical, replicable approaches to improving educational outcomes. This article discusses the advantages, problems, and pitfalls of these evaluations, focusing on alternative methods of randomization, recruitment, ensuring high-quality implementation, dealing with attrition, and…

Multilevel Intervention Research: Lessons Learned and Pathways Forward

PubMed Central

Taplin, Stephen H.; Foster, Mary K.; Fagan, Pebbles; Kaluzny, Arnold D.

2012-01-01

This summary reflects on this monograph regarding multilevel intervention (MLI) research to 1) assess its added value; 2) discuss what has been learned to date about its challenges in cancer care delivery; and 3) identify specific ways to improve its scientific soundness, feasibility, policy relevance, and research agenda. The 12 submitted chapters, and discussion of them at the March 2011 multilevel meeting, were reviewed and discussed among the authors to elicit key findings and results addressing the questions raised at the outset of this effort. MLI research is underrepresented as an explicit focus in the cancer literature but may improve implementation of studies of cancer care delivery if they assess contextual, organizational, and environmental factors important to understanding behavioral and/or system-level interventions. The field lacks a single unifying theory, although several psychological or biological theories are useful, and an ecological model helps conceptualize and communicate interventions. MLI research designs are often complex, involving nonlinear and nonhierarchical relationships that may not be optimally studied in randomized designs. Simulation modeling and pilot studies may be necessary to evaluate MLI interventions. Measurement and evaluation of team and organizational interventions are especially needed in cancer care, as are attention to the context of health-care reform, eHealth technology, and genomics-based medicine. Future progress in MLI research requires greater attention to developing and supporting relevant metrics of level effects and interactions and evaluating MLI interventions. MLI research holds an unrealized promise for understanding how to improve cancer care delivery. PMID:22623606

Tackling the tensions in evaluating capacity strengthening for health research in low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Bates, Imelda; Boyd, Alan; Aslanyan, Garry; Cole, Donald C

2015-01-01

Strengthening research capacity in low- and middle-income countries is one of the most effective ways of advancing their health and development but the complexity and heterogeneity of health research capacity strengthening (RCS) initiatives means it is difficult to evaluate their effectiveness. Our study aimed to enhance understanding about these difficulties and to make recommendations about how to make health RCS evaluations more effective. Through discussions and surveys of health RCS funders, including the ESSENCE on Health Research initiative, we identified themes that were important to health RCS funders and used these to guide a systematic analysis of their evaluation reports. Eighteen reports, produced between 2000 and 2013, representing 12 evaluations, were purposefully selected from 54 reports provided by the funders to provide maximum variety. Text from the reports was extracted independently by two authors against a pre-designed framework. Information about the health RCS approaches, tensions and suggested solutions was re-constructed into a narrative. Throughout the process contacts in the health RCS funder agencies were involved in helping us to validate and interpret our results. The focus of the health RCS evaluations ranged from individuals and institutions to national, regional and global levels. Our analysis identified tensions around how much stakeholders should participate in an evaluation, the appropriate balance between measuring and learning and between a focus on short-term processes vs longer-term impact and sustainability. Suggested solutions to these tensions included early and ongoing stakeholder engagement in planning and evaluating health RCS, modelling of impact pathways and rapid assimilation of lessons learned for continuous improvement of decision making and programming. The use of developmental approaches could improve health RCS evaluations by addressing common tensions and promoting sustainability. Sharing learning about how to do robust and useful health RCS evaluations should happen alongside, not after, health RCS efforts. PMID:24717984

Through Their Eyes: Lessons Learned Using Participatory Methods in Health Care Quality Improvement Projects

PubMed Central

Balbale, Salva N.; Locatelli, Sara M.; LaVela, Sherri L.

2016-01-01

In this methodological article, we examine participatory methods in-depth to demonstrate how these methods can be adopted for quality improvement (QI) projects in health care. We draw on existing literature and our QI initiatives in the Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss the application of photovoice and guided tours in QI efforts. We highlight lessons learned and several benefits of using participatory methods in this area. Using participatory methods, evaluators can engage patients, providers and other stakeholders as partners to enhance care. Participant involvement helps yield actionable data that can be translated into improved care practices. Use of these methods also helps generate key insights to inform improvements that truly resonate with stakeholders. Using participatory methods is a valuable strategy to harness participant engagement and drive improvements that address individual needs. In applying these innovative methodologies, evaluators can transcend traditional approaches to uniquely support evaluations and improvements in health care. PMID:26667882

Evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex organic chemical mixtures: lessons learned from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and petroleum hydrocarbon case studies.

PubMed

Landrum, Peter F; Chapman, Peter M; Neff, Jerry; Page, David S

2012-04-01

Experimental designs for evaluating complex mixture toxicity in aquatic environments can be highly variable and, if not appropriate, can produce and have produced data that are difficult or impossible to interpret accurately. We build on and synthesize recent critical reviews of mixture toxicity using lessons learned from 4 case studies, ranging from binary to more complex mixtures of primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons, to provide guidance for evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex mixtures of organic chemicals. Two fundamental requirements include establishing a dose-response relationship and determining the causative agent (or agents) of any observed toxicity. Meeting these 2 requirements involves ensuring appropriate exposure conditions and measurement endpoints, considering modifying factors (e.g., test conditions, test organism life stages and feeding behavior, chemical transformations, mixture dilutions, sorbing phases), and correctly interpreting dose-response relationships. Specific recommendations are provided. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Stirring up the Mud: Using a Community-Based Participatory Approach to Address Health Disparities through a Faith-Based Initiative

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Sue A.; Ruddock, Charmaine; Golub, Maxine; Davis, Joyce; Foley, Robert; Devia, Carlos; Rosen, Rosa; Berry, Carolyn; Barretto, Brenda; Carter, Toni; Irish-Spencer, Evalina; Marchena, Maria; Purcaro, Ellenrita; Calman, Neil

2011-01-01

This case study provides a mid-course assessment of the Bronx Health REACH faith-based initiative four years into its implementation. The study uses qualitative methods to identify lessons learned and to reflect on the benefits and challenges of using a community-based participatory approach for the development and evaluation of a faith-based program designed to address health disparities. Key findings concern the role of pastoral leadership, the importance of providing a religious context for health promotion and health equality messages, the challenges of creating a bilingual/bi-cultural program, and the need to provide management support to the lay program coordinators. The study also identifies lessons learned about community-based evaluation and the importance of addressing community concern about the balance between evaluation and program. Finally, the study identifies the challenges that lie ahead, including issues of program institution-alization and sustainability. PMID:20168022

An instructional package integrating science and social studies instruction at the fifth-grade level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulley, Kathy Louise Sullivan

Integrative education is being implemented by classroom teachers who want to immerse students in an environment rich in problem-solving skills, critical analysis skills, ethics, valuing of knowledge, and communication of learning. Several subject areas in the curriculum have been integrated, such as literature with social studies and mathematics with science. The focus of this dissertation is on the integration of science and social studies at the fifth grade level using the Mississippi State Department of Education Curriculum Guidelines and Objectives (MSDE, 1995) and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council (NRC), 1996). An instructional package of lesson plans that teachers can use as ideas to create their own plans for an integrated curriculum of science and social studies was devised. The Mississippi State Department of Education Curriculum Guidelines and Objectives for Social Studies (MSDE, 1995) at the fifth grade level contain fifteen competencies. Three standards from the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) were chosen. They include (a) science and technology, (b) science in personal and social perspectives, and (c) the history and nature of science. Each competency for social studies has three lesson plans written that integrate the three chosen standards from the National Science Education Standards. A total of forty-five lesson plans were written integrating science and social studies. Each lesson plan includes an objective, materials, procedures, and evaluation for teachers. Teachers are encouraged to use the lesson plans as a guide in creating their own lesson plans that would correspond to their school's particular curriculum guidelines. Consideration should be given to the learning levels and styles of their classroom. This qualitative study was done to create lesson plans that integrate science and social studies with the hope that teachers will expand upon them and implement them into their curricula.

Contemporary approaches to congestion pricing : lessons learned from the national evaluation of congestion pricing strategies at six sites.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-01

This document represents the final report of the national evaluation of congestion reduction strategies at six sites that received federal funding under the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) programs. The ...

Lessons from Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seo, Kyounghye

2012-01-01

In 2010, after several years of strong opposition from teachers, the South Korean government announced a new teacher evaluation system--Evaluation of Teacher Professional Development--which would be required for all teachers. The new system seeks to foster teacher professional development and, consequently, improve the quality of education.…

Managed access technology to combat contraband cell phones in prison: Findings from a process evaluation.

PubMed

Grommon, Eric

2018-02-01

Cell phones in correctional facilities have emerged as one of the most pervasive forms of modern contraband. This issue has been identified as a top priority for many correctional administrators in the United States. Managed access, a technology that utilizes cellular signals to capture transmissions from contraband phones, has received notable attention as a promising tool to combat this problem. However, this technology has received little evaluative attention. The present study offers a foundational process evaluation and draws upon output measures and stakeholder interviews to identify salient operational challenges and subsequent lessons learned about implementing and maintaining a managed access system. Findings suggest that while managed access captures large volumes of contraband cellular transmissions, the technology requires significant implementation planning, personnel support, and complex partnerships with commercial cellular carriers. Lessons learned provide guidance for practitioners to navigate these challenges and for scholars to improve future evaluations of managed access. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The use of think-aloud and instant data analysis in evaluation research: Exemplar and lessons learned.

PubMed

Joe, Jonathan; Chaudhuri, Shomir; Le, Thai; Thompson, Hilaire; Demiris, George

2015-08-01

While health information technologies have become increasingly popular, many have not been formally tested to ascertain their usability. Traditional rigorous methods take significant amounts of time and manpower to evaluate the usability of a system. In this paper, we evaluate the use of instant data analysis (IDA) as developed by Kjeldskov et al. to perform usability testing on a tool designed for older adults and caregivers. The IDA method is attractive because it takes significantly less time and manpower than the traditional usability testing methods. In this paper we demonstrate how IDA was used to evaluate usability of a multifunctional wellness tool, discuss study results and lessons learned while using this method. We also present findings from an extension of the method which allows the grouping of similar usability problems in an efficient manner. We found that the IDA method is a quick, relatively easy approach to identifying and ranking usability issues among health information technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lessons learned: Evaluating the program fidelity of UNWomen Partnership for Peace domestic violence diversion program in the Eastern Caribbean.

PubMed

Jeremiah, Rohan D; Quinn, Camille R; Alexis, Jicinta M

2018-08-01

To date, there have been a plethora of punitive and diversion programs to address domestic violence around the world. However, the evaluative scholarship of such programs overwhelmingly reflects studies in developed countries while barely showcasing the realities of addressing domestic violence in developing countries. This paper features a multi-year (2008-2011) evaluation study that measured the fidelity of the United Nations Partnership for Peace (PfP) domestic violence diversion program in the Eastern Caribbean country of Grenada. Our findings illuminate organic engagement strategies that were built within existing multi-sectoral partnerships that included magistrate court judges, law enforcement officials, and social service agencies. Furthermore, we documented how the locally-devised implementation strategies ensured the program's fidelity within a resource-limited context. This paper contributes to the global evaluative scholarship, highlighting the lessons learned about implementing culturally-adapted and theoretically-driven domestic violence diversion within a developing country. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of CCDSR learning model to improve skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet science process skill (SPS) for pre-service physics teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limatahu, I.; Sutoyo, S.; Wasis; Prahani, B. K.

2018-03-01

In the previous research, CCDSR (Condition, Construction, Development, Simulation, and Reflection) learning model has been developed to improve science process skills for pre-service physics teacher. This research is aimed to analyze the effectiveness of CCDSR learning model towards the improvement skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet of Science Process Skill (SPS) for pre-service physics teacher in academic year 2016/2017. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 12 pre-service physics teacher at Physics Education, University of Khairun. Data collection was conducted through test and observation. Creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS skills of pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Science Process Skill Evaluation Sheet (SPSES). The data analysis technique was done by Wilcoxon t-test and n-gain. The CCDSR learning model consists of 5 phases, including (1) Condition, (2) Construction, (3) Development, (4) Simulation, and (5) Reflection. The results showed that there was a significant increase in creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS skills of pre-service physics teacher at α = 5% and n-gain average of moderate category. Thus, the CCDSR learning model is effective for improving skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS for pre-service physics teacher.

Development of Lesson Plans and Student Worksheets Based Socio-Scientific Issues on Pollution Environmental Topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, S.; Meyliana, M.; Arlingga, A.; Reny, R.; Siahaan, P.; Hernani, H.

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is to develop lesson plans and student worksheets based socio-scientific issues on pollution environmental topic for seventh-grade junior high school students. Environmental pollution topic split into several subtopics namely air pollution, water pollution and soil pollution. The composing of lesson plans were developed based on socio-scientific issues with five stages, namely (1) Motivate; (2) Challenge; (3) Collect scientific evidence; (4) Analyse the evidence; (5) Build knowledge and make connections; and (6) Use evidence. While student worksheets contain articles on socio-scientific issues, practice, and there are a few questions to determine students’ reasoning. The method that is used in this research is research and development (R & D method). Development model used in this study is a model of Plomp that consists of four stages, namely: (1) Initial Research; (2) Design; (3) Realization or Construction; (4) Testing, evaluation and revision; (5) Implementation, while the research was limited to the fourth stage. Lesson plans and student worksheets based on socio-scientific issues was validated through an expert validation. The result showed that lesson plans and student worksheets based socio-scientific issues on pollution theme have a very decent and be able to apply in science classroom.

Gender Inequality in Biology Classes in China and Its Effects on Students' Short-Term Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ning; Neuhaus, Birgit

2014-07-01

This study investigated gender inequality in biology lessons and analysed the effects of the observed inequality on students' short-term knowledge achievement, situational interest and students' evaluation of teaching (SET). Twenty-two biology teachers and 803 7th-grade students from rural and urban classrooms in China participated in the study. Each teacher was videotaped for 1 lesson on the topic blood and circulatory system. Before and after the lessons, the students completed tests and questionnaires. Chi-square analysis was conducted to compare the boys' and girls' participation rates of answering teachers' questions in the lessons. The findings revealed that in the urban classrooms the boys had a significantly higher rate of participation than did the girls, and hence also a higher situational interest. However, no such gender inequity was found among the rural students. The study also revealed that urban students answered more complicated questions compared with the rural students in general. The findings of this study suggest that the teachers should try to balance boys' and girls' participation and involve more students in answering questions in their lessons. The study also raises questions about long-term effects of students' participation in answering teachers' questions on their outcomes-knowledge achievement, situational interest and SET.

40 CFR 80.1416 - Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... renewable fuels pathways. 80.1416 Section 80.1416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways. (a) Pursuant to this section, a party may... fuel pathway has not been evaluated by EPA to determine if it qualifies for a D code pursuant to § 80...

40 CFR 80.1416 - Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... renewable fuels pathways. 80.1416 Section 80.1416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways. (a) Pursuant to this section, a party may... fuel pathway has not been evaluated by EPA to determine if it qualifies for a D code pursuant to § 80...

40 CFR 80.1416 - Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... renewable fuels pathways. 80.1416 Section 80.1416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways. (a) Pursuant to this section, a party may... fuel pathway has not been evaluated by EPA to determine if it qualifies for a D code pursuant to § 80...

40 CFR 80.1416 - Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... renewable fuels pathways. 80.1416 Section 80.1416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Petition process for evaluation of new renewable fuels pathways. (a) Pursuant to this section, a party may... fuel pathway has not been evaluated by EPA to determine if it qualifies for a D code pursuant to § 80...

