Using Affinity Chromatography to Investigate Novel Protein–Protein Interactions in an Undergraduate Cell and Molecular Biology Lab Course

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Inquiry-driven lab exercises require students to think carefully about a question, carry out an investigation of that question, and critically analyze the results of their investigation. Here, we describe the implementation and assessment of an inquiry-based laboratory exercise in which students obtain and analyze novel data that contribute to our understanding of macromolecular trafficking between the nucleus and cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. Although many of the proteins involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport are known, the physical interactions between some of these polypeptides remain uncharacterized. In this cell and molecular biology lab exercise, students investigate novel protein–protein interactions between factors involved in nuclear RNA export. Using recombinant protein expression, protein extraction, affinity chromatography, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting, undergraduates in a sophomore-level lab course identified a previously unreported association between the soluble mRNA transport factor Mex67 and the C-terminal region of the yeast nuclear pore complex protein Nup1. This exercise immersed students in the process of investigative science, from proposing and performing experiments through analyzing data and reporting outcomes. On completion of this investigative lab sequence, students reported enhanced understanding of the scientific process, increased proficiency with cellular and molecular methods and content, greater understanding of data analysis and the importance of appropriate controls, an enhanced ability to communicate science effectively, and an increased enthusiasm for scientific research and for the lab component of the course. The modular nature of this exercise and its focus on asking novel questions about protein–protein interactions make it easily transferable to undergraduate lab courses performed in a wide variety of contexts. PMID:19723816

Students’ Perception of Self-Efficacy Following Medicinal Chemistry Skills Laboratory Exercises

PubMed Central

Roche, Victoria F.; Qi, Yongyue

2016-01-01

Objective. To analyze student perceptions of self-efficacy in meeting medicinal chemistry course related educational outcomes and skills following a medicinal chemistry skills laboratory. Methods. Four activities were implemented in a pharmacy skills laboratory (PSL) for second-year pharmacy students. Students (n=121) worked individually on exercises for three of the four activities. Pre/post-laboratory surveys on self-efficacy were administered. The McNemar test was performed to evaluate students’ self-efficacy above 70% related to course outcomes before and after the exercises in each activity. An independent t test was conducted to compare the mean of students’ responses on meeting course outcomes based on the 70% anchor for the perspective confidence on meeting course outcomes. Results. The post-PSL scores on all self-efficacy questions improved. The majority of students reported skill development in all exercises. Students and clinical faculty qualitative responses indicated they felt exercises were effective. Conclusion. A PSL can serve as a valuable opportunity to address course related educational outcomes and specific skill development and can help students assess their self-efficacy in meeting them. PMID:27402979

Qualitative analysis of medical student impressions of a narrative exercise in the third-year psychiatry clerkship.

PubMed

Garrison, David; Lyness, Jeffrey M; Frank, Julia B; Epstein, Ronald M

2011-01-01

Clinical clerkship directors and faculty undertake the challenge of teaching patient-centered communication to students who face the enormous doctor-centered task of learning diagnostic medicine. The authors examined students' written reactions to the narrative exercise, which, drawing from narrative medicine and narrative therapy, challenges students to be more patient-centered by writing a patient's life story and sharing it with that patient. During one-half of an academic year (2008-2009), the authors used qualitative methods to explore the range of medical student experiences with the narrative exercise in the psychiatry clerkship. During the study period, 46 medical students completed the exercise, and 44 (96%) submitted 367 comments for the research team to analyze. Four broad categories emerged: (1) communication, (2) insight, (3) hope, and (4) mixed or negative reactions. The most common theme was improved communication, which comprised the subcategories of enhanced active listening, opening up, and relationship building. Improved insights included student insights into their patients, as well as the facilitation of patient insights into themselves, especially regarding their own strengths and relationships. The exercise was well received by students: Only five comments were categorized as negative, and all of these related to difficulties selecting patients. Students reported many examples of improved patient-centered communication facilitated by the exercise. The narrative exercise may also promote a greater understanding of patients as complete human beings rather than diagnostic entities. The approach may be useful in educational settings beyond the psychiatry clerkship.

An Examination of Motivational Regulations, Dispositional Flow and Social Physique Anxiety among College Students for Exercise: A Self-Determination Theory Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ersöz, Gözde

2016-01-01

Based on self-determination theory (SDT), the main goal of this study is to analyze dispositional flow and social physique anxiety (SPA) that could be predicted by gender, BMI and motivational regulations and to examine motivational regulations, dispositional flow and SPA of college students in terms of stage of change for exercise. Participants…

Integrating PCR theory and bioinformatics into a research-oriented primer design exercise.

PubMed

Robertson, Amber L; Phillips, Allison R

2008-01-01

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a conceptually difficult technique that embodies many fundamental biological processes. Traditionally, students have struggled to analyze PCR results due to an incomplete understanding of the biological concepts (theory) of DNA replication and strand complementarity. Here we describe the design of a novel research-oriented exercise that prepares students to design DNA primers for PCR. Our exercise design includes broad and specific learning goals and assessments of student performance and perceptions. We developed this interactive Primer Design Exercise using the principles of scientific teaching to enhance student understanding of the theory behind PCR and provide practice in designing PCR primers to amplify DNA. In the end, the students were more poised to troubleshoot problems that arose in real experiments using PCR. In addition, students had the opportunity to utilize several bioinformatics tools to gain an increased understanding of primer quality, directionality, and specificity. In the course of this study many misconceptions about DNA replication during PCR and the need for primer specificity were identified and addressed. Students were receptive to the new materials and the majority achieved the learning goals.

The importance of supporting adolescents' autonomy in promoting physical-sport exercise.

PubMed

Moreno-Murcia, Juan Antonio; Hernández, Elisa Huéscar

2013-01-01

This study was conducted toward the objective of analyzing certain factors that influence physical activity in Spanish adolescent students using self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; 2000) as a framework. Participants included 698 physical education students whose perception of the autonomy support provided by their teachers was assessed in and out of the class context. Also assessed were social goals of responsibility and relationship with others, basic psychological needs, and intrinsic motivation, which is part of self-determination theory (SDT). Finally, the "intention" factor posited by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and students' rate of exercise in the last twelve months were considered. The results of structural equations modeling suggest autonomy education, autonomy support, and social goals positively predicted certain psychological mediators, which in turn positively predicted students' intrinsic motivation, which was a positive predictor of intention, and that of rate of exercise. The results also highlight the benefit of promoting autonomy to enhance students' physical exercise practice.

Relationships between negative affect and academic achievement among secondary school students: the mediating effects of habituated exercise.

PubMed

Hashim, Hairul A; Freddy, Golok; Rosmatunisah, Ali

2012-09-01

The current study was undertaken to examine the associations between self-determination, exercise habit, anxiety, depression, stress, and academic achievement among adolescents aged 13 and 14 years in eastern Malaysia. The sample consisted of 750 secondary school students (mean age = 13.4 years, SD = 0.49). Participants completed self-report measures of exercise behavioral regulation, negative affect, and exercise habit strength. Midyear exam results were used as an indicator of academic performance. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results of structural equation modeling revealed a close model fit for the hypothesized model, which indicates that higher levels of self-determination were positively associated with habituated exercise behavior. In turn, exercise habit strength fostered academic achievement and buffered the debilitative effect of stress, depression, and anxiety on student academic performance. The analysis of model invariance revealed a nonsignificant difference between male and female subjects. The findings support the notion that habituated exercise fosters academic performance. In addition, we found that habituated exercise buffers the combined effects of stress, anxiety and depression on academic performance. The finding also supports the roles of self-determination in promoting exercise habituation.

Test Anxiety Reduction. Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Eda; Hanna, Joyce

This student workbook is intended for use in helping teenage and adult basic education (ABE) students reduce their anxiety over tests in general and over the General Educational Development (GED) test in particular. Exercises are provided to help students analyze and understand their feelings about and while taking tests, recall the childhood…

Is lactate production related to muscular fatigue? A pedagogical proposition using empirical facts.

PubMed

Macedo, Denise Vaz; Lazarim, Fernanda Lorenzi; Catanho da Silva, Fernando Oliveira; Tessuti, Lucas Samuel; Hohl, Rodrigo

2009-12-01

The cause-effect relationship between lactic acid, acidosis, and muscle fatigue has been established in the literature. However, current experiments contradict this premise. Here, we describe an experiment developed by first-year university students planned to answer the following questions: 1) Which metabolic pathways of energy metabolism are responsible for meeting the high ATP demand during high-intensity intermittent exercise? 2) Which metabolic pathways are active during the pause, and how do they influence phosphocreatine synthesis? and 3) Is lactate production related to muscular fatigue? Along with these questions, students received a list of materials available for the experiment. In the classroom, they proposed two protocols of eight 30-m sprints at maximum speed, one protocol with pauses of 120 s and the other protocol with pauses of 20 s between sprints. Their performances were analyzed through the velocity registered by photocells. Blood lactate was analyzed before the first sprint and after the eighth sprint. Blood uric acid was analyzed before exercise and 15 and 60 min after exercises. When discussing the data, students concluded that phosphocreatine restoration is time dependent, and this fact influenced the steady level of performance in the protocol with pauses of 120 s compared with the performance decrease noted in the protocol with pauses of 20 s. As the blood lactate levels showed similar absolute increases after both exercises, the students concluded that lactate production is not related to the performance decrement. This activity allows students to integrate the understanding of muscular energy pathways and to reconsider a controversial concept with facts that challenge the universality of the hypothesis relating lactate production to muscular fatigue.

A Laboratory Exercise for a College-Level, Introductory Neuroscience Course Demonstrating Effects of Housing Environment on Anxiety and Psychostimulant Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Pritchard, Laurel M.; Van Kempen, Tracey A.; Williams, Heather; Zimmerberg, Betty

2008-01-01

In this paper we describe a lab exercise developed for the Introduction to Neuroscience course at Williams College. One of a series of five labs, this exercise demonstrated several key principles of behavioral neuroscience. In this lab, students explored the effects of post-weaning housing environment on anxiety-like behavior and psychostimulant sensitivity in rodents. The exercise was intended to emphasize the importance and utility of animal models in neuroscience research and to give students hands-on experience with behavioral neuroscience research techniques. Students tested rats reared in social isolation or environmental enrichment for anxiety-like behaviors on the elevated plus maze, and for spontaneous and amphetamine-induced locomotor activity in the open field. They were then asked to analyze pooled class data and prepare a short lab report. Overall, student performance was excellent. This exercise emerged as a class favorite on course evaluations. Interestingly, the first time this exercise was conducted, the effects of environmental enrichment on anxiety-like behaviors and psychostimulant sensitivity were not consistent with those published in previous studies. Key methodological issues that may account for this discrepancy and contribute to successful implementation by other programs are discussed. PMID:23493884

Teaching the process of molecular phylogeny and systematics: a multi-part inquiry-based exercise.

PubMed

Lents, Nathan H; Cifuentes, Oscar E; Carpi, Anthony

2010-01-01

Three approaches to molecular phylogenetics are demonstrated to biology students as they explore molecular data from Homo sapiens and four related primates. By analyzing DNA sequences, protein sequences, and chromosomal maps, students are repeatedly challenged to develop hypotheses regarding the ancestry of the five species. Although these exercises were designed to supplement and enhance classroom instruction on phylogeny, cladistics, and systematics in the context of a postsecondary majors-level introductory biology course, the activities themselves require very little prior student exposure to these topics. Thus, they are well suited for students in a wide range of educational levels, including a biology class at the secondary level. In implementing this exercise, we have observed measurable gains, both in student comprehension of molecular phylogeny and in their acceptance of modern evolutionary theory. By engaging students in modern phylogenetic activities, these students better understood how biologists are currently using molecular data to develop a more complete picture of the shared ancestry of all living things.

Differences in the Intensity and Duration of Adolescents' Sports and Exercise across Physical and Social Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunton, Genevieve Fridlund; Berrigan, David; Ballard-Barbash, Rachel; Perna, Frank; Graubard, Barry I.; Atienza, Audie A.

2012-01-01

We used data from the American Time Use Survey (years 2003-06) to analyze whether the intensity and duration of high school students' (ages 15-18 years) sports and exercise bouts differed across physical and social environments. Boys' sports and exercise bouts were more likely to reach a vigorous intensity when taking place at school and with…

Assessing the Electrochemical Behavior of Microcontact-Printed Silver Nanogrids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Wesley C.; Iles, Peter; Valcarce, Ron; Salisbury, Kyle; Johnson, Glen; Lines, Aubry; Meyers, John; Page, Cristofer; Vanweerd, Myles; Young, Davies

2018-01-01

This paper describes a laboratory exercise used to address the ongoing need for nanotechnology-related, hands-on laboratory experiences for undergraduate students. Determination of the electrochemical behavior of student-fabricated silver nanogrids is reported. Students successfully used cyclic voltammetry to analyze silver nanogrids printed using…

The Rhetoric of Satire: Analyzing in Freshman English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proctor, Betty Jane

1982-01-01

Presents a series of exercises designed to provide freshman composition students with a base for analyzing works rhetorically, to point out how language can be used persuasively, and to illustrate how satire functions. (FL)

Challenges in Exercise Physiology Research and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ji, Li Li; Diffee, Gary; Schrage, William

2008-01-01

Similar to other subdisciplines in kinesiology, exercise physiology (EP) as a field is facing challenges in both research (creation and dissemination of new knowledge) and education (classroom instruction and student mentoring). In the current communication, we will learn from the history, analyze the current status of the field, and provide some…

Dissociation of the Ethyl Radical: An Exercise in Computational Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nassabeh, Nahal; Tran, Mark; Fleming, Patrick E.

2014-01-01

A set of exercises for use in a typical physical chemistry laboratory course are described, modeling the unimolecular dissociation of the ethyl radical to form ethylene and atomic hydrogen. Students analyze the computational results both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative structural changes are compared to approximate predicted values…

Characterizing Mystery Cell Lines: Student-driven Research Projects in an Undergraduate Neuroscience Laboratory Course.

PubMed

Lemons, Michele L

2012-01-01

Inquiry-based projects promote discovery and retention of key concepts, increase student engagement, and stimulate interest in research. Described here are a series of lab exercises within an undergraduate upper level neuroscience course that train students to design, execute and analyze their own hypothesis-driven research project. Prior to developing their own projects, students learn several research techniques including aseptic cell culture, cell line maintenance, immunocytochemistry and fluorescent microscopy. Working in groups, students choose how to use these techniques to characterize and identify a "mystery" cell line. Each lab group is given a unique cell line with either a neural, astrocyte, or Schwann cell origin. Working together, students plan and execute experiments to determine the cellular origin and other unique characteristics of their mystery cell line. Students generate testable hypotheses, design interpretable experiments, generate and analyze data, and report their findings in both oral and written formats. Students receive instructor and peer feedback throughout the entire project. In summary, these labs train students the process of scientific research. This series of lab exercises received very strong positive feedback from the students. Reflections on student feedback and plans for future improvements are discussed.

Characterizing Mystery Cell Lines: Student-driven Research Projects in an Undergraduate Neuroscience Laboratory Course

PubMed Central

Lemons, Michele L.

2012-01-01

Inquiry-based projects promote discovery and retention of key concepts, increase student engagement, and stimulate interest in research. Described here are a series of lab exercises within an undergraduate upper level neuroscience course that train students to design, execute and analyze their own hypothesis-driven research project. Prior to developing their own projects, students learn several research techniques including aseptic cell culture, cell line maintenance, immunocytochemistry and fluorescent microscopy. Working in groups, students choose how to use these techniques to characterize and identify a “mystery” cell line. Each lab group is given a unique cell line with either a neural, astrocyte, or Schwann cell origin. Working together, students plan and execute experiments to determine the cellular origin and other unique characteristics of their mystery cell line. Students generate testable hypotheses, design interpretable experiments, generate and analyze data, and report their findings in both oral and written formats. Students receive instructor and peer feedback throughout the entire project. In summary, these labs train students the process of scientific research. This series of lab exercises received very strong positive feedback from the students. Reflections on student feedback and plans for future improvements are discussed. PMID:23504583

Experimental Analysis of Cell Function Using Cytoplasmic Streaming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssens, Peter; Waldhuber, Megan

2012-01-01

This laboratory exercise investigates the phenomenon of cytoplasmic streaming in the fresh water alga "Nitella". Students use the fungal toxin cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, to investigate the mechanism of streaming. Students use simple statistical methods to analyze their data. Typical student data are provided. (Contains 3…

Themed Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Christopher O.

2010-01-01

This article presents a classroom activity that introduces students to the concept of themed space. Students learn to think critically about the spaces they encounter on a regular basis by analyzing existing spaces and by working in groups to create their own themed space. This exercise gives students the chance to see the relevance of critical…

Debate on the Draft--Helping Students Decide Where They Stand.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victory, James

1981-01-01

Presents four exercises to help secondary school social studies students understand the complex issues of the draft. Students participate in a mock draft lottery, analyze Phil Och's Draft Dodger Rag, examine how individual experiences affect attitudes, and compare writings by Bill Mauldin and Ron Kovic. (KC)

Cardiorespiratory endurance evaluation using heart rate analysis during ski simulator exercise and the Harvard step test in elementary school students.

PubMed

Lee, Hyo Taek; Roh, Hyo Lyun; Kim, Yoon Sang

2016-01-01

[Purpose] Efficient management using exercise programs with various benefits should be provided by educational institutions for children in their growth phase. We analyzed the heart rates of children during ski simulator exercise and the Harvard step test to evaluate the cardiopulmonary endurance by calculating their post-exercise recovery rate. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects (n = 77) were categorized into a normal weight and an overweight/obesity group by body mass index. They performed each exercise for 3 minutes. The cardiorespiratory endurance was calculated using the Physical Efficiency Index formula. [Results] The ski simulator and Harvard step test showed that there was a significant difference in the heart rates of the 2 body mass index-based groups at each minute. The normal weight and the ski-simulator group had higher Physical Efficiency Index levels. [Conclusion] This study showed that a simulator exercise can produce a cumulative load even when performed at low intensity, and can be effectively utilized as exercise equipment since it resulted in higher Physical Efficiency Index levels than the Harvard step test. If schools can increase sport durability by stimulating students' interests, the ski simulator exercise can be used in programs designed to improve and strengthen students' physical fitness.

Stress Reduction and Mood Enhancement in Four Exercise Modes: Swimming, Body Conditioning, Hatha Yoga, and Fencing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Bonnie G.; Owen, David R.

1988-01-01

Differences in mood before and after class of college students taking different courses (swimming, body conditioning, hatha yoga, fencing exercise, and lecture) were analyzed using the Profile Mood States and the State Anxiety Inventory. Results suggest that courses which meet four requirements involving aerobics, noncompetitiveness,…

An Analysis of the Relationship between Social Support, Selected Demographics, and Physical Activity among Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiGiandomenico, MaryJo

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference in physical activity participation, awareness of exercise facilities, institutional physical education requirements, number of physical education classes taken, perceptions of current exercise habits, perceived current physical fitness level, perceived body weight, and selected demographic…

Active Involvement of Students in the Learning Process of the American Health Care System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poirier, Sylvie

1997-01-01

Over 200 pharmacy students in a University of Georgia class on the American health care system engaged in debates on health care issues, discussed newspaper articles, conducted client home visits, analyzed county health statistics, and completed exercises on pharmacists' compensation and health care planning. Most participating students responded…

Analyzing Defects in the "Caenorhabditis Elegans" Nervous System Using Organismal and Cell Biological Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guziewicz, Megan; Vitullo, Toni; Simmons, Bethany; Kohn, Rebecca Eustance

2002-01-01

The goal of this laboratory exercise is to increase student understanding of the impact of nervous system function at both the organismal and cellular levels. This inquiry-based exercise is designed for an undergraduate course examining principles of cell biology. After observing the movement of "Caenorhabditis elegans" with defects in their…

The Quality of Pedagogical Exercises in U.S. History Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavere, David Bruce

2008-01-01

The author analyzes pedagogical exercises related to Native Americans in thirteen U.S. history textbooks currently used in grades three, four, five, eight, and eleven. The purpose of the research was to determine the extent to which U.S. history textbooks offer, or fail to offer, opportunities for students to engage in and develop higher-order…

Teaching More than the Facts of Menstruation: Exercises to Stimulate Dialogue about a Taboo Subject.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Christina J.

1981-01-01

Presents nine exercises designed to help students and teachers become more aware of their attitudes about menstruation and to move beyond the realms of mystery, ignorance, and taboos. Participants list and analyze expressions used to refer to menstruation, discuss pleasant and unpleasant experiences, and recall feelings on first learning of…

Using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter to Teach Phase Equilibria to Students of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maria, Anton H.; Millam, Evan L.; Wright, Carrie L.

2011-01-01

As an aid for teaching phase equilibria to undergraduate students of igneous and metamorphic petrology, we have designed a laboratory exercise that allows them to create a phase diagram from data produced by differential scanning calorimetry. By preparing and analyzing samples of naphthalene and phenanthrene, students acquire hands-on insight into…

How to Effectively Use Social Media as In-Class Teaching Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simplicio, Joseph

2015-01-01

Every day all across America teachers assign their students stories to read and summarize. Unfortunately, many of these students find this to be an exercise in futility. Lacking the skills to effectively analyze the material, these students often struggle to properly summarize what they have read because they have never mastered the correct…

A Literacy Exercise: An Extracurricular Reading Program as an Intervention to Enrich Student Reading Habits in Qatar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasser, Ramzi

2013-01-01

This paper evaluates an extracurricular reading activity in Qatari schools. The paper presents a two-month extracurricular reading program designed for fourth grade students. The methodology used triangulation of the data to analyze, in detail, the students' primary perceptions towards reading, teacher self-efficacy, teacher instructional behavior…

The Effect of Acceleration Sprint and Zig-zag Drill Combination to Increase Students’ Speed and Agility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bana, O.; Mintarto, E.; Kusnanik, N. W.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to analyze the following factors: (1) how far the effect of exercise acceleration sprint on the speed and agility (2) how much influence the zig-zag drill combination to the speed and agility (3) and is there any difference between the effects of exercise acceleration sprint and practice zig-zag drill combination of the speed and agility. This research is quantitative with quasi-experimental approach. The design of this study is matching only design.This study was conducted on 33 male students who take part in extracurricular and divided into 3 groups with 11 students in each group. Group 1 was given training of acceleration sprint, group 2 was given zig-zag training combination drills of conventional and exercises for group 3, for 8 weeks. The data collection was using sprint 30 meter to test the speed and agility t-test to test agility. Data were analyzed using t-test and analysis of variance. The conclusion of the research is (1) there is a significant effect of exercise acceleration sprint for the speed and agility, (2) there is a significant influence combination zig-zag drills, on speed and agility (3) and exercise acceleration sprint have more effect on the speed and agility.

Blogging in a biostatistics and research design graduate dental course: for learning or interaction?

PubMed

El Tantawi, Maha M A

2010-04-01

The use of the Internet in health professions education has markedly increased in recent years. There is a need to understand the methods used by students to benefit from Internet-based teaching methods, especially those initially designed to promote social interaction such as blogs. This study describes how students used a blog in a biostatistics and research design graduate dental course. The aims of the blog were to offer exercises to train students for the exam and to enhance interaction among students and between students and instructor. Some features of the blog were modified to suit the course. Posts and comments were counted and classified by type, and their time statistics were analyzed. Students filled out a questionnaire to indicate whether and how exactly they used the blog or reasons for not using it. The relation between final exam scores and different methods of using the blog was assessed. Most of the posts were by the instructor offering exercises and model answers, whereas most of the comments were by students answering the exercises. Students were significantly more satisfied with blog uses related to interaction than with uses related to exercises (9.15+/-1.19, 8.73+/-1.34, P=0.001). The most frequently cited reason for not using the blog was lack of time. The most frequently reported method of using the blog was reading exercises and answers without actively contributing to the blog. Methods of using the blog significantly associated with higher scores in the final exam were actively contributing to the blog by posts or comments and interacting with colleagues. The main advantage of using the blog was promoting interaction between students and instructor, which is essential for the success of online learning in particular and adult learning in general.

Studying Reliability Using Identical Handheld Lactate Analyzers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Mark T.; Stavrianeas, Stasinos

2008-01-01

Accusport analyzers were used to generate lactate performance curves in an investigative laboratory activity emphasizing the importance of reliable instrumentation. Both the calibration and testing phases of the exercise provided students with a hands-on opportunity to use laboratory-grade instrumentation while allowing for meaningful connections…

Roemer Redux: A Virtual Observational Exercise on Jupiter's Moons and the Speed of Light from Project CLEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabrowski, Jan Paul; Snyder, G. A.; Marschall, L. A.

2009-01-01

Project CLEA announces a new laboratory exercise which allows students to determine the speed of light by timing eclipses of Jupiter's moon Io. The experiment is similar to Ole Roemer's classic 17th Century work which established, for the first time, that light did not travel through space instantaneously. Students view a simulated telescopic view of Jupiter and its satellites, similar to that used in the CLEA exercise, The Revolution of the Moons of Jupiter. After identifying Io, they record the precise time when the moon enters Jupiter's shadow at a date about two months after conjunction. Using the recorded time of this eclipse and the known period of Io, students predict the time of an eclipse near opposition and then record the observed time of that eclipse. The discrepancy between the predicted and observed times, along with the difference in the distance between Earth and Jupiter at the two eclipses yields a value of the speed of light accurate to about 10%. Software provided with the exercise enables students to calculate predicted times and Earth/Jupiter distances, as well as to analyze the time discrepancy and to visualize the logic of the analysis. A student manual, including historical and scientific background of the exercise is provided. Our poster will present examples of the screens and manuals for the exercise and will discuss the limits of accuracy of the method and sources of error. For further information on CLEA exercises, please visit http://www.gettysburg.edu/ marschal/clea/CLEAhome.html This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Gettysburg College.

A Framework for Teaching Social and Environmental Sustainability to Undergraduate Business Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brumagim, Alan L.; Cann, Cynthia W.

2012-01-01

The authors outline an undergraduate exercise to help students more fully understand the environmental and social justice aspects of business sustainability activities. A simple hierarchical framework, based on Maslow's (1943) work, was utilized to help the students understand, analyze, and judge the vast amount of corporate sustainability…

Guaiacol Peroxidase Zymography for the Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkesman, Jeff; Castro, Diana; Contreras, Lellys M.; Kurz, Liliana

2014-01-01

This laboratory exercise presents a novel way to introduce undergraduate students to the specific detection of enzymatic activity by electrophoresis. First, students prepare a crude peroxidase extract and then analyze the homogenate via electrophoresis. Zymography, that is, a SDS-PAGE method to detect enzyme activity, is used to specifically…

Structure Sense: A Precursor to Competency in Undergraduate Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Jill; Pierce, Robyn; Bardini, Caroline

2017-01-01

In this article the authors analyze the written solutions of some first year undergraduate mathematics students from Victorian universities as they answered tutorial exercise questions relating to complex numbers and differentiation. These students had studied at least Mathematics Methods or its equivalent at secondary school. Complex numbers was…

An Introductory Bioinformatics Exercise to Reinforce Gene Structure and Expression and Analyze the Relationship between Gene and Protein Sequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida, Craig A.; Tardiff, Daniel F.; De Luca, Jane P.

2004-01-01

We have developed an introductory bioinformatics exercise for sophomore biology and biochemistry students that reinforces the understanding of the structure of a gene and the principles and events involved in its expression. In addition, the activity illustrates the severe effect mutations in a gene sequence can have on the protein product.…

The Global Energy Situation on Earth, Student Guide. Computer Technology Program Environmental Education Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

This is the student guide in a set of five computer-oriented environmental/energy education units. Contents of this guide are: (1) Introduction to the unit; (2) The "EARTH" program; (3) Exercises; and (4) Sources of information on the energy crisis. This guide supplements a simulation which allows students to analyze different aspects of…

Quantitative Analysis in the General Chemistry Laboratory: Training Students to Analyze Individual Results in the Context of Collective Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ling, Chris D.; Bridgeman, Adam J.

2011-01-01

Titration experiments are ideal for generating large data sets for use in quantitative-analysis activities that are meaningful and transparent to general chemistry students. We report the successful implementation of a sophisticated quantitative exercise in which the students identify a series of unknown acids by determining their molar masses…

Integrating Public Relations with Advertising: An Exercise for Students in the College Public Relations Campaigns Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moody, Reginald Ford

2012-01-01

Today's public relations (PR) campaigns courses give students the opportunity to research, analyze, plan, and, in many cases, execute a campaign for a real client. Even so, today's campaigns courses may leave students with a weak understanding of how PR can best partner with other tools in the communication mix, namely advertising. Educators may…

Aligning Goals, Assessments, and Activities: An Approach to Teaching PCR and Gel Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Robertson, Amber L.; Batzli, Janet; Harris, Michelle; Miller, Sarah

2008-01-01

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis have become common techniques used in undergraduate molecular and cell biology labs. Although students enjoy learning these techniques, they often cannot fully comprehend and analyze the outcomes of their experiments because of a disconnect between concepts taught in lecture and experiments done in lab. Here we report the development and implementation of novel exercises that integrate the biological concepts of DNA structure and replication with the techniques of PCR and gel electrophoresis. Learning goals were defined based on concepts taught throughout the cell biology lab course and learning objectives specific to the PCR and gel electrophoresis lab. Exercises developed to promote critical thinking and target the underlying concepts of PCR, primer design, gel analysis, and troubleshooting were incorporated into an existing lab unit based on the detection of genetically modified organisms. Evaluative assessments for each exercise were aligned with the learning goals and used to measure student learning achievements. Our analysis found that the exercises were effective in enhancing student understanding of these concepts as shown by student performance across all learning goals. The new materials were particularly helpful in acquiring relevant knowledge, fostering critical-thinking skills, and uncovering prevalent misconceptions. PMID:18316813

Guided inquiry lab exercises in development and oxygen consumption using zebrafish.

PubMed

Bagatto, Brian

2009-06-01

Zebrafish have become a model organism in many areas of research and are now being used with more frequency in the classroom to teach important biological concepts. The two guided inquiry exercises in this article are each aimed at a different level of instruction, but each can be modified to fit the needs of many high school or college-level courses. The "Zebrafish Development and Environment" exercise teaches high school students about zebrafish development by presenting a series of embryos at different ages. Without access to visual references, students are asked to rank developing zebrafish by age and explain their choices. The students also learn about the heart and circulatory system and the effects of temperature on physiological processes. The second exercise, "Oxygen Consumption," is a 2-week laboratory designed for introductory college biology majors and involves the concept of oxygen consumption as a predictor of metabolic rate. During the first week of lab, students are introduced to the concept and learn how to measure oxygen consumption in zebrafish. In the second week, they perform an instructor-approved experiment of their own design, analyze the results using statistics, and write a report.

Advancing non-directive pregnancy options counseling skills: A pilot Study on the use of blended learning with an online module and simulation.

PubMed

Lupi, Carla; Ward-Peterson, Melissa; Chang, Winnie

2016-10-01

Limitations on didactic time pose barriers to teaching non-directive pregnancy options counseling. This study set out to explore the use of an online module to support trainee performance in a pregnancy options counseling standardized-patient exercise implemented among third-year medical students, and to examine the effect of clinical experience on student performance. An online module was developed. A convenience sample of forty-six student performances in a family medicine clerkship participated in a standardized patient exercise. Trained faculty rated performances. Students completed a self-assessment and provided feedback on the online module. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney-U tests were used to analyze data. Three coders qualitatively examined narrative student comments. Thirty-four students passed, 11 achieved a minimal pass, and one failed. The mean global rating from faculty was 2.8 (pass). Students with prior clinical experience significantly outperformed those without on the global rating scale with mean scores of 3.1 compared to 2.7, respectively (p=.044). All students agreed that the online module helped prepare them for the exercise. Qualitative analysis of students' feedback on the module revealed strengths in content and pedagogy. In their self-assessments, all but two students referred to content explicitly conveyed in the module. All students agreed that an online module supported their performance of non-directive pregnancy options counseling skills. Prior clinical experience was associated with improved performance. This module, along with the simulated exercise, can be implemented as a blended learning exercise without additional faculty teaching effort in standardized patient resource centers. Students agreed that an online module facilitates simulated performance of non-directive pregnancy options counseling skills. Future work should compare the impact of this approach to others, and explore the additional training needed to maintain and build on initial learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychological determinants of exercise behavior of nursing students.

PubMed

Chan, Joanne Chung-Yan

2014-01-01

Though expected to be role models in health promotion, research has shown that nursing students often have suboptimal exercise behavior. This study explored the psychological factors associated with the exercise behavior of nursing students. A total of 195 first-year undergraduate nursing students completed a cross-sectional quantitative survey questionnaire, which included measures of their exercise behavior, the Physical Exercise Self-efficacy Scale, and the Exercise Barriers/Benefits Scale. The results showed that male students spent more time exercising and had higher exercise self-efficacy compared with female students, but there were no gender differences in the perceived barriers to or benefits of exercise. Fatigue brought on by exercising was the greatest perceived barrier to exercise, whereas increasing physical fitness and mental health were the greatest perceived benefits of exercise. Multiple linear regression showed that gender, exercise self-efficacy, perceived barriers to exercise, and perceived benefits of exercise were independent predictors of exercise behavior. Nurse educators can endeavor to promote exercise behavior among nursing students by highlighting the specific benefits of exercise, empowering students to overcome their perceived barriers to exercise, and enhancing students' exercise self-efficacy.

Research oriented MSc course on solar eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vainio, Rami; Heber, Bernd; Agueda, Neus; Kilpua, Emilia; Isavnin, Alexey; Afanasiev, Alexandr; Ganse, Urs; Koskinen, Hannu E. J.

2014-05-01

Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, organized a five-credit-point Master-level course on "Solar Eruptions and Space Environment" in spring 2013. The course, attended by nine students, included twenty hours of introductory lectures on solar eruptive phenomena (focusing on energetic particle emissions) as well as experimental and theoretical methods to analyze them. In addition, the course contained ten hours of exercise sessions, where solutions on short calculation exercises were presented and discussed. The main learning method on the course was, however, a coordinated scientific analysis of five solar eruptions observed by the STEREO spacecraft in 2010-2011. The students were grouped in four teams to study the solar eruptive events from four different view points: (1) Analysis of morphology and kinematics of coronal mass ejections, (2) analysis of EUV imaging observations of coronal wave-like transients, (3) solar and interplanetary magnetic field conditions during the eruptions, and (4) emission and transport modelling of near-relativistic electron events associated with the eruptions. Each group of students was assigned a scientist to oversee their work. The students reported weekly on their progress and gave a final presentation (of 30 minutes) in a seminar session at the end of the seven-week course. Grading of the course was based on the home exercises and final presentations. Students were also asked to give anonymous feedback on the course. Learning results on the course were very encouraging, showing that research oriented courses with practical research exercises on specific topics give students deeper knowledge and more practical skills than traditional lectures and home exercises alone.

Dietary habits and life style among the students of a private medical university Karachi.

PubMed

Nisar, Nighat; Qadri, Majid Hafeez; Fatima, Kiran; Perveen, Shakeela

2008-12-01

To determine the dietary habits and life style of the students of a private medical university in Karachi. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Baqai Medical University, from August 2005 to September 2005. A total of 384 medical students from the batches of 2002 to 2005 participated in this study. A pre-tested semi structured questionnaire was self administered to the students after taking their consent. The data included socio-demographic characteristics, life style, exercise, dietary habits and family history of diabetes mellitus. The collected data was analyzed by statistical program SPSS version 11. Out of the total participants, 53.4% were male and 46.6% were female students. The mean age was 20 +/- 1.58 years. The average income of the household of students was 50,000 Pakistani rupees per month. Only 7% students were tobacco users. About 33% students had a history of diabetes mellitus among their parents. Nearly 97% reported consumption of junk food while 60% reported use of whole grain food in their diet. Seventy percent students walked 30 minutes and 47% exercised daily. According to the body mass index, 58.3% students were of normal weight and 41.7% were overweight. No significant difference was found among male and female students when dietary habits and life style were compared by sex. Junk food and soft-drink consumption was associated with being overweight. Eating whole grain food and doing exercise showed a protective association against overweight. Unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits were highly prevalent in the overweight study population. Type-2 diabetes mellitus was common among parents and grandparents of the students making them prone to this disorder. Our study concluded that dietary and exercise counselling is necessary as a preventive strategy.