Lessons Learned

PubMed Central

Davis, Michaela

2015-01-01

The public health nurses’ scope of practice explicitly includes child protection within their role, which places them in a prime position to identify child protection concerns. This role compliments that of other professions and voluntary agenices who work with children. Public health nurses are in a privileged position as they form a relationship with the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) and are able to see the child in its own environment, which many professionals cannot. Child protection in Ireland, while influenced by other countries, has progressed through a distinct pathway that streamlined protocols and procedures. However, despite the above serious failures have occurred in the Irish system, and inquiries over the past 20 years persistently present similar contributing factors, namely, the lack of standardized and comprehensive service responses. Moreover, poor practice is compounded by the lack of recognition of the various interactional processes taking place within and between the different agencies of child protection, leading to psychological barriers in communication. This article will explore the lessons learned for public health nurses practice in safeguarding children in the Republic of Ireland. PMID:27335944

Lessons Learned: Public Health Nurses Practice in Safeguarding Children in the Republic of Ireland.

PubMed

Phelan, Amanda; Davis, Michaela

2015-01-01

The public health nurses' scope of practice explicitly includes child protection within their role, which places them in a prime position to identify child protection concerns. This role compliments that of other professions and voluntary agenices who work with children. Public health nurses are in a privileged position as they form a relationship with the child's parent(s)/guardian(s) and are able to see the child in its own environment, which many professionals cannot. Child protection in Ireland, while influenced by other countries, has progressed through a distinct pathway that streamlined protocols and procedures. However, despite the above serious failures have occurred in the Irish system, and inquiries over the past 20 years persistently present similar contributing factors, namely, the lack of standardized and comprehensive service responses. Moreover, poor practice is compounded by the lack of recognition of the various interactional processes taking place within and between the different agencies of child protection, leading to psychological barriers in communication. This article will explore the lessons learned for public health nurses practice in safeguarding children in the Republic of Ireland.

Pitfalls in Evaluating the Effectiveness of Case Management Programs for Homeless Persons: Lessons from the NIAAA Community Demonstration Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orwin, Robert G.; And Others

1994-01-01

Evaluation findings of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Community Demonstration Program show few clear indications of the effectiveness of case management approaches. This article identifies phenomena that explain the lack of positive effects and suggests that evaluation problems may explain apparent negative…

AID and Education: A Sector Report on Lessons Learned. A.I.D. Program Evaluation Report No. 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Marion Kohashi

Twelve United States Agency for International Development (AID) education projects were evaluated between 1980 and 1981. Four were in Asia (Philippines, Nepal, Thailand, Korea), two in Africa (Kenya, Nigeria), four in Latin America (Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador), and two in the Near East (Jordan, Afghanistan). The evaluations measured the…

"Aid Like a Paycheck: Engaging with Policymakers and Practitioners to Evaluate and Improve Financial Aid"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissman, Evan; O'Connell, Jesse

2016-01-01

"Aid Like A Paycheck" is a large-scale pilot evaluation of whether an innovative approach to disbursing financial aid can improve academic and financial outcomes for low-income community college students. Lessons from the pilot evaluation were used to create and fine-tune a logic model depicting activities, outputs, mediators, and…

Implementing and Evaluating a Rural Community-Based Sexual Abstinence Program: Challenges and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stauss, Kimberly; Boyas, Javier; Murphy-Erby, Yvette

2012-01-01

Informing both program evaluation and practice research, this paper describes lessons learned during the planning, implementation, and pilot phases of an abstinence education program based in a rural community in a southern state in the USA. Although a number of challenges can emerge in successfully implementing and evaluating such a program in a…

Lessons Learned about Collaborative Evaluation Using the Capacity for Applying Project Evaluation (CAPE) Framework with School and District Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corn, Jenifer O.; Byrom, Elizabeth; Knestis, Kirk; Matzen, Nita; Thrift, Beth

2012-01-01

Schools, districts, and state-level educational organizations are experiencing a great shift in the way they do the business of education. This shift focuses on accountability, specifically through the expectation of the effective utilization of evaluative-focused efforts to guide and support decisions about educational program implementation. In…

Clarus multi-state regional demonstrations, evaluation of use case #3 : non-winter maintenance decision support system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-05-26

This evaluation report documents benefits, challenges and the lessons learned from the demonstration of a new tool that offers state DOTs the ability to expand decision support beyond snow and ice control to incorporate Clarus data to assist maintena...

Evaluating Sustainability Education: Lessons from International Development Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehn, Peter H.; Uitto, Juha I.

2014-01-01

Since the mid 1970s, a series of international declarations that recognize the critical link between environmental sustainability and higher education have been endorsed and signed by universities around the world. While academic initiatives in sustainability are blossoming, higher education lacks a comprehensive evaluation framework that is…

Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE): results from two feasibility pilot studies.

PubMed

Lee, Rebecca E; Parker, Nathan H; Soltero, Erica G; Ledoux, Tracey A; Mama, Scherezade K; McNeill, Lorna

2017-03-10

Low physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in early childhood are continued public health challenges. This manuscript describes outcomes from two pilot studies for Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE), a program designed to increase PA and F&V consumption among 3 to 5 year old children. SAGE was developed using community-based participatory research (CBPR) and delivered to children (N = 89) in early care and education centers (ECEC, N = 6) in two US cities. Children participated in 12 one-hour sessions that included songs, games, and interactive learning activities involving garden maintenance and taste tests. We evaluated reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and potential for maintenance of SAGE following the RE-AIM framework. Reach was evaluated by comparing demographic characteristics among SAGE participants and residents of target geographic areas. Efficacy was evaluated with accelerometer-measured PA, F&V consumption, and eating in the absence of hunger among children, parenting practices regarding PA, and home availability of F&V. Adoption was evaluated by the number of ECEC that participated relative to the number of ECEC that were recruited. Implementation was evaluated by completion rates of planned SAGE lessons and activities, and potential for maintenance was evaluated with a parent satisfaction survey. SAGE reached ECEC in neighborhoods representing a wide range of socioeconomic status, with participants' sociodemographic characteristics representing those of the intervention areas. Children significantly increased PA during SAGE lessons compared to usual lessons, but they also consumed more calories in the absence of hunger in post- vs. pre-intervention tests (both p < .05). Parent reports did not suggest changes in F&V consumption, parenting PA practices, or home F&V availability, possibly due to low parent engagement. ECEC had moderate-to-high implementation of SAGE lessons and curriculum. Potential for maintenance was strong, with parents rating SAGE favorably and reporting increases in knowledge about PA and nutrition guidelines for young children. SAGE successfully translated national PA guidelines to practice for young children but was less successful with nutrition guidelines. High adoption and implementation and favorable parent reports suggest high potential for program sustainability. Further work to engage parents and families of young children in ECEC-based PA and nutrition programming is needed.

Delivering quality care: what can emergency gynaecology learn from acute obstetrics?

PubMed

Bika, O H; Edozien, L C

2014-08-01

Emergency obstetric care in the UK has been systematically developed over the years to high quality standards. More recently, advances have been made in the organisation and delivery of care for women presenting with acute gynaecological problems, but a lot remains to be done, and emergency gynaecology has a lot to learn from the evolution of its sister special interest area: acute obstetric care. This paper highlights areas such as consultant presence, risk management, patient flow pathways, out-of-hours care, clinical guidelines and protocols, education and training and facilities, where lessons from obstetrics are transferrable to emergency gynaecology.

Lessons learned from unintended consequences about erasing the stigma of mental illness.

PubMed

Corrigan, Patrick W

2016-02-01

Advocates and scientists have partnered to develop and evaluate programs meant to erase the egregious effects of the different forms of stigma. Enough evidence has been collected to yield lessons about approaches to stigma change. Some of the most insightful of these lessons emerge from unintended consequences of good intentioned approaches, and are the focus of this paper. They include the limited benefits of education especially when compared to contact, beating stigma is more than changing words, beware pity as a message, understand the competing agendas of stigma change, replace ideas of normalcy with solidarity, and avoid framing self-stigma as the problem of people with mental illness and not of society. The paper ends with consideration of the back seat role that psychiatrists and other mental health providers should have in stigma change. © 2015 World Psychiatric Association.

Moon Munchies: Human Exploration Project Engineering Design Challenge--A Standards-Based Elementary School Model Unit Guide--Design, Build, and Evaluate (Lessons 1-6). Engineering By Design: Advancing Technological Literacy--A Standards-Based Program Series. EP-2007-08-92-MSFC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Kim M.

2005-01-01

In this unit, elementary students design and build a lunar plant growth chamber using the Engineering Design Process. The purpose of the unit is to help students understand and apply the design process as it relates to plant growth on the moon. This guide includes six lessons, which meet a number of national standards and benchmarks in…

Analysing teachers' operations when teaching students: what constitutes scientific theories?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmqvist, Mona O.; Olander, Clas

2017-05-01

The aim of the study is to analyse teachers' efforts to develop secondary school students' knowledge and argumentation skills of what constitutes scientific theories. The analysis is based on Leontiev's three-level structure of activity (activity, action, and operation), as these levels correspond to the questions why, what, and how content is taught. The unit of analysis was a school development project in science education, where design-based interventions were conducted. Data comprised notes and minutes from eight meetings, plans, and video recordings of the lessons, and a written teacher evaluation. The teachers' (n = 7) learning actions were analysed to identify (a) concept formation in science education, (b) expressions of agency, (c) discursive manifestations of contradictions, and (d) patterns of interaction during the science interventions. Three lessons on what constitutes scientific theories were implemented in three different student groups (n = 24, 23, 24), framed by planning and evaluation meetings for each lesson. The results describe (1) the ways in which teachers became more skilled at ensuring instruction met their students' needs and (2) the ways in which teachers' operations during instruction changed as a result of their developed knowledge of how to express the content based on theoretical assumptions.

Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs: Reflections on the Avahan experience.

PubMed

Bennett, Sara; Ozawa, Sachiko; Rodriguez, Daniela; Paul, Amy; Singh, Kriti; Singh, Suneeta

2015-10-01

In low and middle-income countries, programs funded and implemented by international donors frequently transition to local funding and management, yet such processes are rarely evaluated. We reflect upon experience evaluating the transition of a large scale HIV/AIDS prevention program in India, known as Avahan, in order to draw lessons about transition evaluation approaches and implementation challenges. In terms of conceptualizing the transition theory, the evaluation team identified tensions between the idea of institutionalizing key features of the Avahan program, and ensuring program flexibility to promote sustainability. The transition was planned in three rounds allowing for adaptations to transition intervention and program design during the transition period. The assessment team found it important to track these changes in order to understand which strategies and contextual features supported transition. A mixed methods evaluation was employed, combining semi-structured surveys of transitioning entities (conducted pre and post transition), with longitudinal case studies. Qualitative data helped explain quantitative findings. Measures of transition readiness appeared robust, but we were uncertain of the robustness of institutionalization measures. Finally, challenges to the implementation of such an evaluation are discussed. Given the scarceness of transition evaluations, the lessons from this evaluation may have widespread relevance. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Dipping Your Toes into Evaluation in Five Easy Steps: Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, A. M.

2013-04-01

With limited funding, staffing, and resources for STEM education projects, the push for rigorous evaluation of our efforts offers up significant challenges, but opportunities as well. Evaluative thinking can enrich and improve the entire life cycle of an education, communication, or outreach project, and can take many forms other than a final, summative evaluation report. The community of attendees at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific will share an abundance of evaluation expertise, approaches, and results, but where does one turn if evaluation is a new concept or responsibility? This session will briefly highlight five tips, tricks, and lessons learned from the perspective of a novice and from a NASA project new to evaluation. The resources and ideas shared in the session will represent the concrete advice and driving ideas that put the author on firmer evaluative footing. Themes explored will include: (1) strategies for incorporating evaluative thinking early in the development of a project and throughout its life cycle; (2) the benefit of taking the time to elucidate a program's logic model of theory of action; (3) linking program activities to outcomes that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely); (4) working with an external or internal evaluator; and (5) taking evaluation beyond the formal, final report. Finally, we'll close with resources to help individuals and their organizations learn more about evaluation and build their evaluation capacity.

The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) Adopting Research to Improve Care (ARTIC) Program: Reach, Sustainability, Spread and Lessons Learned from an Implementation Funding Model.

PubMed

Moore, Julia E; Grouchy, Michelle; Graham, Ian D; Shandling, Maureen; Doyle, Winnie; Straus, Sharon E

2016-05-01

Despite evidence on what works in healthcare, there is a significant gap in the time it takes to bring research into practice. The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario's Adopting Research to Improve Care program addresses this research-to-practice gap by incorporating the following components into its funding program: strategic selection of evidence for implementation, education and training for implementation, implementation supports, executive champions and governance, and evaluation. Funded projects have been sustained (76% reported full sustainability) and spread to over 200 new sites. Lessons learned include the following: assess readiness, develop tailored implementation materials, consider characteristics of implementation supports, protect champion time and consider evaluation feasibility. Copyright © 2016 Longwoods Publishing.

The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) Adopting Research to Improve Care (ARTIC) Program: Reach, Sustainability, Spread and Lessons Learned from an Implementation Funding Model

PubMed Central

Grouchy, Michelle; Graham, Ian D.; Shandling, Maureen; Doyle, Winnie; Straus, Sharon E.

2016-01-01

Despite evidence on what works in healthcare, there is a significant gap in the time it takes to bring research into practice. The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario's Adopting Research to Improve Care program addresses this research-to-practice gap by incorporating the following components into its funding program: strategic selection of evidence for implementation, education and training for implementation, implementation supports, executive champions and governance, and evaluation. Funded projects have been sustained (76% reported full sustainability) and spread to over 200 new sites. Lessons learned include the following: assess readiness, develop tailored implementation materials, consider characteristics of implementation supports, protect champion time and consider evaluation feasibility. PMID:27232234

Engaging pregnant and parenting teens: early challenges and lessons learned from the Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Approaches.

PubMed

Asheer, Subuhi; Berger, Amanda; Meckstroth, Alicia; Kisker, Ellen; Keating, Betsy

2014-03-01

This article draws on data from the ongoing federal Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Approaches to discuss the early implementation experiences of two new and innovative programs intended to delay rapid repeat pregnancy among teen mothers: (1) AIM 4 Teen Moms, in Los Angeles County, California; and (2) Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (T.O.P.P.), in Columbus, Ohio. Program staff report common challenges in working with teen mothers, particularly concerning recruitment and retention, staff capacity and training, barriers to participation, and participants' overarching service needs. Lessons learned in addressing these challenges provide useful guidance to program developers, providers, policy makers, and stakeholders working with similar populations. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.

Evaluating a Cross-Continent EU Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Rebecca

2008-01-01

Assessment of learning outcomes and evaluation of teaching methods are necessary in order to ensure that students are learning the lessons that faculty believe they are conveying. Quantitative data on the effectiveness of various pedagogical methods allows faculty to make adjustments to classes over time. Regular assessment of student learning…

Confronting Well-Learned Lessons in Supervision and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponticell, Judith A.; Zepeda, Sally J.

2004-01-01

Supervision is supposed to improve classroom teaching by enhancing teacher thinking, rejection, and understanding of teaching. Evaluation systems are supposed to increase effective teaching behaviors and enhance teacher professionalism. Through the lens of symbolic interaction, we learn that "supposed to" does not matter. In a context of increased…

Progress and Accountability in Family Literacy: Lessons from a Collaborative Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Katherine E.; And Others

1996-01-01

The implementation of a collaborative approach to evaluating family literacy programs was studied using a conceptual framework and applied to 36 family literacy programs from a midwestern state. Evaluation participants learned how results could be used to develop curriculum in addition to reporting to funding agencies. (SLD)

Evaluating Quality in Educational Facilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abend, Allen; Ornstein, Sheila Walbe; Baltas, Emmanuel; de la Garza, Jaime; Watson, Chris; Lange, Kurt; von Ahlefeld, Hannah

2006-01-01

In 2005, the OECD Programme on Educational Building (PEB) organised two international experts' group meetings to discuss how countries define and evaluate quality in educational facilities. The research and experiences of six experts are presented in this article, in addition to the lessons learned from the experts' group meetings. The director of…

75 FR 57987 - Evaluation of the Groundwater Task Force Report: Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2010-0302] Evaluation of the Groundwater Task Force Report... Task Force (GTF) in March 2010 to determine whether past, current, and planned actions should be... recommendations made in the Liquid Radioactive Release Lessons Learned Task Force Final Report dated September 1...

Prototype residential photovoltaic system: Evaluation results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, B. E.; Russell, M. C.