Dietary habits and life style among the students of a private medical university Karachi.

PubMed

Nisar, Nighat; Qadri, Majid Hafeez; Fatima, Kiran; Perveen, Shakeela

2009-02-01

To determine the dietary habits and life style of the students of a private medical university in Karachi. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Baqai Medical University, from August 2005 to September 2005. A total of 384 medical students from the batches of 2002 to 2005 participated in this study. A pre-tested semi structured questionnaire was self administered to the students after taking their consent. The data included sociodemographic characteristics, life style, exercise, dietary habits and family history of diabetes mellitus. The collected data was analyzed by statistical program SPSS version 11. Out of the total participants, 53.4% were male and 46.6% were female students. The mean age was 20 +/- 1.58 years. The average income of the household of students was 50,000 Pakistani rupees per month. Only 7% students were tobacco users. About 33% students had a history of diabetes mellitus among their parents. Nearly ninety-seven percent reported consumption of junk food while 60% reported use of whole grain food in their diet. Seventy percent students walked 30 minutes and 47% exercised daily. According to the body mass index, 58.3% students were of normal weight and 41.7% were overweight. No significant difference was found among male and female students when dietary habits and life style were compared by sex. Junk food and soft-drink consumption was associated with being overweight. Eating whole grain food and doing exercise showed a protective association against overweight. Unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits were highly prevalent in the overweight study population. Type-2 diabetes mellitus was common among parents and grandparents of the students making them prone to this disorder. Our study concluded that dietary and exercise counselling is necessary as a preventive strategy.

[Can narrative medicine be an answer to patient physician relationship teaching according to students' demand in medical education curricula?].

PubMed

Goupy, François; Abgrall-Barbry, Gaëlle; Aslangul, Elisabeth; Chahwakilian, Anne; Delaitre, Didier; Girard, Thomas; Lassaunière, Jean-Michel; Roche, Nicolas; Szwebel, Tali-Anne; Dantchev, Nicolas; Triadou, Patrick; Le Jeunne, Claire

2013-01-01

Coming from literature and medicine and medical humanities north American seminars, narrative medicine has applied narratology for analyzing patients' discourse and has been taught during a decade. At Paris Descartes School of Medicine a twenty-hour narrative medicine elective program including whole class lectures and writing and reading small group exercises for second year medical students has been assessed using satisfaction questionnaires. Although several students were uncomfortable with the first writing and reading exercises, the whole satisfaction scores demonstrate that this new program is very well appreciated even when students did not choose this program because they were interested with the patient physician relationship. These results have been confirmed when all students state this program should be continued and when half of them state this program should be offered to more students or made mandatory. The primary focus on literary characteristics of patients' and physicians' discourses, without ignoring psychoanalysis theory, has shown to be safe for young students. Writing exercises are encouraged but not mandatory, and reading is optional if ever they feel embarrassed after producing their own texts. Narrative medicine impact on students' attitudes and behaviors has now to be assessed before implementing new educational programs. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

House Rules: Using the Television Series "House" to Teach Research Ethics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Urkovia

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exercise is to get students to relay and connect with the impact of ethics on public relations research. Students will begin to realize and analyze how their personal ethics influence their professional ethics choices. This is conceptualized through the completion of the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)…

A General Chemistry Assignment Analyzing Environmental Contamination for the Depue, IL, National Superfund Site

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saslow Gomez, Sarah A.; Faurie-Wisniewski, Danielle; Parsa, Arlen; Spitz, Jeff; Spitz, Jennifer Amdur; Loeb, Nancy C.; Geiger, Franz M.

2015-01-01

The classroom exercise outlined here is a self-directed assignment that connects students to the environmental contamination problem surrounding the DePue Superfund site. By connecting chemistry knowledge gained in the classroom with a real-world problem, students are encouraged to personally connect with the problem while simultaneously…

Concept Maps Provide a Window onto Preservice Elementary Teachers' Knowledge in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chichekian, Tanya; Shore, Bruce M.

2013-01-01

This collaborative concept-mapping exercise was conducted in a second-year mathematics methods course. Teachers' visual representations of their mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge provided insight into their understanding of how students learn mathematics. We collected 28 preservice student teachers' concept maps and analyzed them by…

Improving the Writing of Literature Reviews through a Literature Integration Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zorn, Ted; Campbell, Nittaya

2006-01-01

Students are often required to write literature reviews in advanced business communication courses, especially as part of a research project. Likewise, in the workplace, business communicators may need to review the literature in analyzing a problem or proposing a solution. However, instructors often find that even students who otherwise write…

Teaching the Process of Molecular Phylogeny and Systematics: A Multi-Part Inquiry-Based Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lents, Nathan H.; Cifuentes, Oscar E.; Carpi, Anthony

2010-01-01

Three approaches to molecular phylogenetics are demonstrated to biology students as they explore molecular data from "Homo sapiens" and four related primates. By analyzing DNA sequences, protein sequences, and chromosomal maps, students are repeatedly challenged to develop hypotheses regarding the ancestry of the five species. Although…

Preparing Students for Class: A Clinical Trial Testing the Efficacy between Multimedia Pre-Lectures and Textbooks in an Economics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vazquez, Jose J.; Chiang, Eric P.

2016-01-01

Motivating students to come prepared to class is often a futile exercise. The consequences are magnified as more instructors adopt the flipped classroom teaching model, in which students are expected to come to class with some knowledge of the material. This paper analyzed the implementation of a pedagogical tool that addresses this problem:…

Gaining a Better Understanding of Estuarine Circulation and Improving Data Visualization Skills Through a Hands-on Contouring Exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mailloux, B. J.; Kenna, T. C.

2008-12-01

The creation and accurate interpretation of graphs is becoming a lost art among students. The availability of numerous graphing software programs makes the act of graphing data easy but does not necessarily aide students in interpreting complex visual data. This is especially true for contour maps; which have become a critical skill in the earth sciences and everyday life. In multiple classes, we have incorporated a large-scale, hands-on, contouring exercise of temperature, salinity, and density data collected in the Hudson River Estuary. The exercise allows students to learn first-hand how to plot, analyze, and present three dimensional data. As part of a day-long sampling expedition aboard an 80' research vessel, students deploy a water profiling instrument (Seabird CTD). Data are collected along a transect between the Verrazano and George Washington Bridges. The data are then processed and binned at 0.5 meter intervals. The processed data is then used during a later laboratory period for the contouring exercise. In class, students work in groups of 2 to 4 people and are provided with the data, a set of contouring instructions, a piece of large (3' x 3') graph paper, a ruler, and a set of colored markers. We then let the groups work together to determine the details of the graphs. Important steps along the way are talking to the students about X and Y scales, interpolation, and choices of contour intervals and colors. Frustration and bottlenecks are common at the beginning when students are unsure how to even begin with the raw data. At some point during the exercise, students start to understand the contour concept and each group usually produces a finished contour map in an hour or so. Interestingly, the groups take pride in the coloring portion of the contouring as it indicates successful interpretation of the data. The exercise concludes with each group presenting and discussing their contour plot. In almost every case, the hands-on graphing has improved the "students" visualization skills. Contouring has been incorporated into the River Summer (www.riversumer.org, http://www.riversumer.org/) program and our Environmental Measurements laboratory course. This has resulted in the exercise being utilized with undergraduates, high-school teachers, graduate students, and college faculty. We are in the process of making this curricular module available online to educators.

Assessment of Learning Gains Associated with Independent Exam Analysis in Introductory Biology

PubMed Central

William, Adrienne E.; Aguilar-Roca, Nancy M.; Tsai, Michelle; Wong, Matthew; Beaupré, Marin Moravec; O’Dowd, Diane K.

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the impact of an independent postmidterm question analysis exercise on the ability of students to answer subsequent exam questions on the same topics. It was conducted in three sections (∼400 students/section) of introductory biology. Graded midterms were returned electronically, and each student was assigned a subset of questions answered incorrectly by more than 40% of the class to analyze as homework. The majority of questions were at Bloom's application/analysis level; this exercise therefore emphasized learning at these higher levels of cognition. Students in each section answered final exam questions matched by topic to all homework questions, providing a within-class control group for each question. The percentage of students who correctly answered the matched final exam question was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Topic Analysis versus Control Analysis group for seven of 19 questions. We identified two factors that influenced activity effectiveness: 1) similarity in topic emphasis of the midterm–final exam question pair and 2) quality of the completed analysis homework. Our data suggest that this easy-to-implement exercise will be useful in large-enrollment classes to help students develop self-regulated learning skills. Additional strategies to help introductory students gain a broader understanding of topic areas are discussed. PMID:22135369

Assessment of learning gains associated with independent exam analysis in introductory biology.

PubMed

Williams, Adrienne E; William, Adrienne E; Aguilar-Roca, Nancy M; Tsai, Michelle; Wong, Matthew; Beaupré, Marin Moravec; O'Dowd, Diane K

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the impact of an independent postmidterm question analysis exercise on the ability of students to answer subsequent exam questions on the same topics. It was conducted in three sections (∼400 students/section) of introductory biology. Graded midterms were returned electronically, and each student was assigned a subset of questions answered incorrectly by more than 40% of the class to analyze as homework. The majority of questions were at Bloom's application/analysis level; this exercise therefore emphasized learning at these higher levels of cognition. Students in each section answered final exam questions matched by topic to all homework questions, providing a within-class control group for each question. The percentage of students who correctly answered the matched final exam question was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Topic Analysis versus Control Analysis group for seven of 19 questions. We identified two factors that influenced activity effectiveness: 1) similarity in topic emphasis of the midterm-final exam question pair and 2) quality of the completed analysis homework. Our data suggest that this easy-to-implement exercise will be useful in large-enrollment classes to help students develop self-regulated learning skills. Additional strategies to help introductory students gain a broader understanding of topic areas are discussed.

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report "Exercise Improves Executive Function and Achievement and Alters Brain Activation in Overweight Children: A Randomized, Controlled Trial"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2012

2012-01-01

The study examined whether exercise offered to sedentary, overweight children ages 7 to 11 improved executive function--defined as strategy execution when presented with a novel task--and academic performance in reading and math. The study authors analyzed data on about 170 students from Georgia who were recruited in five cohorts from 2003 to…

Exercises on Distance Decay Using Mental Health Historical Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, John M.; Shannon, Gary W.

1984-01-01

By analyzing nineteenth-century mental health data, college level geography students discover the concept of distance decay, which describes the decrease in intensity of a phenomenon with increasing distance from some central place. (RM)

The Dilemma of Time: Student-Centered Teaching in the Rural Classroom in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Dan

2011-01-01

China has been promoting student-centered education under the current curriculum reform. However, teachers in rural schools continue to exercise tight control of the classroom, with lecturing taking up most of the class time. Drawing on ethnographic observation and interviews in a rural elementary school, this study analyzes the rationale of rural…

The Effects of Open Enrollment on School Choice and Student Outcomes. Working Paper 26

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozek, Umut

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes households' response to the introduction of intra-district school choice and examines the impact of exercising this choice on student test scores in Pinellas County Schools, one of the largest school districts in the United States. Households react strongly to the incentives created by such programs, leading to significant…

Biology School Textbooks and Their Role for Students' Success in Learning Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pop-Pacurar, Irina; Ciascai, Liliana

2010-01-01

What is the quality of the Romanian biology textbooks? The article gives answers to this question by watching the evolution of a textbook and by suggesting an exercise for analyzing and assessing the alternative biology textbooks. The opportunity of this analysis has been offered to students, future teachers of biology, around the time when they…

Teaching Students to Use Summary Statistics and Graphics to Clean and Analyze Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holcomb, John; Spalsbury, Angela

2005-01-01

Textbooks and websites today abound with real data. One neglected issue is that statistical investigations often require a good deal of "cleaning" to ready data for analysis. The purpose of this dataset and exercise is to teach students to use exploratory tools to identify erroneous observations. This article discusses the merits of such…

Learning about Foodborne Pathogens: Evaluation of Student Perceptions of Group Project Work in a Food Microbiology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Mark S.

2009-01-01

This study examined the experiences of students in an active learning group work exercise in an introductory food microbiology course involving the study of foodborne pathogens. Small groups were required to access, analyze, and present information regarding a single food poisoning bacterium. The presentations contained features and…

Understanding Problem Solving Behavior of 6-8 Graders in a Debugging Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Zhongxiu; Zhi, Rui; Hicks, Andrew; Barnes, Tiffany

2017-01-01

Debugging is an over-looked component in K-12 computational thinking education. Few K-12 programming environments are designed to teach debugging, and most debugging research were conducted on college-aged students. In this paper, we presented debugging exercises to 6th-8th grade students and analyzed their problem solving behaviors in a…

Discovering Civil Discourse: Using the Online Public Sphere for Authentic Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGowan, Angela M.; Soczka Kaiser, Kelly

2014-01-01

The objective of the exercise described here is for students to be able to recognize Habermas's public sphere theory and analyze public deliberation occurring within the online public sphere. After completing this unit activity, students will also be able to distinguish between civil and uncivil comments that people use in online forums.…

SOLAR ROTATION: A Laboratory Exercise from Project CLEA and the GONG Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, L. A.; Sudol, J. J.; Snyder, G. A.

2002-12-01

Digital images from the GONG Project provide a nearly continuous record of sunspots that are ideal for determining the rate of rotation of the Sun. A new laboratory exercise from Project CLEA provides students with the capability to access an archive of 368 images of the Sun obtained at GONG solar telescopes between January 1, 2002 and April 30, 2002, during a period near solar maximum when large numbers of spots were daily visible on the sun. The resolution of each image is about 2.5 arcsec per pixel (or about 0.25 degree in longitude and latitude at the center of the solar disk). Because these images have such exquisite spatial and temporal resolution, they are the best images to date from which students can determine the solar rotation rate. CLEA software for this exercise allows students to select images by date and time, to overlay a coordinate grid on the image, and to record the latitudes and longitudes of sunspots. This data can be tabulated and analyzed with the software to determine solar rotation rates. The expected precision in the solar rotation rates is +/- 3 hours. Students will also have the ability to combine their chosen images into a digital movie showing the solar rotation. The exercise includes a student workbook and a technical manual, as well as a CD-rom of the data and the software. This exercise was produced with funding from the National Science Foundation and Gettysburg College and with the support of the GONG Project at the National Solar Observatory.

Infectious mononucleosis in university students in the United kingdom: evaluation of the clinical features and consequences of the disease.

PubMed

Macsween, Karen F; Higgins, Craig D; McAulay, Karen A; Williams, Hilary; Harrison, Nadine; Swerdlow, Anthony J; Crawford, Dorothy H

2010-03-01

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is common among university students. We undertook to analyze the clinical features and sequelae of the disease in a cohort of students at Edinburgh University. Consecutive IM case patients were recruited from 2000 through 2002 at the University Health Service after diagnosis of IM. IM resulted in marked reductions in student study time, physical exercise, and non-exercise-related social activities, and sustained increases in reported number of hours of sleep. The disease profile differed between the sexes, with significantly more females reporting fatigue, which was more likely to be prolonged (P = .003) and to lead to loss of study time (P = .013). Female case patients were more likely to discontinue their studies following IM (16% vs 0%; P = .056). Within the typically elevated lymphocyte counts in IM, we identified an elevated gammadelta T cell component that may contribute to the disease pathogenesis. IM results in substantial morbidity among university students, reported as more profound in females, and affecting academic studies, physical exercise, and social activities. Immunization to prevent IM and strategies to reduce post-IM disability would be beneficial in this population.

Effects of a three-week vocal exercise program using the Finnish Kuukka exercises on the speaking voice of Norwegian broadcast journalism students.

PubMed

Bele, Irene; Laukkanen, Anne-Maria; Sipilä, Laura

2010-12-01

Nine broadcast journalism students attended 10 hours in Kuukka vocal exercises, which aims at producing a ringing vocal quality. Nine control subjects received no training. A text was read at habitual loudness before and after the course. Five speech specialists evaluated the text samples for perceptual voice quality and analyzed mean fundamental frequency (F0), equivalent sound level (Leq), and long-term average spectrum (LTAS). For the Training Group, voice quality improved and correlated negatively with firmness and timbre (less firm and darker qualities being considered more desirable), and F0 increased slightly. Leq increased significantly in both groups. The results show positive and perceivable differences after the course. However, the aimed ring was not reached, may be due to too short time.

Guaiacol peroxidase zymography for the undergraduate laboratory.

PubMed

Wilkesman, Jeff; Castro, Diana; Contreras, Lellys M; Kurz, Liliana

2014-01-01

This laboratory exercise presents a novel way to introduce undergraduate students to the specific detection of enzymatic activity by electrophoresis. First, students prepare a crude peroxidase extract and then analyze the homogenate via electrophoresis. Zymography, that is, a SDS-PAGE method to detect enzyme activity, is used to specifically detect peroxidase activity and furthermore, to analyze the total protein profile. After the assay, students may estimate the apparent molecular mass of the enzyme and discuss its structure. After the 4-h experiment, students gain knowledge concerning biological sample preparation, gel preparation, electrophoresis, and the importance of specific staining procedures for the detection of enzymatic activity. Copyright © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A qualitative evaluation of an aerobic exercise program for young people with cerebral palsy in specialist schools.

PubMed

Cleary, Stacey L; Taylor, Nicholas F; Dodd, Karen J; Shields, Nora

2017-08-01

To explore the perceived effects of an aerobic exercise program delivered in specialist schools for young people with cerebral palsy with high support needs. In-depth interviews were completed with 8 students with cerebral palsy, 10 parents, 8 teachers and 7 physiotherapists. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and independently coded by two researchers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two themes emerged: one about program impact and the second about influential design features. Exercise was perceived as important, and participants indicated that the program had resulted in positive physical (e.g., improved ease of mobility, fitness and stamina) and psychosocial (e.g., happiness, social experience, challenge) impacts. The school setting, program staff and student attitudes were key features of the program. These data converge with those from a randomized controlled trial and attribute physical and psychosocial benefits to a specialist school-based exercise program for young people with cerebral palsy.

Using Mauna Loa Atmospheric CO2 Data in Large General Education Geoscience Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, R. M.; Kapp, J. L.

2007-12-01

We have been using the Mauna Loa atmospheric CO2 dataset (http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/data/in_situ_co2/monthly_mlo.csv) in a large (up to 300) General Education Geoscience course, primarily in small breakout groups (30 students). The exercise is designed to address quantitative literacy including percentages, slopes and linear trends, issues of data completeness and bias, quality of extrapolations, as well as implications for climate change. We are significantly revising the course, which serves 600 students a semester, with help from a curriculum grant. A major goal is to improve student learning by incorporating inquiry based activities in the large lecture setting. Lectures now incorporate several activities throughout a given class period, in which students are asked to use critical thinking skills such as interpreting patterns in data and graphs, analyzing a scientific hypothesis for its coherence with the scientific method, and answering higher order synthesis questions in both verbal and written form. This differs from our past format where class periods were dominated by lecture, with a single short activity done individually about every other lecture. To test the effectiveness of the new course format we will give students the same atmospheric CO2 exercise in the lecture setting that they were given previously in breakout groups. Students will work in small groups in lecture after receiving a short introduction to the exercise by the instructor. They will plot CO2 concentrations, make extrapolations, and interpret patterns in the data. We will compare scores on the exercise with previous semesters. We expect that students will do better having had more experience with interpreting scientific data and practicing higher order thinking skills. We also expect working in small groups will foster better learning through peer teaching and discussion. We will incorporate responses from students who took part in the exercises from current and previous semesters. We administer a greenhouse effect concept inventory both before and after the CO2 exercise and other in-class greenhouse gas activities, and will present those results as well.

Mendel Meets CSI: Forensic Genotyping as a Method to Teach Genetics & DNA Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurowski, Scotia; Reiss, Rebecca

2007-01-01

This article describes a forensic DNA science laboratory exercise for advanced high school and introductory college level biology courses. Students use a commercial genotyping kit and genetic analyzer or gene sequencer to analyze DNA recovered from a fictitious crime scene. DNA profiling and STR genotyping are outlined. DNA extraction, PCR, and…

Determination of the static friction coefficient from circular motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Bolívar, J. A.; Cabrerizo-Vílchez, M. A.

2014-07-01

This paper describes a physics laboratory exercise for determining the coefficient of static friction between two surfaces. The circular motion of a coin placed on the surface of a rotating turntable has been studied. For this purpose, the motion is recorded with a high-speed digital video camera recording at 240 frames s-1, and the videos are analyzed using Tracker video-analysis software, allowing the students to dynamically model the motion of the coin. The students have to obtain the static friction coefficient by comparing the centripetal and maximum static friction forces. The experiment only requires simple and inexpensive materials. The dynamics of circular motion and static friction forces are difficult for many students to understand. The proposed laboratory exercise addresses these topics, which are relevant to the physics curriculum.

Oh, Garbage! Decisions about Waste Disposal. Creative Role-Playing Exercises in Science and Technology Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parisi, Lynn; Pearson, Janice

This document is one of a series of role plays that focus on science-related social issues of concern in contemporary public policy formation. The role plays are designed to help students develop information-processing and decision making skills needed to deal effectively with such issues. The role plays guide students in analyzing science related…

A Classroom Exercise in Spatial Analysis Using an Imaginary Data Set.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopaska-Merkel, David C.

One skill that elementary students need to acquire is the ability to analyze spatially distributed data. In this activity students are asked to complete the following tasks: (1) plot a set of data (related to "mud-sharks"--an imaginary fish) on a map of the state of Alabama, (2) identify trends in the data, (3) make graphs using the data…

The Social Construction of Social Facts: Using the U.S. Census to Examine Race as a Scientific and Moral Category

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsley, Eleanor

2007-01-01

This article describes an exercise that explores how race categories and classifications are socially constructed scientifically. In an introductory sociology setting, students compare their perceptions of the size of minority populations with counts from the U.S. Census. In a series of debriefing sessions, students analyze both their perceptions…

Analyzing the Impact of Using Optional Activities in Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruipérez-Valiente, Jose A.; Muñoz-Merino, Pedro J.; Kloos, Carlos Delgado; Niemann, Katja; Scheffel, Maren; Wolpers, Martin

2016-01-01

Self-regulated learning (SRL) environments provide students with activities to improve their learning (e.g., by solving exercises), but they might also provide optional activities (e.g., changing an avatar image or setting goals) where students can decide whether they would like to use or do them and how. Few works have dealt with the use of…

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills.

PubMed

Rauschenbach, Ines; Keddis, Ramaydalis; Davis, Diane

2018-01-01

We have redesigned a tried-and-true laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based team activity exploring microbial growth control, and implemented this activity as the basis for preparing a scientific poster in a large, multi-section laboratory course. Spanning most of the semester, this project culminates in a poster presentation of data generated from a student-designed experiment. Students use and apply the scientific method and improve written and verbal communication skills. The guided inquiry format of this exercise provides the opportunity for student collaboration through cooperative learning. For each learning objective, a percentage score was tabulated (learning objective score = points awarded/total possible points). A score of 80% was our benchmark for achieving each objective. At least 76% of the student groups participating in this project over two semesters achieved each learning goal. Student perceptions of the project were evaluated using a survey. Nearly 90% of participating students felt they had learned a great deal in the areas of formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and collecting and analyzing data; 72% of students felt this project had improved their scientific writing skills. In a separate survey, 84% of students who responded felt that peer review was valuable in improving their final poster submission. We designed this inquiry-based poster project to improve student scientific communication skills. This exercise is appropriate for any microbiology laboratory course whose learning outcomes include the development of scientific inquiry and literacy.

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills †

PubMed Central

Rauschenbach, Ines; Keddis, Ramaydalis; Davis, Diane

2018-01-01

We have redesigned a tried-and-true laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based team activity exploring microbial growth control, and implemented this activity as the basis for preparing a scientific poster in a large, multi-section laboratory course. Spanning most of the semester, this project culminates in a poster presentation of data generated from a student-designed experiment. Students use and apply the scientific method and improve written and verbal communication skills. The guided inquiry format of this exercise provides the opportunity for student collaboration through cooperative learning. For each learning objective, a percentage score was tabulated (learning objective score = points awarded/total possible points). A score of 80% was our benchmark for achieving each objective. At least 76% of the student groups participating in this project over two semesters achieved each learning goal. Student perceptions of the project were evaluated using a survey. Nearly 90% of participating students felt they had learned a great deal in the areas of formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and collecting and analyzing data; 72% of students felt this project had improved their scientific writing skills. In a separate survey, 84% of students who responded felt that peer review was valuable in improving their final poster submission. We designed this inquiry-based poster project to improve student scientific communication skills. This exercise is appropriate for any microbiology laboratory course whose learning outcomes include the development of scientific inquiry and literacy. PMID:29904518

Titrimetric Determination of Carbon Dioxide in a Heterogeneous Sample ("Pop Rocks")

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Craig M.; Mauck, Matthew C.

2003-05-01

A traditional exercise in quantitative analysis is the titration of mixtures of sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. Often, consumer products are studied. A procedure to analyze the total volume of carbon dioxide bubbles in the candy "Pop Rocks" is presented. The popularity of the sample and the simplicity of the procedure make this exercise suitable for a wide variety of students: from non-science majors to chemistry majors in a quantitative analysis course.

A correlative study between prevalence of chondromalacia patellae and sports injury in 4068 students.

PubMed

Zhang, Hui; Kong, Xiang-qing; Cheng, Cong; Liang, Mao-hua

2003-12-01

To study the prevalence of chondromalacia patella among college students and the correlation with sports injury. 354 students from gymnastic department and 429 from nongymnastic department with knee joint pain were selected. 184 students from gymnastic department and 342 from nongymnastic department were checked randomly by a surgeon. 77 patients (37 males, 40 females) from gymnastic department and 119 patients (62 males, 57 females) from nongymnastic department were diagnosed as chondromalacia patellae. The amount of exercise and the occurrence of sports injury were investigated in each student. All data were analyzed with SPSS 10.0 statistical software. The prevalence of chondromalacia patella was 20.1% in female students and 11.6% in male students from gymnastic department, and 5.61% in female students and 4.92% in male students from nongymnastic department. The amount of exercise and the occurrence of sports injury to the knee joint in students from gymnastic department were greater than those from nongymnastic department. In both female and male students, the prevalence of chondromalacia patella is higher in gymnastic department than nongymnastic department. Sports injury is an important cause of chondromalacia patella.

Cross-disciplinary thermoregulation and sweat analysis laboratory experiences for undergraduate Chemistry and Exercise Science students.

PubMed

Mulligan, Gregory; Taylor, Nichole; Glen, Mary; Tomlin, Dona; Gaul, Catherine A

2011-06-01

Cross-disciplinary (CD) learning experiences benefit student understanding of concepts and curriculum by offering opportunities to explore topics from the perspectives of alternate fields of study. This report involves a qualitative evaluation of CD health sciences undergraduate laboratory experiences in which concepts and students from two distinct disciplines [chemistry (CHEM) and exercise physiology (EPHE)] combined to study exercise thermoregulation and sweat analysis. Twenty-eight senior BSc Kinesiology (EPHE) students and 42 senior BSc CHEM students participated as part of their mutually exclusive, respective courses. The effectiveness of this laboratory environment was evaluated qualitatively using written comments collected from all students as well as from formal focus groups conducted after the CD laboratory with a representative cohort from each class (n = 16 CHEM students and 9 EPHE students). An open coding strategy was used to analyze the data from written feedback and focus group transcripts. Coding topics were generated and used to develop five themes found to be consistent for both groups of students. These themes reflected the common student perceptions that the CD experience was valuable and that students enjoyed being able to apply academic concepts to practical situations as well as the opportunity to interact with students from another discipline of study. However, students also reported some challenges throughout this experience that stemmed from the combination of laboratory groups from different disciplines with limited modification to the design of the original, pre-CD, learning environments. The results indicate that this laboratory created an effective learning opportunity that fostered student interest and enthusiasm for learning. The findings also provide information that could inform subsequent design and implementation of similar CD experiences to enhance engagement of all students and improve instructor efficacy.

Medical students' professional identity development from being actors in an objective structured teaching exercise.

PubMed

De Grasset, Jehanne; Audetat, Marie-Claude; Bajwa, Nadia; Jastrow, Nicole; Richard-Lepouriel, Hélène; Nendaz, Mathieu; Junod Perron, Noelle

2018-04-22

Medical students develop professional identity through structured activities and impromptu interactions in various settings. We explored if contributing to an Objective Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE) influenced students' professional identity development. University clinical faculty members participated in a faculty development program on clinical supervision. Medical students who participated in OSTEs as simulated residents were interviewed in focus groups about what they learnt from the experience and how the experience influenced their vision of learning and teaching. Transcripts were analyzed using the Goldie's personality and social structure perspective model. Twenty-five medical students out of 32 students involved in OSTEs participated. On an institutional level, students developed a feeling of belonging to the institution. At an interactional level, students realized they could influence the teaching interaction by actively seeking or giving feedback. On the personal level, students realized that errors could become sources of learning and felt better prepared to receive faculty feedback. Taking part in OSTEs as a simulated resident has a positive impact on students' vision regarding the institution as a learning environment and their own role by actively seeking or giving feedback. OSTEs support their professional identity development regarding learning and teaching while sustaining faculty development.

Differences in food intake and exercise by smoking status in adolescents.

PubMed

Wilson, Diane B; Smith, Brian N; Speizer, Ilene S; Bean, Melanie K; Mitchell, Karen S; Uguy, L Samy; Fries, Elizabeth A

2005-06-01

Smoking, diet, and lack of exercise are the top preventable causes of death in the United States. Some 23% of high school students currently smoke and many teens do not meet Healthy People 2010 standards for healthy eating or physical activity. This study examined the relationship between smoking and the consumption of fruit, vegetables, milk/dairy products and the frequency of exercise in 10,635 Virginia youth. Survey data were collected from middle school (MS; n = 8022) and high school (HS; n = 2613) adolescents participating in youth tobacco prevention/cessation programs. Data were analyzed using chi-square bivariate tests and multivariate regression models. Smokers were significantly less likely than nonsmokers to exercise > or = 3x week and to consume > or = 1 serving/day of vegetables or milk/dairy products. This was more evident in high school than middle school students and in females compared to males. In both HS and MS, a dose-response relationship was detected with higher level smoking associated with lower frequency of eating specified food and exercise. Smoking is associated with compromised intake of healthy food and exercise. To decrease incident cases of chronic disease later in life, new tailored, innovative interventions are needed that address multiple health behaviors in youth.

Incorporating Personality Assessment into Counseling To Help College Students Adopt and Maintain Exercise Behaviors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckworth, Janet; Granello, Darcy Haag; Belmore, Jennifer

2002-01-01

The authors investigated the influence of several personality traits on exercise adherence and exercise self-efficacy for 168 undergraduate students. At all levels of exercise adherence, students with different personality traits had different amounts of exercise self-efficacy. Implications for college counselors working with students to improve…

Nature or Nurture? Heritability in the Classroom.

PubMed

Hiramatsu, Layla; Garland, Theodore

Understanding evolution is a necessary component of undergraduate education in biology, and evolution is difficult to explain without studying the heritability of traits. However, in most classes, heritability is presented with only a handful of graphs showing typical morphological traits, for example, beak size in finches and height in humans. The active-inquiry exercise outlined in the following pages allows instructors to engage students in this formerly dry subject by bringing their own data as the basis for estimates of heritability. Students are challenged to come up with their own hypotheses regarding how and to what extent their traits are inherited from their parents and then gather, analyze data, and make inferences with help from the instructor. The exercise is simple in concept and execution but uncovers many new avenues of inquiry for students, including potential biases in their estimates of heritability and misconceptions that they may have had about the extent of inference that can be made from their heritability estimates. The active-inquiry format of the exercise prioritizes curiosity and discussion, leading to a much deeper understanding of heritability and the scientific method.

[Current situation and cause analysis of physical activity in Chinese primary and middle school students in 2010].

PubMed

Song, Yi; Zhang, Xin; Yang, Tu-bao; Zhang, Bing; Dong, Bin; Ma, Jun

2012-06-18

To analyze the characteristics of physical activity in Chinese primary and middle school students, and to provide scientific basis for school physical education and health work. The data were collected from 166 812 Han primary school pupils above grade 4, junior and senior middle school students who participated in 2010 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance in 30 provinces (excluding autonomous regions, municipalities). Nationwide in 2010, 22.7% of the students had been physically active doing any kind of physical activity for a total of at least 60 minutes per day, the prevalence rates of the 9 to 13, 13 to 16, 16 to 19 age groups were 32.7%, 20.7% and 12.5%, respectively (P<0.01). The prevalence of having been physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day was higher among the Eastern Region's students than the Western Region's students in the different age groups (P<0.05), of whom 61.8% reported that they sweated and felt a little bit tired in physical education, 68.6% thought that they liked their physical education, 72.4% were willing to take part in extracurricular physical activities organized by their school, and 46.4% were willing to participate in the long distance running exercise. "Fear of fatigue or/and hardship" was the most important reason why the students did not actively participate in physical activities and long-distance running exercise among both the boys and girls in the different age groups. The prevalence of having been physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day in Chinese students is still low, and there is an obvious difference in the different groups. In the future, not only should the students' physical exercise time and intensity be further guaranteed, but also their awareness strengthened and their habits of physical exercise cultured.

Using memories to motivate future behaviour: an experimental exercise intervention.

PubMed

Biondolillo, Mathew J; Pillemer, David B

2015-01-01

This study tested a novel memory-based experimental intervention to increase exercise activity. Undergraduate students completed a two-part online survey ostensibly regarding college activity choices. At Time 1, they completed questionnaires that included assessments of exercise-related attitudes, motivation and self-reported behaviours. Next, they described a memory of a positive or negative experience that would increase their motivation to exercise; students in a control condition did not receive a memory prompt. Finally, they rated their intentions to exercise in the future. Eight days following Time 1, students received a Time 2 survey that included an assessment of their self-reported exercise during the prior week. Students in the positive memory condition reported higher levels of subsequent exercise than those in the control condition; students in the negative memory condition reported intermediate levels of exercise. Activating a positive motivational memory had a significant effect on students' self-reported exercise activity even after controlling for prior attitudes, motivation and exercise activity.

Students' perceptions of laboratory science careers: changing ideas with an education module.

PubMed

Haun, Daniel; Leach, Argie; Lawrence, Louann; Jarreau, Patsy

2005-01-01

To assess the effectiveness of a Web-based education module in changing students' perceptions of laboratory science careers. Perception was measured with a short examination and then a Web-based exercise was presented. Following the exercise, the test was administered again. Frequency data from the pre-test and post-test were compared for changes in perception. The correlated pre-test/post-test pairs were also examined for opinion changes and these were analyzed for significance. Large parochial high schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. A small team visited the schools during their appointed class times for biology. Study participants were high school biology students in grades 9-10. Two-hundred-forty-five students participated (149 male and 96 female). A Web-based exercise on blood film examination was presented to the students in a classroom setting (www.mclno.org/labpartners/index_03.htm). The exercise contained focused messages about: (1) the numbers of healthcare workers acquiring AIDS from on-the-job exposure and (2) common career paths available to the laboratory science workforce. The shift in perception of: What medical service generates the most diagnostic data. Which professional group performs laboratory tests. The risk of acquiring AIDS while working in the healthcare setting. Interest in a science-related career. How much education is required to work in a science-related field. The intervention significantly shifted perception in all areas measured except that of interest in a science-related career. Many students perceive that the risk of acquiring AIDS while working in the healthcare setting is "high". Web-based presentations and similar partnerships with science teachers can change perceptions that might lead to increased interest in clinical laboratory science careers.