1982-09-01

Residential size photovoltaic power systems were discussed. Lessons learned from this experience, and performance summaries for the five prototype systems at the Northeast Residential Experiment Station and the system at the all electric Carlisle PV house are given. Results of evaluating five utility interactive residential size inverters also are reported.

A Final Report for the Evaluation of the Achieve3000 Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, Lisa; Grant, Billie-Jo

2015-01-01

Achieve3000 publishes a number of online literacy programs that differentiate lessons and activities based on student performance. Magnolia Consulting--an independent, third party evaluation firm--assessed Achieve3000 Solutions' impact on student learning during the 2014-15 school year. The researchers used a randomized control trial, where…

Redesigning Teacher Evaluation: Lessons from a Pilot Implementation. REL 2015-030

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Julie; Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie; Shakman, Karen; Bocala, Candice; Chang, Quincy

2015-01-01

REL Northeast and Islands, in collaboration with the Northeast Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance and the New Hampshire Department of Education, conducted a study of the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems in New Hampshire's School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools. While the basic system features are similar across district…

Improving Education in Developing Countries: Lessons From Rigorous Impact Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganimian, Alejandro J.; Murnane, Richard J.

2016-01-01

In this article, we reviewed and interpreted the evidence from 223 rigorous impact evaluations of educational initiatives conducted in 56 low- and middle-income countries. We considered for inclusion in our review all studies in recent syntheses that have reached seemingly conflicting conclusions about which interventions improve educational…

Patients' Views of Treatment-Focused Genetic Testing (TFGT): Some Lessons for the Mainstreaming of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Testing.

PubMed

Wright, Sarah; Porteous, Mary; Stirling, Diane; Lawton, Julia; Young, Oliver; Gourley, Charlie; Hallowell, Nina

2018-05-11

This paper explores patients' views and experiences of undergoing treatment-focused BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing (TFGT), either offered following triaging to clinical genetics (breast cancer) or as part of a mainstreamed care pathway in oncology (ovarian cancer). Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews with patients with breast or ovarian cancer who had undergone TFGT, this retrospective study examines patients' views of genetic testing at this point in their care pathway, focusing on issues, such as initial response to the offer of testing, motivations for undergoing testing, and views on care pathways. Patients were amenable to the incorporation of TFGT at an early stage in their cancer care irrespective of (any) prior anticipation of having a genetic test or family history. While patients were glad to have been offered TFGT as part of their care, some questioned the logic of the test's timing in relation to their cancer treatment. Crucially, patients appeared unable to disentangle the treatment role of TFGT from its preventative function for self and other family members, suggesting that some may undergo TFGT to obtain information for others rather than for self.

[Looking back but facing ahead: implementing lessons learned from the 2nd Lebanon War].

PubMed

Adini, Bruria; Laor, Danny; Lev, Boaz; Israeli, Avi

2010-07-01

The medical system utilizes a structured culture for learning lessons in order to improve the supply of services. Various tools are utilized to evaluate performance. The aim of the article is to describe the processes for learning lessons which were carried out following the Second Lebanon War and the major lessons that were identified and implemented. Three processes were performed: a process of learning Lessons of the heaLthcare system, initiated and led by the Supreme HeaLth Authority (SHA); After action review (AAR), initiated and led by the military Medical Corps and; at a later stage, a critique, initiated and led by the State Comptroller, that examined the performance of the medical system, as part of a critique on the preparedness of the home front. The following elements were defined as highly prioritized for improvement to elevate the preparedness for a future war: (1) deployment of unified clinics in conflict areas; (2) supply of medical services to the population in shelters; (3) deploying emergency medicine services, including the relationship between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Home Front Command (HFC); (4) defining the relationships between the MOH and HFC in deploying the community health services in emergencies; (5) protecting medical facilities and personal protection equipment for medical teams and; (6) treating acute stress reactions. The AAR, critique and learning lessons signify three different processes that can sometimes be contradictory. Nevertheless, it is possible to achieve organizational improvement white integrating between these three processes, as was displayed by the SHA.

Introducing rapid diagnostic tests for malaria into registered drug shops in Uganda: lessons learned and policy implications.

PubMed

Mbonye, Anthony K; Clarke, Sîan E; Lal, Sham; Chandler, Clare I; Hutchinson, Eleanor; Hansen, Kristian S; Magnussen, Pascal

2015-11-14

Malaria is a major public health problem in Uganda and the current policy recommends introduction of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (RDTs) to facilitate effective case management. However, provision of RDTs in drug shops potentially raises a new set of issues, such as adherence to RDTs results, management of severe illnesses, referral of patients, and relationship with caretakers. The main objective of the study was to examine the impact of introducing RDTs in registered drug shops in Uganda and document lessons and policy implications for future scale-up of malaria control in the private health sector. A cluster-randomized trial introducing RDTs into registered drug shops was implemented in central Uganda from October 2010 to July 2012. An evaluation was undertaken to assess the impact and the processes involved with the introduction of RDTs into drug shops, the lessons learned and policy implications. Introducing RDTs into drug shops was feasible. To scale-up this intervention however, drug shop practices need to be regulated since the registration process was not clear, supervision was inadequate and record keeping was poor. Although initially it was anticipated that introducing a new practice of record keeping would be cumbersome, but at evaluation this was not found to be a constraint. This presents an important lesson for introducing health management information system into drug shops. Involving stakeholders, especially the district health team, in the design was important for ownership and sustainability. The involvement of village health teams in community sensitization to the new malaria treatment and diagnosis policy was a success and this strategy is recommended for future interventions. Introducing RDTs into drug shops was feasible and it increased appropriate treatment of malaria with artemisinin-based combination therapy. It is anticipated that the lessons presented will help better implementation of similar interventions in the private sector.

Anticipating Innovation in Teacher Evaluation Systems: Lessons for Researchers and Policymakers. Teacher Quality 2.0. Special Report 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Michael

2013-01-01

The growing prominence of value-added models for measuring teacher effectiveness has prompted a recent surge in policies that consider students' classroom performance part of a teacher's evaluation. Yet, in light of the criticism and limitations of the current models, whether and how evaluation systems will adapt over time is unclear. This paper…

State-of-the-art biosimilar erythropoietins in the management of renal anemia: lessons learned from Europe and implications for US nephrologists.

PubMed

Covic, Adrian; Abraham, Ivo

2015-09-01

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), under a strictly regulated pathway, has approved several biosimilar products since 2005, including biosimilar versions of the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) epoetin alfa since 2007. Subsequent to these approvals, the use of biosimilar epoetin alfa in the management of renal anemia has grown steadily throughout Europe. With the enactment of the US Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, a US Food and Drug Administration regulatory approval process for biosimilars was legalized. Thus, biosimilar erythropoietin products are expected to be available for prescription in the USA by mid-decade, presumably at a price that is competitive with the originator brand-name reference products. In this paper, we describe the status of originator and biosimilar ESAs, review the clinical development and regulatory approval of biosimilar erythropoietins in Europe, and summarize relevant efficacy and safety information of biosimilar erythropoietins in relation to their reference products to provide a background for US nephrologists as they appraise biosimilar erythropoietins as treatment options for renal anemia. Key lessons learned from Europe are that (a) EMA-approved biosimilar erythropoietins have comparable efficacy and safety profiles to their reference product erythropoietin; (b) pharmacovigilance preapproval and postapproval are critical, especially with regard to immunogenicity and vascular thromboembolic events; (c) strict preapproval and postapproval requirements must guide the regulatory pathway for biosimilars; and (d) high-quality manufacturing and production processes must be established to ensure quality biosimilar products. The availability of biosimilar erythropoietins in the USA will provide nephrologists with alternative effective, and potentially more affordable, treatment options for patients with renal anemia.

14 CFR Appendix H to Part 141 - Ground Instructor Certification Course

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...) Ground training must include the following aeronautical knowledge areas: (1) Learning process; (2) Elements of effective teaching; (3) Student evaluation and testing; (4) Course development; (5) Lesson...

14 CFR Appendix H to Part 141 - Ground Instructor Certification Course

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...) Ground training must include the following aeronautical knowledge areas: (1) Learning process; (2) Elements of effective teaching; (3) Student evaluation and testing; (4) Course development; (5) Lesson...

14 CFR Appendix H to Part 141 - Ground Instructor Certification Course

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...) Ground training must include the following aeronautical knowledge areas: (1) Learning process; (2) Elements of effective teaching; (3) Student evaluation and testing; (4) Course development; (5) Lesson...

Opening the Door on Triangular Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMartin, Kimberley; McMaster, Heather

2016-01-01

As an alternative to looking solely at linear functions, a three-lesson learning progression developed for Year 6 students that incorporates triangular numbers to develop children's algebraic thinking is described and evaluated.

Enzastaurin: A lesson in drug development.

PubMed

Bourhill, T; Narendran, A; Johnston, R N

2017-04-01

Enzastaurin is an orally administered drug that was intended for the treatment of solid and haematological cancers. It was initially developed as an isozyme specific inhibitor of protein kinase Cβ (PKCβ), which is involved in both the AKT and MAPK signalling pathways that are active in many cancers. Enzastaurin had shown encouraging preclinical results for the prevention of angiogenesis, inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis as well as showing limited cytotoxicity within phase I clinical trials. However, during its assessment in phase II and III clinical trials the efficacy of enzastaurin was poor both in combination with other drugs and as a single agent. In this review, we will discuss the development of enzastaurin from drug design to clinical testing, exploring target identification, validation and preclinical assessment. Finally, we will consider the clinical evaluation of enzastaurin as an example of the challenges associated with drug development. In particular, we discuss the poor translation of drug efficacy from preclinical animal models, inappropriate end point analysis, limited standards in phase I clinical trials, insufficient use of biomarker analysis and also patient stratification, all of which contributed to the failure to achieve approval of enzastaurin as an anticancer therapeutic. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Can you hear the carbon rise? Evaluating multi-sensory climate media in undergraduate learning.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Twedt, J. R.; Frierson, D. M.; Pampin, J.; Bitz, C. M.

2017-12-01

Sound and music in climate outreach can help to reduce visual fatigue, aid people who are visually impaired, and create new neural pathways for thinking about and remembering climate science. Infosonics are the audio analogy to infographics, and are created through a process of data sonification whereby data is expressed as a sound rather than as a graphic. An example of our infosonics can be found on YouTube, titled "The Deafening Rise of Carbon Pollution." Because sound is heard moment to moment over time, the sonic representation of data is particularly well suited for time series. This allows the listener to hear each data point in sequence, one by one, rather than seeing it all at once. Infosonics can be made musical through the design process, expressing not only information in the data, but conveying affective content such as a sense of urgency, alarm, humor, or grief. We introduced climate infosonics in two large undergraduate courses where students are expected to become familiar with canonical climate datasets, including the Keeling Curve, Arctic sea ice extent, and the global mean surface temperature index. We present outcomes and lessons learned from using these infosonics in place of traditional visual graphics.

Research lessons learned: occupational therapy with culturally diverse mothers of premature infants.

PubMed

Reid, Denise T; Chiu, Teresa M L

2011-06-01

Evaluation studies of the effectiveness of home-based occupational therapy are scarce but are needed to justify the impact of occupational therapy intervention. When the intervention is for persons from diverse cultural backgrounds, additional research challenges arise. To share lessons learned in conducting home-based occupational therapy research with Canadian, and immigrant South Asian and Chinese mothers of premature infants in a large Canadian city. Lessons learned were to implement a culturally sensitive recruitment process, change the research design to include more interviews and focus groups, and be aware of the need for culturally appropriate instruments. Researchers need to be sensitized to the Western cultural values upon which most research designs and instrumentation are constructed. Involvement of a culturally diverse research team, openness to feedback, adaptability, and critical reflection on what is important to the cultural groups are among the suggestions for researchers planning home-based occupational therapy research with culturally diverse populations.

Learning and change in a community mental health setting.

PubMed

Mancini, Michael A; Miner, Craig S

2013-10-01

This article offers methodological reflections and lessons learned from a three-year university-community partnership that used participatory action research methods to develop and evaluate a model for learning and change. Communities of practice were used to facilitate the translation of recovery-oriented and evidence-based programs into everyday practice at a community mental health agency. Four lessons were drawn from this project. First, the processes of learning and organizational change are complex, slow, and multifaceted. Second, development of leaders and champions is vital to sustained implementation in an era of restricted resources. Third, it is important to have the agency's values, mission, policies, and procedures align with the principles and practices of recovery and integrated treatment. And fourth, effective learning of evidence-based practices is influenced by organizational culture and climate. These four lessons are expanded upon and situated within the broader literature and implications for future research are discussed.

What Could Be Future Scenarios?—Lessons from the History of Public Health Surveillance for the Future

PubMed Central

Choi, Bernard C.K.

2015-01-01

This article provides insights into the future based on a review of the past and present of public health surveillance—the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health action. Public health surveillance dates back to the first recorded epidemic in 3180 BC in Egypt. A number of lessons and items of interest are summarised from a review of historical perspectives in the past 5,000 years and the current practice of surveillance. Some future scenarios are presented: exploring new frontiers; enhancing computer technology; improving epidemic investigations; improving data collection, analysis, dissemination and use; building on lessons from the past; building capacity; and enhancing global surveillance. It is concluded that learning from the past, reflecting on the present, and planning for the future can further enhance public health surveillance. PMID:29546093

A Touch of...Class!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gollert, Heidi; And Others

1989-01-01

A nine-lesson plan illustrates a senior-level approach to "The Little Prince" that includes follow-up, consolidation, and review activities. Group and individual, oral and written exercises and suggestions for evaluation are provided. (MSE)

Discovering Columbus: Rereading the Past.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigelow, Bill

1989-01-01

Presents a series of lessons for a U.S. history class on Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of America. Notes that this approach teaches students to evaluate critically the historical information presented in their textbooks. (MM)

How to and how not to develop a theory of change to evaluate a complex intervention: reflections on an experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Maini, Rishma; Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Borghi, Josephine

2018-01-01

Theories of change (ToCs) describe how interventions can bring about long-term outcomes through a logical sequence of intermediate outcomes and have been used to design and measure the impact of public health programmes in several countries. In recognition of their capacity to provide a framework for monitoring and evaluation, they are being increasingly employed in the development sector. The construction of a ToC typically occurs through a consultative process, requiring stakeholders to reflect on how their programmes can bring about change. ToCs help make explicit any underlying assumptions, acknowledge the role of context and provide evidence to justify the chain of causal pathways. However, while much literature exists on how to develop a ToC with respect to interventions in theory, there is comparatively little reflection on applying it in practice to complex interventions in the health sector. This paper describes the initial process of developing a ToC to inform the design of an evaluation of a complex intervention aiming to improve government payments to health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lessons learnt include: the need for the ToC to understand how the intervention produces effects on the wider system and having broad stakeholder engagement at the outset to maximise chances of the intervention's success and ensure ownership. Power relationships between stakeholders may also affect the ToC discourse but can be minimised by having an independent facilitator. We hope these insights are of use to other global public health practitioners using this approach to evaluate complex interventions.

Evaluating Pre-Service Teachers Math Teaching Experience from Different Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Jenni L.; Hbaci, Ilham

2015-01-01

Are pre-service teachers able to notice their strengths and challenges in teaching? This article reports on a study of pre-service teachers' teaching performance being simultaneously evaluated by themselves and their professor. Thirty-two pre-service teachers created and planned mathematics lessons approved by their professor to be taught in…

The Effectiveness of Tutorial Strategies: An Experimental Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Judy H.

The effectiveness of three tutorial strategies was evaluated by experimentally manipulating the strategies used in a 2 X 3 factorial design. Two tutors taught 48 college undergraduates a basic optics lesson about "how lenses work," using three instructional methods which varied the amount of tutor control. In the lecture condition, tutors assumed…

Fire prevention in California's Riverside County Headstart Project...an evaluation

Treesearch

William S. Folkman; Jean Taylor

1972-01-01

An especially designed series of fire prevention lessons were taught to preschool children in the Headstart Project in Riverside County, Calif. Their effectiveness was evaluated by observing classroom reaction and by testing the children at the end of the year. The results suggest that this type of educational approach is feasible.