[Effects of physical factors on neck or shoulder pain and low back pain of adolescents].

PubMed

Deng, Guoying; Zhang, Yongxing; Cai, Haifeng; Gu, Wentao; Cai, Yun; Xie, Lei; Liu, Bo; Li, Jipeng; Li, Siyu; Cheng, Dantong; Zhao, Qinghua

2014-11-25

To explore the incidence of self-reported neck or shoulder pain (NSP) and lower back pain (LBP) among Chinese adolescents in Shanghai and identify the influencing factors for the incidences of NSP and LBP. A total of 3 600 students were selected from 30 high schools randomly chosen from 237 regular full-time high schools registered in Shanghai. From each school, 40 students were selected from each of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades for a total of 120 students per school. The questionnaire involved questions pertaining to demographic profiles, learning environment and exercise habits of each student. And it also contained questions regarding the amount of weight carried by each student while commuting to and from school, and it was also used to collect specific information related to the occurrence of NSP and LBP. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the potential risk factors for NSP and LBP. Among 3 600 questionnaires, a total of 2 842 valid ones were returned. The results revealed that the incidence of NSP and LBP in the Chinese adolescent population was 41.1% and 32.8% respectively. Both NSP and LBP were more common in girls than in boys, and 6.3% students reported at least one NSP- or LBP-induced absence from school. A relatively large portion of Chinese adolescents reported experiencing problems such as sedentary behavior (26.7% of the students continued to sit for more than 3 hours after school), a lack of exercise (29.3% exercised less than once each week and 38.2% of students reported that their exercise duration was less than half an hour each time) and overweight backpacks (53.0% complained that their backpack was too heavy). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, grade, physical activity and learning environment were all significantly correlated with the occurrences of NSP and LBP. The incidences of NSP and LBP are relatively high among adolescents in Shanghai. And several factors, including sedentary behavior, personal exercise habits and backpack weight, influence the occurrences of NSP and LBP in adolesents.

Reading as Resistance: Gendered Messages in Literature and Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallowitz, Laraine

2004-01-01

A unit is created that enables readers to recognize the mixed messages in the media about body image and culturally constructed notions of gender. Students chose from exercises that allowed them to read literature, media, music, or magazines, and analyzed them using gender lens.

[Influence of autonomy support, social goals and relatedness on amotivation in physical education classes].

PubMed

Moreno Murcia, Juan A; Parra Rojas, Nicolás; González-Cutre Coll, David

2008-11-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze some factors that influence amotivation in physical education classes. A sample of 399 students, of ages 14 to 16 years, was used. They completed the Perceived Autonomy Support Scale in Exercise Settings (PASSES), the Social Goal Scale-Physical Education (SGS-PE), the factor of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES) adapted to physical education and the factor of the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC). The psychometric properties of the PASSES were analyzed, as this scale had not been validated to the Spanish context. In this analysis, the scale showed appropriate validity and reliability. The results of the structural equation model indicated that social responsibility and social relationship goals positively predicted perception of relatedness, whereas the context of autonomy support did not significantly predict it. In turn, perception of relatedness negatively predicted amotivation. The findings are discussed with regard to enhancing students' positive motivation.

[Nakedness of the patient from the perspective of students of fundamental nursing].

PubMed

da Silva, Josefa Rita; Lima, Pollyana Campos; Santos, Regina Maria Dos; Trezza, Maria Cristina Soares Figueiredo; Veríssimo, Regina Célia Sales Santos

2012-01-01

The study aimed to analyze the speech of students, their view of the denudation of the body to handle. It was a descriptive qualitative research, whose subjects were 21 students from three courses of 3 to 5 semesters. The information was produced by transcribing the twenty-one semi-structured interviews and analyzed on the basis of Foucault's thought.The themes were: Care of the naked body implies observance of bioethical principle of autonomy as the school's reproductive power relationship in the act of stripping, naked Coping with the other requires care, Care of the naked body "moves" with their sexuality; Power relations with the naked body. It was possible to understand the exercise of power by students at the time of stripping, as response to insecurity arising from inadequate school preparation.

Exercise behaviour and attitudes among fourth-year medical students at the University of British Columbia.

PubMed

Holtz, Kaila A; Kokotilo, Kristen J; Fitzgerald, Barbara E; Frank, Erica

2013-01-01

To describe the physical activity (PA) levels and counseling attitudes of Canadian undergraduate medical students. Online or paper survey. The University of British Columbia (UBC). Fourth-year medical students at UBC from 2007 to 2010. Physical activity levels, relationship between exercise behaviour and attitudes toward counseling, and student perception of training in the area of exercise prescription. A total of 546 out of 883 students participated in the survey (62% response rate). Sixty-four percent of students met the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology 2011 recommendations for PA. Attitudes toward healthy living were related to PA levels, but the rate of counseling patients about exercise was not; however, students who engaged in more strenuous PA were more likely to perceive exercise counseling as being highly relevant to future clinical practice (P = .018). Overall, 69% of students perceived exercise counseling to be highly relevant to clinical practice, but 86% thought that their training in this area was less than extensive. Fourth-year UBC medical students engage in more strenuous PA than average age-matched Canadians, which affects their attitudes toward perceived future counseling practices. Encouraging more student participation in strenuous PA and encouraging academic training in the area of exercise counseling might be important next steps in preparing future physicians to effectively prescribe exercise to their patients.

A nested virtualization tool for information technology practical education.

PubMed

Pérez, Carlos; Orduña, Juan M; Soriano, Francisco R

2016-01-01

A common problem of some information technology courses is the difficulty of providing practical exercises. Although different approaches have been followed to solve this problem, it is still an open issue, specially in security and computer network courses. This paper proposes NETinVM, a tool based on nested virtualization that includes a fully functional lab, comprising several computers and networks, in a single virtual machine. It also analyzes and evaluates how it has been used in different teaching environments. The results show that this tool makes it possible to perform demos, labs and practical exercises, greatly appreciated by the students, that would otherwise be unfeasible. Also, its portability allows to reproduce classroom activities, as well as the students' autonomous work.

An Exercise Prescription Course to Improve Pharmacy Students' Confidence in Patient Counseling

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Objectives To create, implement, and evaluate an elective course on the foundational aspects of exercise prescription to increase pharmacy students' knowledge about exercise and confidence in offering exercise advice in pharmacy practice. Design A course was designed as an elective using the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for exercise prescription for healthy and clinical populations. Assessment Surveys of students who did and did not take the elective were conducted over 2 years to assess the impact of the course on students' confidence in knowledge and counseling. Students' confidence in counseling patients about exercise increased after taking the course and remained higher after 6 months. Conclusions This course increased pharmacy students' knowledge and confidence in incorporating exercise prescriptions in their advice to various patient populations. PMID:19960077

Video game-based exercise, Latino children's physical health, and academic achievement.

PubMed

Gao, Zan; Hannan, Peter; Xiang, Ping; Stodden, David F; Valdez, Verónica E

2013-03-01

There is a paucity of research investigating the effects of innovative physical activity programs on physical health and academic performance in the Latino population. To examine the impact of Dance Dance Revolution [DDR]-based exercise on Latino children's physical fitness and academic achievement. A repeated-measures crossover design was used. In Year 1, Grade-4 students were assigned to the intervention group and offered 30 minutes of exercise (DDR, aerobic dance) three times per week. Grade-3 and Grade-5 students made up the comparison group and were offered no structured exercise at school. In Year 2, the Grade-4 students were again assigned to the intervention, whereas Grade-5 and Grade-6 students were in the comparison group. Assessments were conducted with 208 Latino school children. The baseline measures included time to complete a 1-mile run, BMI, and reading and math scores. Data were collected again 9 months later. Overall, data were collected in 2009-2011 and analyzed in 2012. Data yielded significant differences between the intervention and comparison groups in differences in 1-mile run and math scores in Year 1 and Year 2. The results also revealed net differences in the intervention versus comparison group scores on the 1-mile run for Grade 3 (p<0.01). Additionally, children's yearly pre-test and post-test BMI group changes differed (χ(2)((2)) = 6.6, p<0.05) only for the first year of intervention. The DDR-based exercise intervention improved children's cardiorespiratory endurance and math scores over time. Professionals should consider integrating exergaming at schools to achieve the goals of promoting a physically active lifestyle and enhancing academic success among Latino children. Copyright © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Power and Authority: A Lesson Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lankiewicz, Donald

1985-01-01

Upon completion of these two lessons, high school students will be able to distinguish between power and authority and analyze how individuals or groups exercise power. The lesson, which can be used in world history classes, deals with the period of time between the two world wars. (RM)

The Car Accident: An Exercise in Persuasive Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Betsy

2005-01-01

The ability to communicate persuasively is an important managerial tool. Surveys of both students and employers underscore the importance of oral and written communication skills and persuasion to successful careers in business. Writing persuasive documents to customers, subordinates, superiors, or stakeholders requires the ability to analyze the…

Spear Fishing in Wisconsin: Multicultural Education as Symbolic Violence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New, William; Petronicolos, Loucas

2001-01-01

Describes how multicultural teacher education can preserve familiar institutional and ideological mechanisms that validate social inequalities, analyzing student discourse collected during activities concerning recent conflict between Native American groups and groups opposed to the exercise of their treaty rights to fish on nonreservation lakes.…

Knowledge of students attending a high school in Pretoria, South Africa, on diet, nutrition and exercise.

PubMed

Letlape, S V; Mokwena, K; Oguntibeju, O O

2010-12-01

The objective of this study was to ascertain the knowledge of students on the composition of a healthy diet, daily nutritional requirements and the importance of regular exercise. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions to assess students 'knowledge on diet, nutrition and exercise was conducted. The study group were students of Tswaing High School in Pretoria, South Africa, who were in attendance on a particular day when the study was conducted and who consented to participate in the study Only 500 students of the school participated in the study Results showed that 77% of the students do not have adequate knowledge on diet, nutrition and exercise while 23% of the students showed satisfactory knowledge. Approximately 26% and 16% of the students reported that they participated in rigorous and moderate exercise respectively The study also showed that the majority of the students were however not engaged in physical activities. Students at Tswaing High School do not have adequate knowledge on nutrition, diet and exercise. Their views on what exercise entails were found not to be satisfactory. Programmes/ information or seminars that could assist to inform students on the importance of diet and exercise are therefore suggested.

Children's exercise behavior: the moderating role of habit processes within the theory of planned behavior.

PubMed

Hashim, H A; Jawis, M N; Wahat, A; Grove, J R

2014-01-01

The moderating effect of exercise habit strength and specific habit processes within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was tested in children. Participants were primary school students (N = 380, mean age = 10.46 ± .52). The data were collected using self-report measures followed by one-mile run test performance. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that 34, 57, and 9% of students could be classified as low, moderate, and high in PA, respectively. Path analysis for the overall model revealed significant path loadings (p = < .05), except for the attitude-intention path. Moderating effects results revealed that strong habit strength extinguished the effects of intention on PA. Habit strength has the potential to minimize the deliberate processes associated with intention to exercise, thereby increasing the probability of intention-behavior translation. For specific habit processes, only negative affect appears to moderate the relationships between the TPB variables.

Improving academic performance of sport and exercise science undergraduate students in gross anatomy using a near-peer teaching program.

PubMed

Viana, Ricardo Borges; Campos, Mário Hebling; Santos, Douglas de Assis Teles; Xavier, Isabela Cristina Maioni; Vancini, Rodrigo Luiz; Andrade, Marília Santos; de Lira, Claudio Andre Barbosa

2018-04-16

Peer and near-peer teaching programs are common in medical undergraduate courses. However, there are no studies that have investigated the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of undergraduate students pursuing sport and exercise science coursework. This study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of such a program for students who participated in a course on the functional anatomy of the locomotor apparatus. A total of 39 student participants were divided into two groups: students in one group voluntarily attended at least one session of a near-peer teaching program, and students in the other group attended no sessions. The final grade (range 0-100%) was recorded and used as an indicator of academic performance. The final grade of students who attended the near-peer teaching program (69.5 ± 16.0%) was 38.7% higher (P = 0.002, d = 1.06) than those who did not (50.1 ± 20.4%). When the academic performance of the same students was evaluated in another course (exercise physiology) that did not offer a near-peer teaching program, there were no significant differences between the groups (students who attended or did not attend the near-peer teaching program). A significant positive association was found between near-peer teaching program frequency and the number of students approved and not approved in the course (P = 0.041). A significant difference (P = 0.001) was found in the attendance at regular classes between the group who participated in the near-peer teaching program (median: 62 hours; IQR [interquartile ranges]: 4.0 hours) and those who did not (median: 58 hours; IQR: 4.0 hours). Gender was not a moderating factor on academic performance or near-peer teaching program attendance. These results highlight the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of students from a sport and exercise science degree program while enrolled in an anatomy course. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.

Exercise: Benefits for Body and Mind. Student Workbook. Health Promotion for Adult Literacy Students: An Empowering Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson River Center for Program Development, Glenmont, NY.

This workbook was developed to help adult literacy students learn about exercise and physical fitness. It contains information sheets and student worksheets, coordinated with an audiotape that is available. Some of the topics covered in the workbook are the following: benefits of exercise; stress; aerobic versus anaerobic exercise; exercise…

Effect of an Exercise and Weight Control Curriculum: Views of Obesity among Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Laura A.; Fister, Carrie L.; Ramlo, Susan E.

2015-01-01

Awareness of effective weight management strategies is necessary to prepare exercise science students for future work with obesity. Exercise science faculty members developed a course related to exercise as a therapeutic tool and options available for weight loss. The purpose of the present study was to investigate student views of weight…

Great Mysteries of the Earth: A New Geology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cazeau, Charles J.; Stoiber, George

1976-01-01

Describes an introductory undergraduate geology course which investigates geology-related, current topics of wide interest, such as the Bermuda Triangle, UFO's, etc. Purpose of the course is to show students how to sift fact from fiction, exercise basic logic, and critically analyze current writings of popular sensationalists. (SL)

Christian Higher Education in Europe: A Historical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebbington, D. W.

2011-01-01

The history of Christian higher education in Europe may be analyzed in terms of seven eras. From their medieval origins in scholasticism and the practical needs of students and rulers, universities passed through Renaissance humanism to a period of decay, yet remained substantially Christian in intent. The Enlightenment exercised a partially…

Reasoning and Proving Opportunities in Textbooks: A Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Dae S.; Choi, Kyong Mi

2018-01-01

In this study, we analyzed and compared reasoning and proving opportunities in geometry lessons from American standard-based textbooks and Korean textbooks to understand how these textbooks provide student opportunities to engage in reasoning and proving activities. Overall, around 40% of exercise problems in Core Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP)…

Integrating PCR Theory and Bioinformatics into a Research-oriented Primer Design Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Amber L.; Phillips, Allison R.

2008-01-01

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a conceptually difficult technique that embodies many fundamental biological processes. Traditionally, students have struggled to analyze PCR results due to an incomplete understanding of the biological concepts (theory) of DNA replication and strand complementarity. Here we describe the design of a novel…

Applied Humanities: Bridging the Gap between Building Theory and Fostering Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikitina, Svetlana

2009-01-01

Scholarship and teaching in the humanities can sometimes be overly self-referential. Rather than foster citizenship and social engagement, undergraduate literature classes are often limited to exercises in textual interpretation as students learn to compare and contrast formal devices and thematic motifs. The step from analyzing verbal polyphony…

Solving Quantitative Problems: Guidelines for Teaching Derived from Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramers-Pals, H.; Pilot, A.

1988-01-01

Presents four guidelines for teaching quantitative problem-solving based on research results: analyze difficulties of students, develop a system of heuristics, select and map key relations, and design instruction with proper orientation, exercise, and feedback. Discusses the four guidelines and uses flow charts and diagrams to show how the…

Verb Errors of Bilingual and Monolingual Basic Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griswold, Olga

2017-01-01

This study analyzed the grammatical control of verbs exercised by 145 monolingual English and Generation 1.5 bilingual developmental writers in narrative essays using quantitative and qualitative methods. Generation 1.5 students made more errors than their monolingual peers in each category investigated, albeit in only 2 categories was the…

Predictors of physical activity and barriers to exercise in nursing and medical students.

PubMed

Blake, Holly; Stanulewicz, Natalia; Mcgill, Francesca

2017-04-01

To investigate physical activity levels of nursing and medicine students, examine predictors of physical activity level and examine the most influential benefits and barriers to exercise. Healthcare professionals have low levels of physical activity, which increases their health risk and may influence their health promotion practices with patients. We surveyed 361 nursing (n = 193) and medicine (n = 168) students studying at a UK medical school. Questionnaire survey, active over 12 months in 2014-2015. Measures included physical activity level, benefits and barriers to exercise, social support, perceived stress and self-efficacy for exercise. Many nursing and medicine students did not achieve recommended levels of physical activity (nursing 48%; medicine 38%). Perceived benefits of exercise were health related, with medicine students identifying additional benefits for stress relief. Most notable barriers to exercise were as follows: lack of time, facilities having inconvenient schedules and exercise not fitting around study or placement schedules. Nursing students were less active than medicine students; they perceived fewer benefits and more barriers to exercise and reported lower social support for exercise. Physical activity of nursing and medicine students was best predicted by self-efficacy and social support, explaining 35% of the variance. Physical activity should be promoted in nursing and medicine students. Interventions should aim to build self-efficacy for exercise and increase social support. Interventions should be developed that are targeted specifically to shift-working frontline care staff, to reduce schedule-related barriers to exercise and to increase accessibility to workplace health and well-being initiatives. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of complex training on carbon monoxide, cardiorespiratory function, and body mass among college students at the initial stage of stopping smoking.

PubMed

Kim, Seungsuk

2017-08-01

[Purpose] This study aimed to analyze the effects of complex training on carbon monoxide, cardiorespiratory function, and body mass among college students with the highest smoking rate among all age group. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 40 college students voluntarily participated in this study. All subjects smoked and were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (N=20) and the control group (N=20). The experimental group underwent complex training (30 min of training five times a week for 12 weeks) while the control group did not participate in such training. The complex training consisted of two parts: aerobic exercise (walking and running) and resistance exercise (weight training). [Results] Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures revealed significant interactions among CO, VO2max, HRmax, VEmax, body fat, and skeletal muscle mass, indicating that the changes were significantly different among groups. [Conclusion] A 12 week of complex physical exercise program would be an effective way to support a stop-smoking campaign as it quickly eliminates CO from the body and improves cardiorespiratory function and body condition.

Medical students' perceptions of the importance of exercise and their perceived competence in prescribing exercise to older people.

PubMed

Jadczak, Agathe Daria; Tam, Khai Loon; Yu, Solomon; Visvanathan, Renuka

2017-09-01

To determine the effects of a 4.5-week geriatric medicine course on fifth year medical students' perception of the importance of and their competence in prescribing exercise to older people. The modified Exercise and Physical Activity Competence Questionnaire was administered to 81 students before and after the course. Scores ranged from 0 to 6. One open-ended question about perceived barriers to exercise prescription was asked. Students' perceptions of the importance of designing an exercise prescription (P = 0.038), determining the training heart rate (P = 0.021), determining the body mass index (P > 0.001), referring an older person to an exercise program (P > 0.001) and identifying age-related limitations (P = 0.029) improved significantly after the course. Students' self-perceived competence improved significantly across all items (P > 0.001). Barriers to exercise prescription included lack of: knowledge (57%), patient compliance (39%) and time (33%). A geriatric medicine course contributes to improved senior medical students' perceptions of importance of and their competence in prescribing exercise to older people. © 2017 AJA Inc.

Using Virtual Astronomical Observatory Tools for Astronomy 101

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mighell, Kenneth J.; Garmany, K.; Larson, K.; Eastwood, K. D.

2009-01-01

The Virtual Observatory provides several tools that are useful for educators. With these tools, instructors can easily provide real data to students in an environment that engages student curiosity and builds student understanding. In this poster we demonstrate how the tools Aladin and TOPCAT can be used to enhance astronomy education. The Aladin Sky Atlas is a Virtual Observatory portal from the CDS that displays images, superimposes catalogs, and provides interactive access to data. For illustration, we show an exercise for non-science majors in a college-level astronomy course that introduces students to the HR diagram of star clusters. After launching the pre-loaded Aladin applet, students select their own stars, connecting visual cues of brightness and color to the conceptual meaning behind a quantitative HR diagram. TOPCAT can be linked with Aladin on the desktop to let students analyze their data, perform calculations, and create professional-quality graphs. The basic exercise can be easily expanded to address other learning objectives and provides a launching point for students to access, visualize, and explore multi-wavelength data as they continue in astronomy. As a second example, we show an exercise that uses TOPCAT to do three-dimensional plotting of the positions of open and globular cluster to illustrate galactic structure. Detailed information is available at the following website: http://www.noao.edu/staff/mighell/nvoss2008/ . This research was done at the 2008 U.S. National Virtual Observatory Summer School which was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on September 3 - 11, 2008 and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Exercise for falls prevention in older people: assessing the knowledge of exercise science students.

PubMed

Sturnieks, Daina L; Finch, Caroline F; Close, Jacqueline C T; Tiedemann, Anne; Lord, Stephen R; Pascoe, Deborah A

2010-01-01

Participation in appropriate exercise can help reduce the risk of falls and falls injury in older people. Delivery of population-level exercise interventions requires an expert workforce with skills in development and delivery of group exercise programs and prescription of individually targeted exercise. This study assessed the current knowledge of university exercise science students (as future exercise professionals) across different levels of study. A structured survey designed to assess knowledge in relation to falls in older people and exercise prescription for falls prevention was administered during second, third and fourth year lectures in seven Australian universities. Students' knowledge was assessed as the percent of correct responses. Overall, 566 students completed the survey and knowledge levels increased significantly with study year. Mean knowledge levels were significantly <70%, indicating limited knowledge. They were lowest for falls risk factor questions and highest for issue/cost related questions in second and third year students. Fourth year students had best knowledge about falls interventions and this was the only group and topic with a mean score >70%. In conclusion, knowledge about falls and exercise prescription for falls prevention in current students does not meet a desired competency level of 70% and is therefore insufficient to ensure an adequately equipped future workforce in this area. There is a clear need for the development and widespread delivery of an evidence-based "exercise for falls prevention" curriculum module for exercise professionals. Copyright (c) 2009 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phonetics exercises using the Alvin experiment-control software.

PubMed

Hillenbrand, James M; Gayvert, Robert T; Clark, Michael J

2015-04-01

Exercises are described that were designed to provide practice in phonetic transcription for students taking an introductory phonetics course. The goal was to allow instructors to offload much of the drill that would otherwise need to be covered in class or handled with paper-and-pencil tasks using text rather than speech as input. The exercises were developed using Alvin, a general-purpose software package for experiment design and control. The simplest exercises help students learn sound-symbol associations. For example, a vowel-transcription exercise presents listeners with consonant-vowel-consonant syllables on each trial; students are asked to choose among buttons labeled with phonetic symbols for 12 vowels. Several word-transcription exercises are included in which students hear a word and are asked to enter a phonetic transcription. Immediate feedback is provided for all of the exercises. An explanation of the methods that are used to create exercises is provided. Although no formal evaluation was conducted, comments on course evaluations suggest that most students found the exercises to be useful. Exercises were developed for use in an introductory phonetics course. The exercises can be used in their current form, they can be modified to suit individual needs, or new exercises can be developed.

Attitude and practice of physical activity and social problem-solving ability among university students.

PubMed

Sone, Toshimasa; Kawachi, Yousuke; Abe, Chihiro; Otomo, Yuki; Sung, Yul-Wan; Ogawa, Seiji

2017-04-04

Effective social problem-solving abilities can contribute to decreased risk of poor mental health. In addition, physical activity has a favorable effect on mental health. These previous studies suggest that physical activity and social problem-solving ability can interact by helping to sustain mental health. The present study aimed to determine the association between attitude and practice of physical activity and social problem-solving ability among university students. Information on physical activity and social problem-solving was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. We analyzed data from 185 students who participated in the questionnaire surveys and psychological tests. Social problem-solving as measured by the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) (median score 10.85) was the dependent variable. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for higher SPSI-R according to physical activity categories. The multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the ORs (95% CI) in reference to participants who said they never considered exercising were 2.08 (0.69-6.93), 1.62 (0.55-5.26), 2.78 (0.86-9.77), and 6.23 (1.81-23.97) for participants who did not exercise but intended to start, tried to exercise but did not, exercised but not regularly, and exercised regularly, respectively. This finding suggested that positive linear association between physical activity and social problem-solving ability (p value for linear trend < 0.01). The present findings suggest that regular physical activity or intention to start physical activity may be an effective strategy to improve social problem-solving ability.

Immediate effects of the semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with LaxVox® tube in singers.

PubMed

Fadel, Congeta Bruniere Xavier; Dassie-Leite, Ana Paula; Santos, Rosane Sampaio; Santos, Celso Gonçalves Dos; Dias, Cláudio Antônio Sorondo; Sartori, Denise Jussara

The purpose of this study was to analyze the immediate effects of the semi-occluded vocal tract exercise (SOVTE) using the LaxVox® tube in singers. Participants were 23 singers, classical singing students, aged 18 to 47 years (mean age = 27.2 years). First, data was collected through the application of a demographic questionnaire and the recording of sustained emission - vowel /ε/, counting 1-10, and a music section from the participants' current repertoire. After that, the participants were instructed and performed the SOVTE using the LaxVox® tube for three minutes. Finally, the same vocal samples were collected immediately after SOVTE performance and the singers responded to a questionnaire on their perception regarding vocal changes after the exercise. The vocal samples were analyzed by referees (speech-language pathologists and singing teachers) and by means of acoustic analysis. Most of the singers reported improved voice post-exercise in both tasks - speech and singing. Regarding the perceptual assessment (sustained vowel, speech, and singing), the referees found no difference between pre- and post-exercise emissions. The acoustic analysis of the sustained vowel showed increased Fundamental Frequency (F0) and reduction of the Glottal to Noise Excitation (GNE) ratio post-exercise. The semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with LaxVox® tube promotes immediate positive effects on the self-assessment and acoustic analysis of voice in professional singers without vocal complains. No immediate significant changes were observed with respect to auditory-perceptual evaluation of speech and singing.

Personal and Clinical Exercise-Related Attitudes and Behaviors of Freshmen U.S. Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Erica; Galuska, Deborah A.; Elon, Lisa K.; Wright, Elsa H.

2004-01-01

To determine personal and clinical exercise-related attitudes and behaviors of freshmen U.S. medical students, we surveyed 1,906 entering freshman medical students (response rate=87%; average age=24 years) in 17 U.S. medical schools. Students reported a median of 45 min/day of exercise, 80 min/week each of mild and moderate exercise, and 100…

Understanding Why Undergraduate Students Declare and Continue to Study an Exercise Science-Related Major.

PubMed

Vaartstra, Matthew B; Kercher, Vanessa M; Start, Amanda; Brown, Amber N; Peterson, Mark D; McGrath, Ryan

2017-01-01

Understanding factors that contribute to a student's selection of an exercise science-related major is important to student success, higher education and industry. This study sought to 1) better understand why undergraduate students study an exercise science-related major, 2) determine whether positive influences to study an exercise science-related major differ by academic classification, and 3) identify what student's aspirations are after graduation. Department administrators from four-year colleges and universities offering an exercise science-related major in the Northwest Region of the United States (i.e., Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington) were contacted. Cooperating department administrators were given self-reported questionnaires for students to complete using a snowball sampling method. A total of 388 participants completed the questionnaire. Interest in the subject and potential job opportunities were the most common reasons to study an exercise science-related major. Self-reported Holland's codes identified that realistic and social personalities were most prevalent among participants. Seniors rated a friend's influence and college advisors as stronger influences to study an exercise science-related major compared to freshmen. Pay in the field was a stronger influence for freshmen to study an exercise science-related major than for fifth-year seniors, whereas freshmen were less influenced by introductory courses to study an exercise-science related major than fifth-year seniors. The majority of undergraduate students studying an exercise science-related major planned on attending graduate school after completing their baccalaureate degree. These findings can be used to help guide undeclared students and better serve undergraduates enrolled in an exercise science-related major.

Influencing physiotherapy student attitudes toward exercise for adolescents with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Shields, Nora; Bruder, Andrea; Taylor, Nicholas; Angelo, Tom

2011-01-01

Negative attitudes of physiotherapists may prevent them from implementing exercise as an intervention among people with disabilities. The aim of this study was to examine whether physiotherapy student attitudes towards the barriers to exercise for adolescents with Down syndrome changed as a result of participating in a 10-week exercise programme. Data were collected as part of a randomised controlled trial. Twenty physiotherapy students (2 men, 18 women; mean age 19.5±1.3 years) volunteered to act as mentors. Each mentor was matched with an adolescent with Down syndrome from the same metropolitan suburb, who had been randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group. The 10 adolescents and students in the intervention group all completed a 10-week, twice a week progressive resistance exercise training programme. The 10 adolescents and students in the control group continued with their usual activities. The students completed the 18-item Exercise Barriers Scale at baseline and after 10 weeks. There was a positive change in attitudes, significant at the p <0.05 level, favouring the intervention group on 9 of the 18 items on the Exercise Barriers Scale. After engagement in a 10-week exercise programme with an adolescent with Down syndrome, physiotherapy students identified fewer barriers that would prevent adolescents with Down syndrome from exercising. Results indicate that contact with adolescents with Down syndrome during clinical placement can positively influence attitudes towards exercise for people with Down syndrome among physiotherapy students.

Effects of smoking and aerobic exercise on male college students' metabolic syndrome risk factors.

PubMed

Kim, Jee-Youn; Yang, Yuhao; Sim, Young-Je

2018-04-01

[Purpose] The aim was to investigate the effects of university students' smoking and aerobic exercise on metabolic syndrome risk factors. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three male students were randomly assigned to the following groups: exercise smoker (n=6), non-exercise smoker (n=6), exercise non-smoker (n=6), and non-exercise non-smoker (n=5). A basketball exercise program was conducted three times per week (70 minutes per session) for 8 weeks with exercise intensity set at 50-80% of heart rate reserve. After 8 weeks, the variables of risk factors for metabolic syndrome were obtained. [Results] Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly decreased in the exercise non-smoker group and significantly increased in the non-exercise smoker group. Waist circumference was significantly reduced in both exercise groups regardless of smoking and significantly increased in the non-exercise smoker group. Triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose showed no differences between the groups. [Conclusion] Obesity and smoking management should be conducted together for students as well as for those with metabolic syndrome risk factors. It is recommended that more students participate in such programs, and exercise programs should be further developed and diversified to prevent metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.

Drosophila transposon insertions as unknowns for structured inquiry recombination mapping exercises in an undergraduate genetics course.

PubMed

Marcus, Jeffrey M; Hughes, Tia M

2009-06-01

Structured inquiry approaches, in which students receive a Drosophila strain of unknown genotype to analyze and map the constituent mutations, are a common feature of many genetics teaching laboratories. The required crosses frustrate many students because they are aware that they are participating in a fundamentally trivial exercise, as the map locations of the genes are already established and have been recalculated thousands of times by generations of students. We modified the traditional structured inquiry approach to include a novel research experience for the students in our undergraduate genetics laboratories. Students conducted crosses with Drosophila strains carrying P[lacW] transposon insertions in genes without documented recombination map positions, representing a large number of unique, but equivalent genetic unknowns. Using the eye color phenotypes associated with the inserts as visible markers, it is straightforward to calculate recombination map positions for the interrupted loci. Collectively, our students mapped 95 genetic loci on chromosomes 2 and 3. In most cases, the calculated 95% confidence interval for meiotic map location overlapped with the predicted map position based on cytology. The research experience evoked positive student responses and helped students better understand the nature of scientific research for little additional cost or instructor effort.

Interprofessional Curbside Consults to Develop Team Communication and Improve Student Achievement of Learning Outcomes.

PubMed

Kirwin, Jennifer; Greenwood, Kristin Curry; Rico, Janet; Nalliah, Romesh; DiVall, Margarita

2017-02-25

Objective. To design and implement a series of activities focused on developing interprofessional communication skills and to assess the impact of the activities on students' attitudes and achievement of educational goals. Design. Prior to the first pharmacy practice skills laboratory session, pharmacy students listened to a classroom lecture about team communication and viewed short videos describing the roles, responsibilities, and usual work environments of four types of health care professionals. In each of four subsequent laboratory sessions, students interacted with a different standardized health care professional role-played by a pharmacy faculty member who asked them a medication-related question. Students responded in verbal and written formats. Assessment. Student performance was assessed with a three-part rubric. The impact of the exercise was assessed by conducting pre- and post-intervention surveys and analyzing students' performance on relevant Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) outcomes. Survey results showed improvement in student attitudes related to team-delivered care. Students' performance on the problem solver and collaborator CAPE outcomes improved, while performance on the educator outcome worsened. Conclusions. The addition of an interprofessional communication activity with standardized health care professionals provided the opportunity for students to develop skills related to team communication. Students felt the activity was valuable and realistic; however, analysis of outcome achievement from the exercise revealed a need for more exposure to team communication skills.

The Effects Of An Exercise Physiology Program on Physical Fitness Variables, Body Satisfaction, and Physiology Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Arlette C.; Rosenblatt, Evelyn S.; Kempner, Lani; Feldman, Brandon B.; Paolercio, Maria A.; Van Bemden, Angie L.

2002-01-01

Examined the effects of an exercise physiology program on high school students' physical fitness, body satisfaction, and physiology knowledge. Intervention students received exercise physiology theory and active aerobic and resistance exercise within their biology course. Data from student surveys and measurements indicated that the integrated…

Implementation of a Parameterization Framework for Cybersecurity Laboratories

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

designer of laboratory exercises with tools to parameterize labs for each student , and automate some aspects of the grading of laboratory exercises. A...is to provide the designer of laboratory exercises with tools to parameterize labs for each student , and automate some aspects of the grading of...support might assist the designer of laboratory exercises to achieve the following? 1. Verify that students performed lab exercises, with some

Sociology and Citizenship: The Concept of Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wronski, Stanley P.

1981-01-01

Focusing on the question of how Americans would look to a visitor from outer space, this article relates culture to citizenship and explains how sociology can help students become better citizens. Learning exercises on several topics are suggested, including deciding on the proper role of guns in American culture and analyzing alternative futures…

Heuristics: A Step Toward Getting There.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, G. Ernest, Jr.

This paper describes a series of heuristic approaches to helping schools analyze problems by the use of a teletype time-sharing computer terminal. The examples detailed include 1) a Delphi exercise for students; 2) a budgeting model which examines the results of various levels of funding and of changes of relative priorities; 3) a school…

Purification and Analysis of Colorful Hypothetical Open Reading Frames: An Inexpensive Gateway Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeSantis, Kara A.; Reinking, Jeffrey L.

2011-01-01

This laboratory exercise is an inquiry-based investigation developed around the core experiment where students, working alone or in groups, each purify and analyze their own prescreened colored proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Here, we present reagents and protocols that allow 12 different proteins to be purified in…

Guiding dental student learning and assessing performance in critical thinking with analysis of emerging strategies.

PubMed

Johnsen, David C; Lipp, Mitchell J; Finkelstein, Michael W; Cunningham-Ford, Marsha A

2012-12-01

Patient-centered care involves an inseparable set of knowledge, abilities, and professional traits on the part of the health care provider. For practical reasons, health professions education is segmented into disciplines or domains like knowledge, technical skills, and critical thinking, and the culture of dental education is weighted toward knowledge and technical skills. Critical thinking, however, has become a growing presence in dental curricula. To guide student learning and assess performance in critical thinking, guidelines have been developed over the past several decades in the educational literature. Prominent among these guidelines are the following: engage the student in multiple situations/exercises reflecting critical thinking; for each exercise, emulate the intended activity for validity; gain agreement of faculty members across disciplines and curriculum years on the learning construct, application, and performance assessment protocol for reliability; and use the same instrument to guide learning and assess performance. The purposes of this article are 1) to offer a set of concepts from the education literature potentially helpful to guide program design or corroborate existing programs in dental education; 2) to offer an implementation model consolidating these concepts as a guide for program design and execution; 3) to cite specific examples of exercises and programs in critical thinking in the dental education literature analyzed against these concepts; and 4) to discuss opportunities and challenges in guiding student learning and assessing performance in critical thinking for dentistry.

The study of medical students' attitudes toward exercise for health promotion in Phramongkutklao College of Medicine.

PubMed

Ing-Arahm, Rungsima; Suppuang, Arunya; Imjaijitt, Worarachanee

2010-11-01

Phramongkutklao College of Medicine is a military medical school and also a health promotion school. As a result, encouraging these medical students to have good attitude toward exercise is considered an important mission for the college. To study the attitudes of medical students at Phramongkutklao College of Medicine about exercise for health promotion. This survey research was carried out in 382 medical students in Academic Year 2008 using questionnaires including personal information, attitude testing and open-ended questions. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis: percentage and mean and comparative analysis: t-test and F-test. The overall attitudes of medical students toward exercise were good. The attitudes of the medical cadets were better than those of the civilian medical students. The attitudes and also knowledge about exercise of the higher-year students were generally better than those of the lower-year ones. The attitudes of healthy medical students were higher than those of unhealthy ones. No significant difference in attitude was found between male and female students and between those with different Body Mass Indexes (BMI) and those with different in exercise duration and frequency. The overall medical students' attitudes toward exercise for health promotion in Phramongkutklao College of Medicine were good. The influencial factors were found to be status of medical students, stage of medical study and health status.

A Writing Exercise with the "OED."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkle-Young, Francis A.

2001-01-01

Describes a writing exercise with the "Oxford English Dictionary" that teaches students about research and attention to detail. Describes how the exercise, which involves the student in a set of serial tasks, makes students comfortable with the OED, teaches them how to extract full details of any word, and teaches students to take…

Thalidomide Makes a Comeback: A Case Discussion Exercise That Integrates Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Nicole; Cornely, Kathleen

2001-06-01

The case discussion method, which involves teaching scientific theory in a framework that students can relate to their own world, is an interdisciplinary pedagogical tool. Therefore, case study exercises can be used to integrate biochemistry with other advanced chemistry courses. The case presented here can be used at the end of a second-semester organic chemistry course or in an introductory biochemistry course. The case is a fact-based, fictional story in which an FDA official must decide whether to carry out the agency's threat to shut down several buyers clubs that import thalidomide from overseas and dispense it to their members for the treatment of AIDS. Students are required to read the body of the case, analyze data, and search for information using limited leads. Using well-considered arguments based on their research, they are asked to come to conclusions about how the element of risk involved in thalidomide distribution is assessed. They apply their knowledge of biochemistry to assess how thalidomide acts at the cellular level and they apply their knowledge of organic chemistry in writing mechanisms of thalidomide hydrolysis and in the design of thalidomide analogs. Students are assessed on their ability to work in groups, to critically analyze scientific data, and to develop public policies based on risk-benefit analysis.

Does a 20-week aerobic exercise training programme increase our capabilities to buffer real-life stressors? A randomized, controlled trial using ambulatory assessment.

PubMed

von Haaren, Birte; Ottenbacher, Joerg; Muenz, Julia; Neumann, Rainer; Boes, Klaus; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich

2016-02-01

The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis suggests that regular exercise leads to adaptations in the stress response systems that induce decreased physiological responses to psychological stressors. Even though an exercise intervention to buffer the detrimental effects of psychological stressors on health might be of utmost importance, empirical evidence is mixed. This may be explained by the use of cross-sectional designs and non-personally relevant stressors. Using a randomized controlled trial, we hypothesized that a 20-week aerobic exercise training does reduce physiological stress responses to psychological real-life stressors in sedentary students. Sixty-one students were randomized to either a control group or an exercise training group. The academic examination period (end of the semester) served as a real-life stressor. We used ambulatory assessment methods to assess physiological stress reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (heart rate variability: LF/HF, RMSSD), physical activity and perceived stress during 2 days of everyday life and multilevel models for data analyses. Aerobic capacity (VO2max) was assessed pre- and post-intervention via cardiopulmonary exercise testing to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention. During real-life stressors, the exercise training group showed significantly reduced LF/HF (β = -0.15, t = -2.59, p = .01) and increased RMSSD (β = 0.15, t = 2.34, p = .02) compared to the control group. Using a randomized controlled trial and a real-life stressor, we could show that exercise appears to be a useful preventive strategy to buffer the effects of stress on the autonomic nervous system, which might result into detrimental health outcomes.

Student performance in computing education: an empirical analysis of online learning in programming education environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Belle Selene; Liitiäinen, Elia

2017-11-01

The benefits of using online exercises have been analysed in terms of distance learning, automatic assessment and self-regulated learning. In this study, we have not found a direct proportional relationship between student performance in the course exercises that use online technologies and the exam grades. We see that the average submission rate to these online exercises is not positively correlated with the exercise points. Yet, our results confirm that doing exercises along supports student learning and skill accumulation equipping them with the knowledge of programming. While the student performance in programming courses is affected by factors such as prior background in programming, cognitive skills and the quality of teaching, completing the course exercises via learning-by-doing is an indispensable part of teaching. Based on the student feedback from the course survey, the students are highly satisfied with using online technologies as part of learning.

Stress is associated with exercise differently among individuals with higher and lower eating disorder symptoms: An ecological momentary assessment study.

PubMed

Sala, Margarita; Brosof, Leigh C; Rosenfield, David; Fernandez, Katya C; Levinson, Cheri A

2017-12-01

Stress is associated with the maintenance of eating disorders and exercise behaviors. However, it is unclear how stress is associated with exercise and vice-versa among individuals with higher levels of eating disorder symptoms in daily life. The current study tested the moderating effect of eating disorder symptoms on the relationships between (1) daily stress and later exercise behavior and (2) daily exercise behavior and later stress. Female college students [N = 129, mean age = 19.19 (SD = 1.40)] completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Participants then completed measures of stress and exercise four times daily across seven days using an automated telephone ecological momentary assessment system. Data were analyzed using multilevel models. Drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, and body dissatisfaction significantly moderated the relationship between daily stress and later exercise (ps = .01-.05), such that higher daily stress predicted higher later exercise only in individuals who were low (but not average or high) in drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, and body dissatisfaction symptoms. Stress is associated with exercise differentially depending on individuals' eating disorder symptoms. Our findings suggest that only individuals with lower levels of eating disorder symptoms exercise when stressed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Climate-Literacy Laboratory Exercises for Undergraduate Students in an Introductory Weather and Climate Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diem, J.; Elliott, W.; Criswell, B.; Morrow, C. A.

2012-12-01

A suite of NASA-sponsored, Web-based exercises are in development for an introductory weather and climate course at Georgia State University (GSU) to improve climate literacy among undergraduate students. An extremely small percentage of the students are STEM majors. The exercises make extensive use of NASA resources and are guided in part by the concepts in Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science. At least two thousand undergraduate students have completed a majority of the exercises over the past two years. Nine of the twelve exercises in the course are connected strongly to climate literacy. The topics of those nine exercises are as follows: (1) Solar Irradiance, (2) Stratospheric Ozone, (3) Tropospheric Air, (4) The Carbon Cycle, (5) Global Surface Temperature, (6) Glacial-Interglacial Cycles, (7) Temperature Changes during the Past Millennium, (8) Climate & Ecosystems, and (9) Current & Future Climate Change. Two of the exercises (Tropospheric Air and The Carbon Cycle) make use of carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements made by students themselves and by a stationary CO2 monitor at GSU. The three remaining exercises, The Hadley Cell, Atlanta Weather, and Air Pollution, are less connected to multiple climate-literacy concepts; nonetheless, they provide a more complete experience for the students in the understanding of climate processes, differences between weather and climate, and human impacts on the atmosphere. All exercises are based on an inquiry-based learning cycle (i.e. 7 Es) and require substantial amounts of engagement, applied thinking, and critical thinking by the students. Not only do students become knowledgeable about the essential principles of climate change, especially global warming, but extensive use of geographical-information software and hand-held measurement devices has provided students with training in geography and technology. Student attitudes towards the labs were gathered via an on-line, anonymous survey from hundreds of students in Geography 1112 during the Fall semester of 2010. Students liked the use of high-quality imagery and animations, using Google™ earth, using Microsoft® Excel for calculations and chart production, going outside to collect data, and working in groups. Students did not like the large number of questions in some of the labs, not receiving a "lecture" in the beginning lab exercise, and improperly working Web links. Students suggested having a small lecture at the beginning in addition to having the topics be presented in the lecture sessions before doing the lab exercises as way to improve the labs. Therefore, students desired a more traditional approach to instruction. Seven lab instructors, all of whom were graduate students in the Department of Geosciences, were interviewed by the project evaluator in April of 2011. The main findings were as follows: the instructors viewed themselves as facilitators of the student-centered exercises; the students are uncomfortable with an inquiry-based approach; and there is disconnection between the lecture and lab portions of the course. Future work involves major pedagogical renovations to the exercises, training the lab instructors in the leading of inquiry-based exercises, and assessing student learning of climate-change concepts using pre- and post-tests.

Possible Link between Medical Students' Motivation for Academic Work and Time Engaged in Physical Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aung, Myo Nyein; Somboonwong, Juraiporn; Jaroonvanichkul, Vorapol; Wannakrairot, Pongsak

2016-01-01

Physical exercise results in an active well-being. It is likely that students' engagement in physical exercise keeps them motivated to perform academic endeavors. This study aimed to assess the relation of time engaged in physical exercise with medical students' motivation for academic work. Prospectively, 296 second-year medical students…

Teaching Resistance through an interactive gaming lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, James G.; Sirokman, Greg; Rueckert, Franz; Cascio, Derek

2015-04-01

The use of gaming as an educational tool has proven to be an effective paradigm in modern pedagogy. Following the success of their previous work ``Sector Vector,'' the authors present a new interactive game-based laboratory to highlight the basic manipulation and calculation of resistors in circuits. ``Resistance is Futile'' delivers the lesson of basic resistor combinations in a game based exercise where teams build a continually evolving circuit. As the game progresses, students must develop long and short term plans to modify an ever-changing circuit and meet primary and secondary objectives. Each turn requires quick calculations of resistor combinations and the assessment of future options. Students are also exposed to the creation of a modular circuit, which may not conform to standard textbook examples. To determine a winner, the students work together to analyze and evaluate a potentially complex final circuit diagram. The dynamic atmosphere and competitive nature established by the gaming environment have been shown to increase student engagement and concept retention. In this presentation, we will discuss both the structure of the lab-based game and the pedagogical implications this implementation versus the traditional resistor combination laboratory exercise.

Promoting Interactive Learning: A Classroom Exercise to Explore Foraging Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaumont, Ellen S.; Rowe, Graham; Mikhaylov, Natalie S.

2012-01-01

We describe a classroom exercise to allow students to explore foraging strategies in higher vertebrates. The exercise includes an initial interactive session in which students act as predators and are guided through foraging simulations, and a subsequent student-led session where classmates are employed as experimental subjects. Students rated the…

Exercise promotes positive impression formation towards both men and women.

PubMed

Kanarek, Robin B; Mathes, Wendy Foulds; D'Anci, Kristen E

2012-06-01

Exercise is endorsed for its physiological and psychological benefits, and has been proposed to have positive effects on impression formation. To test this proposal, 62 female and 44 male college students read one of three brief descriptions of either a fictitious male or female "target" student. The descriptions varied only in exercise level: no exercise; moderate exercise and intensive exercise. Participants then rated the fictitious student on 38 personality traits. Ratings of characteristics that are associated with exercise (e.g. athletic; energetic) increased, while ratings associated with the lack of exercise (e.g. lazy; weak) decreased as a function of the reported level of exercise. Exercise level also positively influenced ratings of characteristics not related to exercise. These data show that even minimal information about exercise is an important component of first impressions in both men and women. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching reflection: Speech & language therapy students using visual clues for reflection.

PubMed

Schaub-de Jong, M A; van der Schans, C P

2010-11-01

Reflection is an essential tool for the development of professional behaviour. Central to all reflection methods is language, either written or spoken. As the use of language is not easy for all students, especially those learning in a language other than their native tongue, it is essential that teachers use alternative methods to stimulate reflection. To identify the benefits that speech and language therapy students perceive in an educational approach that combines pictures and drawings as a stimulus for reflecting on professional experiences. During an international course twenty-two students of various nationalities participated in a two-hour session and reflected on professional experiences. To stimulate reflection, drawings and pictures were used. All the students were asked to evaluate this educational approach by responding to five open-ended questions. Their responses were coded and analyzed. Students' comments fell into three categories of perceived benefits: (1) educational approach benefits; (2) personal benefits; and (3) professional benefits. Almost all the students reported that the nature of the reflection exercises helped them verbalize their experiences after the profession-related exercises. This study provides evidence that visualizing as a first step towards verbalizing experiences can foster learning through reflection. It provides students with greater opportunities to verbalize awareness, especially within a group of students who may have difficulty expressing themselves in a non-native language.

Social Physique Anxiety, Obligation to Exercise, and Exercise Choices among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Hui-Wen; Bushman, Barbara A.; Woodard, Rebecca J.

2008-01-01

Objective: The authors examined relationships among social physique anxiety, obligation to exercise, and exercise choices. Participants and Methods: College students (N = 337; 200 women, 137 men) volunteered to complete 3 questionnaires: the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire (OEQ), and Physical Activity…

Exposing college students to exercise: the training interventions and genetics of exercise response (TIGER) study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response (TIGER) study is an exercise program designed to introduce sedentary college students to regular physical activity and to identify genetic factors that influence response to exercise. A multiracial/ethnic cohort (N = 1,567; 39% male), age ...

Adding an Extra Dimension to What Students See through the Light Microscope: A Lab Exercise Demonstrating Critical Analysis for Microscopy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrill, Ashley

2011-01-01

This article describes an undergraduate lab exercise that demonstrates the importance of students thinking critically about what they see through a microscope. The students are given growth data from tip-growing organisms that suggest the cells grow in a pulsatile manner. The students then critique this data in several exercises that incorporate…

Effect of energy drink dose on exercise capacity, heart rate recovery and heart rate variability after high-intensity exercise.

PubMed

An, Sang Min; Park, Jong Suk; Kim, Sang Ho

2014-03-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of exercise capacity, heart rate recovery and heart rate variability after high-intensity exercise on caffeine concentration of energy drink. The volunteers for this study were 15 male university student. 15 subjects were taken basic physical examinations such as height, weight and BMI before the experiment. Primary tests were examined of VO2max per weight of each subjects by graded exercise test using Bruce protocol. Each of five subject was divided 3 groups (CON, ECGⅠ, ECGⅡ) by matched method based on weight and VO2max per weight what gained of primary test for minimize the differences of exercise capacity and ingestion of each groups. For the secondary tests, the groups of subjects were taken their materials before and after exercise as a blind test. After the ingestion, subjects were experimented on exercise test of VO2max 80% by treadmill until the all-out. Heart rate was measured by 1minute interval, and respiratory variables were analyzed VO2, VE, VT, RR and so on by automatic respiratory analyzer. And exercise exhaustion time was determined by stopwatch. Moreover, HRV was measured after exercise and recovery 3 min. Among the intake groups, ECGⅡ was showed the longest of exercise exhaustion time more than CON group (p = .05). Result of heart rate during exercise according to intake groups, there was significant differences of each time (p < .001), however, not significant differences of each groups and group verse time (p > .05). Result of RPE during exercise according to intake groups, there was significant differences of each time (p < .001), however, not significant differences of each groups and group verse time (p > .05). In conclusion, EDGⅡ showed the significant increase of exercise exhaustion time more than CON group (p=.05) and not significant differences in HR, RPE, RER, HRV, HRR, blood pressure (p > .05). Therefore, 2.5 mg/kg(-1) ingestion of energy drink might be positive effect to increase exercise performance capacity without side-effect in cardiovascular disease.

[Status of exercise and sedentary activities in the leisure time among third and fourth grade pupils in three cities of Shandong province].

PubMed

Song, Chao; Yu Xinping; Ding, Caicui; Zhen, Baojie; Chen, Jian; Wang, Yanyong; Li, Li; Liu, Ailing

2015-05-01

To analyze the status and the influence factors of exercise and sedentary activities in the leisure time among third and fourth grade pupils in Qingdao, Tai' an and Yantai city of Shandong province. With random cluster sampling, a total of 2283 primary students were selected from three cities of Shandong province. Questionnaires were used to collect the information on their exercise, sedentary activities. In the past week the participation rate of exercise in the leisure time among the pupils was 65.9%. Among the pupils who participated exercise, the average days of moderate and high-intensity exercise was four, and the average daily exercise time was 30 minutes. The average time of sedentary activities in the leisure time was 0.9 h/d, and the rate of 2 hours and over per day of sedentary activities was 13.6%. Pupils participating the exercise was related to their area, gender, their satisfaction of their body image and their parents' exercise. Their sedentary patterns was related to their understanding of their own body weight and their parents' sedentary behavior. Intervention related to physical activity should be strengthened among pupils and their parents to promote their physical activity level.

Education for the unified health system: what do good professors do from the perspective of students?

PubMed

Carmo Menegaz, Jouhanna do; Schubert Backes, Vânia Marli

2015-12-01

to analyze the educational practices for the Unified Health System performed by good professors, from the perspective of nursing, medical and odontology students, based on the Shulman's concepts of knowledge of educational ends, purposes, values ​​and their historical and philosophical grounds, at a university in southern Brazil. A qualitative study with an exploratory and analytical approach in which the participants were graduating students, interviewed with the aid of vignettes, between October of 2011 and January of 2012. Data were analyzed based on thematic analysis. it was observed that good professors educate for the Unified Health System through the promotion of teamwork, interdisciplinary practices, good communication, leadership exercises, and promotion of a student's desire to be an agent of change for the sake of improvement and guaranteeing the right to health. the students attribute to professors the responsibility for the performance of these practices. Despite their consistency with the Brazilian curriculum guidelines, the professors that perform them are seen as a minority.

Physical Education Students' Ownership, Empowerment, and Satisfaction With PE and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Moore, E Whitney G; Fry, Mary D

2017-12-01

Individuals experiencing a highly caring, task-involving, and low ego-involving exercise climate have reported greater ownership in exercise class and empowerment to exercise in general. This study examined the relationship between ownership and empowerment in exercise, with 2 context-specific outcomes, satisfaction with physical education (PE) and physical activity, respectively. Given the mission of PE to foster individuals' lifelong physical activity habit, the perceptions of high school students were collected for this study. Ownership in exercise was hypothesized to be significantly, positively correlated with students reporting satisfaction in PE more than their satisfaction in physical activity, whereas empowerment in exercise was hypothesized to be more strongly, positively correlated with students' physical activity satisfaction. A second purpose of this study was to test the measurement quality of the updated Empowerment in Exercise Scale (EES; now 13 items). High school students (N = 502, 43% female) in a Midwestern U.S. school district completed a survey. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the internal measurement structure of the EES (λ = .62-.91; McDonald's omega = .89) across student gender (strong invariance). Additionally, the structural equation modeling analysis revealed only 1 parameter moderated by the students' gender (latent mean of ownership). The hypotheses were supported, such that ownership in exercise was more strongly correlated with PE satisfaction (r = .87) and empowerment in exercise had a stronger correlation with physical activity satisfaction (r = .92). These results support the beneficial effect a satisfying experience in PE can have on students' satisfaction with physical activity outside of school.

Severity Differences among Self-Assessors, Peer-Assessors, and Teacher Assessors Rating EFL Essays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esfandiari, Rajab; Myford, Carol M.

2013-01-01

We compared three assessor types (self-assessors, peer-assessors, and teacher assessors) to determine whether they differed in the levels of severity they exercised when rating essays. We analyzed the ratings of 194 assessors who evaluated 188 essays that students enrolled in two state-run universities in Iran wrote. The assessors employed a…

Internet Activities Using Scientific Data. A Self-Guided Exploration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froseth, Stan; Poppe, Barbara

This guide is intended for the secondary school teacher (especially math or science) or the student who wants to access and learn about scientific data on the Internet. It is organized as a self-guided exploration. Nine exercises enable the user to access and analyze on-line information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…

Demonstrating Operating System Principles via Computer Forensics Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Kevin P.; Davis, Martin H., Jr.; Sethi, Vikram

2010-01-01

We explore the feasibility of sparking student curiosity and interest in the core required MIS operating systems course through inclusion of computer forensics exercises into the course. Students were presented with two in-class exercises. Each exercise demonstrated an aspect of the operating system, and each exercise was written as a computer…

Teaching and Learning with Individually Unique Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joerding, Wayne

2010-01-01

In this article, the author describes the pedagogical benefits of giving students individually unique homework exercises from an exercise template. Evidence from a test of this approach shows statistically significant improvements in subsequent exam performance by students receiving unique problems compared with students who received traditional…

A pharmacy practice laboratory exercise to apply biochemistry concepts.

PubMed

Harrold, Marc W; McFalls, Marsha A

2010-10-11

To develop exercises that allow pharmacy students to apply foundational knowledge discussed in a first-professional year (P1) biochemistry course to specific disease states and patient scenarios. A pharmacy practice laboratory exercise was developed to accompany a lecture sequence pertaining to purine biosynthesis and degradation. The assignment required students to fill a prescription, provide patient counseling tips, and answer questions pertaining to the disease state, the underlying biochemical problem, and the prescribed medication. Students were graded on the accuracy with which they filled the prescription, provided patient counseling, and answered the questions provided. Overall, students displayed mastery in all of these areas. Additionally, students completed a course survey on which they rated this exercise favorably, noting that it helped them to integrate basic science concepts and pharmacy practice. A laboratory exercise provided an opportunity for P1 students to apply foundational pharmacy knowledge to a patient case and can serve as a template for the design of additional exercises.

Laboratory exercises to teach clinically relevant chemistry of antibiotics.

PubMed

El Sayed, Khalid A; Chelette, Candace T

2014-03-12

To design, implement, and evaluate student performance on clinically relevant chemical and spectral laboratory exercises on antibiotics. In the first of 2 exercises, second-year pharmacy students enrolled in an integrated laboratory sequence course studied the aqueous stability of ß-lactam antibiotics using a spectral visual approach. In a second exercise, students studied the tendency of tetracycline, rifamycins, and fluoroquinolones to form insoluble chelate complexes (turbidity) with polyvalent metals. On a survey to assess achievement of class learning objectives, students agreed the laboratory activities helped them better retain important information concerning antibiotic stability and interactions. A significant improvement was observed in performance on examination questions related to the laboratory topics for 2012 and 2013 students compared to 2011 students who did not complete the laboratory. A 1-year follow-up examination question administered in a separate course showed >75% of the students were able to identify rifamycins-food interactions compared with <25% of students who had not completed the laboratory exercises. The use of spectral visual approaches allowed students to investigate antibiotic stability and interactions, thus reinforcing the clinical relevance of medicinal chemistry. Students' performance on questions at the 1-year follow-up suggested increased retention of the concepts learned as a result of completing the exercises.

Interprofessional Curbside Consults to Develop Team Communication and Improve Student Achievement of Learning Outcomes

PubMed Central

Greenwood, Kristin Curry; Rico, Janet; Nalliah, Romesh; DiVall, Margarita

2017-01-01

Objective. To design and implement a series of activities focused on developing interprofessional communication skills and to assess the impact of the activities on students’ attitudes and achievement of educational goals. Design. Prior to the first pharmacy practice skills laboratory session, pharmacy students listened to a classroom lecture about team communication and viewed short videos describing the roles, responsibilities, and usual work environments of four types of health care professionals. In each of four subsequent laboratory sessions, students interacted with a different standardized health care professional role-played by a pharmacy faculty member who asked them a medication-related question. Students responded in verbal and written formats. Assessment. Student performance was assessed with a three-part rubric. The impact of the exercise was assessed by conducting pre- and post-intervention surveys and analyzing students’ performance on relevant Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) outcomes. Survey results showed improvement in student attitudes related to team-delivered care. Students’ performance on the problem solver and collaborator CAPE outcomes improved, while performance on the educator outcome worsened. Conclusions. The addition of an interprofessional communication activity with standardized health care professionals provided the opportunity for students to develop skills related to team communication. Students felt the activity was valuable and realistic; however, analysis of outcome achievement from the exercise revealed a need for more exposure to team communication skills. PMID:28289305

Running to well-being: A comparative study on the impact of exercise on the physical and mental health of law and psychology students.

PubMed

Skead, Natalie K; Rogers, Shane L

Research indicates that, in comparison to other university students, law students are at greater risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress. There is also a large body of literature supporting a general negative association between exercise and stress, anxiety and depression. However, we are not aware of any studies exploring the impact of exercise on the mental health of law students specifically. This article reports evidence of a negative association between exercise and psychological distress in 206 law and psychology students. Compared to psychology students, the law students not only reported greater psychological distress, but, in addition, there was a stronger association between their levels of distress and their levels of exercise. Based on the results of this study, we suggest a simple yet effective way law schools might support the mental health of their students. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding Why Undergraduate Students Declare and Continue to Study an Exercise Science-Related Major

PubMed Central

VAARTSTRA, MATTHEW B.; KERCHER, VANESSA M.; START, AMANDA; BROWN, AMBER N.; PETERSON, MARK D.; MCGRATH, RYAN

2017-01-01

Understanding factors that contribute to a student’s selection of an exercise science-related major is important to student success, higher education and industry. This study sought to 1) better understand why undergraduate students study an exercise science-related major, 2) determine whether positive influences to study an exercise science-related major differ by academic classification, and 3) identify what student’s aspirations are after graduation. Department administrators from four-year colleges and universities offering an exercise science-related major in the Northwest Region of the United States (i.e., Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington) were contacted. Cooperating department administrators were given self-reported questionnaires for students to complete using a snowball sampling method. A total of 388 participants completed the questionnaire. Interest in the subject and potential job opportunities were the most common reasons to study an exercise science-related major. Self-reported Holland’s codes identified that realistic and social personalities were most prevalent among participants. Seniors rated a friend’s influence and college advisors as stronger influences to study an exercise science-related major compared to freshmen. Pay in the field was a stronger influence for freshmen to study an exercise science-related major than for fifth-year seniors, whereas freshmen were less influenced by introductory courses to study an exercise-science related major than fifth-year seniors. The majority of undergraduate students studying an exercise science-related major planned on attending graduate school after completing their baccalaureate degree. These findings can be used to help guide undeclared students and better serve undergraduates enrolled in an exercise science-related major. PMID:28966716

Health status, physical activity, and orthorexia nervosa: A comparison between exercise science students and business students.

PubMed

Malmborg, Julia; Bremander, Ann; Olsson, M Charlotte; Bergman, Stefan

2017-02-01

Orthorexia nervosa is described as an exaggerated fixation on healthy food. It is unclear whether students in health-oriented academic programs, highly focused on physical exercise, are more prone to develop orthorexia nervosa than students in other educational areas. The aim was to compare health status, physical activity, and frequency of orthorexia nervosa between university students enrolled in an exercise science program (n = 118) or a business program (n = 89). The students completed the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and ORTO-15, which defines orthorexia nervosa as a sensitive and obsessive behavior towards healthy nutrition. The SF-36 showed that exercise science students scored worse than business students regarding bodily pain (72.8 vs. 82.5; p = 0.001), but better regarding general health (83.1 vs. 77.1; p = 0.006). Of 188 students, 144 (76.6%) had an ORTO-15 score indicating orthorexia nervosa, with a higher proportion in exercise science students than in business students (84.5% vs. 65.4%; p = 0.002). Orthorexia nervosa in combination with a high level of physical activity was most often seen in men in exercise science studies and less often in women in business studies (45.1% vs. 8.3%; p < 0.000). A high degree of self-reporting of pain and orthorexia nervosa in exercise science students may cause problems in the future, since they are expected to coach others in healthy living. Our findings may be valuable in the development of health-oriented academic programs and within student healthcare services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposing College Students to Exercise: The Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response (TIGER) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sailors, Mary H.; Jackson, Andrew S.; McFarlin, Brian K.; Turpin, Ian; Ellis, Kenneth J.; Foreyt, John P.; Hoelscher, Deanna M.; Bray, Molly S.

2010-01-01

Objective: The Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response (TIGER) study is an exercise program designed to introduce sedentary college students to regular physical activity and to identify genetic factors that influence response to exercise. Participants: A multiracial/ethnic cohort (N = 1,567; 39% male), age 18 to 35 years,…

Can an Inquiry Approach Improve College Student Learning in a Teaching Laboratory?

PubMed Central

Cogan, John G.

2009-01-01

We present an inquiry-based, hands-on laboratory exercise on enzyme activity for an introductory college biology course for science majors. We measure student performance on a series of objective and subjective questions before and after completion of this exercise; we also measure performance of a similar cohort of students before and after completion of an existing, standard, “direct” exercise over the same topics. Although student performance on these questions increased significantly after completion of the inquiry exercise, it did not increase after completion of the control, standard exercise. Pressure to “cover” many complex topics as preparation for high-stakes examinations such as the Medical College Admissions Test may account for persistence of highly efficient, yet dubiously effective “cookbook” laboratory exercises in many science classes. PMID:19255136

Consumer Behavior Classroom Exercises that Really Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmel, Allan J.

1999-01-01

Describes five in-class exercises for use in consumer behavior classes that encourage student involvement in group and class discussions, promote student interest in course material, and stimulate critical thinking. Explains that the exercises can be adapted for other related courses and are equally successful with students of varying abilities.…

Laboratory Exercises to Teach Clinically Relevant Chemistry of Antibiotics

PubMed Central

Chelette, Candace T.

2014-01-01

Objectives. To design, implement, and evaluate student performance on clinically relevant chemical and spectral laboratory exercises on antibiotics. Design. In the first of 2 exercises, second-year pharmacy students enrolled in an integrated laboratory sequence course studied the aqueous stability of ß-lactam antibiotics using a spectral visual approach. In a second exercise, students studied the tendency of tetracycline, rifamycins, and fluoroquinolones to form insoluble chelate complexes (turbidity) with polyvalent metals. Assessment. On a survey to assess achievement of class learning objectives, students agreed the laboratory activities helped them better retain important information concerning antibiotic stability and interactions. A significant improvement was observed in performance on examination questions related to the laboratory topics for 2012 and 2013 students compared to 2011 students who did not complete the laboratory. A 1-year follow-up examination question administered in a separate course showed >75% of the students were able to identify rifamycins-food interactions compared with <25% of students who had not completed the laboratory exercises. Conclusion. The use of spectral visual approaches allowed students to investigate antibiotic stability and interactions, thus reinforcing the clinical relevance of medicinal chemistry. Students’ performance on questions at the 1-year follow-up suggested increased retention of the concepts learned as a result of completing the exercises. PMID:24672070

Individual and environmental factors related to stage of change in exercise behavior: a cross-sectional study of female Japanese undergraduate students.

PubMed

Yasunaga, Akitomo; Kawano, Yukari; Kamahori, Yumiko; Noguchi, Kyoko

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between the level of exercise behavior and individual and environmental factors related to exercise behavior among female Japanese undergraduate students. The participants were 2482 female Japanese undergraduate students. Participants' level of exercise behavior was measured by the stage of change to exercise in the transtheoretical model. Individual and environmental factors related to exercise behavior were assessed using body mass index, self-efficacy, social support, perceived positive and negative aspects of exercise, perceived neighborhood environment, attitude toward physical education lessons in childhood and puberty, and depression. Scores for self-efficacy, social support, positive aspects of exercise, and perceived neighborhood environment were significantly higher among women who were more active compared with those who were inactive. On the other hand, scores for negative aspects of exercise and depression were greater among inactive women compared with those who were insufficiently active and/or active. In addition, past attitude toward exercise in primary school, junior high school, and high school was associated with current level of exercise behavior. This cross-sectional study confirmed that psychosocial and environmental factors were closely associated with level of exercise behavior among female Japanese undergraduate students.

Innovative curriculum for second-year Harvard-MIT medical students: practicing communication skills with volunteer patients giving immediate feedback

PubMed Central

Ali, Nadaa B; Pelletier, Stephen R; Shields, Helen M

2017-01-01

Purpose Medical students are expected to develop excellent communication skills. The purpose of our study was to create an innovative communication skills exercise using real volunteer patients and physician co-teachers for students to practice communication skills while receiving immediate feedback. Method This is a mixed methods study where second-year medical students participated in the communication skills exercise with real patients and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback. Clinical scenarios reflected the patients’ actual experiences. Students acted out roles as physicians. Physicians co-taught with the patients and gave immediate feedback to students. Students completed an anonymous written survey at the end of the exercise. Qualitative and quantitative responses were recorded. Student feedback from the 2014 surveys was used to modify the teaching designs to increase active role play opportunities by having only two students in each group and doubling the number of stations with real patients. Results Students rated the overall exercise and the utility of patient volunteers in learning how to communicate on a Likert scale of 1–5, where in this medical school traditionally 1 is excellent and 5 is poor. In 2014, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.47 (SD 0.621). In 2015, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.03 (SD 0.62). In 2016, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.27 (SD 0.52). ANOVA analysis (p=0.002) and Bonferroni corrections indicate a statistically significant difference between combined mean scores of the exercise in 2014 and 2015 (p=0.001). No difference was shown between 2014 and 2016 or 2015 and 2016. Conclusions Medical students rated practicing communication skills with real patient volunteers and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback in their preclinical years very highly. Student feedback indicated that they preferred active roles and increased opportunities to practice their communication skills. PMID:28579871

Innovative curriculum for second-year Harvard-MIT medical students: practicing communication skills with volunteer patients giving immediate feedback.

PubMed

Ali, Nadaa B; Pelletier, Stephen R; Shields, Helen M

2017-01-01

Medical students are expected to develop excellent communication skills. The purpose of our study was to create an innovative communication skills exercise using real volunteer patients and physician co-teachers for students to practice communication skills while receiving immediate feedback. This is a mixed methods study where second-year medical students participated in the communication skills exercise with real patients and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback. Clinical scenarios reflected the patients' actual experiences. Students acted out roles as physicians. Physicians co-taught with the patients and gave immediate feedback to students. Students completed an anonymous written survey at the end of the exercise. Qualitative and quantitative responses were recorded. Student feedback from the 2014 surveys was used to modify the teaching designs to increase active role play opportunities by having only two students in each group and doubling the number of stations with real patients. Students rated the overall exercise and the utility of patient volunteers in learning how to communicate on a Likert scale of 1-5, where in this medical school traditionally 1 is excellent and 5 is poor. In 2014, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.47 (SD 0.621). In 2015, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.03 (SD 0.62). In 2016, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.27 (SD 0.52). ANOVA analysis ( p =0.002) and Bonferroni corrections indicate a statistically significant difference between combined mean scores of the exercise in 2014 and 2015 ( p =0.001). No difference was shown between 2014 and 2016 or 2015 and 2016. Medical students rated practicing communication skills with real patient volunteers and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback in their preclinical years very highly. Student feedback indicated that they preferred active roles and increased opportunities to practice their communication skills.