Elevating Teacher Quality: Teacher Tenure Reform Applying Lessons from Other Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Kevin M.

2016-01-01

The increased pressure of changing how teacher evaluations are conducted and increasing the level of teacher quality are pushing schools to reform. Due to changes in state mandates and federal laws, schools are required to demonstrate teacher effectiveness and student growth in teacher evaluations to assure students are receiving top quality…

Family-Directed Child Evaluation and Assessment under IDEA: Lessons from Families and Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Carol; Shaw, Evelyn

This report discusses policies and practices for family-directed child evaluation and assessment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The scope of the report includes practices across the early childhood spectrum, from birth through 5 years. Commonly used terminology is defined. Issues discussed include: the primacy of…

Creating and Evaluating Artificial Domiciles for Bumble Bees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golick, Douglas A.; Ellis, Marion D.; Beecham, Brady

2006-01-01

Bumble bees are valuable pollinators of native and cultivated flora. Despite our knowledge of bumble bee nest site selection, most efforts to attract bumble bees to artificial domiciles have been met with limited success. Creating and evaluating artificial domiciles provides students an opportunity to investigate a real problem. In this lesson,…

Redesigning Teacher Evaluations: Lessons from a Pilot Implementation. Stated Briefly. REL 2016-101

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Julie; Shakman, Karen; Chang, Quincy; Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie; Bocala, Candice

2015-01-01

This "Stated Briefly" report is a companion piece that summarizes the results of another report of the same name. REL Northeast and Islands, in collaboration with the Northeast Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance and the New Hampshire Department of Education conducted a study of the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems…

Key Lessons for the Design and Integration of Virtual Environments in Secondary Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosier, Joanna K.; Cobb, Sue; Wilson, John R.

2002-01-01

Discusses a three-year research project in which a virtual environment to teach radioactivity in secondary schools in the United Kingdom was developed and tested. Emphasizes the importance of involving teachers through the development process and confirms the importance of school-based evaluation studies in the development and evaluation of…

The Multiple Challenges of Multimedia: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassen, Margaret Ann

1998-01-01

This article presents an overview of an ongoing initiative to develop, integrate, and evaluate multimedia lessons to enhance listening comprehension in Spanish language classes at the Catholic University of America (District of Columbia). Focusing on the process involved, the two phases of the project that have been completed are examined,…

77 FR 28359 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-14

... Policy Development; Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers State Competitions SUMMARY: This study will examine state subgrant competitions conducted under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program in order to glean ``lessons learned'' that can inform efforts to improve the state...

Continuous Improvement: Making Evaluation a Tool for Increasing Teacher--and Student--Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Educator, 2010

2010-01-01

With policymakers across the country proposing questionable ways to evaluate teachers, it's time to listen to those who know what supports and systems are needed to enhance instruction: teachers. This article explores the work of professional educators--not just their accomplishments, but also their challenges--so that the lessons they have…

Increasing the Utility of Information Systems in Schools: Lessons from the Literature. Multilevel Evaluation Systems Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Joan

The Multilevel Evaluation Systems Project is exploring the requirements for information systems that could help teachers and administrators sort through, analyze, and apply comprehensive information about their students, community, instructional processes, and outcomes to improve their schools. Toward this end, a multi-disciplinary literature…

"On the Level". Formative Evaluation: Changing Family Relationships. Research Report 73.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for Instructional Television, Bloomington, IN.

A formative evaluation was conducted of the instructional television program "Daddy's Girl" from "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons designed to aid secondary school students in dealing with personal and social growth. Designed to teach that adolescents usually have to work out new relationships with their parents and that…

Immediate Evaluation of Training Events at the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank Measuring Reaction, Self-Efficacy and Learning in a Worldwide Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Le Rouzie, Violaine; Cusick, Mary

The Economic Development Institute of the World Bank (EDI) conducts extensive training events for a variety of audiences throughout the world. Over the years, EDI has used several types of instruments to evaluate these events. Drawing lessons from these experiences, this paper presents a "hierarchy" of training evaluation designs. These…

Preparing for Evaluation: Lessons from the Evaluability Assessment of the Teagle Foundation's College-Community Connections Initiative. Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Kristin

2016-01-01

Funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. To make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are…

Evaluating the National Guard Domestic Operations Force Structure

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

AU/ACSC/2016 AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE DISTANCE LEARNING AIR UNIVERSITY EVALUATING THE NATIONAL GUARD DOMESTIC OPERATIONS FORCE...data will be blended together to identify trends and gaps in manpower, training, mission roles and force alignment. Since the NG HRFs and CERFPs are...decrease in the amount of No-Gos observed during these evaluations. This is perhaps a positive indicator that units are applying lessons learned

RE-AIM in Clinical, Community, and Corporate Settings: Perspectives, Strategies, and Recommendations to Enhance Public Health Impact

PubMed Central

Harden, Samantha M.; Smith, Matthew Lee; Ory, Marcia G.; Smith-Ray, Renae L.; Estabrooks, Paul A.; Glasgow, Russell E.

2018-01-01

The RE-AIM Framework is a planning and evaluation model that has been used in a variety of settings to address various programmatic, environmental, and policy innovations for improving population health. In addition to the broad application and diverse use of the framework, there are lessons learned and recommendations for the future use of the framework across clinical, community, and corporate settings. The purposes of this article are to: (A) provide a brief overview of the RE-AIM Framework and its pragmatic use for planning and evaluation; (B) offer recommendations to facilitate the application of RE-AIM in clinical, community, and corporate settings; and (C) share perspectives and lessons learned about employing RE-AIM dimensions in the planning, implementation, and evaluation phases within these different settings. In this article, we demonstrate how the RE-AIM concepts and elements within each dimension can be applied by researchers and practitioners in diverse settings, among diverse populations and for diverse health topics. PMID:29623270

Methodology and Baseline Results From the Evaluation of a Sexuality Education Activity in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

PubMed

Speizer, Ilene S; Mandal, Mahua; Xiong, Khou; Hattori, Aiko; Makina-Zimalirana, Ndinda; Kumalo, Faith; Taylor, Stephen; Ndlovu, Muzi S; Madibane, Mathata; Beke, Andy

2018-04-01

In South Africa, adolescents and young adults (ages 15-24) are at risk of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies. Recently, the Department of Basic Education has revised its sexuality education content and teaching strategies (using scripted lessons plans) as part of its life orientation curriculum. This paper presents the methodology and baseline results from the evaluation of the scripted lesson plans and supporting activities. A rigorous cluster-level randomized design with random assignment of schools as clusters is used for the evaluation. Baseline results from grade 8 female and male learners and grade 10 female learners demonstrate that learners are at risk of HIV and early and unintended pregnancies. Multivariable analyses demonstrate that household-level food insecurity and living with an HIV-positive person are associated with sexual experience and pregnancy experience. Implications are discussed for strengthening the current life orientation program for future scale-up by the government of South Africa.

Through Their Eyes: Lessons Learned Using Participatory Methods in Health Care Quality Improvement Projects.

PubMed

Balbale, Salva N; Locatelli, Sara M; LaVela, Sherri L

2016-08-01

In this methodological article, we examine participatory methods in depth to demonstrate how these methods can be adopted for quality improvement (QI) projects in health care. We draw on existing literature and our QI initiatives in the Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss the application of photovoice and guided tours in QI efforts. We highlight lessons learned and several benefits of using participatory methods in this area. Using participatory methods, evaluators can engage patients, providers, and other stakeholders as partners to enhance care. Participant involvement helps yield actionable data that can be translated into improved care practices. Use of these methods also helps generate key insights to inform improvements that truly resonate with stakeholders. Using participatory methods is a valuable strategy to harness participant engagement and drive improvements that address individual needs. In applying these innovative methodologies, evaluators can transcend traditional approaches to uniquely support evaluations and improvements in health care. © The Author(s) 2015.

Inflammation-induced preterm lung maturation: lessons from animal experimentation.

PubMed

Moss, Timothy J M; Westover, Alana J

2017-06-01

Intrauterine inflammation, or chorioamnionitis, is a major contributor to preterm birth. Prematurity per se is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality resulting from lung immaturity but exposure to chorioamnionitis reduces the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants. Animal experiments have identified that an increase in pulmonary surfactant production by the preterm lungs likely underlies this decreased risk of RDS in infants exposed to chorioamnionitis. Further animal experimentation has shown that infectious or inflammatory agents in amniotic fluid exert their effects on lung development by direct effects within the developing respiratory tract, and probably not by systemic pathways. Differences in the effects of intrauterine inflammation and glucocorticoids demonstrate that canonical glucocorticoid-mediated lung maturation is not responsible for inflammation-induced changes in lung development. Animal experimentation is identifying alternative lung maturational pathways, and transgenic animals and cell culture techniques will allow identification of novel mechanisms of lung maturation that may lead to new treatments for the prevention of RDS. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Edaravone alleviates Alzheimer's disease-type pathologies and cognitive deficits.

PubMed

Jiao, Shu-Sheng; Yao, Xiu-Qing; Liu, Yu-Hui; Wang, Qing-Hua; Zeng, Fan; Lu, Jian-Jun; Liu, Jia; Zhu, Chi; Shen, Lin-Lin; Liu, Cheng-Hui; Wang, Ye-Ran; Zeng, Gui-Hua; Parikh, Ankit; Chen, Jia; Liang, Chun-Rong; Xiang, Yang; Bu, Xian-Le; Deng, Juan; Li, Jing; Xu, Juan; Zeng, Yue-Qin; Xu, Xiang; Xu, Hai-Wei; Zhong, Jin-Hua; Zhou, Hua-Dong; Zhou, Xin-Fu; Wang, Yan-Jiang

2015-04-21

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of most devastating diseases affecting elderly people. Amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and the downstream pathological events such as oxidative stress play critical roles in pathogenesis of AD. Lessons from failures of current clinical trials suggest that targeting multiple key pathways of the AD pathogenesis is necessary to halt the disease progression. Here we show that Edaravone, a free radical scavenger that is marketed for acute ischemic stroke, has a potent capacity of inhibiting Aβ aggregation and attenuating Aβ-induced oxidation in vitro. When given before or after the onset of Aβ deposition via i.p. injection, Edaravone substantially reduces Aβ deposition, alleviates oxidative stress, attenuates the downstream pathologies including Tau hyperphosphorylation, glial activation, neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, synaptic dysfunction, and rescues the behavioral deficits of APPswe/PS1 mice. Oral administration of Edaravone also ameliorates the AD-like pathologies and memory deficits of the mice. These findings suggest that Edaravone holds a promise as a therapeutic agent for AD by targeting multiple key pathways of the disease pathogenesis.

An Update on ToxCast™ | Science Inventory | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In its first phase, ToxCast™ is profiling over 300 well-characterized chemicals (primarily pesticides) in over 400 HTS endpoints. These endpoints include biochemical assays of protein function, cell-based transcriptional reporter assays, multi-cell interaction assays, transcriptomics on primary cell cultures, and developmental assays in zebrafish embryos. Almost all of the compounds being examined in Phase 1 of ToxCast™ have been tested in traditional toxicology tests, including developmental toxicity, multi-generation studies, and sub-chronic and chronic rodent bioassays Lessons learned to date for ToxCast: Large amounts of quality HTS data can be economically obtained. Large scale data sets will be required to understand potential for biological activity. Value in having multiple assays with overlapping coverage of biological pathways and a variety of methodologies Concentration-response will be important for ultimate interpretation Data transparency will be important for acceptance. Metabolic capabilities and coverage of developmental toxicity pathways will need additional attention. Need to define the gold standard Partnerships are needed to bring critical mass and expertise.

Exploring molecular genetics of bladder cancer: lessons learned from mouse models

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Imran; Sansom, Owen J.; Leung, Hing Y.

2012-01-01

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the bladder is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, causing considerable morbidity and mortality. It is unusual among the epithelial carcinomas because tumorigenesis can occur by two distinct pathways: low-grade, recurring papillary tumours usually contain oncogenic mutations in FGFR3 or HRAS, whereas high-grade, muscle-invasive tumours with metastatic potential generally have defects in the pathways controlled by the tumour suppressors p53 and retinoblastoma (RB). Over the past 20 years, a plethora of genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models of UCC have been developed, containing deletions or mutations of key tumour suppressor genes or oncogenes. In this review, we provide an up-to-date summary of these GEM models, analyse their flaws and weaknesses, discuss how they have advanced our understanding of UCC at the molecular level, and comment on their translational potential. We also highlight recent studies supporting a role for dysregulated Wnt signalling in UCC and the development of mouse models that recapitulate this dysregulation. PMID:22422829

Adult Stem Cells and Diseases of Aging

PubMed Central

Boyette, Lisa B.; Tuan, Rocky S.

2014-01-01

Preservation of adult stem cells pools is critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis into old age. Exhaustion of adult stem cell pools as a result of deranged metabolic signaling, premature senescence as a response to oncogenic insults to the somatic genome, and other causes contribute to tissue degeneration with age. Both progeria, an extreme example of early-onset aging, and heritable longevity have provided avenues to study regulation of the aging program and its impact on adult stem cell compartments. In this review, we discuss recent findings concerning the effects of aging on stem cells, contributions of stem cells to age-related pathologies, examples of signaling pathways at work in these processes, and lessons about cellular aging gleaned from the development and refinement of cellular reprogramming technologies. We highlight emerging therapeutic approaches to manipulation of key signaling pathways corrupting or exhausting adult stem cells, as well as other approaches targeted at maintaining robust stem cell pools to extend not only lifespan but healthspan. PMID:24757526

How "Discover the COSMOS", "PATHWAY", "Go-Lab" and "Inspiring Science Education" are changing the science education in European high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kourkoumelis, Christine

2014-04-01

It has been noted by various reports that during recent years, there has been an alarming decline in young people's interest for science studies and mathematics. Since it is believed that the traditional teaching methods often fail to foster positive attitudes towards learning science, the European Commission has made intensive efforts to promote science education in schools though new methods based on the inquiry methodology of learning: questions, search and answers. This should be coupled to laboratories and hands-on experience which should be structured and scaffolded in a pedagogically meaningful way. "PATHWAY", "Discover the COSMOS" and "ISE" have been providing the lesson plans and the best practices for teachers and students and "Go-lab" is working towards an integrated set up of on-line labs for large scale use in science education. In the next sections some concrete examples which aim to bring the High Energy Physics (HEP) frontier research to schools will be given.

Meeting the challenge of policy-relevant science: lessons from a water resource project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lamb, Berton L.

1986-01-01

Water resource scientists face complex tasks in evaluating aspects of water projects, but relatively few assessment procedures have been applied and accepted as standard applications. Decision-makers often rely on environmental assessments to evaluate the value and operation of projects. There is often confusion about scientists' role in policy decisions. The scientist can affect policy-making as an expert withess, an advocate or a surrogate. By understanding the policy process, scientists can make their work more “policy relevant.” Using the Terror Lake hydro project in Alaska as a guide, three lessons are discussed: (1) not all problems are able to be solved with technology; (2) policy-relevant technology is rarely imposed on a problem; and (3) the scientist need not just react to the policy process, but can have an impact on how that process unfolds.

Structure-oriented versus process-oriented approach to enhance efficiency for emergency room operations: what lessons can we learn?

PubMed

Hwang, Taik Gun; Lee, Younsuk; Shin, Hojung

2011-01-01

The efficiency and quality of a healthcare system can be defined as interactions among the system structure, processes, and outcome. This article examines the effect of structural adjustment (change in floor plan or layout) and process improvement (critical pathway implementation) on performance of emergency room (ER) operations for acute cerebral infarction patients. Two large teaching hospitals participated in this study: Korea University (KU) Guro Hospital and KU Anam Hospital. The administration of Guro adopted a structure-oriented approach in improving its ER operations while the administration of Anam employed a process-oriented approach, facilitating critical pathways and protocols. To calibrate improvements, the data for time interval, length of stay, and hospital charges were collected, before and after the planned changes were implemented at each hospital. In particular, time interval is the most essential measure for handling acute stroke patients because patients' survival and recovery are affected by the promptness of diagnosis and treatment. Statistical analyses indicated that both redesign of layout at Guro and implementation of critical pathways at Anam had a positive influence on most of the performance measures. However, reduction in time interval was not consistent at Guro, demonstrating delays in processing time for a few processes. The adoption of critical pathways at Anam appeared more effective in reducing time intervals than the structural rearrangement at Guro, mainly as a result of the extensive employee training required for a critical pathway implementation. Thus, hospital managers should combine structure-oriented and process-oriented strategies to maximize effectiveness of improvement efforts.