Effect of core stabilization exercises versus conventional exercises on pain and functional status in patients with non-specific low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Inani, Sumit B; Selkar, Sohan P

2013-01-01

Low Back Pain (LBP) results in significant level of disability, producing significant restriction on usual activity such as an inability to work. Nearly two third of the adults are affected by non-specific low back pain at some point in their lives. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of core stabilization exercises in comparison with conventional exercises on pain, functional status in patients with non-specific LBP. Thirty patients diagnosed with non-specific LBP participated with age group between 20-50 years and divided in to 2 groups, one with core stabilization exercises and other conventional exercises, 15 subjects each. Three months study, pre and post treatment outcome measures used were VAS for pain intensity and Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index for functional status (disability). Data were analyzed using student 't' test (paired and unpaired). Whereas both groups improved significantly from the initiation of treatment, a between-group comparison revealed significantly greater (p<0.001) improvements regarding pain and functional status for experimental group compared to control group. Core stabilization exercises were found to be more effective in reducing pain and improving functional status by decreasing disability of patients with non-specific low back pain in comparison with conventional exercises.

Distribution and predictors of exercise habits among pregnant women in the Danish National Birth Cohort.

PubMed

Juhl, M; Madsen, M; Andersen, A-M N; Andersen, P K; Olsen, J

2012-02-01

Physical activity is recommended during pregnancy, although strong evidence on reproductive health is lacking. We present exercise habits and predictors of exercise during pregnancy. From the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996-2002), 88,200 singleton pregnancies were analyzed in logistic regression. About one-third of the women exercised in early/mid pregnancy and slightly less in late pregnancy. Bicycling, swimming, and low-impact activities were most common. Exercising more than three times per week was strongly correlated with older age, being a student or out of work, eating disorders, moderate alcohol consumption, and a healthy diet. Multiparity, a normal or less good self-rated health, smoking, and a less health conscious diet were the strongest predictors of not doing exercise. Women of 25 years or older, with metabolic or psychiatric disorders, or who had received subfecundity treatment were more likely to increase their activity level substantially from early to late pregnancy than comparison groups. In conclusion, exercising during pregnancy correlated with a number of maternal characteristics. The findings may be used to identify pregnant women not likely to exercise, to target activities that may fit their needs, and, for research purposes, to identify adjustment variables or guide sensitivity analyses when data on confounders are lacking. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Physical activity participation and constraints among athletic training students.

PubMed

Stanek, Justin; Rogers, Katherine; Anderson, Jordan

2015-02-01

Researchers have examined the physical activity (PA) habits of certified athletic trainers; however, none have looked specifically at athletic training students. To assess PA participation and constraints to participation among athletic training students. Cross-sectional study. Entry-level athletic training education programs (undergraduate and graduate) across the United States. Participants were 1125 entry-level athletic training students. Self-reported PA participation, including a calculated PA index based on a typical week. Leisure constraints and demographic data were also collected. Only 22.8% (252/1105) of athletic training students were meeting the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for PA through moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise. Although 52.3% (580/1105) were meeting the recommendations through vigorous-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise, 60.5% (681/1125) were meeting the recommendations based on the combined total of moderate or vigorous cardiorespiratory exercise. In addition, 57.2% (643/1125) of respondents met the recommendations for resistance exercise. Exercise habits of athletic training students appear to be better than the national average and similar to those of practicing athletic trainers. Students reported structural constraints such as lack of time due to work or studies as the most significant barrier to exercise participation. Athletic training students experienced similar constraints to PA participation as practicing athletic trainers, and these constraints appeared to influence their exercise participation during their entry-level education. Athletic training students may benefit from a greater emphasis on work-life balance during their entry-level education to promote better health and fitness habits.

Integration of Information and Scientific Literacy: Promoting Literacy in Undergraduates

PubMed Central

Wolbach, Kevin C.; Purzycki, Catherine B.; Bowman, Leslie A.; Agbada, Eva; Mostrom, Alison M.

2010-01-01

The Association of College and Research Libraries recommends incorporating information literacy (IL) skills across university and college curricula, for the goal of developing information literate graduates. Congruent with this goal, the Departments of Biological Sciences and Information Science developed an integrated IL and scientific literacy (SL) exercise for use in a first-year biology course. Students were provided the opportunity to access, retrieve, analyze, and evaluate primary scientific literature. By the completion of this project, student responses improved concerning knowledge and relevance of IL and SL skills. This project exposes students to IL and SL early in their undergraduate experience, preparing them for future academic advancement. PMID:21123700

A lesbian/straight team approach to changing attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.

PubMed

Liddle, Becky J; Stowe, Angela M

2002-10-01

SUMMARY Advantages of a lesbian/heterosexual team approach to education on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues are examined and a case study is analyzed. A lesbian guest lecturer provided a contact experience, personal anecdotes, passion, and expertise. Facilitation of later class discussion by the heterosexual instructor allowed for frank discussion among students, processing of presentation content, and modeling of gay-affirmative attitudes by the instructor and other students. Summaries of the guest lecture (fantasy exercise and informational lecture) and later discussion are provided. Student comments during discussion demonstrated evidence of deep challenge, attitude change, and heightened understanding.

Assessing a traditional case-based application exercise and a student question creation exercise on student performance and perceptions.

PubMed

Tatachar, Amulya; Kominski, Carol

2017-07-01

To compare the impact of a traditional case-based application exercise with a student question creation exercise on a) student exam performance, b) student perceptions of enjoyment, competence, understanding, effort, interest in continuing participation, and interest in the subject. Subjects were 84 second-year pharmacy students in a pharmacotherapy course. The research focus was active learning involving the topic of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder. Student teams were randomly assigned to either case-based or student question creation exercises using PeerWise. Student performance was assessed by a pre- and posttest and on block and final exams. After completion, an online survey assessed student perceptions of both exercises. Statistically significant differences were revealed in favor of the student question creation group on enjoyment and interest in the subject matter. No statistically differences were found between the traditional case-based group and the student question creation group on gain score from pre-test to posttest. The student question creation group performed slightly better than the case-based application group on two of the five questions on the block exam but none of these differences reached statistical significance. Students randomly assigned to groups that created and reviewed questions exhibited slightly improved summative exam performance and reported significantly more positive perceptions than students engaging in a more traditional case-based learning activity. Student question creation has demonstrated potential as a useful learning activity. Despite inherent difficulties in designing studies involving educational research in a controlled environment, students who have submitted, created, rated, and answered peers' questions have overall performed well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthy Exercise Habits Are Associated With Lower Risk of Burnout and Higher Quality of Life Among U.S. Medical Students.

PubMed

Dyrbye, Liselotte N; Satele, Daniel; Shanafelt, Tait D

2017-07-01

Although burnout and low quality of life (QOL) are common among medical students, little remains known about personal fitness habits of medical students that may promote well-being. In 2012 the authors conducted a cross-sectional study of U.S. medical students to explore relationships between burnout, QOL, and compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exercise recommendations. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, Fisher exact tests, and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Among approximately 12,500 medical students invited to participate, 4,402 (35.2%) completed surveys. Most (2,738/4,367; 62.7%) engaged in aerobic exercise in accordance with CDC recommendations, while fewer (1,685/4,376; 38.5%) adhered to muscle strengthening recommendations. Burnout prevalence was lower among students who exercised aerobically consistent with CDC recommendations compared with those who exercised less (53.1% vs. 60.8%, P < .0001). Similarly, rates of burnout were also lower among students who strength trained consistent with CDC recommendations (51.8% vs. 58.6%, P < .0001). Overall QOL scores were higher for medical students adhering to CDC recommendations for aerobic exercise (7.2 vs. 6.6, P < .0001), strength training (7.2 vs. 6.8, P < .0001), or both aerobic and strength training (8.0 vs. 7.0, P < .0001). Compliance with CDC exercise guidelines remained independently associated with lower risk of burnout and higher QOL on multivariate analysis controlling for age, sex, relationship status, children, and year in school. Students whose aerobic exercise and/or strength training habits are consistent with CDC guidelines appear less likely to experience burnout and to have higher QOL.

Insights Gained from the Use of Genograms To Analyze Communication Dimensions in Family Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brommel, Bernard J.

Genograms (a "psychological" family tree) can reveal how the family communicates about its past. The drawing of the family tree becomes an exercise in communication. In a classroom assignment, students can do their own genogram or create one by doing interviews with a family to gain insights into various dimensions of the family's…

Utilizing Tornado Data for Classroom Exercises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohler, Fred

Exercises were developed using tornado statistics to provide students with a better understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of these phenomena in the United States. Four categories of exercises were considered beginning with the simplest and progressing to the more complex. The first set of exercises required students to…

Teaching Leaders to Lead Themselves: An Emerging Leader Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chavez, Carolyn I.; Gomez, Claudia; Valenzuela, Marcus; Perera, Yasanthi B.

2017-01-01

This article describes an exercise that allows students to experience and understand the importance of perception in leader emergence. Based on implicit leadership theories, this exercise asks students to provide one another with anonymous feedback about what extent they exhibit various trait-based leader behaviors. This exercise, which can be…

Bloomington Writing Assessment 1977; Student Exercise, Teacher Directions, Scoring.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloomington Public Schools, MN.

This booklet contains the 14 exercises that are used in the Bloomington, Minnesota, school system's writing assessment program. Depending on their applicability, the exercises may be used to assess the writing performance of fourth-, eighth-, or eleventh-grade students. Thirteen of the exercises are from the National Assessment of Educational…

Almost a Game: Enabling Restrictions in Sentence Variety Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunley, Tom C.

2003-01-01

A sentence variety exercise, used to help student writers consciously consider and control the lengths and types of sentences in their essays, is discussed. Students revised paragraphs according to the method and reflected on whether they found the exercise useful in improving their writing. Reactions were mixed, although most students were able…

It Takes One to Know One: A Class Exercise in Mental Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Theresa

2014-01-01

An active learning class exercise is presented that gives students the personal experience of the decision-making limitations of mental models. This innovative exercise was shown to increase student learning through greater understanding of the concept and higher retention of knowledge. The results suggest that student critical thinking skills…

The Relationship between Attitude toward Physical Education and Leisure-Time Exercise in High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Min-hau; Phillips, D. Allen

2002-01-01

Investigated the relationship between U.S. and Taiwanese high school students' attitudes toward physical education and leisure time exercise, noting the influence of nationality and gender. Student surveys indicated significant relationships between attitudes toward physical education and leisure time exercise, regardless of nationality or gender.…

Examining the Effectiveness of the Smoking Prevention Program "I Do Not Smoke, I Exercise" in Elementary and Secondary School Settings.

PubMed

Kolovelonis, Athanasios; Goudas, Marios; Theodorakis, Yannis

2016-11-01

The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the smoking prevention program "I do not smoke, I exercise" implemented with elementary and secondary school students. "I do not smoke, I exercise" is a theory-based smoking prevention program that promotes exercise as an alternative of smoking. The program consists of eight sessions implemented weekly. Participants were 338 Greek students (135 elementary and 203 secondary students) who were pre- and posttested in smoking, program, and exercise-related measures. The results showed that the program had significant effects on elementary students' attitudes toward smoking, intention to smoke, subjective norms, attitudes toward the application of the program, and knowledge about the health consequences of smoking. For secondary students, significant effects were found on students' perceived behavioral control and knowledge about the health consequences of smoking, while very few students reported a smoking experience before and after the intervention. Therefore the program "I do not smoke, I exercise" may have positive effects on variables related with smoking behavior. Differences in the program's impact on elementary and secondary students were identified. All these are discussed with reference to the need of implementing smoking prevention programs in schools contexts. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Increased Course Structure Improves Performance in Introductory Biology

PubMed Central

Freeman, Scott; Haak, David; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2011-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that highly structured course designs, which implement reading quizzes and/or extensive in-class active-learning activities and weekly practice exams, can lower failure rates in an introductory biology course for majors, compared with low-structure course designs that are based on lecturing and a few high-risk assessments. We controlled for 1) instructor effects by analyzing data from quarters when the same instructor taught the course, 2) exam equivalence with new assessments called the Weighted Bloom's Index and Predicted Exam Score, and 3) student equivalence using a regression-based Predicted Grade. We also tested the hypothesis that points from reading quizzes, clicker questions, and other “practice” assessments in highly structured courses inflate grades and confound comparisons with low-structure course designs. We found no evidence that points from active-learning exercises inflate grades or reduce the impact of exams on final grades. When we controlled for variation in student ability, failure rates were lower in a moderately structured course design and were dramatically lower in a highly structured course design. This result supports the hypothesis that active-learning exercises can make students more skilled learners and help bridge the gap between poorly prepared students and their better-prepared peers. PMID:21633066

Increased course structure improves performance in introductory biology.

PubMed

Freeman, Scott; Haak, David; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2011-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that highly structured course designs, which implement reading quizzes and/or extensive in-class active-learning activities and weekly practice exams, can lower failure rates in an introductory biology course for majors, compared with low-structure course designs that are based on lecturing and a few high-risk assessments. We controlled for 1) instructor effects by analyzing data from quarters when the same instructor taught the course, 2) exam equivalence with new assessments called the Weighted Bloom's Index and Predicted Exam Score, and 3) student equivalence using a regression-based Predicted Grade. We also tested the hypothesis that points from reading quizzes, clicker questions, and other "practice" assessments in highly structured courses inflate grades and confound comparisons with low-structure course designs. We found no evidence that points from active-learning exercises inflate grades or reduce the impact of exams on final grades. When we controlled for variation in student ability, failure rates were lower in a moderately structured course design and were dramatically lower in a highly structured course design. This result supports the hypothesis that active-learning exercises can make students more skilled learners and help bridge the gap between poorly prepared students and their better-prepared peers.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Brazilian dental students.

PubMed

de Carvalho, Marcus Vitor Diniz; Soriano, Evelyne Pessoa; de França Caldas, Arnaldo; Campello, Reginaldo Inojosa Carneiro; de Miranda, Hênio Ferreira; Cavalcanti, Francisco Ivo Dantas

2009-05-01

The aim of this analytical cross-sectional study was to evaluate the presence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among dental students in two Brazilian dental schools. The sample included 227 randomized subjects from fifth to ninth semesters who were developing clinical activities. Each student signed an informed consent form. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to obtain data on the practice of physical exercise, the presence of pain during or soon after treating patients, and the adoption of preventive measures related to clinical activities. Results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 13.0. The chi(2) test was used to identify associations between variables. The presence of pain during or after clinical work was reported by 173 participants (76.2 percent). Statistically significant differences were found between gender and the occurrence of pain. Pain was present during clinical activities (p=0.006) and imposed limitations on the work routine (p=0.011). Among those who practiced physical exercise, eighty-eight (74.6 percent) reported pain. The high percentage of pain reported by dental students suggests the value of reviewing work conditions in dental practices in order to minimize the exposure of all workers to WMSD.

Effects of image-based and text-based active learning exercises on student examination performance in a musculoskeletal anatomy course.

PubMed

Gross, M Melissa; Wright, Mary C; Anderson, Olivia S

2017-09-01

Research on the benefits of visual learning has relied primarily on lecture-based pedagogy, but the potential benefits of combining active learning strategies with visual and verbal materials on learning anatomy has not yet been explored. In this study, the differential effects of text-based and image-based active learning exercises on examination performance were investigated in a functional anatomy course. Each class session was punctuated with an average of 12 text-based and image-based active learning exercises. Participation data from 231 students were compared with their examination performance on 262 questions associated with the in-class exercises. Students also rated the helpfulness and difficulty of the in-class exercises on a survey. Participation in the active learning exercises was positively correlated with examination performance (r = 0.63, P < 0.001). When controlling for other key demographics (gender, underrepresented minority status) and prior grade point average, participation in the image-based exercises was significantly correlated with performance on examination questions associated with image-based exercises (P < 0.001) and text-based exercises (P < 0.01), while participation in text-based exercises was not. Additionally, students reported that the active learning exercises were helpful for seeing images of key ideas (94%) and clarifying key course concepts (80%), and that the image-based exercises were significantly less demanding, less hard and required less effort than text-based exercises (P < 0.05). The findings confirm the positive effect of using images and active learning strategies on student learning, and suggest that integrating them may be especially beneficial for learning anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 10: 444-455. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Assessment of Physical Activity, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and Stages of Change in College Students Using a Street-Based Survey Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leenders, Nicole Y. J. M.; Silver, Lorraine Wallace; White, Susan L.; Buckworth, Janet; Sherman, W. Michael

2002-01-01

Used a street-based survey to assess college students' physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy, and stages of change for exercise behavior. A large proportion of respondents were not regularly active. Exercise self-efficacy was an important variable in exercise behavior. The low cost, ease of data collection, and short turnaround for…

Development of Handcraft Exercise Courses that Bring Out Student's Creativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senda, Shinkoh; Yamamoto, Koji; Fukumori, Tutom; Matsuura, Hideo; Sato, Kazuo

We have developed a new type of handcraft exercise program that aims to stimulate student's creativity on the way of design and fabrication of the subject machines. Conventional handicraft exercise program used to aim at letting students learn procedures of machining operation in accordance with a designated manual. Students having experienced our conventional exercise did not fully satisfied at those programs because of the lack in a room for their idea and creativity. Authors, a group of both technical and academic staffs, have developed and started the new type of program since 2003 at the Creation Plaza in Nagoya University. Developed program is classified into grades according to the difference in technical contents required for students.

Incentive structure in team-based learning: graded versus ungraded Group Application exercises.

PubMed

Deardorff, Adam S; Moore, Jeremy A; McCormick, Colleen; Koles, Paul G; Borges, Nicole J

2014-04-21

Previous studies on team-based learning (TBL) in medical education demonstrated improved learner engagement, learner satisfaction, and academic performance; however, a paucity of information exists on modifications of the incentive structure of "traditional" TBL practices. The current study investigates the impact of modification to conventional Group Application exercises by examining student preference and student perceptions of TBL outcomes when Group Application exercises are excluded from TBL grades. During the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years, 175 students (95.6% response rate) completed a 22-item multiple choice survey followed by 3 open response questions at the end of their second year of medical school. These students had participated in a TBL supplemented preclinical curriculum with graded Group Application exercises during year one and ungraded Group Application exercises during year two of medical school. Chi-square analyses showed significant differences between grading categories for general assessment of TBL, participation and communication, intra-team discussion, inter-team discussion, student perceptions of their own effort and development of teamwork skills. Furthermore, 83.8% of students polled prefer ungraded Group Application exercises with only 7.2% preferring graded and 9.0% indicating no preference. The use of ungraded Group Application exercises appears to be a successful modification of TBL, making it more "student-friendly" while maintaining the goals of active learning and development of teamwork skills.

Prevalence of Exercise Addiction Symptomology and Disordered Eating in Australian Students Studying Nutrition and Dietetics.

PubMed

Rocks, Tetyana; Pelly, Fiona; Slater, Gary; Martin, Lisa Anne

2017-10-01

Previous research has reported the existence of disordered eating in students studying nutrition and dietetics. However, the occurrence of exercise addiction, previously linked to disordered eating, is poorly understood in this group. The main objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of exercise addiction and the association with disordered eating in a sample of students studying nutrition and dietetics. A secondary objective was to compare the prevalence of exercise addiction to students enrolled in another health-related degree. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 165 undergraduate students. Participants were students of both sexes enrolled in nutrition and dietetics and occupational therapy degree programs at an Australian university in August 2013. Participants completed four validated questionnaires for assessment of exercise- and eating-related attitudes and behaviors measuring scores for exercise addiction, weekly volume of physical activity (PA), eating disorder symptoms, and cognitive restraint. Stretch stature and body mass were measured and body composition was assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ 2 test were completed to compare groups of students based on sex, degree, or eating attitudes. Spearman's correlation was performed to explore associations between continuous variables (exercise addiction scores, PA volume, and scores for eating attitudes and cognitive restraint). Approximately 23% of nutrition and dietetics students were found to be at risk of exercise addiction (20% females and 35% males; P=0.205), while the majority demonstrated some symptoms of exercise addiction. A similar proportion of at risk individuals was found in the female occupational therapy group (19%; P=1.000). In females (nutrition and dietetics and occupational therapy combined), the exercise addiction scores were associated with three other outcome measures: PA volume (r s =0.41; P<0.001), eating attitudes scores (r s =0.24; P=0.008), and cognitive restraint (r s =0.32; P<0.001). Comparative analysis indicated that female students with high cognitive restraint had greater exercise addiction scores than those with low cognitive restraint (20.3 [4.8] compared to 17.8 [4.2]; P=0.003). Results suggest high prevalence of exercise addiction in this sample of undergraduate health-related degree students and its link to amount of PA and disordered eating in females. Future research should include larger samples of both sexes to build the existing understanding on these maladaptive behaviors. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating Technical Communication in the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norberg, Seth; Ashcraft, Timothy; van Poppel, Bret

2017-11-01

Technical communication is essential to engineering practice, but these skills can be challenging to teach and assess in the classroom. Instructors in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) program at the United States Military Academy are developing new learning exercises to prepare students for success in their capstone design course and beyond. In this paper we highlight the recent successes and lessons learned from two courses: junior-level Thermal-Fluid Systems and the senior-level ME Seminar. Both courses support the newly implemented West Point Writing Program (WPWP), an institutional, writing-across-the-curriculum program. The junior course incorporates four hands-on experiments, which provide an abundance of data for students to analyze, assess, and present. In the senior course the majority of the content that students present is from their ongoing capstone design projects. Between the two courses, students craft essays, lab reports, short summaries, posters, quad charts, and technical presentations. Both courses include peer evaluation, revision exercises, and timed (on demand) writing assignments. The junior course includes assignments co-authored by a group as well as an individual report. An overview of both courses' assignments with course-end feedback from the students and the faculty is provided. Strengths and weaknesses are identified and recommendations for instructors seeking to implement similar technical communications assignments in their own courses are presented.

[Effects of the body fat mass and blood sugar and plasma resistin to slim exercise prescription for overweight and obesity students].

PubMed

Bai, Youping; Zhang, Jing; Jiang, Shuangshuang; Sun, Jun; Zheng, Chenfei; Wang, Ke; Qian, Jingjing; Nie, Liuwang

2013-07-01

To explore the influences of slim exercise prescription on body fat mass, blood sugar and plasma resistin for overweight and obesity students. Subjects were 9 males and 13 females for simple overweight and obesity students of freshman and junior. The function capacity (FC) were defined after examine of body shape, physical function and exercise capacity. The slim goals and exercise projects were determined according to different objects. The exercise intensity was 60%-70% of FC and 13-15 levels of RPE. Exercise with each time was 60 min, exercise frequency was 5 times perweek, energy metabolism was 500-600 kcal at a time. The relative indexes were detected after 8 weeks. Implementing programmes of slim exercise prescription for 8 weeks, before and after the experiment in the males and females group. The weight, BMI, percentage of body fat (FAT%), waist and hip circumference ratio (WHR), body surface area (BS), fat indexes, the density of body for overweight and obesity the male and female students were significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Body fat mass (FM) and blood sugar were significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Plasma resistin of the male students were significant different (P < 0.01), but the female students were significant different (P < 0.05). Analysis of Bivariate Correlation was Pearson Correlation, plasma resistin and BMI, WHR the male students had correlation, but the female had no correlation. The exercise prescription was safe and sure, and could improve weight, BMI, FAT%, FM, WHR, BS, fat indexes, the density of body, blood sugar, plasma resistin in obesity without the diet control.

Physical Activity Participation and Constraints Among Athletic Training Students

PubMed Central

Stanek, Justin; Rogers, Katherine; Anderson, Jordan

2015-01-01

Context: Researchers have examined the physical activity (PA) habits of certified athletic trainers; however, none have looked specifically at athletic training students. Objective: To assess PA participation and constraints to participation among athletic training students. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Entry-level athletic training education programs (undergraduate and graduate) across the United States. Patients or Other Participants: Participants were 1125 entry-level athletic training students. Main Outcome Measure(s): Self-reported PA participation, including a calculated PA index based on a typical week. Leisure constraints and demographic data were also collected. Results: Only 22.8% (252/1105) of athletic training students were meeting the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for PA through moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise. Although 52.3% (580/1105) were meeting the recommendations through vigorous-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise, 60.5% (681/1125) were meeting the recommendations based on the combined total of moderate or vigorous cardiorespiratory exercise. In addition, 57.2% (643/1125) of respondents met the recommendations for resistance exercise. Exercise habits of athletic training students appear to be better than the national average and similar to those of practicing athletic trainers. Students reported structural constraints such as lack of time due to work or studies as the most significant barrier to exercise participation. Conclusions: Athletic training students experienced similar constraints to PA participation as practicing athletic trainers, and these constraints appeared to influence their exercise participation during their entry-level education. Athletic training students may benefit from a greater emphasis on work-life balance during their entry-level education to promote better health and fitness habits. PMID:25689560

The Relationship between Meditation and/or Exercise and Three Measures of Self-Actualization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lynn L.; Robinson, Sharon E.

1993-01-01

Investigated relationship between regular meditation and/or physical exercise and dimensions of self-actualization (inner-directedness, living in present, lowered anxiety) of 103 graduate counseling students. Students who meditated or who meditated and exercised had significantly greater inner-directedness than did those who only exercised or who…

Investigation of Intensity Levels during Video Classroom Exercise Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Thad; Ratliffe, Tom

2014-01-01

Classroom Exercises for the Body and Brain was developed in the state of Georgia by the HealthMPowers organization to help classroom teachers provide structured physical activity for their elementary students in their classrooms. These brief video exercises were designed for students to participate at their desks as exercise breaks, as energy…

Introductory Bioinformatics Exercises Utilizing Hemoglobin and Chymotrypsin to Reinforce the Protein Sequence-Structure-Function Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inlow, Jennifer K.; Miller, Paige; Pittman, Bethany

2007-01-01

We describe two bioinformatics exercises intended for use in a computer laboratory setting in an upper-level undergraduate biochemistry course. To introduce students to bioinformatics, the exercises incorporate several commonly used bioinformatics tools, including BLAST, that are freely available online. The exercises build upon the students'…

Influence of Age, Sex, and Race on College Students' Exercise Motivation of Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egli, Trevor; Bland, Helen W.; Melton, Bridget F.; Czech, Daniel R.

2011-01-01

Objective: The authors examined differences in exercise motivation between age, sex, and race for college students. Participants: Students from 156 sections of physical activity classes at a midsize university were recruited (n = 2,199; 1,081 men, 1,118 women) in 2005-2006 and volunteered to complete the Exercise Motivation Inventory. Methods:…

Evaluating a College-Prep Laboratory Exercise for Teenaged Homeschool Students in a University Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hercules, Daniel A.; Parrish, Cameron A.; Whitehead, Daniel C.

2016-01-01

We devised a half-day laboratory exercise for a group of 10th grade homeschooled students enrolled in an honors-level high school general chemistry course organized by a collective of homeschooling families associated with local Christian churches. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the students met the learning objectives of the exercise. The…

Changing Students' Perceptions of Inequality?: Combining Traditional Methods and a Budget Exercise to Facilitate a Sociological Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garoutte, Lisa; Bobbitt-Zeher, Donna

2011-01-01

Budget exercises are frequently used in introductory and social problems courses to facilitate student understanding of income inequality. But do these exercises actually lead to greater sociological understanding? To explore this issue, the authors studied undergraduate students enrolled in introductory sociology courses during the 2008-2009…

The Effect of Timed Relaxation on Keyboarding Achievement. Research Bulletin No. 46-B.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Doris B.

Research has shown that relaxation exercises produce physical changes in students. After relaxation exercises, students appear calmer, have reduced levels of anxiety, and are more responsive to instruction. In order to determine if relaxation exercises would improve the rate at which students learn keyboarding, a study was conducted in a South…

The Dating Game: An Exercise Illustrating the Concepts of Homogamy, Heterogamy, Hyperogamy, and Hypogamy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Eileen; Foley, Lara

1999-01-01

Describes the "Dating Game," an exercise for use in marriage and family courses that enables students to learn about the theories of mate selection by simulating random mating. States that the dating game helps make mate selection concepts relevant to the students' lives. Discusses the students' reaction to the exercise. (CMK)

The Toxics Geography Exercise: Students Use Inquiry to Uncover Uses and Limits of Data in Policy Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, L. Donald; Schmidt, Diane L.

2011-01-01

The Toxics Geography Exercise was developed as an application-oriented exercise to develop skills in critical analysis in groups of undergraduate students from widely diverse academic backgrounds. Students use publicly available data on industrial activities, history of toxic material disposal, basic chemistry, regulatory approaches of federal and…

Building an Understanding of Democratization in a Developing Nation: A Success Story in Botswana.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gary, Lee P., Jr.

This document is an exercise for teachers who are seeking to increase student understanding of the rise and expansion of democracy in new or emerging nations. The exercise complements the National Education Goals for Student Achievement and Citizenship. By design, the exercise challenges students to plan and to conduct (based on the timeless…

Cross-Cultural Validation of Stages of Exercise Change Scale among Chinese College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Xiaofen D.; Guan, Jianmin; Huang, Yong; Deng, Mingying; Wu, Yifeng; Qu, Shuhua

2005-01-01

The purpose of the study was to test the cross-cultural concurrent validity of the stages of exercise change scale (SECS) in Chinese college students. The original SECS was translated into Chinese (C-SECS). Students from four Chinese universities (N = 1843) participated in the study. The leisure-time exercise (LTE) questionnaire was used to…

Factors affecting dance exercise performance in students at a special needs school.

PubMed

Ito, Yukiko; Hiramoto, Izumi; Kodama, Hideya

2017-09-01

In Japan, dance exercise has been introduced as a compulsory element of health and physical education, but there is a considerable discrepancy in the levels of performance among students with intellectual disability (ID) at special needs schools. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the factors affecting the performance of dance exercise in students with ID. A 4 month dance exercise program was implemented for junior high school students at a special needs school, and the performance of 32 students at 22 sessions was assessed quantitatively according to calorie use during exercise and performance proficiency score. The measures were compared according to gender, age, body mass index, diagnosis, and development quotient (DQ) score. Performance in many students improved with repetition and reached the highest attainment level at around the third month. Male gender and older age had a significant positive impact on calorie use, whereas diagnosis of Down syndrome and higher DQ score had a significant positive impact on proficiency score. Four students with poor performance were all female students with autism. This study provides some possible explanations for differences in the levels of dance performance among students with ID. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

Effects of a selected exercise programon executive function of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Memarmoghaddam, M; Torbati, H T; Sohrabi, M; Mashhadi, A; Kashi, A

2016-01-01

Introduction. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a Selected exercise program on the executive function of children with ADHD. Method. The participants were 40 male students, aged 7-11 years. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental and control). The experimental group participated in an exercise program for 24 sessions, 90 minutes per session. The control group did not receive any intervention. Before and after the exercise period, all the participants were assessed with Stroop and Go-No-Go tests, and the resulting data were analyzed by using MANCOVA. Result. The results showed that the cognitive inhibition of the children in the experimental group was significantly different compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the behavioral inhibition (p < 0.05). Conclusion. An organized physical activity helps to improve the executive function in children with ADHD.

The Relative Contribution of Dietary Habits, Leisure-Time Exercise, Exercise Attitude, and Body Mass Index to Self-Rated Health among College Students in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsieh, Huey-Hong; Chang, Chia-Ming; Liu, Li-Wei; Huang, Hsiu-Chin

2018-05-11

Background : Self-rated health (SRH) is consistent with objective health status and can serve as a global measure of health status in the general population. The purpose of this study is to find the connections of dietary habits, leisure-time exercise, exercise attitude, and body mass index (BMI) to SRH among college students. Methods : The "dietary⁻exercise attitude and SRH" questionnaire was developed to investigate college students in Taiwan through the Internet. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the relationship among them. Results : The reliability and validity were confirmed using PLS-SEM. The results found exercise habits, dietary habits, and BMI explained 26.5% of SRH. Poor dietary habits and being overweight led to bad health status (negative path coefficients to SRH). Additionally, the study found that positive exercise attitude had a positive relationship with exercise habits. Conclusions : Based on the results, college students should be well-informed of the potential threat of poor dietary habits and being overweight to health and should improve their attitude with respect to exercise so as to prevent overweight-related diseases.

The Relative Contribution of Dietary Habits, Leisure-Time Exercise, Exercise Attitude, and Body Mass Index to Self-Rated Health among College Students in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Hsieh, Huey-Hong; Chang, Chia-Ming; Liu, Li-Wei; Huang, Hsiu-Chin

2018-01-01

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is consistent with objective health status and can serve as a global measure of health status in the general population. The purpose of this study is to find the connections of dietary habits, leisure-time exercise, exercise attitude, and body mass index (BMI) to SRH among college students. Methods: The “dietary–exercise attitude and SRH” questionnaire was developed to investigate college students in Taiwan through the Internet. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the relationship among them. Results: The reliability and validity were confirmed using PLS-SEM. The results found exercise habits, dietary habits, and BMI explained 26.5% of SRH. Poor dietary habits and being overweight led to bad health status (negative path coefficients to SRH). Additionally, the study found that positive exercise attitude had a positive relationship with exercise habits. Conclusions: Based on the results, college students should be well-informed of the potential threat of poor dietary habits and being overweight to health and should improve their attitude with respect to exercise so as to prevent overweight-related diseases. PMID:29751682

Serratus anterior and lower trapezius muscle activities during multi-joint isotonic scapular exercises and isometric contractions.

PubMed

Tsuruike, Masaaki; Ellenbecker, Todd S

2015-02-01

Proper scapular function during humeral elevation, such as upward rotation, external rotation, and posterior tilting of the scapula, is necessary to prevent shoulder injury. However, the appropriate intensity of rehabilitation exercise for the periscapular muscles has yet to be clarified. To identify the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and posterior deltoid muscle activities during 2 free-motion exercises using 3 intensities and to compare these muscle activities with isometric contractions during quadruped shoulder flexion and external rotation and abduction of the glenohumeral joint. Cross-sectional study. Health Science Laboratory. A total of 16 uninjured, healthy, active, male college students (age = 19.5 ± 1.2 years, height = 173.1 ± 6.5 cm, weight = 68.8 ± 6.6 kg). Mean electromyographic activity normalized by the maximal voluntary isometric contraction was analyzed across 3 intensities and 5 exercises. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for electromyographic activity of the 4 muscles in each free-motion exercise. Significant interactions in electromyographic activity were observed between intensities and exercises (P < .05). The quadruped shoulder-flexion exercise activated all 4 muscles compared with other exercises. Also, the modified robbery free-motion exercise activated the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus compared with the lawn-mower free-motion exercise. However, neither exercise showed a difference in posterior deltoid electromyographic activity. Three intensities exposed the nature of the periscapular muscle activities across the different exercises. The free-motion exercise in periscapular muscle rehabilitation may not modify serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus muscle activities unless knee-joint extension is limited.

Some Exercises Reflecting Green Chemistry Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Yu-Min; Wang, Yong-Cheng; Geng, Zhi-Yuan

2004-01-01

Some exercises to introduce students to the concept of green chemistry are given. By doing these exercises, students develop an appreciation for the role of green chemistry on feedstock substitution, milder reaction conditions, reduced environmental exposure, and resource conservation.

Taxation and Welfare: A Revision Exercise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boden, Andrew

1992-01-01

Offers a revision exercise intended to remind students of some economic terminology associated with taxation and welfare. Provides a set of definitions for which students are to supply matching terms. Includes an answer list and suggests related exercises. (SG)

Effects of yogic exercise on nonspecific neck pain in university students.