Teen worker safety training: methods used, lessons taught, and time spent.

PubMed

Zierold, Kristina M

2015-05-01

Safety training is strongly endorsed as one way to prevent teens from performing dangerous tasks at work. The objective of this mixed methods study was to characterize the safety training that teenagers receive on the job. From 2010 through 2012, focus groups and a cross-sectional survey were conducted with working teens. The top methods of safety training reported were safety videos (42 percent) and safety lectures (25 percent). The top lessons reported by teens were "how to do my job" and "ways to spot hazards." Males, who were more likely to do dangerous tasks, received less safety training than females. Although most teens are getting safety training, it is inadequate. Lessons addressing safety behaviors are missing, training methods used are minimal, and the time spent is insignificant. More research is needed to understand what training methods and lessons should be used, and the appropriate safety training length for effectively preventing injury in working teens. In addition, more research evaluating the impact of high-quality safety training compared to poor safety training is needed to determine the best training programs for teens. © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Delta clipper lessons learned for increased operability in reusable space vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charette, Ray O.; Steinmeyer, Don A.; Smiljanic, Ray R.

1998-01-01

Important lessons were learned from the design, development, and test (DD&T), and operation of the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X/XA) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) which apply to increased operability for the operational Reusable Space Vehicles (RSVs). Boeing maintains a continuous process improvement program that provides the opportunity to ``institutionalize'' the results from projects such as Delta Clipper for application to product improvement in future programs. During the design phase, operations and supportability (O&S) were emphasized to ensure aircraft-like operations, traceable to an operational RSV. The operations personnel, flight, and ground crew and crew chief were actively involved in the design, manufacture, and checkout of the systems. Changes and additions to capability were implemented as they evolved from knowledge gained in each phase of development. This paper presents key lessons learned with respect to design and implementation of flight systems, propulsion, airframe, hydraulics, avionics, and ground operations. Information was obtained from discussions with personnel associated with this program concerning their experience and lessons learned. Additionally, field process records and operations timelines were evaluated for applicability to RSVs. The DC-X program pursued reusability in all aspects of the design, a unique approach in rocket system development.

Students' Views About Secondary School Science Lessons: The Role of Practical Work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toplis, Rob

2012-06-01

This paper reports an interpretive study that sought students' views about the role that practical work plays in their school science lessons. Twenty-nine students aged between 13 and 16 years were selected from three secondary schools in England. Data were collected from initial lesson observations and in-depth interviews in order to explore students' views about practical work. The findings suggest that students have three main reasons why practical work is important in their school science lessons: for interest and activity, including social and personal features such as participation and autonomy; as an alternative to other forms of science teaching involving a pedagogy of transmission, and as a way of learning, including memorizing and recall. The findings are discussed in the context of a critical view of previous work on the role of practical work, work on attitudes to science and on the student voice. The paper concludes that practical work is seen to provide opportunities for students to engage with and influence their own learning but that learning with practical work remains a complex issue that needs further research and evaluation about its use, effectiveness and of the role of scientific inquiry as a component of practical activity.

Cumulative risk assessment lessons learned: a review of case studies and issue papers.

PubMed

Gallagher, Sarah S; Rice, Glenn E; Scarano, Louis J; Teuschler, Linda K; Bollweg, George; Martin, Lawrence

2015-02-01

Cumulative risk assessments (CRAs) examine potential risks posed by exposure to multiple and sometimes disparate environmental stressors. CRAs are more resource intensive than single chemical assessments, and pose additional challenges and sources of uncertainty. CRAs may examine the impact of several factors on risk, including exposure magnitude and timing, chemical mixture composition, as well as physical, biological, or psychosocial stressors. CRAs are meant to increase the relevance of risk assessments, providing decision makers with information based on real world exposure scenarios that improve the characterization of actual risks and hazards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has evaluated a number of CRAs, performed by or commissioned for the Agency, to seek insight into CRA concepts, methods, and lessons learned. In this article, ten case studies and five issue papers on key CRA topics are examined and a set of lessons learned are identified for CRA implementation. The lessons address the iterative nature of CRAs, importance of considering vulnerability, need for stakeholder engagement, value of a tiered approach, new methods to assess multiroute exposures to chemical mixtures, and the impact of geographical scale on approach and purpose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social support and child protection: Lessons learned and learning.

PubMed

Thompson, Ross A

2015-03-01

Social support has been a topic of research for nearly 50 years, and its applications to prevention and intervention have grown significantly, including programs advancing child protection. This article summarizes the central conclusions of the 1994 review of research on social support and the prevention of child maltreatment prepared for the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and surveys advances in the field since its publication. Among the lessons learned twenty years ago are (a) the diversity of the social support needs of at-risk families and their association with child endangerment, (b) the need to supplement the emotionally affirmative aspects of social support with efforts to socialize parenting practices and monitor child well-being, (c) the desirability of integrating formal and informal sources of social support for recipients, and (d) the importance of considering the complex recipient reactions to receiving support from others. The lessons we are now learning derive from research exploring the potential of online communication to enhance social support, the neurobiology of stress and its buffering through social support, and the lessons of evaluation research that are identifying the effective ingredients of social support interventions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating between-pathway models with expression data.

PubMed

Hescott, B J; Leiserson, M D M; Cowen, L J; Slonim, D K

2010-03-01

Between-pathway models (BPMs) are network motifs consisting of pairs of putative redundant pathways. In this article, we show how adding another source of high-throughput data--microarray gene expression data from knockout experiments--allows us to identify a compensatory functional relationship between genes from the two BPM pathways. We evaluate the quality of the BPMs from four different studies, and we describe how our methods might be extended to refine pathways.

Refining MARGINS Mini-Lessons Using Classroom Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iverson, E. A.; Manduca, C. A.; McDaris, J. R.; Lee, S.

2009-12-01

One of the challenges that we face in developing teaching materials or activities from research findings is testing the materials to determine that they work as intended. Traditionally faculty develop material for their own class, notice what worked and didn’t, and improve them the next year. However, as we move to a community process of creating and sharing teaching materials, a community-based process for testing materials is appropriate. The MARGINS project has piloted such a process for testing teaching materials and activities developed as part of its mini-lesson project (http://serc.carleton.edu/margins/index.html). Building on prior work developing mechanisms for community review of teaching resources (e.g. Kastens, 2002; Hancock and Manduca, 2005; Mayhew and Hall, 2007), the MARGINS evaluation team developed a structured classroom observation protocol. The goals of field testing are to a) gather structured, consistent feedback for the lesson authors based on classroom use; b) guide reviewers of these lessons to reflect on research-based educational practice as a framework for their comments; c) collect information on the data and observations that the reviewer used to underpin their review; d) determine which mini-lessons are ready to be made widely available on the website. The protocol guides faculty observations on why they used the activity, the effectiveness of the activity in their classroom, the success of the activity in leading to the desired learning, and what other faculty need to successfully use the activity. Available online (http://serc.carleton.edu/margins/protocol.html), the protocol can be downloaded and completed during instruction with the activity. In order to encourage review of mini-lessons using the protocol, a workshop focused on review and revision of activities was held in May 2009. In preparation for the workshop, 13 of the 28 participants chose to field test a mini-lesson prior to the workshop and reported that they found this process instructive. Activity authors found the observations very helpful and the first mini-lessons have now been revised using feedback from testers. Initial results show that the tested mini-lessons give students hands-on experience with scientific data and help students make connections between geologic phenomena and data. Productive feedback ranged from suggestions for improving activity design, adaptations for other audiences, suggestions for clearer presentation, and tips for using the materials. The team plans to broaden the use of the protocol to test and refine all of the mini-lessons in the MARGINS collection.

From ecological test site to geographic information system: lessons for the 1980's

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alexander, Robert H.

1981-01-01

Geographic information systems were common elements in two kinds of interdisciplinary regional demonstration projects in the 1970's. Ecological test sits attempted to provide for more efficient remote-sensing data delivery for regional environmental management. Regional environmental systems analysis attempted to formally describe and model the interacting regional social and environmental processes, including the resource-use decision making process. Lessons for the 1980's are drawn from recent evaluations and assessments of these programs, focusing on cost, rates of system development and technology transfer, program coordination, integrative analysis capability, and the involvement of system users and decision makers.

Data quality assurance and control in cognitive research: Lessons learned from the PREDICT-HD study.

PubMed

Westervelt, Holly James; Bernier, Rachel A; Faust, Melanie; Gover, Mary; Bockholt, H Jeremy; Zschiegner, Roland; Long, Jeffrey D; Paulsen, Jane S

2017-09-01

We discuss the strategies employed in data quality control and quality assurance for the cognitive core of Neurobiological Predictors of Huntington's Disease (PREDICT-HD), a long-term observational study of over 1,000 participants with prodromal Huntington disease. In particular, we provide details regarding the training and continual evaluation of cognitive examiners, methods for error corrections, and strategies to minimize errors in the data. We present five important lessons learned to help other researchers avoid certain assumptions that could potentially lead to inaccuracies in their cognitive data. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Overview of the Annual NASA Tire/Runway Friction Workshop and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.

2005-01-01

This paper summarizes the organization efforts, objectives, scope, agenda, test procedures and results from eleven years of conducting the NASA Tire/Runway Friction Workshop. The paper will also summarize the lessons learned between 1994 and 2004. A description of the various friction, texture and roughness equipment used during these workshops at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia will be provided together with the range of test surfaces available for evaluation. The need for friction measuring equipment calibration centers is discussed and plans for future workshops are identified.

The Community Research Scholars Initiative: A Mid‐Project Assessment

PubMed Central

Pike, Earl; Sehgal, Ashwini R.; Fischer, Robert L.; Collins, Cyleste

2015-01-01

Abstract Community organizations addressing health and human service needs generally have minimal capacity for research and evaluation. As a result, they are often inadequately equipped to independently carry out activities that can be critical for their own success, such as conducting needs assessments, identifying best practices, and evaluating outcomes. Moreover, they are unable to develop equitable partnerships with academic researchers to conduct community‐based research. This paper reports on the progress of the Community Research Scholar Initiative (CRSI), a program that aims to enhance community research and evaluation capacity through training of selected employees from Greater Cleveland community organizations. The intensive 2‐year CRSI program includes didactic instruction, fieldwork, multiple levels of community and academic engagement, leadership training, and a mentored research project. The first cohort of CRSI Scholars, their community organizations, and other community stakeholders have incorporated program lessons into their practices and operations. The CRSI program evaluation indicates: the importance of careful Scholar selection; the need to engage executive leadership from Scholar organizations; the value of a curriculum integrating classwork, fieldwork, and community engagement; and the need for continual scholar skill and knowledge assessment. These findings and lessons learned guide other efforts to enhance community organization research and evaluation capacity. PMID:26073663

Development Challenges of Game-Changing Entry System Technologies From Concept to Mission Infusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Beck, Robin; Ellerby, Donald; Feldman, Jay; Gage, Peter; Munk, Michelle; Wercinski, Paul

2016-01-01

NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and the Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) were created to develop new technologies. This paper describes four entry system technologies that are funded by the GCDP and summarizes the lessons learned during the development. The investments are already beginning to show success, mission infusion pathways after five years of existence. It is hoped that our experience and observations, drawn from projects supported by the GCD program/STMD, Orion and SMD can help current and future technology development projects. Observations on fostering a culture of success and on constraints that limit greater success are also provided.

Lessons on the pathogenesis of aneurysm from heritable conditions

PubMed Central

Lindsay, Mark E.; Dietz, Harry C.

2013-01-01

Aortic aneurysm is common, accounting for 1–2% of all deaths in industrialized countries. Early theories of the causes of human aneurysm mostly focused on inherited or acquired defects in components of the extracellular matrix in the aorta. Although several mutations in the genes encoding extracellular matrix proteins have been recognized, more recent discoveries have shown important perturbations in cytokine signalling cascades and intracellular components of the smooth muscle contractile apparatus. The modelling of single-gene heritable aneurysm disorders in mice has shown unexpected involvement of the transforming growth factor-β cytokine pathway in aortic aneurysm, highlighting the potential for new therapeutic strategies. PMID:21593863

Targeted Elimination of Peroxisomes During Viral Infection: Lessons from HIV and Other Viruses.

PubMed

Wong, Cheung Pang; Xu, Zaikun; Power, Christopher; Hobman, Tom C

2018-05-01

Peroxisomes are membrane-bound organelles that are best known for their roles in lipid metabolism. Mounting evidence indicates that they are also important nodes for antiviral signaling. While research over the past few decades has revealed effective viral strategies to block antiviral signalling pathways from the plasma membrane, mitochondria and/or the nucleus, until recently, very little was known about how viruses interfere with peroxisome-based antiviral signaling. In this essay, we review how viruses use a variety of strategies to interfere with peroxisome biogenesis, a phenomenon that has implications for evasion of the host immune system as well as pathogenesis.

Interprofessional education development: not for the faint of heart

PubMed Central

Fahs, Deborah B; Honan, Linda; Gonzalez-Colaso, Rosana; Colson, Eve R

2017-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) has the potential to improve communication, collaboration and coordination of care, leading to improved health care outcomes. Promoting IPE has become an aim for many professional schools. However, there are challenges to implementing meaningful curricula that involve multiple health care professional schools. In this study, we outline 12 lessons learned when designing and implementing an Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience (ILCE) for 247 students from a School of Nursing, Medicine and Physician Associate Program in New England. Lessons learned over 4 years include pilot, evaluate and refine projects; create a formal interprofessional organizational structure; involve faculty who are passionate ambassadors for IPE; procure and maintain financial support; recognize power struggles and bias; overcome logistical conundrums to realize common goals, secure clinical sites and prepare IPE coaches; expect there will always be another hurdle; do not go it alone; recruit experts; recognize role differentiation and similarities; be aware of fragility of students and faculty and collect data to assess, evaluate, improve and gain buy-in. We were able to successfully implement a large program for students from three different health care professional schools that takes place in the clinical setting with faculty coaches, patients and their families. We hope that the lessons learned can be instructive to those considering a similar effort. PMID:28553153

A statewide evaluation of the effectiveness of media literacy training to prevent tobacco use among adolescents.

PubMed

Pinkleton, Bruce E; Weintraub Austin, Erica; Cohen, Marilyn; Miller, Autumn; Fitzgerald, Erin

2007-01-01

Researchers used a quasi-experiment (N = 723) conducted in the field and using both pretests and posttests to carry out a theory-based evaluation of the effectiveness of a media literacy curriculum implemented in Washington state. Results showed that reflective thinking concerning media message about tobacco increased for all media literacy participants, whether or not they had used tobacco previously. Changes in reflective thinking affected a range of decision-making indicators. Lesson participants who had not used tobacco demonstrated greater change at earlier stages of decision making in ways that suggested a greater understanding of the persuasive techniques used by tobacco manufacturers, on indicators such as perceived realism, desirability, and similarity. Lesson participants who had tried tobacco demonstrated greater change at later stages of decision making on indicators such as perceived peer norms for tobacco use, identification with tobacco-related portrayals, and expectancies for tobacco use. All participants also showed increases in their ability and motivations to resist smoking-related influences. Overall, the results suggest that media literacy has important and somewhat different effects on those who have and those who have not experimented with tobacco use. The results also show the importance of measuring cognitive and affective indicators of decision making that may change gradually as participants gain experience putting lessons learned into action.

Critical Thinking through Writing: Expressing Scientific Thought and Process in a Deaf Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manjarrez, Leslie

Within Deaf classrooms there is often a disconnect between academic areas and writing curriculums that develop in both common and academic language, where often classrooms focus solely on writing as a skill rather than as a method for producing language through an academic area. This work focuses on the development of academic language in ASL and English print of science. The curriculum is written to be implemented as a bilingual academic curriculum to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in various self contained classroom settings. Lessons are conducted in three Units, A B and C. Unit A focuses on research, thought and writing of preparatory materials in small groups. Unit B is comprised of procedural lessons on conducting x experiments and the evaluation of those experiments through mathematics. Unit C is a group of lessons that ties together Units A and B through writing and peer teaching as a method of concluding the work and presenting information in an effective manner. The success of the project was evaluated on the basis of student work, rubrics, and final works from the students. The results showed promise in aspects of Critical Thinking, writing development, and expression of new concepts in both ASL and English.

The experience of Australian project leaders in encouraging practitioners to adopt research evidence in their clinical practice.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda J; Davies, Jan; Willet, Michaela R

2006-11-01

This paper describes a qualitative program evaluation which sought to identify factors that either assist or impede the adoption of clinical evidence in everyday practice. Thirteen Australian projects were funded in a competitive grant program to adopt innovative strategies to improve the uptake of research evidence in everyday clinical practice. Project leaders' reports were analysed to collate common themes related to 1) critical elements in successful application of research knowledge, 2) barriers to implementing evidence, and 3) lessons for other organisations that might implement a similar project. Despite the diversity of the methods used to establish projects and the range of topics and clinical settings, many similarities were identified in the perceived critical success elements, barriers, and lessons for adopting clinical evidence. Eighteen themes emerged across the data including: leadership support; key stakeholder involvement; practice changes; communication; resources; education of staff; evaluation of outcomes; consumers; knowledge gaps; adoption/implementing staff; access to knowledge; risk assessment; collaboration; effectiveness of clinical research evidence; structure/organisation; cultural barriers; previous experiences; and information technology. Leaders of projects to adopt evidence in clinical practice identified barriers, critical success elements and lessons that impacted on their projects. A range of influences on the adoption of evidence were identified, and this knowledge can be used to assist others undertaking similar projects.

Evaluating Between-Pathway Models with Expression Data

PubMed Central

Leiserson, M.D.M.; Cowen, L.J.; Slonim, D.K.

2010-01-01

Abstract Between-pathway models (BPMs) are network motifs consisting of pairs of putative redundant pathways. In this article, we show how adding another source of high-throughput data—microarray gene expression data from knockout experiments—allows us to identify a compensatory functional relationship between genes from the two BPM pathways. We evaluate the quality of the BPMs from four different studies, and we describe how our methods might be extended to refine pathways. PMID:20377458

Utilization of Lesson Analysis as Teacher Self Reflection to Improve the Lesson Design on Chemical Equation Topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edyani, E. A.; Supriatna, A.; Kurnia; Komalasari, L.

2017-02-01

The research is aimed to investigate how lesson analysis as teacher’s self-reflection changes the teacher’s lesson design on chemical equation topic. Lesson Analysis has been used as part of teacher training programs to improve teacher’s ability in analyzing their own lesson. The method used in this research is a qualitative method. The research starts from build lesson design, implementation lesson design to senior high school student, utilize lesson analysis to get information about the lesson, and revise lesson design. The revised lesson design from the first implementation applied to the second implementation, resulting in better design. This research use lesson analysis Hendayana&Hidayat framework. Video tapped and transcript are employed on each lesson. After first implementation, lesson analysis result shows that teacher-centered still dominating the learning because students are less active in discussion, so the part of lesson design must be revised. After second implementation, lesson analysis result shows that the learning already student-centered. Students are very active in discussion. But some part of learning design still must be revised. In general, lesson analysis was effective for teacher to reflect the lessons. Teacher can utilize lesson analysis any time to improve the next lesson design.

The Redesign of Developmental Education in Virginia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgecombe, Nikki

2016-01-01

This chapter describes the structure and implementation of a redesign of developmental education in the Virginia Community College System, discusses preliminary descriptive findings from an evaluation of the redesign, and shares lessons for the field.

Evaluating Montana's ITEEM : successes and lessons for Eco-logical

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Up until the late 1990s, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) performed environmental mitigation for transportation projects on an individual-project basis. Similar experiences at State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) nationwide have s...

Elements for Effective Management of Operating Pump and Treat Systems

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This fact sheet summarizes key aspects of effective management for operating pump and treat (P&T) systems based on lessons learned from conducting optimization evaluations at 20 Superfund-financed P&T systems.

Lessons learned from international experience in congestion pricing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-08-01

Large road pricing projects have been implemented in U.K., France, Norway, Sweden, : Germany, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia over the past three decades. Additionally, : congestion pricing has been analyzed and evaluated through numerous studie...

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine Whole Slide Imaging Connectathon at Digital Pathology Association Pathology Visions 2017.

PubMed

Clunie, David; Hosseinzadeh, Dan; Wintell, Mikael; De Mena, David; Lajara, Nieves; Garcia-Rojo, Marcial; Bueno, Gloria; Saligrama, Kiran; Stearrett, Aaron; Toomey, David; Abels, Esther; Apeldoorn, Frank Van; Langevin, Stephane; Nichols, Sean; Schmid, Joachim; Horchner, Uwe; Beckwith, Bruce; Parwani, Anil; Pantanowitz, Liron

2018-01-01

As digital pathology systems for clinical diagnostic work applications become mainstream, interoperability between these systems from different vendors becomes critical. For the first time, multiple digital pathology vendors have publicly revealed the use of the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) standard file format and network protocol to communicate between separate whole slide acquisition, storage, and viewing components. Note the use of DICOM for clinical diagnostic applications is still to be validated in the United States. The successful demonstration shows that the DICOM standard is fundamentally sound, though many lessons were learned. These lessons will be incorporated as incremental improvements in the standard, provide more detailed profiles to constrain variation for specific use cases, and offer educational material for implementers. Future Connectathon events will expand the scope to include more devices and vendors, as well as more ambitious use cases including laboratory information system integration and annotation for image analysis, as well as more geographic diversity. Users should request DICOM features in all purchases and contracts. It is anticipated that the growth of DICOM-compliant manufacturers will likely also ease DICOM for pathology becoming a recognized standard and as such the regulatory pathway for digital pathology products.

Painful Temporomandibular Disorder: Decade of Discovery from OPPERA Studies.

PubMed

Slade, G D; Ohrbach, R; Greenspan, J D; Fillingim, R B; Bair, E; Sanders, A E; Dubner, R; Diatchenko, L; Meloto, C B; Smith, S; Maixner, W

2016-09-01

In 2006, the OPPERA project (Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment) set out to identify risk factors for development of painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD). A decade later, this review summarizes its key findings. At 4 US study sites, OPPERA recruited and examined 3,258 community-based TMD-free adults assessing genetic and phenotypic measures of biological, psychosocial, clinical, and health status characteristics. During follow-up, 4% of participants per annum developed clinically verified TMD, although that was a "symptom iceberg" when compared with the 19% annual rate of facial pain symptoms. The most influential predictors of clinical TMD were simple checklists of comorbid health conditions and nonpainful orofacial symptoms. Self-reports of jaw parafunction were markedly stronger predictors than corresponding examiner assessments. The strongest psychosocial predictor was frequency of somatic symptoms, although not somatic reactivity. Pressure pain thresholds measured at cranial sites only weakly predicted incident TMD yet were strongly associated with chronic TMD, cross-sectionally, in OPPERA's separate case-control study. The puzzle was resolved in OPPERA's nested case-control study where repeated measures of pressure pain thresholds revealed fluctuation that coincided with TMD's onset, persistence, and recovery but did not predict its incidence. The nested case-control study likewise furnished novel evidence that deteriorating sleep quality predicted TMD incidence. Three hundred genes were investigated, implicating 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as risk factors for chronic TMD, while another 6 SNPs were associated with intermediate phenotypes for TMD. One study identified a serotonergic pathway in which multiple SNPs influenced risk of chronic TMD. Two other studies investigating gene-environment interactions found that effects of stress on pain were modified by variation in the gene encoding catechol O-methyltransferase. Lessons learned from OPPERA have verified some implicated risk factors for TMD and refuted others, redirecting our thinking. Now it is time to apply those lessons to studies investigating treatment and prevention of TMD. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2016.

Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE): Enhancing Scientific Communication by Bringing STEM Research into the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierce, D.; Radencic, S.; Funderburk, W. K.; Walker, R. M.; Jackson, B. S.; Dawkins, K. S.; Schmitz, D.; Bruce, L. M.; McNeal, K.

2014-12-01

INSPIRE, a five-year partnership between Mississippi State University and three local school districts, is designed to strengthen the communication skills of graduate Fellows in geosciences, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and engineering as they incorporate their research into inquiry-based lessons in 7th - 12th grade science and math classrooms. All lesson plans designed and taught by the graduate Fellows must include one or more connections to their research, and these connections must be demonstrated to the students during the lessons. International research partnerships with Australia, the Bahamas, England, and Poland provide valuable opportunities for graduate Fellows to conduct field work abroad and allow our partner teachers to have authentic research experiences that they can bring back to their classrooms. Program effectiveness has been examined using pre- and post-year attitudinal surveys, formal lesson plan documents, Fellow and teacher journals, focus group meetings with a project evaluator, and direct observation of Fellow-led classroom activities. Analyses of data gathered during the past four years of the partnership will be presented that examine the diversity in approaches taken by Fellows to communicate big ideas, changes in the ability of Fellows to find connections between their research and classroom lessons while keeping them aligned with state and national standards, and the quality of the mentorship provided to the Fellows by our partner teachers. INSPIRE is funded by the Graduate K-12 (GK-12) STEM Fellowship Program of the National Science Foundation (Award No. DGE-0947419).

Exercise intensities during a ballet lesson in female adolescents with different technical ability.

PubMed

Guidetti, L; Gallotta, M C; Emerenziani, G P; Baldari, C

2007-09-01

To investigate the exercise intensity during a typical grade five ballet lesson, thirty-nine dancers (13 - 16 yrs) were divided into three different technical proficiency groups: low level (n = 13), intermediate level (n = 14), and high level (n = 12). A progressively incremented treadmill test was administered to determine VO(2max), individual ventilatory threshold (IVT), and the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). Oxygen uptake (VO(2)), heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (La) were then evaluated during a grade five ballet lesson. Oxygen uptake at IVT, IAT and maximal oxygen uptake were greater (p < 0.05) in the high-level dancers indicating a higher level of fitness. HR and %VO(2max) obtained during the various exercises of the ballet lesson were similar among groups. During the ballet lesson, low technical level dancers had more V.O (2) and La values above (p < 0.05) the IAT than the other groups. Correlation analysis revealed that the number of exercises performed above IAT was positively related to anthropometric characteristics (BMI, %FM; r = 0.36, p < 0.05; r = 0.46, p < 0.01), negatively related to fitness parameters (VO(2IVT), VO(2IAT), VO(2max); r between - 0.43 and - 0.69; p < 0.001) and to technical level (r = - 0.70; p < 0.001). The subjects classified as having low technical abilities had lower fitness levels and performed more exercises above IAT than the more skilled dancers.

Developing and Evaluating the GriefLink Web Site: Processes, Protocols, Dilemmas and Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Sheila; Burgess, Teresa; Laven, Gillian; Bull, Michael; Marker, Julie; Browne, Eric

2004-01-01

Despite a profusion of recommendations regarding the quality of web sites and guidelines related to ethical issues surrounding health-related sites, there is little guidance for the design and evaluation of sites relating to loss and grief. This article, which addresses these deficiencies, results from a community consultation process of designing…

WWW Motivation Mining: Finding Treasures for Teaching Evaluation Skills, Grades 1-6. Professional Growth Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnone, Marilyn P.; Small, Ruth V.

Designed for elementary or middle school teachers and library media specialists, this book provides educators with practical, easy-to-use ways of applying motivation assessment techniques when selecting World Wide Web sites for inclusion in their lessons and offers concrete examples of how to use Web evaluation with young learners. WebMAC…

Evaluation of Link Courses and Other Co-Operative Educational Programs in New South Wales During 1979.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Alan; And Others

Link courses and other cooperative educational programs designed for secondary school students in New South Wales were evaluated in 1979. Link courses/programs are instructional sessions in which secondary students attend a postsecondary institution, or in which postsecondary faculty give lessons to students at the secondary school. The study was…

Learning to Learn: Lessons from a Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadha, Anita

2017-01-01

E-learning has become one of the primary ways to deliver education around the globe. Research is keeping pace with the use of various techno-aids as educators evaluate how to effectively use these aids in an ever-changing e-classroom. Adding to this body of work, and in assessing the effectiveness of techno-tools, this study evaluates meaningful…

Designing and Evaluating a Context-Based Lesson Sequence Promoting Conceptual Coherence in Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ummels, M. H. J.; Kamp, M. J. A.; de Kroon, H.; Boersma, K. Th.

2015-01-01

Context-based education, in which students deal with biological concepts in a meaningful way, is showing promise in promoting the development of students' conceptual coherence. However, literature gives little guidance about how this kind of education should be designed. Therefore, our study aims at designing and evaluating the practicability of a…

Lessons from a Concurrent Evaluation of Eight Antibullying Programs Used in Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flygare, Erik; Gill, Peter Edward; Johansson, Bjorn

2013-01-01

Sweden has a low prevalence of bullying and Swedish schools are legally obliged to have anti-bullying policies. Many commercial programs are available. A mixed methods, quasi-experimental, concurrent evaluation of 8 programs, chosen from a pool of 21 widely used anti-bullying programs, was planned. Preliminary data, based on 835 stakeholder…

Meta-Representation in an Algebra I Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izsak, Andrew; Caglayan, Gunhan; Olive, John

2009-01-01

We describe how 1 Algebra I teacher and her 8th-grade students used meta-representational knowledge when generating and evaluating equations to solve word problems. Analyzing data from a sequence of 4 lessons, we found that the teacher and her students used criteria for evaluating equations, in addition to other types of knowledge (e.g., different…

A Structured Approach to Honours Undergraduate Research Course, Evaluation Rubrics and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khoukhi, Amar

2013-01-01

This paper presents a new approach to the Honours Undergraduate Research Course design and implementation. The course design process, assessment and evaluation rubrics are provided. Lessons learned and the experience of the faced challenges and opportunities for two cohort offerings of the course during the winter terms of 2011 and 2012 are…

Process Evaluation of the Teacher Training for an AIDS Prevention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Nazeema; Flisher, Alan J.; Mathews, Catherine; Jansen, Shahieda; Mukoma, Wanjiru; Schaalma, Herman

2006-01-01

This paper provides a process evaluation of a 6-day teacher training programme which forms part of a sexuality education project. The training aimed at providing teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively teach a 16-lesson Grade 8 (14 year olds) life skills curriculum consisting of participatory exercises on sexual…

Participatory Assessment of Development Interventions: Lessons Learned from a New Evaluation Methodology in Ghana and Burkina Faso

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pouw, Nicky; Dietz, Ton; Bélemvire, Adame; de Groot, Dieneke; Millar, David; Obeng, Francis; Rijneveld, Wouter; Van der Geest, Kees; Vlaminck, Zjos; Zaal, Fred

2017-01-01

This article presents the principles and findings of developing a new participatory assessment of development (PADev) evaluation approach that was codesigned with Dutch nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and northern and southern research institutes over a period of 4 years in the context of rural development in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Although…

"On the Level". Formative Evaluation: Alone vs. Lonely. Research Report 74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for Instructional Television, Bloomington, IN.

A formative evaluation was conducted of the instructional television program "Alone vs. Lonely," from "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons designed to aid secondary school students in dealing with personal and social growth. The program is designed to teach that loneliness is normal and is felt by everyone, and to suggest…

Evaluation of a District-wide Inservice Professional Development Program for Teaching Science: Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dass, Pradeep Maxwell

1999-01-01

Nationwide dissemination of the Iowa Chautauqua Model for inservice professional development of K-12 science teachers has led to new professional development programs in many states. Discusses a formative evaluation of the implementation of the Collier Chautauqua Program (CCP) which focuses on teacher enhancement resulting from participation in…

Evaluation of a District-Wide Inservice Professional Development Program for Science Teachers: Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dass, Pradeep Maxwell

Nation-wide dissemination of the Iowa Chautauqua Model for inservice professional development of K-12 science teachers has led to new professional development programs in many states. The Collier Chautauqua Program (CCP) implemented the Iowa Chautauqua model at the district level in Collier County, Florida. A formative evaluation of the…

Computer Writing Skills for Limited English Proficiency Students: Project COMPUGRAFIA.LEP 1988-89. OREA Evaluation Section Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Keyes, Jose L.