PubMed

Kim, Sang Dol

2018-05-01

To assess the effects of yogic exercise on nonspecific neck pain in university students. This study is a pretest-posttest design with a non-equivalent control group. Thirty-eight university students were selected by convenience sampling, with 18 assigned to an exercise group and 20 assigned to a control group. The yoga group participated in one-hour sessions of yogic exercise two days a week for eight weeks. The exercise comprised eight stages: relaxation, flexion of neck, extension of neck, right lateral flexion of neck, left lateral flexion of neck, right rotation of neck, left rotation of neck, and relaxation. Neck pain intensity was measured using a 100 mm visual analogue scale. The yoga group showed significantly decreased neck pain scores compared with those of the control group. These findings indicate that yogic exercises could reduce neck pain in university students. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mindfulness Meditation Versus Physical Exercise in the Management of Depression Among Nursing Students.

PubMed

Alsaraireh, Faris Abdelkarim; Aloush, Sami Mohammad

2017-10-01

Depression among nursing students is an ongoing problem. Several psychotherapies have been suggested as alternatives to antidepressants in the management of depression. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation versus physical exercise in the management of depression among nursing students. A sample of 181 soon-to-graduate nursing students participated in the study and were assigned at random to one of two therapies: physical exercise (n = 90) or mindfulness meditation (n = 91). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was completed by the participants in both groups prior to the therapies and after completion. The findings indicated that both therapies were effective in the management of depression. However, mindfulness meditation is more effective than physical exercise. Mindfulness meditation is recommended over physical exercise in the management of depression among undergraduate nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(10):599-604.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Behavioral regulations and dispositional flow in exercise among American college students relative to stages of change and gender.

PubMed

Ersöz, Gözde; Eklund, Robert C

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine behavioral regulations and dispositional flow in exercise among university students in terms of gender and stage of change. Data were collected from American college students (N = 257; M age ± SD = 23.02 ± 4.05) in Spring 2013. Behavioral regulations and dispositional flow in exercise were assessed, along with stage of change. Exercisers in the maintenance stage of change displayed significantly more self-determined motivation to exercise and a greater tendency to experience flow than those in preparation and action stages. Significant correlations were observed among behavioral regulations and flow state. Nonsignificant differences were observed for gender on behavioral regulations and dispositional flow in exercise. The results suggest that promotion of self-determined motivation and dispositional flow in exercisers may improve the quality of their experiences, as well as to foster their exercise behavior.

The "Finding Physics" Project: Recognizing and Exploring Physics Outside the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Judith; Perkins, James

2016-11-01

Students in introductory physics classes often have difficulty recognizing the relevance of physics concepts outside the confines of the physics classroom, lab, and textbook. Even though textbooks and instructors often provide examples of physics applications from a wide array of areas, students have difficulty relating physics to their own lives. Encouraging students to apply physics to their own surroundings helps them develop the critical analysis skills of a scientifically literate and competent citizen. Fink, in his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences, emphasizes the importance of constructing opportunities to help students connect what they learn in their academic courses with past and current life experiences and link them to possible future life experiences. Several excellent papers in this journal have presented labs and activities that address this concern by encouraging teachers to bring real-world examples into the classroom or to take students into the field for data collection and observation. Alternatively, Smith suggests a writing exercise in which his students identify and explain an event in terms of their understanding of physics. In this paper we present a multiphase exercise that challenges students to find their own examples of physics from outside the classroom and analyze them using the conceptual understanding and quantitative skills which they are developing in the classroom. The ultimate goal of the "Finding Physics" project is to improve students' learning through enhancing their recognition that, to quote one participant's end-of-course survey, "Physics is everywhere!"

Using social cognitive theory to explain discretionary, "leisure-time" physical exercise among high school students.

PubMed

Winters, Eric R; Petosa, Rick L; Charlton, Thomas E

2003-06-01

To examine whether knowledge of high school students' actions of self-regulation, and perceptions of self-efficacy to overcome exercise barriers, social situation, and outcome expectation will predict non-school related moderate and vigorous physical exercise. High school students enrolled in introductory Physical Education courses completed questionnaires that targeted selected Social Cognitive Theory variables. They also self-reported their typical "leisure-time" exercise participation using a standardized questionnaire. Bivariate correlation statistic and hierarchical regression were conducted on reports of moderate and vigorous exercise frequency. Each predictor variable was significantly associated with measures of moderate and vigorous exercise frequency. All predictor variables were significant in the final regression model used to explain vigorous exercise. After controlling for the effects of gender, the psychosocial variables explained 29% of variance in vigorous exercise frequency. Three of four predictor variables were significant in the final regression equation used to explain moderate exercise. The final regression equation accounted for 11% of variance in moderate exercise frequency. Professionals who attempt to increase the prevalence of physical exercise through educational methods should focus on the psychosocial variables utilized in this study.

Utilizing visual art to enhance the clinical observation skills of medical students.

PubMed

Jasani, Sona K; Saks, Norma S

2013-07-01

Clinical observation is fundamental in practicing medicine, but these skills are rarely taught. Currently no evidence-based exercises/courses exist for medical student training in observation skills. The goal was to develop and teach a visual arts-based exercise for medical students, and to evaluate its usefulness in enhancing observation skills in clinical diagnosis. A pre- and posttest and evaluation survey were developed for a three-hour exercise presented to medical students just before starting clerkships. Students were provided with questions to guide discussion of both representational and non-representational works of art. Quantitative analysis revealed that the mean number of observations between pre- and posttests was not significantly different (n=70: 8.63 vs. 9.13, p=0.22). Qualitative analysis of written responses identified four themes: (1) use of subjective terminology, (2) scope of interpretations, (3) speculative thinking, and (4) use of visual analogies. Evaluative comments indicated that students felt the exercise enhanced both mindfulness and skills. Using visual art images with guided questions can train medical students in observation skills. This exercise can be replicated without specially trained personnel or art museum partnerships.

Student Attitudes towards Laboratory Exercises in Medical Biochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronholm, Tomas; Hoog, Jan-Olov; Martenson, Dick

2000-01-01

Examines student attitudes towards biochemical experiments and their effect on student learning. Finds that biochemical experiments in the medical curriculum are valuable, but efforts should be directed more towards the development of students' attitudes and approaches to the exercise. (Author/CCM)

The control of ventilation during exercise: a lesson in critical thinking.

PubMed

Bruce, Richard M

2017-12-01

Learning the basic competencies of critical thinking are very important in the education of any young scientist, and teachers must be prepared to help students develop a valuable set of analytic tools. In my experience, this is best achieved by encouraging students to study areas with little scientific consensus, such as the control mechanisms of the exercise ventilatory response, as it can allow greater objectivity when evaluating evidence, while also giving students the freedom to think independently and problem solve. In this article, I discuss teaching strategies by which physiology, biomedical science, and sport science students can simultaneously develop their understanding of respiratory control mechanisms and learn to critically analyze evidence thoroughly. This can be best achieved by utilizing both teacher-led and student-led learning environments, the latter of which encourages the development of learner autonomy and independent problem solving. In this article, I also aim to demonstrate a systematic approach of critical assessment that students can be taught, adapt, and apply independently. Among other things, this strategy involves: 1 ) defining the precise phenomenon in question; 2 ) understanding what investigations must demonstrate to explain the phenomenon and its underlying mechanisms; 3 ) evaluating the explanations/mechanisms of the phenomenon and the evidence for them; and 4 ) forming strategies to produce strong evidence, if none exists. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

The article critique as a problem-based teaching method for medical students early in their training: a French example using anatomy.

PubMed

Havet, Eric; Duparc, Fabrice; Peltier, Johan; Tobenas-Dujardin, Anne-Claire; Fréger, Pierre

2012-01-01

In France, "article critique" became a particular teaching method in the second part of the medical curriculum. It approaches a reading exercise of scientific medical papers similar to that of journal club. It could be compared to reviewing a paper as performed by reviewers of a scientific journal. We studied the relevancy of that teaching method for the youngest medical students. Our questions were about the understanding and the analyzing ability of a scientific paper while students have just learned basic medical sciences as anatomy. We have included 54 "article critique" written by voluntary students in second and third years of medical cursus. All of the IMRaD structure items (introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion) were analyzed using a qualitative scale for understanding as for analyzing ability. For understanding, 89-96% was good or fair and for the analyzing ability, 93-100% was good or fair. The anatomical papers were better understood than therapeutic or paraclinical studies, but without statistical difference, except for the introduction chapter. Results for analyzing ability were various according to the subject of the papers. This teaching method could be compared to a self-learning method, but also to a problem-based learning method. For the youngest students, the lack of medical knowledge aroused the curiosity. Their enthusiasm to learn new medical subjects remained full. The authors would insist on the requirement of rigorous lessons about evidence-based medicine and IMRaD structure and on a necessary companionship of the students by the teachers.

The Influence of Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Motives among UK-Based University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Simon; Reeves, Matthew; Ryrie, Angus

2015-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that the majority of the adult population fails to achieve the recommended target of 30-minutes moderate intensity exercise, days a week. This includes university students who often have the time to engage in physical activity. The aim of this study was to determine exercise motives for a UK-based student population. The…

Sounds for Study: Speech and Language Therapy Students' Use and Perception of Exercise Podcasts for Phonetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Rachael-Anne

2010-01-01

Currently little is known about how students use podcasts of exercise material (as opposed to lecture material), and whether they perceive such podcasts to be beneficial. This study aimed to assess how exercise podcasts for phonetics are used and perceived by second year speech and language therapy students. Eleven podcasts of graded phonetics…

Effect of Certified Personal Trainer Services on Stage of Exercise Behavior and Exercise Mediators in Female College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Donald V.; Bryant, Jennifer

2008-01-01

Objective: The authors examined the effect of certified personal trainer services on exercise behavior by using the transtheoretical model of behavioral change. Participants: Female college students (n = 449) completed surveys during the first week (T1) and last week (T2) of the fall semester. Methods: Students receiving personal trainer services…

Virtual Team Meetings: Reflections on a Class Exercise Exploring Technology Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull Schaefer, Rebecca A.; Erskine, Laura

2012-01-01

Students find that choosing the appropriate technology for a virtual team meeting is not as simple as it first appears. The authors describe a class exercise used to demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of using virtual team meetings by requiring students to replace a face-to-face meeting with a virtual meeting. The exercise challenged students'…

Preparing to Lead: A Leadership Philosophy Exercise for Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyran, Kristi Lewis

2017-01-01

This article introduces a leadership philosophy exercise where students reflect on their values and prepare a statement of what they intend to do as a leader in their careers. This exercise has the potential to add value to leadership classes or seminars where personal leadership is the focus. By using the leadership philosophy exercise, I argue…

Simulating How a Virus Spreads through a Population: An Introduction to Acid-Base Chemistry in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarret, Ronald M.

2001-04-01

The traditional lab exercise that achieves separation of a mixture of 4-aminoacetophenone and benzoic acid by chemically active extraction has been expanded to include two exercises. First, students provide input on condition selections. This is based on the pooling of data from student observations of the solubility-miscibility behavior of 4-aminoacetophenone, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, and various solvents and aqueous solutions. Second, students participate in an exercise that uses materials from the extraction experiment to simulate how a virus spreads through a population. The additional mini-exercises promote student participation and reinforce the concepts of the extraction lab.

Microbes in Mascara: Hypothesis-Driven Research in a Nonmajor Biology Lab †

PubMed Central

Burleson, Kathryn M.; Martinez-Vaz, Betsy M.

2011-01-01

In this laboratory exercise, students were taught concepts of microbiology and scientific process through an everyday activity — cosmetic use. The students’ goals for the lab were to develop a hypothesis regarding microbial contamination in cosmetics, learn techniques to culture and differentiate microorganisms from cosmetics, and propose best practices in cosmetics use based on their findings. Prior to the lab, students took a pretest to assess their knowledge of scientific hypotheses, microbiology, and cosmetic safety. In the first week, students were introduced to microbiological concepts and methodologies, and cosmetic terminology and safety. Students completed a hypothesis-writing exercise before formulating and testing their own hypotheses regarding cosmetic contamination. Students provided a cosmetic of their own and, in consultation with their lab group, chose one product for testing. Samples were serially diluted and plated on a variety of selective media. In the second week, students analyzed their plates to determine the presence and diversity of microbes and if their hypotheses were supported. Students completed a worksheet of their results and were given a posttest to assess their knowledge. Average test scores improved from 5.2 (pretest) to 7.8 (posttest), with p-values < 0.0001. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of students correctly identified hypotheses that were not falsifiable or lacked variables, and 89% of students improved their scores on questions concerning safe cosmetic use. Ninety-one percent (91%) of students demonstrated increased knowledge of microbial concepts and methods. Based on our results, this lab is an easy, yet effective, way to enhance knowledge of scientific concepts for nonmajors, while maintaining relevance to everyday life. PMID:23653761

Enhancing interdisciplinary mathematics and biology education: a microarray data analysis course bridging these disciplines.

PubMed

Tra, Yolande V; Evans, Irene M

2010-01-01

BIO2010 put forth the goal of improving the mathematical educational background of biology students. The analysis and interpretation of microarray high-dimensional data can be very challenging and is best done by a statistician and a biologist working and teaching in a collaborative manner. We set up such a collaboration and designed a course on microarray data analysis. We started using Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT) materials and Microarray Genome and Clustering Tool software and added R statistical software along with Bioconductor packages. In response to student feedback, one microarray data set was fully analyzed in class, starting from preprocessing to gene discovery to pathway analysis using the latter software. A class project was to conduct a similar analysis where students analyzed their own data or data from a published journal paper. This exercise showed the impact that filtering, preprocessing, and different normalization methods had on gene inclusion in the final data set. We conclude that this course achieved its goals to equip students with skills to analyze data from a microarray experiment. We offer our insight about collaborative teaching as well as how other faculty might design and implement a similar interdisciplinary course.

Enhancing Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Biology Education: A Microarray Data Analysis Course Bridging These Disciplines

PubMed Central

Evans, Irene M.

2010-01-01

BIO2010 put forth the goal of improving the mathematical educational background of biology students. The analysis and interpretation of microarray high-dimensional data can be very challenging and is best done by a statistician and a biologist working and teaching in a collaborative manner. We set up such a collaboration and designed a course on microarray data analysis. We started using Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT) materials and Microarray Genome and Clustering Tool software and added R statistical software along with Bioconductor packages. In response to student feedback, one microarray data set was fully analyzed in class, starting from preprocessing to gene discovery to pathway analysis using the latter software. A class project was to conduct a similar analysis where students analyzed their own data or data from a published journal paper. This exercise showed the impact that filtering, preprocessing, and different normalization methods had on gene inclusion in the final data set. We conclude that this course achieved its goals to equip students with skills to analyze data from a microarray experiment. We offer our insight about collaborative teaching as well as how other faculty might design and implement a similar interdisciplinary course. PMID:20810954

Limnology. Student Fieldbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Michael

This student fieldbook provides exercises for a three-week course in limnology. Exercises emphasize applications of knowledge in chemistry, physics, and biology to understand the natural operation of freshwater systems. Fourteen field exercises include: (1) testing for water quality; (2) determination of water temperature, turbidity, dissolved…

Body painting to promote self-active learning of hand anatomy for preclinical medical students.

PubMed

Jariyapong, Pitchanee; Punsawad, Chuchard; Bunratsami, Suchirat; Kongthong, Paranyu

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to use the body painting method to teach hand anatomy to a group of preclinical medical students. Students reviewed hand anatomy using the traditional method and body painting exercise. Feedback and retention of the anatomy-related information were examined by a questionnaire and multiple-choice questions, respectively, immediately and 1 month after the painting exercise. Students agreed that the exercise was advantageous and helped facilitate self-active learning after in-class anatomy lessons. While there was no significant difference in knowledge retention between the control and experimental groups, the students appreciated the exercise in which they applied body paint to the human body to learn anatomy. The body painting was an efficient tool for aiding the interactive learning of medical students and increasing the understanding of gross anatomy.

Health perceptions, self and body image, physical activity and nutrition among undergraduate students in Israel.

PubMed

Korn, Liat; Gonen, Ester; Shaked, Yael; Golan, Moria

2013-01-01

This study examines health perceptions, self and body image, physical exercise and nutrition among undergraduate students. A structured, self-reported questionnaire was administered to more than 1500 students at a large academic institute in Israel. The study population was heterogenic in both gender and fields of academic study. High correlations between health perceptions, appropriate nutrition, and positive self and body image were found. The relationships between these variables differed between the subpopulation in the sample and the different genders. Engagement in physical exercise contributed to positive body image and positive health perceptions more than engagement in healthy nutrition. Nutrition students reported higher frequencies of positive health perceptions, positive self and body image and higher engagement in physical exercise in comparison to all other students in the sample. This study suggests, as have many before, that successful health promotion policy should reflect a collectivist rather than an individualist ethos by providing health prerequisites through a public policy of health-promotion, where the academic settings support a healthy lifestyle policy, by increasing availability of a healthy, nutritious and varied menu in the cafeterias, and offering students various activities that enhance healthy eating and exercise. IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTION: This study examined health perceptions, self-image, physical exercise and nutrition among undergraduate students and found high correlations between these topics. Nutrition students reported higher frequencies of positive health perceptions, and positive self and body image and engaged more in physical exercise when compared with all other students in the sample.

Self-Regulation of Physical Education Teacher Education Students' Attitudes towards Exercise and Diet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Carol; Prusak, Keven

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in self-regulation of attitudes towards engaging in exercise and eating a healthy diet between physical education teacher education (PETE) students and general education (GE) students, and between male students and female students. Participants were university students (n = 194) at a university…

Comparing the Performance of Distance Learning and Traditional Students in a Business Simulation Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotey, Bernice; Anderson, Philip H.

2005-01-01

The performance of distant students in a simulation exercise for a Small Business Management (SBM) course was compared with that of internal students and the demographic and psychological variables associated with the performance of each student group were examined. Distant students matched or exceeded the performance of internal students in…

The Effect of Music on Exercise Intensity among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Woodman, Ashley C.; Breviglia, Emily; Mori, Yumiko; Golden, Rebecca; Maina, John; Wisniewski, Hannah

2018-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for obesity, commonly have sleep disorders, and exhibit stereotypic behaviors that disrupt their learning. Vigorous levels of exercise have been shown to ameliorate these issues in children with ASD, but little research exists to provide techniques for motivating children with ASD to engage in exercise. The present study examined the effect of music on exercise intensity in a group of 13 elementary school students with ASD. Data were collected across six days during structured (e.g., verbal and physical prompts) and unstructured (e.g., minimal prompting) exercise periods. During these exercise periods, three music conditions were randomized: no music, slow-tempo music, and fast-tempo music. Exercise intensity, measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks by triaxial accelerometers, was greatest during the structured exercise periods and during the slow music condition. Student characteristics moderated the impact of music condition on exercise intensity, such that students with high levels of adaptive behavior or lower levels of maladaptive behavior displayed greater exercise intensity during the fast music condition. PMID:29495354

Revisiting the Pink Triangle Exercise: An Exploration of Experiential Learning in Graduate Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pugh, Greg L.

2014-01-01

The pink triangle exercise is an example of an experiential learning exercise that creates cognitive dissonance and deep learning of unrealized internalized biases among social work students. Students wear a button with a pink triangle on it for 1 day and write a reflection paper. The exercise increases self-awareness, cultural competence, and the…

Formulation of multiple choice questions as a revision exercise at the end of a teaching module in biochemistry.

PubMed

Bobby, Zachariah; Radhika, M R; Nandeesha, H; Balasubramanian, A; Prerna, Singh; Archana, Nimesh; Thippeswamy, D N

2012-01-01

The graduate medical students often get less opportunity for clarifying their doubts and to reinforce their concepts after lecture classes. Assessment of the effect of MCQ preparation by graduate medical students as a revision exercise on the topic "Mineral metabolism." At the end of regular teaching module on the topic "Mineral metabolism," graduate medical students were asked to prepare the stems of 15 MCQs based on the four discriminators given for each. They were told that one of the discriminators could be the answer for the MCQ and the remaining three could be the distracters. They were further guided in their task by providing few key word(s) in the stem of the expected MCQ. In the first phase of the exercise, the students attempted the MCQ preparation individually without peer consultation. In the second phase, the students participated in small group discussion to formulate the best MCQs of the group. The effects on low, medium, and high achievers were evaluated by pre and post-tests with the same set of MCQs. Both the individual endeavor in Phase 1 and small group discussion in Phase 2 for the formulation of MCQs significantly contributed to the gain from the exercise. The gains from the individual task and from small group discussion were equal among the different categories of students. Both phases of the exercise were equally beneficial for the low, medium, and high achievers. The high and medium achievers retained the gain from the exercise even after 1 week of the exercise whereas the low achievers could not retain the gain completely. Formulation of MCQs is an effective and useful unconventional revision exercise in Biochemistry for graduate medical students. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development and evaluation of a simulation exercise to prepare midwifery students for neonatal resuscitation.

PubMed

Carolan-Olah, Mary; Kruger, Gina; Brown, Vera; Lawton, Felicity; Mazzarino, Melissa

2016-01-01

Simulation provides opportunities for midwifery students to enhance their performance in emergency situations. Neonatal resuscitation is one such emergency and its management is a major concern for midwifery students. This project aimed to develop and evaluate a simulation exercise, for neonatal resuscitation, for 3rd year midwifery students. A quantitative survey design was employed using questions from two previously validated questionnaires: (1.) Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning and (2.) the Clinical Teamwork Scale (CTS). Australian university. 40 final year midwifery students were invited to participate and 36 agreed to take part in the project. In pre-simulation questionnaires, students reported low levels of confidence in initiating care of an infant requiring resuscitation. Most anticipated that the simulation exercise would be useful to better prepare them respond to a neonatal emergency. Post-simulation questionnaires reported an increase in student confidence, with 30 of 36 students agreeing/ strongly agreeing that their confidence levels had improved. Nonetheless, an unexpected number of students reported a lack of familiarity with the equipment. The single simulation exercise evaluated in this project resulted in improved student confidence and greater knowledge and skills in neonatal resuscitation. However, deficits in handling emergency equipment, and in understanding the role of the student midwife/midwife in neonatal resuscitation, were also noted. For the future, the development and evaluation of a programme of simulation exercises, over a longer period, is warranted. This approach may reduce stress and better address student learning needs. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of the "Planning to be Active" leisure time physical exercise program on rural high school students.

PubMed

Hortz, Brian; Petosa, Rick

2006-10-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of a Social Cognitive Theory-based intervention designed to increase the frequency of leisure time planned moderate and vigorous physical exercise among rural high school students attending physical education class. Students in treatment and comparison groups were exposed to an activity-based physical education curricula. The treatment group received eight behavioral skill-building lessons integrated into the existing curriculum. The Social Cognitive Theory-based educational treatment increased levels of moderate physical exercise occurring outside the classroom. This study demonstrated an impact on adolescent leisure time moderate physical exercise using classroom instruction. The intervention was most effective with students who were previously sedentary. The curricular approaches used to promote regular moderate exercise may be useful for sedentary adolescents.

The mass-lifetime relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LoPresto, Michael C.

2018-05-01

In a recent "AstroNote," I described a simple exercise on the mass-luminosity relation for main sequence stars as an example of exposing students in a general education science course of lower mathematical level to the use of quantitative skills such as collecting and analyzing data. Here I present another attempt at a meaningful experience for such students that again involves both the gathering and analysis of numerical data and comparison with accepted result, this time on the relationship of the mass and lifetimes of main sequence stars. This experiment can stand alone or be used as an extension of the previous mass-luminosity relationship experiment.

Use of robotics kits for the enhancement of metacognitive skills of mathematics: a possible approach.

PubMed

La Paglia, Filippo; Rizzo, Rosalinda; La Barbera, Daniele

2011-01-01

The present study is aimed at analyzing the process of building and programming robots as a metacognitive tool of mathematics. Quantitative data from a study performed on a sample of students attending an Italian secondary school are described. Results showed that robotics activities may be used as a new metacognitive environment allowing students to improve their attitude towards mathematics, and to increase their attitude to reflect on themselves and on their own learning, and their higher-level control components, such as forecasting, planning, monitoring and evaluation exercises and problems related to implementation.

Old Wine into New Bottles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crandall, G. Douglas

1997-01-01

Discusses how traditional lab exercises can be converted into investigative exercises. Describes an exercise on seed germination that has students design their own experiments based on their initial results. Involves students in the scientific process and allows them to experience the joys and disappointments of experimental work. (JRH)

Teaching emergency medical services management skills using a computer simulation exercise.

PubMed

Hubble, Michael W; Richards, Michael E; Wilfong, Denise

2011-02-01

Simulation exercises have long been used to teach management skills in business schools. However, this pedagogical approach has not been reported in emergency medical services (EMS) management education. We sought to develop, deploy, and evaluate a computerized simulation exercise for teaching EMS management skills. Using historical data, a computer simulation model of a regional EMS system was developed. After validation, the simulation was used in an EMS management course. Using historical operational and financial data of the EMS system under study, students designed an EMS system and prepared a budget based on their design. The design of each group was entered into the model that simulated the performance of the EMS system. Students were evaluated on operational and financial performance of their system design and budget accuracy and then surveyed about their experiences with the exercise. The model accurately simulated the performance of the real-world EMS system on which it was based. The exercise helped students identify operational inefficiencies in their system designs and highlighted budget inaccuracies. Most students rated the exercise as moderately or very realistic in ambulance deployment scheduling, budgeting, personnel cost calculations, demand forecasting, system design, and revenue projections. All students indicated the exercise was helpful in gaining a top management perspective, and 89% stated the exercise was helpful in bridging the gap between theory and reality. Preliminary experience with a computer simulator to teach EMS management skills was well received by students in a baccalaureate paramedic program and seems to be a valuable teaching tool. Copyright © 2011 Society for Simulation in Healthcare

Exercise motivation of college students in online, face-to-face, and blended basic studies physical activity and wellness course delivery formats.

PubMed

Sidman, Cara Lynn; Fiala, Kelly Ann; D'Abundo, Michelle Lee

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess exercise motivation among college students self-selected into 4 online (OL) and face-to-face (F2F) basic studies' physical activity and wellness course delivery formats. Out of 1,037 enrolled students during the Spring 2009 semester, 602 responded online to demographic questions and to the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire, which assessed exercise motivation on 5 subscales. There were no significant differences (p > .05) in exercise motivation for students across course delivery formats, but there was a significant difference in age and employment status between the completely OL and F2F course formats. Health and physical educators can utilize these findings to better understand that physical activity and wellness students are not necessarily trying to avoid physical activity when selecting the OL course format, but are more likely trying to balance work and school responsibilities and need greater flexibility in time and location.

Body painting to promote self-active learning of hand anatomy for preclinical medical students.

PubMed

Jariyapong, Pitchanee; Punsawad, Chuchard; Bunratsami, Suchirat; Kongthong, Paranyu

2016-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to use the body painting method to teach hand anatomy to a group of preclinical medical students. Methods Students reviewed hand anatomy using the traditional method and body painting exercise. Feedback and retention of the anatomy-related information were examined by a questionnaire and multiple-choice questions, respectively, immediately and 1 month after the painting exercise. Results Students agreed that the exercise was advantageous and helped facilitate self-active learning after in-class anatomy lessons. While there was no significant difference in knowledge retention between the control and experimental groups, the students appreciated the exercise in which they applied body paint to the human body to learn anatomy. Conclusion The body painting was an efficient tool for aiding the interactive learning of medical students and increasing the understanding of gross anatomy.

The influence of unstable modified wall squat exercises on the posture of female university students

PubMed Central

Lee, Yoonmi

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of unstable modified wall squat exercises on the posture of female university students. [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 30 female university students who were equally and randomly allocated to an unstable modified wall squat exercises group the experimental group and a stable modified wall squat exercises group the control group. [Methods] Both groups performed their respective exercises for 30 minutes three times per week over a six-week period. Using BackMapper, trunk inclination, trunk imbalance, pelvic position, pelvic torsion, pelvic rotation, and position of the scapulae were evaluated. [Results] The unstable modified wall squat exercises group obtained significant results for trunk inclination, trunk imbalance, pelvic position, pelvic torsion, position of the scapulae, while the stable modified wall squat exercises group obtained significant results for trunk imbalance and pelvic position. [Conclusion] Unstable modified wall squat exercises may be applied as a method to correct the posture of average adults. PMID:26356770

Serratus Anterior and Lower Trapezius Muscle Activities During Multi-Joint Isotonic Scapular Exercises and Isometric Contractions.

PubMed

Tsuruike, Masaaki; Ellenbecker, Todd

2014-11-14

Context :  Proper scapular function during humeral elevation, such as upward rotation, external rotation, and posterior tilting of the scapula, is necessary to prevent shoulder injury. However, the appropriate intensity of rehabilitation exercise for the periscapular muscles has yet to be clarified. Objective :  To identify the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and posterior deltoid muscle activities during 2 free-motion exercises using 3 intensities and to compare these muscle activities with isometric contractions during quadruped shoulder flexion and external rotation and abduction of the glenohumeral joint. Design :  Cross-sectional study. Setting :  Health Science Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants :  A total of 16 uninjured, healthy, active, male college students (age = 19.5 ± 1.2 years, height = 173.1 ± 6.5 cm, weight = 68.8 ± 6.6 kg). Main Outcome Measure(s) :  Mean electromyographic activity normalized by the maximal voluntary isometric contraction was analyzed across 3 intensities and 5 exercises. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for electromyographic activity of the 4 muscles in each free-motion exercise. Results :  Significant interactions in electromyographic activity were observed between intensities and exercises (P < .05). The quadruped shoulder-flexion exercise activated all 4 muscles compared with other exercises. Also, the modified robbery free-motion exercise activated the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus compared with the lawn-mower free-motion exercise. However, neither exercise showed a difference in posterior deltoid electromyographic activity. Conclusions :  Three intensities exposed the nature of the periscapular muscle activities across the different exercises. The free-motion exercise in periscapular muscle rehabilitation may not modify serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus muscle activities unless knee-joint extension is limited.

Serratus Anterior and Lower Trapezius Muscle Activities During Multi-Joint Isotonic Scapular Exercises and Isometric Contractions

PubMed Central

Tsuruike, Masaaki; Ellenbecker, Todd S.

2015-01-01

Context: Proper scapular function during humeral elevation, such as upward rotation, external rotation, and posterior tilting of the scapula, is necessary to prevent shoulder injury. However, the appropriate intensity of rehabilitation exercise for the periscapular muscles has yet to be clarified. Objective: To identify the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and posterior deltoid muscle activities during 2 free-motion exercises using 3 intensities and to compare these muscle activities with isometric contractions during quadruped shoulder flexion and external rotation and abduction of the glenohumeral joint. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Health Science Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 16 uninjured, healthy, active, male college students (age = 19.5 ± 1.2 years, height = 173.1 ± 6.5 cm, weight = 68.8 ± 6.6 kg). Main Outcome Measure(s): Mean electromyographic activity normalized by the maximal voluntary isometric contraction was analyzed across 3 intensities and 5 exercises. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for electromyographic activity of the 4 muscles in each free-motion exercise. Results: Significant interactions in electromyographic activity were observed between intensities and exercises (P < .05). The quadruped shoulder-flexion exercise activated all 4 muscles compared with other exercises. Also, the modified robbery free-motion exercise activated the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus compared with the lawn-mower free-motion exercise. However, neither exercise showed a difference in posterior deltoid electromyographic activity. Conclusions: Three intensities exposed the nature of the periscapular muscle activities across the different exercises. The free-motion exercise in periscapular muscle rehabilitation may not modify serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus muscle activities unless knee-joint extension is limited. PMID:25689561

Exercise self-identity: interactions with social comparison and exercise behaviour.

PubMed

Verkooijen, Kirsten T; de Bruijn, Gert-Jan

2013-01-01

Possible interactions among exercise self-identity, social comparison and exercise behaviour were explored in a sample of 417 undergraduate students (mean age = 21.5, SD = 3.0; 73% female). Two models were examined using self-report data; (1) a mediation model which proposed an association between social comparison and exercise behaviour mediated by exercise self-identity and (2) a moderation model proposing an association between exercise behaviour and self-identity moderated by social comparison. Results of the mediation analyses revealed partial mediation of the social comparison--exercise behaviour relationship by self-identity in females. Results of the moderation analyses revealed in males a significant interaction of social comparison with exercise behaviour in the prediction of self-identity - the positive association between exercise behaviour and exercise self-identity showed only significant among male students who believed to exercise equally much or less than peers. Possible explanations and implications for exercise promotion are discussed.

Assessment of Physical Activity, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and Stages of Change in College Students Using a Street-Based Survey Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leenders, Nicole Y. J. M.; Silver, Lorraine Wallace; White, Susan L.; Buckworth, Janet; Sherman, W. Michael

2002-01-01

This study assessed the level of physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and stages of change for exercise behavior among college students at a large midwestern university using a street-based survey method. The 50% response rate produced 925 student responses comprising 95% as young ([less than or equal to]24 years of age), 53% female, and 79%…

Regression modeling of ground-water flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cooley, R.L.; Naff, R.L.

1985-01-01

Nonlinear multiple regression methods are developed to model and analyze groundwater flow systems. Complete descriptions of regression methodology as applied to groundwater flow models allow scientists and engineers engaged in flow modeling to apply the methods to a wide range of problems. Organization of the text proceeds from an introduction that discusses the general topic of groundwater flow modeling, to a review of basic statistics necessary to properly apply regression techniques, and then to the main topic: exposition and use of linear and nonlinear regression to model groundwater flow. Statistical procedures are given to analyze and use the regression models. A number of exercises and answers are included to exercise the student on nearly all the methods that are presented for modeling and statistical analysis. Three computer programs implement the more complex methods. These three are a general two-dimensional, steady-state regression model for flow in an anisotropic, heterogeneous porous medium, a program to calculate a measure of model nonlinearity with respect to the regression parameters, and a program to analyze model errors in computed dependent variables such as hydraulic head. (USGS)

Laboratory Exercises in Online Information Assurance Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhagyavati

2006-01-01

Information assurance courses delivered in an online environment pose challenges to the development of meaningful hands-on exercises for students. This article presents techniques on furnishing laboratory exercises to online students and presents examples of assignments drawn from the author's experiences in teaching online courses for over three…

Health Perceptions, Self and Body Image, Physical Activity and Nutrition among Undergraduate Students in Israel

PubMed Central

Korn, Liat; Gonen, Ester; Shaked, Yael; Golan, Moria

2013-01-01

Purpose This study examines health perceptions, self and body image, physical exercise and nutrition among undergraduate students. Methods A structured, self-reported questionnaire was administered to more than 1500 students at a large academic institute in Israel. The study population was heterogenic in both gender and fields of academic study. Results High correlations between health perceptions, appropriate nutrition, and positive self and body image were found. The relationships between these variables differed between the subpopulation in the sample and the different genders. Engagement in physical exercise contributed to positive body image and positive health perceptions more than engagement in healthy nutrition. Nutrition students reported higher frequencies of positive health perceptions, positive self and body image and higher engagement in physical exercise in comparison to all other students in the sample. Conclusions This study suggests, as have many before, that successful health promotion policy should reflect a collectivist rather than an individualist ethos by providing health prerequisites through a public policy of health-promotion, where the academic settings support a healthy lifestyle policy, by increasing availability of a healthy, nutritious and varied menu in the cafeterias, and offering students various activities that enhance healthy eating and exercise. Implications and contribution This study examined health perceptions, self-image, physical exercise and nutrition among undergraduate students and found high correlations between these topics. Nutrition students reported higher frequencies of positive health perceptions, and positive self and body image and engaged more in physical exercise when compared with all other students in the sample. PMID:23516503

Parametri, Variabili e altro: Un ripensamento su come questi concetti sono presentati in classe (Variable Parameters and Other Issues: A Review of How These Concepts Are Presented in Class).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiarugi, Ivana; And Others

1995-01-01

This paper considers the problem of variables, in particular parameters, analyzes how these concepts are presented in textbooks, comments on paradigms of exercises in which parameters intervene, and points out difficulties encountered by students. Discusses results of teacher interviews concerning their dealing with parameters in class.…

Introduction to Geostatistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitanidis, P. K.