The Computer Writing Skills for Limited English Proficient Students (Project COMPUGRAFIA.LEP), bilingual special education classes totalling 375 Spanish-speaking students at 10 elementary schools in the Bronx, is evaluated. The project proposed to assist site teachers in developing appropriate lesson plans and effective teaching techniques and…

Results and Lessons Learned from Phase 1 of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII)

EPA Science Inventory

A summary of the key findings from the model evaluation studies performed for the Phase 1 annual 2006 North American and European simulations, as well as reflections on experiences gained during Phase 1 that will be important for guiding the implementation of Phase 2 of the Air Q...

The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Implementation Lessons from the Original Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, John; Fraker, Thomas; Manno, Michelle; Baird, Peter; Mamun, Arif; O'Day, Bonnie; Rangarajan, Anu; Wittenburg, David

2010-01-01

This report focuses on the seven original Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) projects selected for funding in 2003. Three of the original seven projects were selected for a national random assignment evaluation in 2005; however, this report only focuses on program operations prior to joining the random assignment evaluation for the three…

Automated Writing Evaluation in an EFL Setting: Lessons from China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Jinlan; Rich, Changhua Sun

2017-01-01

This paper reports a series of research studies on the use of automated writing evaluation (awe) in secondary and university settings in China. The secondary school study featured the use of awe in six intact classes of 268 senior high school students for one academic year. The university study group comprised 460 students from five universities…

Evaluation of Instructional Practice in the Secondary School Mathematics Classroom: A Cognitive Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artzt, Alice F.; Armour-Thomas, Eleanor

The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop a model for evaluating teachers' instructional practices in mathematics and the cognitions associated with these practices. The sample consisted of seven beginning and seven experienced teachers of secondary school mathematics, who each taught one lesson of his or her own design. To evaluate…

Factors Influencing Participant Perceptions of Program Impact: Lessons from a Virtual Fieldtrip for Middle-School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adedokun, Omolola A.; Parker, Loran C.; Loizzo, Jamie; Burgess, Wilella D.; Robinson, J. Paul

2011-01-01

Participant perceptions of program effectiveness and impact are undoubtedly a popular focus of Extension program evaluations. However, the effects of participants' characteristics and contextual variables on program perceptions and how the resulting data can be used for program improvement are less explored in evaluation studies. Using data from…

The pulmonary vasculature--lessons from Tibetans and from rare diseases of oxygen sensing.

PubMed

Frise, Matthew C; Robbins, Peter A

2015-11-01

What is the topic of this review? This review is principally concerned with results from studies of the pulmonary vasculature in humans, particularly in relation to hypoxia and rare diseases that affect oxygen sensing. What advances does it highlight? This review highlights the degree to which the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription system influences human pulmonary vascular responses to hypoxia. Upregulation of the HIF pathway augments hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, while alterations to the pathway found in Tibetans are associated with suppression of the progressive increase in pulmonary artery pressure with sustained hypoxia. It also highlights the potential importance of iron, which modulates the HIF pathway, in modifying the pulmonary vascular response to hypoxia. The human pulmonary circulation loses its natural distensibility during sustained hypoxia, leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension and a much higher workload for the right ventricle. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway is implicated in this pulmonary vascular response to continued hypoxia by animal studies, and additionally, by rare human diseases where the pathway is upregulated. However, there are no known human genetic diseases downregulating HIF. Tibetans, though, demonstrate blunted pulmonary vascular responses to sustained hypoxia. This seems to be accounted for by an altered HIF pathway as a consequence of natural selection over a period of many thousands of years lived at high altitude. In addition to genetic differences, iron is another important modulator of HIF pathway function. Experimental work in humans demonstrates that manipulation of iron stores can influence the behaviour of the pulmonary circulation during hypoxia, in ways analogous to that seen in Tibetans and patients with rare diseases that affect oxygen sensing. The importance of physiological differences in iron bioavailability in modulating hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in health and disease is yet to be established. © 2014 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2014 The Physiological Society.

The effect of sleep duration and quality on academical success of the elementary school children in Kayseri Turkey.

PubMed

Unalan, Demet; Ozturk, Ahmet; Ismailogullari, Sevda; Akgul, Nilgun; Aksu, Murat

2013-05-01

To assess the sleeping habits of primary school children and establish link between sleeping hours and academic achievement. The cross-sectional study was conducted between April and June 2007, involving 2422 students of 6-8th grades in 12 primary schools located in Kayseri, Turkey. A questionnaire was presented to the students on the basis of probability sampling method. Academic performance was evaluated with regard to their school grades. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. Of the total 2422 questionnaires distributed, 1966 (81.2%) were used for further evaluation. The mean sleeping period of the students during school days was 8.86 +/- 1.10 hours. The number of students having difficulty in waking up in the morning was 940 (47.8%), while 910 (46.3%) were confused when they woke up during the night, and the 886 (45.1%) had nightmares, while 609 (31.0%) were sleepy all day long. As the sleeping period increased, the probability of a mediocre achievement in science lessons increased by 1.33 fold and poor achievement increased by 1.57 fold. Besides, the probability of a mediocre achievement in mathematics lessons increased by 1.36 fold, and poor achievement increased by 1.67 fold. For Turkish language lessons, these increases were found to be 1.40 and 1.60 respectively. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between sleeping time and successful scores in Turkish (r = -0.65, p < 0.025) and science (r = -0.061, p < 0.036) lessons. As the sleeping period increased, the academic achievement of the students was negatively affected. The academic success was low in children who felt sleepy throughout the day.

A strategy for evaluating pathway analysis methods.

PubMed

Yu, Chenggang; Woo, Hyung Jun; Yu, Xueping; Oyama, Tatsuya; Wallqvist, Anders; Reifman, Jaques

2017-10-13

Researchers have previously developed a multitude of methods designed to identify biological pathways associated with specific clinical or experimental conditions of interest, with the aim of facilitating biological interpretation of high-throughput data. Before practically applying such pathway analysis (PA) methods, we must first evaluate their performance and reliability, using datasets where the pathways perturbed by the conditions of interest have been well characterized in advance. However, such 'ground truths' (or gold standards) are often unavailable. Furthermore, previous evaluation strategies that have focused on defining 'true answers' are unable to systematically and objectively assess PA methods under a wide range of conditions. In this work, we propose a novel strategy for evaluating PA methods independently of any gold standard, either established or assumed. The strategy involves the use of two mutually complementary metrics, recall and discrimination. Recall measures the consistency of the perturbed pathways identified by applying a particular analysis method to an original large dataset and those identified by the same method to a sub-dataset of the original dataset. In contrast, discrimination measures specificity-the degree to which the perturbed pathways identified by a particular method to a dataset from one experiment differ from those identifying by the same method to a dataset from a different experiment. We used these metrics and 24 datasets to evaluate six widely used PA methods. The results highlighted the common challenge in reliably identifying significant pathways from small datasets. Importantly, we confirmed the effectiveness of our proposed dual-metric strategy by showing that previous comparative studies corroborate the performance evaluations of the six methods obtained by our strategy. Unlike any previously proposed strategy for evaluating the performance of PA methods, our dual-metric strategy does not rely on any ground truth, either established or assumed, of the pathways perturbed by a specific clinical or experimental condition. As such, our strategy allows researchers to systematically and objectively evaluate pathway analysis methods by employing any number of datasets for a variety of conditions.

Trypsin impaired epithelial barrier function and induced IL-8 secretion through basolateral PAR-2: a lesson from a stratified squamous epithelial model.

PubMed

Shan, Jing; Oshima, Tadayuki; Chen, Xin; Fukui, Hirokazu; Watari, Jiro; Miwa, Hiroto

2012-11-15

Immune-mediated injury by the protease-activated receptor-2-interleukin-8 (PAR-2-IL8) pathway may underlie the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the localization of PAR-2 and the mechanism of PAR-2 activation remain unclear. This study aimed to address these questions on an esophageal stratified squamous epithelial model and in the human esophageal mucosa of GERD patients. Normal human esophageal epithelial cells were cultured with the air-liquid interface system to establish the model. SLIGKV-NH2 (PAR-2 synthetic agonist), trypsin (PAR-2 natural activator), and weak acid (pH 4, 5, and 6) were added to either the apical or basolateral compartment to evaluate their effects on transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and IL-8 production. PAR-2 localization was examined both in the cell model and biopsies from GERD patients by immunohistochemistry. Apical trypsin stimulation induced IL-8 accompanied by decreased TEER in vitro, whereas the effective concentration from the basolateral side was 10 times lower. SLIGKV-NH2 from basolateral but not apical stimulation induced IL-8 production. Apical weak acid stimulation did not influence TEER or IL-8 production. Immunohistochemistry showed intense reactivity of PAR-2 in the basal and suprabasal layers after stimulation with trypsin. A similar PAR-2 reactivity that was mainly located at the basal and suprabasal layers was detected in GERD patients. In conclusion, the activation of the PAR-2-IL-8 pathway probably occurred at the basal and suprabasal layers, while the esophageal epithelial barrier may influence the activation of PAR-2. Under proton pump inhibitor therapy, refluxed trypsin may remain active and be a potential agent in the pathogenesis of refractory GERD.

Best strategies to implement clinical pathways in an emergency department setting: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Jabbour, Mona; Curran, Janet; Scott, Shannon D; Guttman, Astrid; Rotter, Thomas; Ducharme, Francine M; Lougheed, M Diane; McNaughton-Filion, M Louise; Newton, Amanda; Shafir, Mark; Paprica, Alison; Klassen, Terry; Taljaard, Monica; Grimshaw, Jeremy; Johnson, David W

2013-05-22

The clinical pathway is a tool that operationalizes best evidence recommendations and clinical practice guidelines in an accessible format for 'point of care' management by multidisciplinary health teams in hospital settings. While high-quality, expert-developed clinical pathways have many potential benefits, their impact has been limited by variable implementation strategies and suboptimal research designs. Best strategies for implementing pathways into hospital settings remain unknown. This study will seek to develop and comprehensively evaluate best strategies for effective local implementation of externally developed expert clinical pathways. We will develop a theory-based and knowledge user-informed intervention strategy to implement two pediatric clinical pathways: asthma and gastroenteritis. Using a balanced incomplete block design, we will randomize 16 community emergency departments to receive the intervention for one clinical pathway and serve as control for the alternate clinical pathway, thus conducting two cluster randomized controlled trials to evaluate this implementation intervention. A minimization procedure will be used to randomize sites. Intervention sites will receive a tailored strategy to support full clinical pathway implementation. We will evaluate implementation strategy effectiveness through measurement of relevant process and clinical outcomes. The primary process outcome will be the presence of an appropriately completed clinical pathway on the chart for relevant patients. Primary clinical outcomes for each clinical pathway include the following: Asthma--the proportion of asthmatic patients treated appropriately with corticosteroids in the emergency department and at discharge; and Gastroenteritis--the proportion of relevant patients appropriately treated with oral rehydration therapy. Data sources include chart audits, administrative databases, environmental scans, and qualitative interviews. We will also conduct an overall process evaluation to assess the implementation strategy and an economic analysis to evaluate implementation costs and benefits. This study will contribute to the body of evidence supporting effective strategies for clinical pathway implementation, and ultimately reducing the research to practice gaps by operationalizing best evidence care recommendations through effective use of clinical pathways. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01815710.

The implications of e-health system delivery strategies for integrated healthcare: lessons from England.

PubMed

Eason, Ken; Waterson, Patrick

2013-05-01

This paper explores the implications that different technical strategies for sharing patient information have for healthcare workers and, as a consequence, for the extent to which these systems provide support for integrated care. Four technical strategies were identified and the forms of coupling they made with healthcare agencies were classified. A study was conducted in England to examine the human and organizational implications of systems implemented by these four strategies. Results were used from evaluation reports of two systems delivered as part of the NPfIT (National Programme for Information Technology) and from user responses to systems delivered in two local health communities in England. In the latter study 40 clinical respondents reported the use of systems to support integrated care in six healthcare pathways. The implementation of a detailed care record system (DCRS) in the NPfIT was problematic because it could not meet the diverse needs of all healthcare agencies and it required considerable local customization. The programme evolved to allow different systems to be delivered for each local health community. A national Summary Care Record (SCR) was implemented but many concerns were raised about wide access to confidential patient information. The two technical strategies that required looser forms of coupling and were under local control led to wide user adoption. The systems that enabled data to be transferred between local systems were successfully used to support integrated care in specific healthcare pathways. The portal approach gave many users an opportunity to view patient data held on a number of databases and this system evolved over a number of years as a result of requests from the user community. The UK national strategy to deliver single shared database systems requires tight coupling between many users and has led to poor adoption because of the diverse needs of healthcare agencies. Sharing patient information has been more successful when local systems have been developed to serve particular healthcare pathways or when separate databases are viewable through a portal. On the basis of this evidence technical strategies that permit the local design of tight coupling are necessary if information systems are to support integrated care in healthcare pathways. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Project Bluebook Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Jeffrey F.

1990-01-01

Described is an interdisciplinary unit on pseudoscience which combines interest in unidentified flying objects (UFO's), physics, astronomy, art, and english composition. The different phases of the lesson, assignments, and evaluation are discussed. A list of books available on UFOs is provided. (CW)

"Is It the Real Thing?" Cola Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Neva; McGraw, Dana

1988-01-01

Introduces an interdisciplinary activity using a cola drink. Describes the lesson plan, including objectives, procedures, evaluation, projects, and conclusions. Provides two laboratory sheets containing problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations, and conclusions, vocabulary table, and data table. (YP)

Teaching Physics and the Nature of Science Together: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nott, Mick

1994-01-01

Describes and evaluates an attempt to teach about Brownian motion and to simultaneously draw out lessons about the nature of science. Outlines the learning tasks, summarizes and analyzes student responses from a questionnaire. (DDR)

Conquering Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sylvia

1990-01-01

Designs a lesson to help secondary art students overcome the fear of a threatening blank page. Students learned proportional enlargement, how to evaluate objectively, and gained experience with visual balance. Displays three examples of student's artwork generated by geometric design problems. (DB)

Planning the bioterrorism response supply chain: learn and live.

PubMed

Brandeau, Margaret L; Hutton, David W; Owens, Douglas K; Bravata, Dena M

2007-01-01

Responses to bioterrorism require rapid procurement and distribution of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, trained personnel, and information. Thus, they present significant logistical challenges. On the basis of a review of the manufacturing and service supply chain literature, the authors identified five supply chain strategies that can potentially increase the speed of response to a bioterrorism attack, reduce inventories, and save money: effective supply chain network design; effective inventory management; postponement of product customization and modularization of component parts; coordination of supply chain stakeholders and appropriate use of incentives; and effective information management. The authors describe how concepts learned from published evaluations of manufacturing and service supply chains, as well as lessons learned from responses to natural disasters, naturally occurring outbreaks, and the 2001 US anthrax attacks, can be applied to design, evaluate, and improve the bioterrorism response supply chain. Such lessons could also be applied to the response supply chains for disease outbreaks and natural and manmade disasters.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applied in dentistry.

PubMed

Huang, Ta-Ko; Yang, Chi-Hsun; Hsieh, Yu-Hsin; Wang, Jen-Chyan; Hung, Chun-Cheng

2018-04-01

The OSCE is a reliable evaluation method to estimate the preclinical examination of dental students. The most ideal assessment for OSCE is used the augmented reality simulator to evaluate. This literature review investigated a recently developed in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) starting of the dental history to the progress of the dental skill. As result of the lacking of technology, it needs to depend on other device increasing the success rate and decreasing the risk of the surgery. The development of tracking unit changed the surgical and educational way. Clinical surgery is based on mature education. VR and AR simultaneously affected the skill of the training lesson and navigation system. Widely, the VR and AR not only applied in the dental training lesson and surgery, but also improved all field in our life. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

Meeting the challenge of policy-relevant science: lessons from a water resource project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lamb, B.L.

Water resources scientists face complex tasks in evaluating aspects of water projects, but relatively few assessment procedures have been applied and accepted as standards applications. Decision-makers often rely on environmental assessments to evaluate the value and operation of projects. There is often confusion about scientists' role in policy decisions. The scientist can affect policy-making as an expert witness, an advocate or a surrogate. By understanding the policy process, scientists can make their work more policy relevant. Using the Terror Lake hydro project in Alaska as a guide, three lessons are discussed: (1) not all problems are able to be solvedmore » with technology; (2) policy-relevant technology is rarely imposed on a problem; and (3) the scientist need not just to react to the policy process, but can have an impact on how that process unfolds.« less

Gene therapy oversight: lessons for nanobiotechnology.

PubMed

Wolf, Susan M; Gupta, Rishi; Kohlhepp, Peter

2009-01-01

Oversight of human gene transfer research ("gene therapy") presents an important model with potential application to oversight of nanobiology research on human participants. Gene therapy oversight adds centralized federal review at the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnology Activities and its Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee to standard oversight of human subjects research at the researcher's institution (by the Institutional Review Board and, for some research, the Institutional Biosafety Committee) and at the federal level by the Office for Human Research Protections. The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research oversees human gene transfer research in parallel, including approval of protocols and regulation of products. This article traces the evolution of this dual oversight system; describes how the system is already addressing nanobiotechnology in gene transfer: evaluates gene therapy oversight based on public opinion, the literature, and preliminary expert elicitation; and offers lessons of the gene therapy oversight experience for oversight of nanobiotechnology.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online: lessons learned, initial findings and future directions.

PubMed

Glueckauf, Robert L; Loomis, Jeffrey S

2003-01-01

Family caregivers of older adults with progressive dementia (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) are faced with a variety of emotional and behavioral difficulties, such as dealing with persistent, repetitive questions, managing agitation and depression, and monitoring hygiene and self-care activities. Although professional and governmental organizations have called for the creation of community-based education and support programs, most dementia caregivers continue to receive little or no formal instruction in responding effectively to these challenges. The current paper describes the development and implementation of Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online, a Web- and telephone-based education and support network for caregivers of individuals with progressive dementia. Lessons learned from the first two years of this state-supported initiative are discussed, followed by the findings of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded strategic marketing initiative and an initial program evaluation of AlzOnline's Positive Caregiving classes. Finally, clinical implications and future directions for program development and evaluation research are proposed.

Cancer in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: lessons from animal models

PubMed Central

Sussman, Daniel; Santaolalla, Rebeca; Strobel, Sebastian; Dheer, Rishu; Abreu, Maria T.

2012-01-01

Purpose of the review Human colitis-associated cancers (CAC) represent a heterogeneous group of conditions in which multiple oncogenic pathways are involved. In this manuscript we reviewed the latest studies using genetic, chemically induced, bacterial and innate immunity induced experimental models of colitis-associated cancer. Recent findings Using the azoxymethane-dextran sodium sulfate model wound healing pathways seems to be required in the development of CAC. There is also an emerging understanding that commensal and/or pathogenic bacteria can promote tumorigenesis, through T cell mediated inflammation. Using specific transgenic mice (villin-CD98, T cell SMAD7, villin-TLR4) or specific knock-out mice, investigators have identified that derangements in epithelial or innate and adaptive immune pathways can result in CAC. Subtle perturbations in epithelial repair—both too little or too exuberant, can render mice susceptible to tumorigenesis. Summary With the aid of animal models, we have witnessed a rapid expansion of our knowledge of the molecular and immunologic mechanisms underlying inflammatory cancers. Though animal models have contributed a discrete amount of information to our understanding of tumorigenesis in the setting of intestinal inflammation it is clear that no single animal model will be able to adequately recapitulate the pathogenesis of complex CRCs, but each model gets us one step closer to comprehending the nature of CAC. PMID:22614440

Identifying viable regulatory and innovation pathways for regenerative medicine: a case study of cultured red blood cells.

PubMed

Mittra, J; Tait, J; Mastroeni, M; Turner, M L; Mountford, J C; Bruce, K

2015-01-25

The creation of red blood cells for the blood transfusion markets represents a highly innovative application of regenerative medicine with a medium term (5-10 year) prospect for first clinical studies. This article describes a case study analysis of a project to derive red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells, including the systemic challenges arising from (i) the selection of appropriate and viable regulatory protocols and (ii) technological constraints related to stem cell manufacture and scale up to clinical Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard. The method used for case study analysis (Analysis of Life Science Innovation Systems (ALSIS)) is also innovative, demonstrating a new approach to social and natural science collaboration to foresight product development pathways. Issues arising along the development pathway include cell manufacture and scale-up challenges, affected by regulatory demands emerging from the innovation ecosystem (preclinical testing and clinical trials). Our discussion reflects on the efforts being made by regulators to adapt the current pharmaceuticals-based regulatory model to an allogeneic regenerative medicine product and the broader lessons from this case study for successful innovation and translation of regenerative medicine therapies, including the role of methodological and regulatory innovation in future development in the field. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What success can teach us about failure: the plasma metabolome of older adults with superior memory and lessons for Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Mapstone, Mark; Lin, Feng; Nalls, Mike A; Cheema, Amrita K; Singleton, Andrew B; Fiandaca, Massimo S; Federoff, Howard J

2017-03-01

As the world population ages, primary prevention of age-related cognitive decline and disability will become increasingly important. Prevention strategies are often developed from an understanding of disease pathobiology, but models of biological success may provide additional useful insights. Here, we studied 224 older adults, some with superior memory performance (n = 41), some with normal memory performance (n = 109), and some with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 74) to understand metabolomic differences which might inform future interventions to promote cognitive health. Plasma metabolomics revealed significant differential abundance of 12 metabolites in those with superior memory relative to controls (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve [AUC] = 0.89) and the inverse abundance pattern in the mild cognitive impairment, AD (AUC = 1.0) and even preclinical AD groups relative to controls (AUC = 0.97). The 12 metabolites are components of key metabolic pathways regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and nitric oxide bioavailability. These findings from opposite ends of the cognitive continuum highlight the role of these pathways in superior memory abilities and whose failure may contribute to age-related memory impairment. These pathways may be targeted to promote successful cognitive aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utilization of military support in the response to hurricane Marilyn: implications for future military-civilian cooperation.

PubMed

Weddle, M; Prado-Monje, H

1999-01-01

The past decade has been a period of evolution for the Federal disaster response system within the United States. Two domestic hurricanes were pivotal events that influenced the methods used for organizing Federal disaster assistance. The lessons of Hurricane Hugo (1989) and Hurricane Andrew (1992) were incorporated into the successful response to Hurricane Marilyn in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1995. Following each of these storms, the Department of Defense was a major component of the response by the health sector. Despite progress in many areas, lack of clear communication between military and civilian managers and confusion among those requesting Department of Defense health resources may remain as obstacles to rapid response. This discussion is based on an unpublished case report utilizing interviews with military and civilian managers involved in the Hurricane Marilyn response. The findings suggest that out-of-channel pathways normally utilized in the warning and emergency phase of the response remained operational after more formal civilian-military communication pathways and local assessment capability had been established. It is concluded that delays may be avoided if the system in place was to make all active pathways for the request and validation of military resources visible to the designated Federal managers located within the area of operations.

Metric System Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maggi, Gayle J. B.

Thirty-six lessons for introducing the metric system are outlined. Appropriate grade level is not specified. The metric lessons suggested include 13 lessons on length, 7 lessons on mass, 11 lessons on capacity, and 5 lessons on temperature. Each lesson includes a list of needed materials, a statement of the lesson purpose, and suggested…

Speed, Acceleration, and Velocity: Level II, Unit 9, Lesson 1; Force, Mass, and Distance: Lesson 2; Types of Motion and Rest: Lesson 3; Electricity and Magnetism: Lesson 4; Electrical, Magnetic, and Gravitational Fields: Lesson 5; The Conservation and Conversion of Matter and Energy: Lesson 6; Simple Machines and Work: Lesson 7; Gas Laws: Lesson 8; Principles of Heat Engines: Lesson 9; Sound and Sound Waves: Lesson 10; Light Waves and Particles: Lesson 11; Program. A High.....

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. Job Corps.

This self-study program for high-school level contains lessons on: Speed, Acceleration, and Velocity; Force, Mass, and Distance; Types of Motion and Rest; Electricity and Magnetism; Electrical, Magnetic, and Gravitational Fields; The Conservation and Conversion of Matter and Energy; Simple Machines and Work; Gas Laws; Principles of Heat Engines;…

From empower to Green Dot : successful strategies and lessons learned in developing comprehensive sexual violence primary prevention programming.

PubMed

Cook-Craig, Patricia G; Millspaugh, Phyllis H; Recktenwald, Eileen A; Kelly, Natalie C; Hegge, Lea M; Coker, Ann L; Pletcher, Tisha S

2014-10-01

This case study describes Kentucky's partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) EMPOWER (Enhancing and Making Programs Work to End Rape) program to enhance the mission and services of existing rape crisis centers to include comprehensive primary prevention programming to reduce rates of sexual violence perpetration. The planning process and the successful implementation of a statewide, 5-year, randomized control trial study of a bystander prevention program (Green Dot), and its evaluation are described. Lessons learned in generating new questions, seeking funding, building relationships and capacity, and disseminating knowledge are presented. © The Author(s) 2014.

Commentary: recent reforms in the British National Health Service--lessons for the United States.

PubMed Central

Holland, W W; Graham, C

1994-01-01

President Clinton recently announced his reform plan for health care in the United States. The United Kingdom, along with other countries, has already enacted reforms in an effort to overcome the basic problem of having insufficient funds to provide a health service to meet modern demands. This paper briefly describes the recent health reforms in the United Kingdom and highlights some lessons for the United States, which include the need to choose procedures that should be universally provided. Health reforms that involve some fundamental restructuring need to be evaluated everywhere and agreed to by the staff in advance. PMID:8296937

Investigating Health Disparities through Community-Based Participatory Research: Lessons Learned from a Process Evaluation

PubMed Central

Bryan, Valerie; Brye, Willette; Hudson, Kenneth; Dubose, Leevones; Hansberry, Shantisha; Arrieta, Martha

2014-01-01

This article describes one university's efforts to partner with a local agency (the “Coalition”) within a disadvantaged, predominantly African American neighborhood, to assist them with studying their community's health disparities and health care access. The final, mutually agreed-upon plan used a community-based participatory research approach, wherein university researchers prepared neighborhood volunteers and Coalition members to conduct face-to-face interviews with residents about their health and health care access. Subsequently, the Coalition surveyed 138 residents, and the agency now possesses extensive data about the nature and extent of health problems in their community. Lessons learned from these experiences are offered. PMID:24871770

School-based prevention of bullying and relational aggression in adolescence: the fairplayer.manual.

PubMed

Scheithauer, Herbert; Hess, Markus; Schultze-Krumbholz, Anja; Bull, Heike Dele

2012-01-01

The fairplayer.manual is a school-based program to prevent bullying. The program consists of fifteen to seventeen consecutive ninety-minute lessons using cognitive-behavioral methods, methods targeting group norms and group dynamics, and discussions on moral dilemmas. Following a two-day training session, teachers, together with skilled fairplayer.teamers, implement fairplayer.manual in the classroom during regular school lessons. This chapter offers a summary of the program's conception and underlying prevention theory and summarizes the results from two evaluation studies. Standardized questionnaires showed a positive impact of the intervention program on several outcome variables. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Evaluation of a cross-cultural training program for Pakistani educators: Lessons learned and implications for program planning.

PubMed

Mazur, Rebecca; Woodland, Rebecca H

2017-06-01

In this paper, we share the results of a summative evaluation of PEILI, a US-based adult professional development/training program for secondary school Pakistani teachers. The evaluation was guided by the theories of cultural competence (American Psychological Association, 2003; Bamberger, 1999; Wadsworth, 2001) and established frameworks for the evaluation of professional development/training and instructional design (Bennett, 1975; Guskey, 2002; King, 2014; Kirkpatrick, 1967). The explicit and implicit stakeholder assumptions about the connections between program resources, activities, outputs, and outcomes are described. Participant knowledge and skills were measured via scores on a pre/posttest of professional knowledge, and a standards-based performance assessment rubric. In addition to measuring short-term program outcomes, we also sought to incorporate theory-driven thinking into the evaluation design. Hence, we examined participant self-efficacy and access to social capital, two evidenced-based determinants or "levers" that theoretically explain the transformative space between an intervention and its outcomes (Chen, 2012). Data about program determinants were collected and analyzed through a pre/posttest of self-efficacy and social network analysis. Key evaluation findings include participant acquisition of new instructional skills, increased self-efficacy, and the formation of a nascent professional support network. Lessons learned and implications for the design and evaluation of cross-cultural teacher professional development programs are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimating Impacts on Students, Teachers, and Schools of Programs Targeted for Preschool through Transition to College--Lessons for Methodologists from the Designs of 117 Evaluations Being Conducted in the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) Grant Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Cristofer; Wolf, Anne; Goodson, Barbara; Boulay, Beth

2015-01-01

When presenting results from rigorous, field-based evaluations of educational interventions, researchers often reveal methodological barriers they face in designing studies to assessing program effectiveness. The evaluations funded by the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) present a timely opportunity for identifying relevant and pressing issues…

Lessons from Library Power: Enriching Teaching and Learning. Final Report of the Evaluation of the National Library Power Initiative, an Initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zweizig, Douglas L.; Hopkins, Dianne McAfee

This book presents the results of an evaluation of Library Power, an initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund that provided support for school library development in 19 communities. Following an introductory chapter, the chapters are organized around key questions of the evaluation. Chapters 2 through 4 address the implementation of…

"There Is a Lot of Junk on the Web!": Using Web Site Evaluation in an Introductory Religion Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Junior, Nyasha; Edwards, Amy

2011-01-01

This essay describes a web site evaluation project which served as the final assignment for an undergraduate "Introduction to Religion" course. The essay discusses lessons learned from the design and implementation of this web-based research assignment over three consecutive semesters. It includes insights from an instructor and a reference…

Learning from Action Evaluation of the Use of Multimedia Case Studies in Management Information Systems Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kawulich, Barbara B.

2011-01-01

This manuscript shares lessons learned from conducting an action evaluation of the use of multimedia case studies in Management Information Systems (MIS) courses. Three undergraduate MIS classes took part in the study. The purpose for using case studies in these classes was to teach students about the role of MIS in business. An action evaluation…

Formative Evaluation of "Taxes Influence Behavior" (Lesson #2) from "Tax Whys: Understanding Taxes". Research Report 91.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for Instructional Television, Bloomington, IN.

"Tax Whys: Understanding Taxes" is a series of six video/film instructional programs being produced for the Internal Revenue Service to provide middle school students with an understanding of the reasons for and effects of taxation. This report details both student and teacher evaluations of one of the first programs to be scripted: "Taxes…

Consumer Health: Does Advertising Work on You? and Evaluating a Product's Health Claims.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Carolyn C.

This paper describes lessons for teaching middle and high school students how to determine if they are influenced by the power of advertising and how to evaluate a product's health claims. To determine the influence of advertising, teachers have high school students discuss what their latest health product/service purchase was, why they bought it,…

Implementation and Evaluation of a Condom Availability Program on a College Campus: Lessons from the Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eastman-Mueller, Heather P.; Gomez-Scott, Jessica R.; Jung, Ae-Kyung; Oswalt, Sara B.; Hagglund, Kristofer

2016-01-01

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate access to condoms as a critical sexual health prevention strategy. The purpose of this article is to discuss the implementation and evaluation of a condom availability program using dispensing machines in residence halls at a Midwestern U.S. university. Undergraduate students (N = 337)…