1997-05-01

Introduction to Geostatistics presents practical techniques for engineers and earth scientists who routinely encounter interpolation and estimation problems when analyzing data from field observations. Requiring no background in statistics, and with a unique approach that synthesizes classic and geostatistical methods, this book offers linear estimation methods for practitioners and advanced students. Well illustrated with exercises and worked examples, Introduction to Geostatistics is designed for graduate-level courses in earth sciences and environmental engineering.

[Ethical behavioral standards of medical students on examinations and studies].

PubMed

Tolkin, Lior; Glick, Shimon

2007-06-01

In recent years the medical literature has reflected an increasing interest in the medical ethics of physicians and medical students. Studies have shown that cheating in medical school is frequent enough to cause concern, that there is a positive correlation between students' ethical attitude and their ethical behavior and between cheating in school and cheating in patient care. This study aims to examine student attitudes towards cheating, their self-reported behavior, analyze cultural and sub-cultural differences, and to reach practical conclusions that might be incorporated into the teaching of ethics in medical schools. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to 193 first and second year students of the Israeli and American programs at Ben-Gurion University. The questionnaire consisted of fifty three multiple choice questions. The students were asked to state their opinion on various cheating practices at medical school and dishonesty in patient care, to estimate how they would resolve various ethical dilemmas and to provide some demographic information. The results were analyzed using SPSS. T-tests, Chi-Square tests, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson and Spearman's coefficients, all used as appropriate. Completed questionnaires were returned by 141 students (73%). The majority of the students regard cheating in an exam (93%) or on a final paper (85%) to be morally unacceptable behavior. Copying during an exam is regarded as more morally unacceptable than copying a homework exercise. The majority of the students consider faking a patient's laboratory results to be morally unacceptable behavior (98%). American students regard copying a homework exercise, reconstructing exam questions for the benefit of next year students and giving answers to a fellow student during an exam to be more morally unacceptable in comparison to the Israeli students. Married students consider cheating to be more morally unacceptable than unmarried students. A positive correlation was found between religiosity and the position that cheating is a morally negative practice. There is a positive correlation between cheating in high school and the position that cheating is morally acceptable. In addition, the more often a student cheated in high school the more that student claims that he or she would cheat if they were sure that they would not be caught. Amongst Israeli students, there was a correlation between the view that the faculty did not treat them well, and the position that cheating is morally acceptable, No correlation was found between cheating and gender, age, birth country of parents, army service, or type of high school. Students' attitude toward cheating is significantly determined by the cultural and sub-cultural characteristics of each student's background. Ethical discussions in which an ethical code would be formed, moral dilemmas analyzed and cultural differences addressed, may help improve the ethical behavior of students in medical school, and thus improve their ethical practice in patient care.

Prevention of study-related stress symptoms: health-promoting behavior among dental students.

PubMed

Mache, Stefanie; Vitzthum, Karin; Groneberg, David A

2015-03-01

Training to become a dentist is one of the most demanding professional education experiences. There are very few studies on strategies and activities to cope with study-related stress during dental training. We therefore evaluated the prevalence of burnout symptoms and coping activities among dental students. A cross-sectional survey was performed analyzing a sample of 239 dental students from Germany. Students were asked to complete a survey containing questions about burnout symptoms and coping behavior. A total of 38% of the dental students perceived symptoms of emotional exhaustion; 17% reported symptoms of personal accomplishment and 11% perceived scores of depersonalization. Students reported on coping activities, ranging from health-promoting techniques, such as exercising, to less recommendable health harming relaxation strategies, such as taking drugs. Our results indicate the need for relevant health promotion and may aid decision makers in developing health promotion programs.

``Sweetening'' Technical Physics with Hershey's Kisses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Chuck

2003-04-01

This paper describes an activity in which students measure the mass of each candy in one full bag of Hershey's Kisses and then use a simple spreadsheet program to construct a histogram showing the number of candies as a function of mass. Student measurements indicate that one single bag of 80 Kisses yields enough data to produce a noticeable variation in the candy's mass distribution. The bimodal character of this distribution provides a useful discussion topic. This activity can be performed as a classroom project, a laboratory exercise, or an interactive lecture demonstration. In all these formats, students have the opportunity to collect, organize, process, and analyze real data. In addition to strengthening graphical analysis skills, this activity introduces students to fundamentals of statistics, manufacturing processes in the industrial workplace, and process control techniques.

Psychological stress impairs short-term muscular recovery from resistance exercise.

PubMed

Stults-Kolehmainen, Matthew A; Bartholomew, John B

2012-11-01

The primary aim of this study was to determine whether chronic mental stress moderates recovery of muscular function, perceived energy, fatigue, and soreness in the first hour after a bout of strenuous resistance exercise. Thirty-one undergraduate resistance training students (age = 20.26 ± 1.34 yr) completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire (USQ; a measure of life event stress) and completed fitness testing. After 5 to 14 d of recovery, they performed an acute heavy-resistance exercise protocol (10-repetition maximum (RM) leg press test plus six sets: 80%-100% of 10 RM). Maximal isometric force (MIF) was assessed before exercise, after exercise, and at 20, 40, and 60 min postexercise. Participants also reported their levels of perceived energy, fatigue, and soreness. Recovery data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling growth curve analysis. Life event stress significantly moderated linear (P = 0.013) and squared (P = 0.05) recovery of MIF. This relationship held even when the model was adjusted for fitness, workload, and training experience. Likewise, perceived stress moderated linear recovery of MIF (P = 0.023). Neither USQ nor Perceived Stress Scale significantly moderated changes in energy, fatigue, or soreness. Life event stress and perceived stress both moderated the recovery of muscular function, but not psychological responses, in the first hour after strenuous resistance exercise.

[Association between time spent on physical exercise, sleep, homework and suspected myopia among students].

PubMed

Xu, S J; Wan, Y H; Xu, Z H; Zhang, H; Xu, L; Wang, B; Tao, F B

2016-02-01

To investigate the prevalence of suspected myopia among students and to examine the relationship between time spent on physical exercise, sleep, homework and suspected myopia. A total of 8 030 primary and secondary school students from 4(th) to 12(th) grades were selected from the National Student Constitution and Health Survey (NSCHS) in Anhui province in 2014. Time spent on exercise, sleep and homework per day were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire. Visual acuity was examined using the Standard Logarithmic Visual Acuity Chart. The overall prevalence of suspected myopia was 69.03%. Prevalence rates of suspected myopia appeared higher in girls, in urban students, with the highest in the 16 to 18 year-old groups. RESULTS from the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the amount of time spent on physical exercise, sleep and homework per day were all significantly associated with suspected myopia. Suspected myopia was associated with longer time on physical exercise among students aged 8 to 12 years (OR=0.80, 95%CI: 0.64-0.99), and longer sleep time among students in the age groups of 13 to 15 years and 16 to 18 years (OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.56-0.94;OR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.21-0.68, respectively). Longer time spent on homework significantly increased the risk of suspected myopia among students in the age groups of 8 to 12 years and 13 to 15 years (OR=1.41, 95%CI: 1.11-1.79; OR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.36-2.23, respectively). Suspected myopia appeared common among students. Comprehensive intervention programs focusing on sufficient physical exercise and sleep but less homework might help to prevent myopia among students at different ages.

Effect of an exercise and weight control curriculum: views of obesity among exercise science students.

PubMed

Richardson, Laura A; Fister, Carrie L; Ramlo, Susan E

2015-06-01

Awareness of effective weight management strategies is necessary to prepare exercise science students for future work with obesity. Exercise science faculty members developed a course related to exercise as a therapeutic tool and options available for weight loss. The purpose of the present study was to investigate student views of weight management and obesity, which can be a difficult task using traditional methods such as Likert scale surveys. To investigate student views relative to the course content, Q methodology, which is a mixed-method research approach, was used at the beginning and end of the course. Students completed a Q sort, ranking 44 statements related to obesity in accordance to their own points of view. The pretest/posttest design enabled an opportunity to determine if course goals were accomplished and if student perceptions related to obesity were transformed. Factor analysis of precourse sorts revealed that students possessed a naïve singular view of weight-related concepts. Analysis of sorts at course completion resulted in a two-factor solution revealing changes in perspective; some students took on a health professional type of view, whereas others demonstrated antifat views. In conclusion, the findings revealed key variables that should be addressed in curricula involving therapeutic obesity interventions. An improved curriculum based on these results should better encourage students to develop a broad comprehension of multifactorial causes and treatment for weight management and obesity. Implementing the use of Q methodology may serve as a valuable asset to measure and evaluate subjectivity of obesity discrimination. Antifat attitudes among exercise science students may influence future clients' potential achievements. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Perceived Effectiveness among College Students of Selected Statistical Measures in Motivating Exercise Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Ray M.; Chatterley, Amanda; Shields, Eric C.

2005-01-01

This study explored the effectiveness of selected statistical measures at motivating or maintaining regular exercise among college students. The study also considered whether ease in understanding these statistical measures was associated with perceived effectiveness at motivating or maintaining regular exercise. Analyses were based on a…

A New Resource for College Distance Education Astronomy Laboratory Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogt, Nicole P.; Cook, Stephen P.; Muise, Amy Smith

2013-01-01

This article introduces a set of distance education astronomy laboratory exercises for use by college students and instructors and discusses first usage results. This General Astronomy Education Source exercise set contains eight two-week projects designed to guide students through both core content and mathematical applications of general…

Laboratory Experiences in Marine Biology, Student Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raimist, Roger J.

This manual contains instructions for laboratory exercises using marine organisms. For each exercise a problem is defined, materials are listed, possible ways to solve the problem are suggested, questions are asked to guide the student in interpreting data, and further reading is suggested. The exercises deal with the measurement of oxygen…

Demonstrating the Interplay of Leaders and Followers: An Experiential Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sronce, Robin; Arendt, Lucy A.

2009-01-01

Classroom discussions of leadership often neglect the essential role of followers. These discussions do little to address the reality of our students' predominant roles as followers within organizations. We describe the Origami Frog exercise, an experiential exercise that enables students to discover how follower behaviors impact group process and…

Classroom to Community: Field Studies for Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melton, Deana; Dail, Teresa K.

2017-01-01

The field of kinesiology has seen growth in terms of the number of highly specialized subdisciplines, such as exercise physiology, motor learning, biomechanics, sport and exercise psychology, and fitness management. While some undergraduate students may be comfortable with a chosen concentration, others may enter the kinesiology curriculum lacking…

Eating and Exercise Disorders in Young College Men.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dea, Jennifer A.; Abraham, Suzanne

2002-01-01

Used the Eating and Exercise Examination to investigate the eating, weight, shape, and exercise behaviors of 93 male college students. About 20 percent of respondents displayed eating attitudes and behaviors characteristic of eating disorders and disordered eating. They were similar to female students in eating attitudes, undereating, overeating,…

Exploring Chemical Equilibrium with Poker Chips: A General Chemistry Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bindel, Thomas H.

2012-01-01

A hands-on laboratory exercise at the general chemistry level introduces students to chemical equilibrium through a simulation that uses poker chips and rate equations. More specifically, the exercise allows students to explore reaction tables, dynamic chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constant expressions, and the equilibrium constant based on…

Method and Effectiveness of an Individualized Exercise of Fundamental Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoshioka, Takayoshi; Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Tsukamoto Takehiko

2001-01-01

Describes a method used to provide mathematics students in Japanese colleges of engineering with supplementary exercises to aid their learning. Outlines the online operation of individualized exercises that help the students to understand mathematical methods used to solve problems and also mathematical ideas or concepts upon which methods are…

Merging of Research and Teaching in Developmental Biology: Adaptation of Current Scientific Research Papers for Use in Undergraduate Laboratory Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, H. H.; and others

1970-01-01

Describes two laboratory exercises adopted from current research papers for use in an undergraduate developmental biology course. Gives methods, summary of student results, and student comments. Lists lecture topics, text and reprint assignments, and laboratory exercises for course. (EB)

The Influence of Goal Setting on Exercise Adherence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobb, Lawrence E.; Stone, William J.; Anonsen, Lori J.; Klein, Diane A.

2000-01-01

Assessed the influence of fitness- and health-related goal setting on exercise adherence. Students in a college fitness program participated in goal setting, reading, or control groups. No significant differences in exercise adherence were found. Students enrolled for letter grades had more fitness center visits and hours of activity than students…

Kinetics of Carbaryl Hydrolysis: An Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawker, Darryl

2015-01-01

Kinetics is an important part of undergraduate environmental chemistry curricula and relevant laboratory exercises are helpful in assisting students to grasp concepts. Such exercises are also useful in general chemistry courses because students can see relevance to real-world issues. The laboratory exercise described here involves determination of…

Mastery-style exercises in physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, Noah D.

Mastery learning employs repeated cycles of instructional support and formative assessment to help students achieve desired skills. Instructional objectives are broken into small pieces, and students master those pieces in successive order by performing to a set standard on an assessment for each objective. If a student cannot master an objective, instructional support is provided, and the student is reassessed. Mastery learning has been proved effective in many subject areas, but comparatively little research has been done on applying it in physics instruction. This dissertation details the path taken that culminated in the use of mastery-inspired exercises to teach students basic skills in introductory physics courses. The path that led to our choice of mastery began with an attempt to provide students with extra practice and formative assessment through weekly practice tests with corresponding solutions, with the goal of helping them better prepare for summative exams in an introductory physics course. No effect was seen, and participation was very low. Investigating how students learn from solutions revealed that they are poor evaluators of their understanding of provided solutions and struggle to retain the skills taught in those solutions. In a follow-up clinical experiment that provided students with solutions, required them to recall the solutions from memory, and re-presented the solutions for restudy, students showed strong retention as well as the ability to transfer information from the solutions to new situations. These results inspired the formal use of mastery learning as an instructional paradigm due to its requirement that students repeatedly recall information from solutions and apply it to new situations. Mastery-style exercises were first created and tested in clinical trials, followed by two in-course implementations. In the clinical trials, students completed a set of questions on a particular skill, and if they failed to master that skill, they were given support in the form of narrated animated solution videos followed by a new version of the question set. On mastering a skill, students moved on to the next skill level. Students mastered all provided skill levels and then took a post-test. Those clinical trials demonstrated that students can use provided solutions to quickly progress through successive levels of mastery exercises and that mastery-style exercises had a larger impact on the post-test than traditional multi-try immediate feedback homework exercises. Following these strong results, mastery-style exercises were implemented over an entire semester in an introductory course, replacing the existing homework. Participation was much poorer than in the clinical experiments due to frustration with the difficulty of the provided exercises. As a result the implementation had a comparatively small impact on student performance. Frustrated students circumvented the system by ignoring provided solutions and skipping assessments, choosing instead to cycle through the provided versions until they could reattempt an already seen version of an assessment. A follow-up implementation covering a single week had a larger impact on a quiz, yet students were still frustrated with the exercises and displayed behaviors similar to those seen in the semester-long implementation. Moving forward, frustration must be overcome to return participation to levels seen in the clinical trials. A preliminary development mode is suggested to ensure proper calibration of difficulty to student skills. Other changes involving how the mechanics of the system work as well as how its benefits are communicated to students are also suggested. If frustration is overcome and participation increases, the incredible potential of mastery-inspired exercises can be realized. Mastery is a powerful addition to physics instruction.

Motor proficiency differences among students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and developmental disability

PubMed Central

Jeoung, Bogja

2018-01-01

There is considerable overlap in the manifestations of intellectual disability, autism, and developmental disability. We aimed to determine whether students with such disabilities have differences in their motor proficiency. We compared the motor proficiency of 82 students (age, 11 to 20 years) with different severities of intellectual disability (borderline, 11 students; mild, 27 students; moderate, 19 students), developmental disability (15 students), or autism (10 students). The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second edition was used to assess motor skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and analysis of variance. Compared to students with borderline intellectual disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, or autism, those with moderate intellectual disabilities scored significantly lower on al-most all items regarding motor skill on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The results of this study provide key information for developing exercise programs to improve the motor proficiency and quality of life of children with various developmental disorders. PMID:29740563

Motor proficiency differences among students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and developmental disability.

PubMed

Jeoung, Bogja

2018-04-01

There is considerable overlap in the manifestations of intellectual disability, autism, and developmental disability. We aimed to determine whether students with such disabilities have differences in their motor proficiency. We compared the motor proficiency of 82 students (age, 11 to 20 years) with different severities of intellectual disability (borderline, 11 students; mild, 27 students; moderate, 19 students), developmental disability (15 students), or autism (10 students). The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second edition was used to assess motor skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t -tests, and analysis of variance. Compared to students with borderline intellectual disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, or autism, those with moderate intellectual disabilities scored significantly lower on al-most all items regarding motor skill on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The results of this study provide key information for developing exercise programs to improve the motor proficiency and quality of life of children with various developmental disorders.

Trying a Case on Ethics in Scientific Research: A Role-Playing Exercise for Students and Faculty in a Summer Undergraduate Research Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoggard, Patrick E.

2008-01-01

While most prepared exercises for ethics in science programs--including an excellent AAAS video series--present a complete account of the relevant facts, a role-playing exercise is described here in which the participants are provided with differing reports of events. The exercise is based on a true case involving a student who was convicted of…

Students' Cognitive Focus during a Chemistry Laboratory Exercise: Effects of a Computer-Simulated Prelab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winberg, T. Mikael; Berg, C. Anders R.

2007-01-01

To enhance the learning outcomes achieved by students, learners undertook a computer-simulated activity based on an acid-base titration prior to a university-level chemistry laboratory activity. Students were categorized with respect to their attitudes toward learning. During the laboratory exercise, questions that students asked their assistant…

Emphasis: Five Ways to Cure Boring Student Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Mary Ellen

A careful use of emphasis by students in their writing can be promoted by some exercises assigned by composition teachers. A drawing exercise can help students learn that changing the length of sentences makes paragraphs more interesting. Using Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's five categories of grief to consider times of depression in students' lives…

Effects of a Mindful Breathing Exercise during Reading Fluency Intervention for Students with Attentional Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idler, Alyssa M.; Mercer, Sterett H.; Starosta, Lindsay; Bartfai, Jamie M.

2017-01-01

Students with attentional difficulties are at greater risk for reading difficulties. To address this concern, we examined the extent to which adding a mindful breathing exercise to individual reading fluency interventions would improve gains in reading fluency, student-reported attention, and student-reported stress. In a restricted alternating…

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Dietetics, Athletic Training, and Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Meredith G.; Hansen, Pamela; Rhee, Yeong; Brundt, Ardith; Terbizan, Donna; Christensen, Bryan

2014-01-01

The study assessed the preferred learning style (LS) of college students and compared LS preferences among students majoring in Dietetics, Exercise Science, and Athletic Training. LS questionnaires were distributed to students (N = 693, mean age 20.5 ± 1.7) enrolled in health science courses at three Midwestern universities. Most students…

Practicing Statistics by Creating Exercises for Fellow Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebermeier, Sarah; Reiss, Katharina

2016-01-01

This article outlines the execution of a workshop in which students were encouraged to actively review the course contents on descriptive statistics by creating exercises for their fellow students. In a first-year statistics course in psychology, 39 out of 155 students participated in the workshop. In a subsequent evaluation, the workshop was…

Predictors of exercise relapse in a college population.

PubMed

Sullum, J; Clark, M M; King, T K

2000-01-01

Exercise improves physical and mental health. Nevertheless, most 20-year-olds do not exercise, and approximately 50% of the participants in exercise programs drop out in the first 3 to 6 months. In view of the health benefits of exercise, college health educators and clinicians need to be able to identify factors that predict exercise relapse in a student population. The authors administered questionnaires measuring Prochaska's 10 processes of change for exercise, self-efficacy, and decisional balance to 52 physically active undergraduate students. They assessed baseline exercise levels in October and reassessed them about 8 weeks later. At baseline, relapsers had significantly lower self-efficacy scores than those who maintained their exercise levels. The relapsers also had higher perceived negative views of exercise. These findings provide support for applying the transtheoretical model of behavioral change to a college population.

Personal motivation, exercise, and smoking behaviors among young adults.

PubMed

Scioli, Erica Rose; Biller, Henry; Rossi, Joseph; Riebe, Deborah

2009-01-01

This study explored the motivational factors that influence individuals across the stages of change for exercise. The authors compared physically active nonsmokers with physically active smokers in a college student population. Half of regular exercisers identified themselves as smokers. Compared with their nonsmoking peers, young smokers have higher rates of physical and emotional distress. Those participants who exercise and do not smoke are more likely to exhibit intrinsic factors for exercise. Undergraduate psychology students (N = 614) completed an Internet survey on exercise and smoking behavior as well as motivational factors for exercise. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that intrinsic motivational factors for exercise were significantly higher for the active nonsmokers than for the active smokers. Interventions promoting consistent exercise and smoking abstinence should continue to be directed toward young adults, focusing on fostering intrinsic motivational factors for exercise.

Analysis of a SNP linked to lactase persistence: An exercise for teaching molecular biology techniques to undergraduates.

PubMed

Schultheis, Patrick J; Bowling, Bethany V

2011-01-01

Recent experimental evidence indicates that the ability of adults to tolerate milk, cheese, and other lactose-containing dairy products is an autosomal dominant trait that co-evolved with dairy farming in Central Europe about 7,500 years ago. Among persons of European descent, this trait is strongly associated with a C to T substitution at a polymorphic site 13,910 bp upstream of the lactase gene. This mutation results in the persistent expression of lactase into adulthood enabling individuals carrying a T(-13,910) allele to digest lactose as adults. In this report, we describe a laboratory exercise for an undergraduate molecular biology course in which students determine their own genotype at the -13,910 polymorphic site and correlate this with their ability to tolerate dairy products. The exercise is used as a tool to teach basic molecular biology procedures such as agarose gel electrophoresis, PCR1, and DNA sequencing. Students are actively engaged in the learning process, not only by analyzing their own DNA but also by applying their knowledge and skills to answer an authentic question. The exercise is also integrated with lecture material on the control of gene expression at the transcriptional level, in particular, how transcription factors can influence the activity of a promoter by binding to cis-acting DNA regulatory elements located within the proximal promoter of a gene or distant enhancer regions. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The VISPA Internet Platform for Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asseldonk, D. v.; Erdmann, M.; Fischer, R.; Glaser, C.; Müller, G.; Quast, T.; Rieger, M.; Urban, M.

2016-04-01

The VISPA internet platform enables users to remotely run Python scripts and view resulting plots or inspect their output data. With a standard web browser as the only user requirement on the client-side, the system becomes suitable for blended learning approaches for university physics students. VISPA was used in two consecutive years each by approx. 100 third year physics students at the RWTH Aachen University for their homework assignments. For example, in one exercise students gained a deeper understanding of Einsteins mass-energy relation by analyzing experimental data of electron-positron pairs revealing J / Ψ and Z particles. Because the students were free to choose their working hours, only few users accessed the platform simultaneously. The positive feedback from students and the stability of the platform lead to further development of the concept. This year, students accessed the platform in parallel while they analyzed the data recorded by demonstrated experiments live in the lecture hall. The platform is based on experience in the development of professional analysis tools. It combines core technologies from previous projects: an object-oriented C++ library, a modular data-driven analysis flow, and visual analysis steering. We present the platform and discuss its benefits in the context of teaching based on surveys that are conducted each semester.

Student Expectations About Mental Health and Aging.

PubMed

Silver, Michelle Pannor; Warrick, Natalie Irene; Cyr, Alaina

2016-01-01

Drawing from stereotype embodiment theory this study contributes to existing literature by examining whether and how expectations regarding mental health and aging changed for students enrolled in an undergraduate gerontology course at a Canadian research university (N = 51). At the beginning and end of the course, data from an open-ended word association exercise and the Expectations Regarding Aging (ERA-12) survey was collected and later analyzed. Investigators used content analysis and quantization to examine the word association data and statistical tests to analyze the mental health subscale (ERA-MHS). Findings were integrated and presented in a convergence code matrix. Results show that overall participants had more favorable expectations over time; in particular, ERA-MHS scores indicated less favorable expectations at Time 1 (M = 48.86) than at Time 2 (M = 65.36) significant at p < .01, while terms like "successful aging" increased and terms like "depressed" decreased. Findings have implications for geriatric mental health competencies of students in the health professions.

Contributions of psychological needs, self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and achievement goals to academic engagement and exhaustion in Canadian medical students.

PubMed

Babenko, Oksana; Mosewich, Amber; Abraham, Joseph; Lai, Hollis

2018-01-01

To investigate the contributions of psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and coping strategies (self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and achievement goals) to engagement and exhaustion in Canadian medical students. This was an observational study. Two hundred undergraduate medical students participated in the study: 60.4% were female, 95.4% were 20-29 years old, and 23.0% were in year 1, 30.0% in year 2, 21.0% in year 3, and 26.0% in year 4. Students completed an online survey with measures of engagement and exhaustion from the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-student version; autonomy, competence, and relatedness from the Basic Psychological Needs Scale; self-compassion from the Self-Compassion Scale-short form; leisure-time exercise from the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire; and mastery approach, mastery avoidance, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals from the Achievement Goals Instrument. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. The need for competence was the strongest predictor of student engagement (β= 0.35, P= 0.000) and exhaustion (β= -0.33, P= 0.000). Students who endorsed mastery approach goals (β= 0.21, P= 0.005) and who were more self-compassionate (β= 0.13, P= 0.050) reported greater engagement with their medical studies. Students who were less self-compassionate (β= -0.32, P= 0.000), who exercised less (β= -0.12, P= 0.044), and who endorsed mastery avoidance goals (β= 0.22, P= 0.003) reported greater exhaustion from their studies. Students' gender (β= 0.18, P= 0.005) and year in medical school (β= -0.18, P= 0.004) were related to engagement, but not to exhaustion. Supporting students' need for competence and raising students' awareness of self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and mastery approach goals may help protect students from burnout-related exhaustion and enhance their engagement with their medical school studies.

Is My Exercise Partner Similar Enough? Partner Characteristics as a Moderator of the Köhler Effect in Exergames.

PubMed

Forlenza, Samuel T; Kerr, Norbert L; Irwin, Brandon C; Feltz, Deborah L

2012-12-01

Recent research has shown the Köhler motivation gain effect (working at a task with a more capable partner where one's performance is indispensable to the group) leads to greater effort in partnered exercise videogame play. The purpose of this article was to examine potential moderators of the Köhler effect by exploring dissimilarities in one's partner's appearance, namely, having an older partner (compared with a same-age partner) and having a heavier-weight partner (compared with a same-weight partner). One hundred fifty-three male and female college students completed a series of plank exercises using the "EyeToy: Kinetic™" for the PlayStation(®) 2 (Sony, Tokyo, Japan). Participants first completed the exercises individually and, after a rest, completed the same exercises with a virtually present partner. Exercise persistence, subjective effort, self-efficacy beliefs, enjoyment, and intentions to exercise were recorded and analyzed. A significant Köhler motivation gain was observed in all partner conditions (compared with individual controls) such that participants with a partner held the plank exercises longer (P<0.001) and reported higher subjective effort (P<0.01). These results were unmoderated by partner's age and weight, with one exception: Males tended to persist longer when paired with an obese partner (P=0.08). These results suggest that differences in age and weight do not attenuate the Köhler effect in exergames and may even strengthen it.

Investigating Plants: Hands-On, Low-Cost Laboratory Exercises in Plant Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinclair, Thomas R.; Johnson, Marty

This manual describes 14 hands-on exercises for middle school introductory biology courses that are designed to allow all students to be involved in self-discoveries about life and plant life in particular. The exercises were developed to supplement normal classroom activities by allowing students to initiate ongoing projects to investigate the…

College Students' Usage of Personal Music Players (PMP) during Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barney, David; Gust, Anita; Liguori, Gary

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of personal music players (PMPs) during exercise, including their purpose(s), how they affect exercise, and the most common music listened to. A representative sample of 184 undergraduate students from two separate university wellness centers completed a 17-item, content validated questionnaire…

The Effects of Regular Exercise Programs for Visually Impaired and Sighted Schoolchildren.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blessing, D. L.; And Others

1993-01-01

This study examined effects of a 16-week aerobic exercise training program on the cardiovascular fitness and body composition of 30 students with visual impairments. In comparison with traditional physical education provided to sighted students, the exercise training program resulted in a significant increase in cardiovascular fitness and a…

Making the Rate: Enzyme Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ragsdale, Frances R.

2004-01-01

An enzyme exercise to address the problem of students inability to visualize chemical reaction at the molecular level is described. This exercise is designed as a dry lab exercise but can be modified into a classroom activity then can be augmented by a wet lab procedure, thereby providing students with a practical exposure to enzyme function.

Aircraft Electrical Repairman Technician, 2-2. Military Curriculum Materials for Vocational and Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

These military-developed curriculum materials consist of a volume of text information; a student workbook containing objectives, reading assignments, chapter review exercises, and answers; a volume review exercise; and two illustration booklets for use with the student exercises. Covered in the course are the following topics: use and maintenance…

Confronting Prejudiced Comments: Effectiveness of a Role-Playing Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Timothy J.; McDonough, Tracy A.; Bodle, James H.

2010-01-01

We examined whether a role-playing exercise, similar to that developed by Plous (2000), increases students' ability to generate effective responses to prejudiced comments. We assessed social psychology students' (n = 23) ability to respond to prejudiced comments before and after the exercise, and compared their performance to that of 2 other…

Boundaries as Mechanisms for Learning in Emergency Exercises with Students from Emergency Service Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, Annika

2016-01-01

To prepare emergency response organisations for collaborative work in unpredictable and dynamic situations, various types of exercises are widely used. Still, our knowledge of collaboration exercises with emergency response students is limited. This study aimed to contribute to this field by exploring boundaries that emerged between collaborating…

Student Perceptions of Group-Based Competitive Exercises in the Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannon, Kevin C.; Mody, Tina; Breen, Maureen P.

2008-01-01

A non-traditional teaching method that can operate as a vehicle for engaging students is group-based competitive exercises. These exercises combine cooperative learning with a competitive environment and may be employed to promote subject- and problem-based learning. Survey responses of college-level organic chemistry and biochemistry students…

Teaching and Learning in Exercise Science: Contributing to the Health of the Nation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stavrianeas, Stasinos; Stewart, Mark

2011-01-01

Students of exercise science are well positioned to facilitate a shift of the nation's attitude on health care from disease treatment to disease prevention. This report chronicles our efforts toward transforming the exercise physiology core course from a lecture-based, instructor-centered class to a student-centered environment in which…

Demonstrating Social Constructionism in Psychology Course: The "Who Am I?" Exercise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moradi, Bonnie; Yoder, Janice D.

2001-01-01

Describes a class exercise where students in three different courses wrote ten responses to the question "Who am I?", in order to increase their understanding of social constructionism. Reveals that students accurately identified the gender of most respondents and saw this as a useful exercise to help them understand social constructionism. (CMK)

Aggregated effects of combining daily milk consumption and aerobic exercise on short-term memory and sustained attention among female students.

PubMed

Leong, In-Tyng; Moghadam, Sedigheh; Hashim, Hairul A

2015-02-01

Regular aerobic exercise and milk consumption have been found to have positive effects on certain cognitive functions such as short-term memory and sustained attention. However, aggregated effects of combining these modalities have not been explored. This study examined the combined effects of milk supplementation and aerobic exercise on the short-term memory and sustained attention of female students aged 16 yr. (N = 81). The intervention involved serving of 250 ml of regular milk during school days and/or a 1-hr. aerobic exercise period twice per week for 6 weeks. The Digit Span Test and Digit Vigilance Test were used to measure short-term memory and sustained attention, respectively. The combination group (milk and exercise) and exercise group performed significantly better than did the milk and control groups in terms of short-term memory. No significant interaction or group differences were found for sustained attention. The results suggest benefits of regular exercise for students' short-term memory.

Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions

PubMed Central

Carnegie, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary was used to create feedback-oriented interactive online exercises to help students strengthen certain HOCS as they actively constructed answers to questions concerning the regulation of 1) metabolic rate, 2) blood sugar, 3) erythropoiesis, and 4) stroke volume. Each exercise began with a SAQ presenting an endocrine dysfunction or a physiological challenge; students were prompted to answer between six and eight multiple-choice questions while building their answer to the SAQ. Student outcomes on the SAQ sections of summative exams were compared before and after the introduction of the online tool and also between subgroups of students within the posttool-introduction population who demonstrated different levels of participation in the online exercises. While overall SAQ outcomes were not different before and after the introduction of the online exercises, once the SAQ tool had become available, those students who chose to use it had improved SAQ outcomes compared with those who did not. PMID:26113627

Influence of age, sex, and race on college students' exercise motivation of physical activity.

PubMed

Egli, Trevor; Bland, Helen W; Melton, Bridget F; Czech, Daniel R

2011-01-01

The authors examined differences in exercise motivation between age, sex, and race for college students. Students from 156 sections of physical activity classes at a midsize university were recruited (n = 2,199; 1,081 men, 1,118 women) in 2005-2006 and volunteered to complete the Exercise Motivation Inventory. Quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed. Significant differences were found in 3 of 14 exercise motivational subscales by age (affiliation, health pressures, and ill health avoidance) (p < .05). Males were motivated by intrinsic factors (strength, competition, and challenge) (p < .05) and females by extrinsic factors (ie, weight management and appearance) (p < .05); only 2 subscales proved not to be significant by sex. Race differences provided 8 significant differences by exercise motivations (p < .05). Significant differences for exercise motivations in college-aged population by demographics were documented. Understanding these differences is important for college health professionals for programming strategies and promoting physical activity.

The effect of acute exercise and psychosocial stress on fine motor skills and testosterone concentration in the saliva of high school students.

PubMed

Wegner, Mirko; Koedijker, Johan M; Budde, Henning

2014-01-01

Little is known about the influence of different stressors on fine motor skills, the concentration of testosterone (T), and their interaction in adolescents. Therefore, 62 high school students aged 14-15 years were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (exercise, psychosocial stress) and a control group. Exercise stress was induced at 65-75% of the maximum heart rate by running for 15 minutes (n = 24). Psychosocial stress was generated by an intelligence test (HAWIK-IV), which was uncontrollable and characterized by social-evaluative-threat to the students (n = 21). The control group followed was part of a regular school lesson with the same duration (n = 28). Saliva was collected after a normal school lesson (pre-test) as well as after the intervention/control period (post-test) and was analyzed for testosterone. Fine motor skills were assessed pre- and post-intervention using a manual dexterity test (Flower Trail) from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2. A repeated measure ANCOVA including gender as a covariate revealed a significant group by test interaction, indicating an increase in manual dexterity only for the psychosocial stress group. Correlation analysis of all students shows that the change of testosterone from pre- to post-test was directly linked (r = -.31, p = .01) to the changes in manual dexterity performance. Participants showing high increases in testosterone from pre- to post-test made fewer mistakes in the fine motor skills task. Findings suggest that manual dexterity increases when psychosocial stress is induced and that improvement of manual dexterity performance corresponds with the increase of testosterone.

Serial Dilution Simulation Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keler, Cynthia; Balutis, Tabitha; Bergen, Kim; Laudenslager, Bryanna; Rubino, Deanna

2010-01-01

Serial dilution is often a difficult concept for students to understand. In this short dry lab exercise, students perform serial dilutions using seed beads. This exercise helps students gain skill at performing dilutions without using reagents, bacterial cultures, or viral cultures, while being able to visualize the process.

Distance Learning Materials for Elementary Astronomy with Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castle, K. G.

2004-05-01

I have developed a distance learning astronomy course with an integral lab. The materials for this course are available from the site below. Test and quiz contents can be obtained upon request In this distance-learning format, students take quizzes online, tests in person and meet with the instructor for assistance. Student activities include homework, laboratory exercises and observing projects using household and community resources. This course (Astro 128) has been approved to fulfill general education requirements for University of California and the California State University system. Materials include instructions and reference materials for measuring parallax, analyzing radial velocity and light curves, finding ages of star clusters, tracking planets, recording sunrise or sunset time, simulating lunar phases, assessing lunar feature ages, classifying stellar spectra from tracings, and classifying galaxy morphology. Students analyze actual astronomical data from the literature in many cases. A comparatively large number of observational examples allows each student to work with a unique assignment. Course management includes a calendar where students schedule meetings with the instructor and WebCT test, quiz and grade maintenance. Course materials are supplied with links to data sets in PDF. This class was developed with technical assistance from the Instructional Technology Department at Diablo Valley College.

Increasing student success in STEM through geosciences based GIS curriculum, interdisciplinary project based learning, and specialized STEM student services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, W.

2012-12-01

Under the auspices of the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Grant and the Department of Education's Title V/HSI Grant, Palomar College students from a variety of disciplines have not only been exposed to the high growth field of geospatial technologies, but have also been exposed to the geosciences and regional environmental issues in their GIS courses. By integrating introductory Physical Geography topics such as liquefaction, subsidence, ozone depletion, plate tectonics, and coastal processes in the introductory GIS curriculum, GIS students from fields ranging from Archaeology to Zoology were exposed to basic geosciences theories in a series of hands-on interactive exercises, while gaining competency in geospatial technologies. Additionally, as students undertake interdisciplinary service learning projects under the supervision of experts in the private, governmental, and nonprofit sectors, students were introduced to the STEM workplace, forged invaluable professional connections, applied their classroom knowledge to advance research (e.g. analyzing migration patterns of cephalopod), and analyzed regional environmental issues (e.g. distribution of invasive plants in state natural preserves). In order to further the retention and completion of students in GIS, Earth Science, and other STEM courses, a STEM Student Learning Center was constructed, whereby students can receive services such as supplemental instruction, walk-in tutoring, STEM counseling and transfer advising, as well as faculty and peer mentoring.

The Lifestyle Behaviours and Exercise Beliefs of Undergraduate Student Nurses: A Descriptive Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Eimear; McCarthy, Bernard

2011-01-01

Purpose: Only limited published research is available exploring the lifestyle practices of student nurses. The purpose of this paper is to explore the lifestyle behaviours and exercise beliefs of Irish student nurses. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive survey design was used. First-year and third-year undergraduate student nurses (n=182)…

The Active Classroom: Supporting Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulrine, Christopher F.; Prater, Mary Anne; Jenkins, Amelia

2008-01-01

Teachers face many challenges in their daily effort to meet the needs of and ensure success for a diverse group of students, including students who are inattentive and have trouble staying focused and on task. All students, especially those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), need exercise; it assists them with concentration and…

Teaching and Experiencing the Misinformation Effect: A Classroom Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swenson, John Eric, III; Schneller, Gregory R.

2011-01-01

Students from four sections of Introduction to Psychology (N=82) were taught that participating in a classroom exercise may make memories vulnerable to the misinformation effect. All students were shown a short video clip of a car wreck. Students were then asked either "leading" or "non-leading" questions about the video clip. Students were also…

Effectiveness of Just in Time Teaching on Student Achievement in an Introductory Thermodynamics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liberatore, Matthew W.; Morrish, Rachel M.; Vestal, Charles R.

2017-01-01

The utility of Just-In-Time-Teaching (JITT) is compared across course topics and groups of students not receiving JITT exercises in class. JITT feedback incorporated various active learning exercises based on students' performance on online homework problems from Sapling Learning. With over 200 students in two sections participating in the…

Just-in-Time Teaching Exercises to Engage Students in an Introductory-Level Dinosaur Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guertin, Laura A.; Zappe, Sarah E.; Kim, Heeyoung

2007-12-01

The Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) technique allows students to be engaged in course material outside of the classroom by answering web-based questions. The responses are summarized and presented to students in class with a follow-up active learning exercise. College students enrolled in an introductory-level general education geoscience course were surveyed over a two-semester period on their engagement level during lecture and perceived learning of course content. Data show that students are able to reflect on their prior knowledge and construct new knowledge with weekly graded JiTT exercises. Despite increasing and competing pressures outside of the classroom, students reported increased learning and engagement in a course with required weekly assignments.

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

Exercise environment for Introduction to Cyber Technologies class. This software is essentially a collection of short scripts, configuration files, and small executables that form the exercise component of the Sandia Cyber Technologies Academy's Introduction to Cyber Technologies class. It builds upon other open-source technologies, such as Debian Linux and minimega, to provide comprehensive Linux and networking exercises that make learning these topics exciting and fun. Sample exercises: a pre-built set of home directories the student must navigate through to learn about privilege escalation, the creation of a virtual network playground designed to teach the student about the resiliency of themore » Internet, and a two-hour Capture the Flag challenge for the final lesson. There are approximately thirty (30) exercises included for the students to complete as part of the course.« less

Active-learning strategies to develop health literacy knowledge and skills.

PubMed

Devraj, Radhika; Butler, Lakesha M; Gupchup, Gireesh V; Poirier, Therese I

2010-10-11

To implement active-learning exercises in a required pharmacy course and assess their impact on students' knowledge and confidence in identifying and communicating with patients with low health literacy, as part of a required course in cultural competency, health literacy, and health beliefs. Active-learning activities including administering health literacy assessments, identifying informal signs of low health literacy, conducting mock patient counseling sessions, rating the readability of drug information, analyzing information in drug advertisements, and writing patient education materials were incorporated into the 6-sesssion health literacy portion of the course. A pretest and posttest showed that students' knowledge of health literacy increased, and a retrospective pretest found improvement in students' confidence in their ability to care for patients with low health literacy. In-class discussions provided informal evidence that students gained new knowledge from the active-learning activities. The addition of active-learning activities was effective in teaching health literacy concepts to pharmacy students.

Charming the Snake: Student Experiences with Python Programming as a Data Analysis Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booker, Melissa; Ivers, C. B.; Piper, M.; Powers, L.; Ali, B.

2014-01-01

During the past year, twelve high school students and one undergraduate student participated in the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) alongside three high school educators and one informal educator, gaining experience in using Python as a tool for analyzing the vast amount of photometry data available from the Herschel and Spitzer telescopes in the NGC 281 region. Use of Python appeared to produce two main positive gains: (1) a gain in student ability to successfully write and execute Python programs for the bulk analysis of data, and (2) a change in their perceptions of the utility of computer programming and of the students’ abilities to use programming to solve problems. We outline the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures of the teachers and students through this learning exercise and provide some recommendations for incorporating programming in scientific learning.

Creation of an active learning healthcare communications course using simulations relevant to pharmacy practice.

PubMed

Collier, Izabela A; Baker, David M

2017-07-01

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a health care communications course built around practice-like simulations and active learning in the first year of a professional pharmacy program. A three-credit health care communications course was divided into one didactic (two hours per week) and three simulation components (one hour per week). The simulation components consisted of one written patient education pamphlet, three group presentations, and three one-on-one patient counseling sessions. This was accomplished by breaking the class of approximately 75 students into eight separate sections, each consisting of 8-10 students and one instructor. Each week four sections were devoted to counseling role-plays: half in the role of pharmacists and half as patients. The other four sections were devoted to hour-long professional group presentations-half in the presenting group and half as audience. The students' performance in the simulated counseling sessions and group presentations has been tracked and analyzed to determine if the simulated exercises had a positive impact on the students' active communications skills. Consistently, over the first four years of the implementation of the course, students' communications skills, as measured by faculty assessments, in both professional group presentations and one-on-one counseling sessions significantly improved. Incorporation of active-learning simulation exercises into a healthcare communications course has a positive impact on the development of students' communications skills. This creates a foundation upon which students can build over the remainder of the professional program and into their future careers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Symptoms of exercise dependence and physical activity in students.

PubMed

MacLaren, Vance V; Best, Lisa A

2007-12-01

Health professionals recognize the benefits of moderate physical activity and encourage clients to engage in some form of activity on a regular basis. In spite of these recognized benefits, there are growing concerns that some may exercise at levels detrimental to health. The term exercise dependence refers to those individuals whose extreme exercise schedules interfere with their social, occupational, and family lives. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between weekly exercise habits and scores on the Exercise Dependence Questionnaire in a sample of undergraduate students (213 women and 79 men). Overall, participants who reported high activity scored higher than those reporting low activity on subscales measuring interference with family and social life, positive reward, withdrawal, exercise for social reasons, exercise for health reasons, and stereotyped behavior.

Active-learning assignments to integrate basic science and clinical course material.

PubMed

Marshall, Leisa L; Nykamp, Diane

2010-09-10

To develop, implement, and evaluate active-learning exercises requiring the integration and application of pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics knowledge of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Two team-based case study exercises, one evaluating a patient with osteoarthritis and the second, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, were developed, incorporating material and questions from pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics. The learning assignments were implemented in a required pharmacotherapy module. Student learning was evaluated using performance on the team-based case study exercises and on 2 examinations. A standard student course evaluation was used to assess students' impressions of the learning activity. The mean student grades for the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis activities were 9.1 and 8.9, respectively, on a 10-point scale. The majority of students indicated that the learning exercises were more than adequate to excellent in helping students learn. The addition of active-learning activities was successful in teaching pharmacy students the knowledge needed to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

The impact of exercise performance dissatisfaction and physical exercise on symptoms of depression among college students: a gender comparison.

PubMed

Edman, Jeanne L; Lynch, Wesley C; Yates, Alayne

2014-01-01

Depression is a common psychological problem and females have been found to be at greater risk for this disorder than males. Although numerous studies have found that physical exercise is negatively associated with risk of depression, some studies suggest that negative exercise attitudes may increase the risk of depression. The present study used the survey method to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms, exercise performance dissatisfaction, body dissatisfaction, and physical exercise among a sample of 895 undergraduate university students. Females reported higher depression and exercise performance dissatisfaction scores than males; however, there were no gender differences in body dissatisfaction. Exercise performance dissatisfaction was positively associated with depression among both males and females. Physical exercise was negatively associated with depression among males, but not among females. The possibility of screening participants enrolled in exercise programs for performance dissatisfaction is discussed as negative exercise attitudes may diminish the positive impact of exercise on depressed mood.

The Exercise Physiology Laboratory--A Source of Health Promotion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norris, William; Norred, Robert

1988-01-01

A visit to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Tennessee is part of a physical education class required of all undergraduate students. The laboratory demonstration stimulates student interest and enrollment in physical education. Benefits to students, the laboratory, and the school are described. (MT)

A Literature Exercise Using Scifinder Scholar for the Sophomore-Level Organic Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenstein, Ian J.

2005-01-01

An exercise developed for use in the sophomore organic course that introduces students to the process of searching "Chemical Abstracts" with SciFinder Scholar using chiral auxiliaries as example compounds is described. The exercise provides a direct introduction to the chemical literature for students at an early stage of their undergraduate…

The Impact of Rope Jumping Exercise on Physical Fitness of Visually Impaired Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chao-Chien; Lin, Shih-Yen

2011-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of rope jumping exercise on the health-related physical fitness of visually impaired students. The participants' physical fitness was examined before and after the training. The exercise intensity of the experimental group was controlled with Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) (values…

Drawing Students out: Using Sketching Exercises to Hone Observation Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weekes, Harry

2005-01-01

In this article, the author discusses how drawing exercise can be an invaluable tool in teaching Biology classes. The author uses drawing exercises and requires students to sketch everything from prepared slides of mitosis and plant anatomy to field sightings of birds and protists. His primary goal in integrating art into science is to hone…

An Exercise in Modelling Using the US Standard Atmosphere

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresto, Michael C.; Jacobs, Diane A.

2007-01-01

In this exercise the US Standard Atmosphere is used as "data" that a student is asked to model by deriving equations to reproduce it with the help of spreadsheet and graphing software. The exercise can be used as a laboratory or an independent study for a student of introductory physics to provide an introduction to scientific research…

Population Ecology (Organizational Ecology): An Experiential Exercise Demonstrating How Organizations in an Industry Are Born, Change, and Die

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacMillan, Karen; Komar, Jennifer

2018-01-01

This article describes a classroom exercise that is designed to help students understand the basic tenets of population ecology (also known as organizational ecology). The macro-level, longitudinal approach to understanding organizations can be difficult for students to conceptualize as it involves systems thinking. This exercise makes the theory…

Developing a Precareer Network: An Exercise in Identifying, Using, and Making Investments in Social Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Karen A.; Walsh, Anne M.

2017-01-01

Research on the use of experiential exercises to encourage exploration of professional networks shows that such exercises are effective and provide value for students seeking to enter or navigate careers. Often students in the early phase of their undergraduate experience are unaware of the process involved in building a professional network or…

"Mind Blown"--Including Exercise Science Students as Research Assistants to Reduce Ageist Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forlenza, Samuel T.; Bourassa, Dara

2017-01-01

The amount of older adults is increasing rapidly and the demands of an aging population will need to be met by professionals in many fields, including exercise science. However, many undergraduate students do not want to work with older adults. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to examine the experiences and perceptions of exercise science…

Symbols and Scrolls: Teaching Elementary Students about Historic Writing. Pull-out 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Lois M.

1999-01-01

Describes a unit for elementary students on the history and technology of writing from ancient to medieval times. Includes a contemporary writing and print exercise, an ancient and medieval writing exercise, a research activity on the evolution of writing, a biography study, a fine arts exercise, and a community survey. Addresses the unit…

Comparing the Use of the Interpersonal Computer, Personal Computer and Pen-and-Paper When Solving Arithmetic Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alcoholado, Cristián; Diaz, Anita; Tagle, Arturo; Nussbaum, Miguel; Infante, Cristián

2016-01-01

This study aims to understand the differences in student learning outcomes and classroom behaviour when using the interpersonal computer, personal computer and pen-and-paper to solve arithmetic exercises. In this multi-session experiment, third grade students working on arithmetic exercises from various curricular units were divided into three…

Teaching and Learning Science in Authoritative Classrooms: Teachers' Power and Students' Approval in Korean Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jeong-A.; Kim, Chan-Jong

2017-09-01

This study aims to understand interactions in Korean elementary science classrooms, which are heavily influenced by Confucianism. Ethnographic observations of two elementary science teachers' classrooms in Korea are provided. Their classes are fairly traditional teaching, which mean teacher-centered interactions are dominant. To understand the power and approval in science classroom discourse, we have adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Based on CDA, form and function analysis was adopted. After the form and function analysis, all episodes were analyzed in terms of social distance. The results showed that both teachers exercised their power while teaching. However, their classes were quite different in terms of getting approval by students. When a teacher got students' approval, he could conduct the science lesson more effectively. This study highlights the importance of getting approval by students in Korean science classrooms.

[The teaching of orthodontics in the opinion of students from Department of Dentistry of Pomeranian Medical University in the academic year of 2005/2006].

PubMed

Syryńska, Maria; Post, Marcin; Tsynkel, Pavel; Durka, Magdalena

2007-01-01

The aim of the paper was to get to know, collect and present information provided by students about classes from orthodontic and their opinion regarding the conduction of clinical and theoretical exercises. The study group was comprised of 69 fifth year students from the Department of Orthodontics of the Pomeranian Medical University. The material was collected by the use of an anonymous questionnaire distributed after the final exam from orthodontics. The questionnaire was created for the study and contained 6 questions. Most of the students have admitted that knowledge gained during the 4th year was useful on the 5th year and that the information presented on orthodontic seminars during the 5th year was beneficial in regard to clinical exercises. Graduates have admitted that they felt well prepared in the field of orthodontic profilaxis and removable appliances but not enough prepared in the field of fixed appliances, retention and the repair of damaged appliances. The number of patients on clinical exercises in most answers was rated as "enough". Most of the students have answered that the way of the exercises have been conducted in their groups was acceptable and the time on exercises has been properly used. Laboratory exercises and seminars on the 4th and 5th year of studies have supplemented the knowledge of students and prepared them for clinical work in orthodontics. Students have proved to be good observers when indicating the weak points of didactics.

Advanced GIS Exercise: Predicting Rainfall Erosivity Index Using Regression Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Post, Christopher J.; Goddard, Megan A.; Mikhailova, Elena A.; Hall, Steven T.

2006-01-01

Graduate students from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields are incorporating geographic information systems (GIS) analysis into their graduate research, creating a need for teaching methodologies that help students understand advanced GIS topics for use in their own research. Graduate-level GIS exercises help students understand…

A Human Development Workshop on Cultural Identity for International Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro-Abad, Cecilia

To provide international students at New Jersey's Brookdale Community College with exercises on cultural awareness, a Human Development Workshop on Cultural Identity has been designed. The workshop includes exercises on language, cultural relationships, cultural identity, and styles of achieving. The program is designed to help students feel free…

Applying Descriptive Statistics to Teaching the Regional Classification of Climate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, Peter S.; Hammel, Daniel J.

1998-01-01

Describes an exercise for college and high school students that relates descriptive statistics to the regional climatic classification. The exercise introduces students to simple calculations of central tendency and dispersion, the construction and interpretation of scatterplots, and the definition of climatic regions. Forces students to engage…

FILILAB: Creation and Use of a Learning Object Repository for EFL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litzler, Mary Frances; Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Halbach, Ana

2012-01-01

Background: Students at the Universidad de Alcala need batteries of learning objects and exercises. Although student textbooks tend to include a wide range of additional exercises, students in advanced linguistics and language courses require learning objects to obtain additional practice. Online repositories offer excellent opportunities for…

What Medical Students Say about Psychiatry: Results of a Reflection Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brenner, Adam M.

2011-01-01

Objective: The author describes the results of a reflection exercise for psychiatry clerkship students. Method: The author performed a qualitative analysis on 100 "reflection" papers written by medical students in their psychiatry clerkship and identified the most prominent thematic content. Results: The most common thematic content involved…

Speed Pairs, a Spoken Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kishi, Adrienne

2017-01-01

While written exercises may serve students adequately on tests, the structures they emphasize can remain elusive or difficult for students to master in conversation. Students tend to interpret their difficulty in applying what they have learned as a lack of language ability, and they can quickly lose confidence when speaking. Producing a target…

Promoting Exercise and Physical Fitness in the Medical School Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jerome D.; And Others

1988-01-01

An elective course focusing on exercise physiology and cardiovascular fitness offered at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine consists of weekly lectures and student self-designed fitness programs. Student participation correlates with significantly increased levels of student maximum oxygen consumption, a moderate training effect.…

Using Visual Models as Pre-Reading Exercises in Teaching Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeker, Michael W.

Adapting strategies of invention from the new process-oriented rhetoric, the literature teacher can help students understand what they read through prereading exercises. Presenting students with an abstract model of a text's metaphoric structure, the teacher can spark students' immediate and imaginative response to the model, involving them…

From "Tinker" to "TLO": Are Civil Rights for Students Flunking in School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Thomas C.

1993-01-01

Traces legal balance in "Tinker" between Constitutional rights of students and caveat that these rights were secure only as exercise did not "interfere" with disciplinary processes of school. Cites changing political landscape; free exercise and establishment of religion; and search and seizure. Concludes that students appear…

Affordable Hands-On DNA Sequencing and Genotyping: An Exercise for Teaching DNA Analysis to Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Kushani; Thomas, Shelby; Stein, Arnold

2013-01-01

In this report, we describe a 5-week laboratory exercise for undergraduate biology and biochemistry students in which students learn to sequence DNA and to genotype their DNA for selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Students use miniaturized DNA sequencing gels that require approximately 8 min to run. The students perform G, A, T, C…

Just-in-Time Teaching Exercises to Engage Students in an Introductory-Level Dinosaur Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guertin, Laura A.; Zappe, Sarah E.; Kim, Heeyoung

2007-01-01

The Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) technique allows students to be engaged in course material outside of the classroom by answering web-based questions. The responses are summarized and presented to students in class with a follow-up active learning exercise. College students enrolled in an introductory-level general education geoscience course were…

Creative Exercises in General Chemistry: A Student-Centered Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Scott E.; Shaw, Janet L.; Freeman, Kathryn A.

2010-01-01

Creative exercises (CEs) are a form of assessment in which students are given a prompt and asked to write down as many distinct, correct, and relevant facts about the prompt as they can. Students receive credit for each fact that they include that is related to the prompt and distinct from the other facts they list. With CEs, students have an…

"Business Ethics Everywhere": An Experiential Exercise to Develop Students' Ability to Identify and Respond to Ethical Issues in Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Susan D.; Comer, Debra R.

2012-01-01

This article introduces an experiential exercise that enhances students' ability to identify ethical issues and to respond to them in ways that consider the relationship between organizational factors and ethical action. Students identify a required number of ethical incidents in their workplaces during a specified period. Students submit a…

The Math You Need at Trinity College, Hartford CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geiss, C. E.

2011-12-01

Trinity College is a small, private, highly selective liberal arts college with approximately 2400 students. Most students have relatively well developed quantitative skills, but many are nevertheless insecure about their abilities and reluctant to engage in courses that stress quantitative content. I have used The Math You Need (TMYN) modules in an introductory geology course which serves both majors and non-majors in Trinity's Environmental Science Program. This dual audience makes the introduction of quantitative exercises labor intensive and challenging for both students and instructor. TMYN was introduced to a) offer the students an independent support structure outside of class and to b) free up some class and office hour time that would have been spent on mathematical background information. THMY was added to the course as a set of homework assignments preceding related laboratory exercises and homework assignments. During the semester most feedback regarding TMYN was negative. Some outspoken students either saw it as additional busywork or generally disliked "being taught by a computer". A review of pre- and post-test data, however, revealed that the exercises improved students' quantitative skills. Furthermore, in the assignments most students ranked the exercises as useful and rewarding. These positive results were relatively independent of student skill levels.

Medicine as It Should Be: Teaching Team and Teamwork during a Palliative Care Clerkship.

PubMed

Head, Barbara A; Furman, Christian Davis; Lally, Andrew M; Leake, Kimberly; Pfeifer, Mark

2018-05-01

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is an important component of medical education. Rotations with palliative care interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) provide an optimal environment for IPE and teaching teamwork skills. Our objective was to assess the learning of senior medical students during a palliative care rotation. A constant comparison method based on grounded theory was used in this qualitative study. Senior medical students completed a semi-structured reflective writing exercise after a required one-week palliative care clerkship. Sixty randomly selected reflective writings were analyzed. The reflective writings were analyzed to evaluate the student's experiences. Dominant themes identified were related to teams and teamwork. Eight specific themes were identified: value of IDT for team members; value of IDT for patient/family; importance of each team member; reliance on other team members; roles of team members; how teams work; team communication; and interdisciplinary assessment and care planning. Students described exposure to novel experiences and planned to incorporate newly learned behaviors in their future practice. By participating in palliative care IDTs, medical students consistently learned about teamwork within healthcare. Additionally, they learned the importance of such teamwork to patients and the team itself. Rotations with palliative care IDTs have a significant role to play in IPE and preparing medical students to practice on teams.

Efficacy of a perceptual and visual-motor skill intervention program for students with dyslexia.

PubMed

Fusco, Natália; Germano, Giseli Donadon; Capellini, Simone Aparecida

2015-01-01

To verify the efficacy of a perceptual and visual-motor skill intervention program for students with dyslexia. The participants were 20 students from third to fifth grade of a public elementary school in Marília, São Paulo, aged from 8 years to 11 years and 11 months, distributed into the following groups: Group I (GI; 10 students with developmental dyslexia) and Group II (GII; 10 students with good academic performance). A perceptual and visual-motor intervention program was applied, which comprised exercises for visual-motor coordination, visual discrimination, visual memory, visual-spatial relationship, shape constancy, sequential memory, visual figure-ground coordination, and visual closure. In pre- and post-testing situations, both groups were submitted to the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (TVPS-3), and the quality of handwriting was analyzed using the Dysgraphia Scale. The analyzed statistical results showed that both groups of students had dysgraphia in pretesting situation. In visual perceptual skills, GI presented a lower performance compared to GII, as well as in the quality of writing. After undergoing the intervention program, GI increased the average of correct answers in TVPS-3 and improved the quality of handwriting. The developed intervention program proved appropriate for being applied to students with dyslexia, and showed positive effects because it provided improved visual perception skills and quality of writing for students with developmental dyslexia.

Partial polarization: a comprehensive student exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topasna, Gregory A.; Topasna, Daniela M.

2015-10-01

We present a comprehensive student exercise in partial polarization. Students are first introduced to the concept of partial polarization using Fresnel Equations. Next, MATHCAD is used to compute and graph the reflectance for dielectrics materials. The students then design and construct a simple, easy to use collimated light source for their experiment, which is performed on an optical breadboard using optical components typically found in an optics lab above the introductory level. The students obtain reflection data that is compared with their model by a nonlinear least square fit using EXCEL. Sources of error and uncertainty are discussed and students present a final written report. In this one exercise students learn how an experiment is constructed "from the ground up". They gain practical experience on data modeling and analysis, working with optical equipment, machining and construction, and preparing a final presentation.

Use of a paper-cut as an adjunct to teaching the Whipple procedure by video.

PubMed

Mann, B D; Heath, C M; Gracely, E; Seidman, A; Nieman, L Z; Sachdeva, A K

1998-10-01

Medical students often experience difficulty comprehending anatomic relationships of complex operations to which they are exposed during surgical clerkship. Pancreaticoduodenectomy, the Whipple procedure, is one such operation. Although video recordings are available to facilitate the learning of the Whipple procedure, commercially available tapes are not self-explanatory to the uninitiated. Since we have previously demonstrated that third-year medical students could learn the operative steps of inguinal herniorraphy by a paper-cutting exercise, we set out to determine whether an exercise of similar design could enhance a student's comprehension of the Whipple procedure. Using Adobe Illustrator 5.5 for MacIntosh, an exercise was developed on a 8.5 x 11-inch paper that could be distributed to students for self-administration. The exercise was performed using a #15 scalpel or an iris scissors. Thirty-seven students were randomized into two groups. Each student received a pretest of questions focusing on the Whipple procedure. Group I was shown an 18-minute commercially available teaching video on the Whipple procedure. Group II was given the Whipple origami exercise, which required 20 minutes to complete. A first posttest was administered to each group. Next, the groups switched exercises, and a second posttest was administered. There was no significant difference between the groups' pretest scores (two-tailed t test, P = 0.290). Group I improved its score from an average of 64.21 (SD 14.27) to 67.89 (SD 13.16) after watching the video, and further to 77.89 (SD 14.37) after completing the paper-cut exercise. Group II improved from 60.00 (SD 9.43) to 78.95 (SD 11.00) after performing the paper-cut, but derived no additional measurable benefit from watching the video, average score 74.74 (SD 18.37). After the first exercise, students who performed the paper-cut showed a significantly greater improvement in test scores compared with students who saw the video (P = 0.0035 by Mann-Whitney U). After both groups had completed the exercises, the mean changes from baseline were no longer significantly different (P = 0.58 by Mann-Whitney U). As a single educational intervention, the paper-cut exercise was a more effective teaching device than the video in the given time frame. The origami model may be generalized to a variety of surgical procedures and appears to be a valuable adjunct to traditional teaching.

Practicing urologist learning laparoscopy: no short cut to short cuts!

PubMed

Mahmud, Syed Mamun; Mishra, Shashikant; Desai, Mahesh Ramanlal

2011-05-01

To emphasize the importance of regular exercising in dry lab in initial phase of learning of laparoscopic surgery by a practicing urologist. The study was performed at Dry Lab -Jayaramdas Patel Academic Centre (JPAC) attached to Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad, India. The study is based on 30 sets of exercises of four standard tasks utilized to learn Hand-Eye coordination for Laparoscopic Surgery. All sets were performed by a single participant over a period of 19 days and the exercise record was retrospectively analyzed. The participant had limited exposure of one year in a low volume laparoscopy center. Correlation between Exercise number and Task Completion Time (TCT) was calculated by Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and its significance is assessed by Student paired t test. The current study describes 30 exercises of 4 standard tasks for hand-eye-coordination. Although the study was completed in 19 days but there were two intervals which point to the objective of this study. First interval was of 3 days and it occurred after 4th exercise. At 5th exercise the Task Completion Time started rising more than the 2nd exercise. This regression further worsened on 6th exercise which had an interval of 2 days. Here the (TCT) went up almost equal to 1st exercise (1050 vs 1054 seconds). Mean time for IT1, IT2, IT3, IT4 and TCT of over all exercises were calculated as 24.2 +/- 3.7, 121.9 +/- 54.9, 233 +/- 73.5, 199 +/- 55.1 and 582.5 +/- 174.8 seconds respectively. Significant correlation was noticed between number of exercises performed and improvement in time taken for individual tasks (IT 2 to IT4) and TCT. However there was no significant impact on Task 1. Regular Dry Lab exercises improves hand eye coordination and psychomotor skill dedicated continuous exercising has significant impact in reducing TCT.

Are Your Cells Pregnant? Relating Biology Laboratory Exercises to Everyday Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Simon J.; Banner, Lisa R.

2001-01-01

Presents a laboratory exercise that allows students to investigate the principles of hormone release from endocrine cells, which is highly relevant to students' everyday lives. (Contains 17 references.) (ASK)

Effects of the different frequencies of whole-body vibration during the recovery phase after exhaustive exercise.

PubMed

Cheng, C F; Hsu, W C; Lee, C L; Chung, P K

2010-12-01

This study was to investigate the effects of vibration exercise on the oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate variability (HRV) during the recovery phase after exhaustive exercise. Twenty male college students volunteered as subjects to participate in the study. The subjects were randomly crossover assigned to perform three 10 min vibration exercises, namely non-vibration (CON, 0 Hz, 0 mm), low-frequency (LFT, 20 Hz, 0.4 mm) and high-frequency (HFT, 36 Hz, 0.4 mm) treatments immediately after an incremental exhaustive cycling exercise in separated days. The beat-to-beat HRV, blood lactate concentration and VO2 were measured during the 1-hour recovery phase. The time- and frequency-domain indices of HRV were analyzed to confirm the effects of vibration exercises on the cardiac autonomic modulation. There were no significant differences on the VO2, HRV and blood lactate concentrations at 30th minute (post-30 min) or 60th minute (post-60 min) during the recovery phase among the three treatments. There were also no significant differences on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) during the recovery phase among the treatments. However, the VO2 at post-30 min in CON and LFT were significantly higher than the baseline values, whereas the VO2 in HFT returned to resting condition at the post-30 min. The results indicate that both low and high frequency vibration exercises could not improve the physiological recovery after exhaustive cycling exercise. However, the high frequency vibration exercise probably has a potential to facilitate the VO2 to return to the resting level during the recovery phase.

Manual and computer-aided materials selection for industrial production: An exercise in decision making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bates, Seth P.

1990-01-01

Students are introduced to methods and concepts for systematic selection and evaluation of materials which are to be used to manufacture specific products in industry. For this laboratory exercise, students are asked to work in groups to identify and describe a product, then to proceed through the process to select a list of three candidates to make the item from. The exercise draws on knowledge of mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, common materials test techniques, and resource management skills in finding and assessing property data. A very important part of the exercise is the students' introduction to decision making algorithms, and learning how to apply them to a complex decision making process.

The role of hardware in learning engineering fundamentals: An empirical study of engineering design and product analysis activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brereton, Margot Felicity

A series of short engineering exercises and design projects was created to help students learn to apply abstract knowledge to physical experiences with hardware. The exercises involved designing machines from kits of materials and dissecting and analyzing familiar household products. Students worked in teams. During the activities students brought their knowledge of engineering fundamentals to bear. Videotape analysis was used to identify and characterize the ways in which hardware contributed to learning fundamental concepts. Structural and qualitative analyses of videotaped activities were undertaken. Structural analysis involved counting the references to theory and hardware and the extent of interleaving of references in activity. The analysis found that there was much more discussion linking fundamental concepts to hardware in some activities than in others. The analysis showed that the interleaving of references to theory and hardware in activity is observable and quantifiable. Qualitative analysis was used to investigate the dialog linking concepts and hardware. Students were found to advance their designs and their understanding of engineering fundamentals through a negotiation process in which they pitted abstract concepts against hardware behavior. Through this process students sorted out theoretical assumptions and causal relations. In addition they discovered design assumptions, functional connections and physical embodiments of abstract concepts in hardware, developing a repertoire of familiar hardware components and machines. Hardware was found to be integral to learning, affecting the course of inquiry and the dynamics of group interaction. Several case studies are presented to illustrate the processes at work. The research illustrates the importance of working across the boundary between abstractions and experiences with hardware in order to learn engineering and physical sciences. The research findings are: (a) the negotiation process by which students discover fundamental concepts in hardware (and three central causes of negotiation breakdown); (b) a characterization of the ways that material systems contribute to learning activities, (the seven roles of hardware in learning); (c) the characteristics of activities that support discovering fundamental concepts in hardware (plus several engineering exercises); (d) a research methodology to examine how students learn in practice.

A multi-instructor, team-based, active-learning exercise to integrate basic and clinical sciences content.

PubMed

Kolluru, Srikanth; Roesch, Darren M; Akhtar de la Fuente, Ayesha

2012-03-12

To introduce a multiple-instructor, team-based, active-learning exercise to promote the integration of basic sciences (pathophysiology, pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry) and clinical sciences in a doctor of pharmacy curriculum. A team-based learning activity that involved pre-class reading assignments, individual-and team-answered multiple-choice questions, and evaluation and discussion of a clinical case, was designed, implemented, and moderated by 3 faculty members from the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice departments. Student performance was assessed using a multiple-choice examination, an individual readiness assurance test (IRAT), a team readiness assurance test (TRAT), and a subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) note. Student attitudes were assessed using a pre- and post-exercise survey instrument. Students' understanding of possible correct treatment strategies for depression improved. Students were appreciative of this true integration of basic sciences knowledge in a pharmacotherapy course and to have faculty members from both disciplines present to answer questions. Mean student score on the on depression module for the examination was 80.4%, indicating mastery of the content. An exercise led by multiple instructors improved student perceptions of the importance of team-based teaching. Integrated teaching and learning may be achieved when instructors from multiple disciplines work together in the classroom using proven team-based, active-learning exercises.

Medical students' health behaviour and self-reported mental health status by their country of origin: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Terebessy, András; Czeglédi, Edit; Balla, Bettina Claudia; Horváth, Ferenc; Balázs, Péter

2016-05-28

Numerous previous studies have investigated the lifestyle and self-perceived health status of medical students. This study examined whether students' country of origin contributed to their mental health and health risk behaviour. We conducted our cross-sectional questionnaire survey over four consecutive years (2009-2012). The target population was fourth-year English- and Hungarian-language course medical students at Semmelweis University, Hungary. We gathered data on medical students' health behaviour (tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits and exercise) and mental health status and used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine the association between country of origin and mental health. The response rate was 76.1 % for the Hungarian and 63.4 % for the English course students. The mean age of our sample was 24.1 years (SD = 2.42). Only 15.3 % of students reported following dietary recommendations, but 75.0 % reported engaging in vigorous and regular physical exercise. The prevalence of tobacco smoking was 18.6 % and 13.8 % overconsumed alcoholic beverages. Hungarian and Iranian students reported lower mental well-being than Mediterranean, Israeli and Scandinavian students (F(4) = 18.943, p < 0.001, η(2) = 0.103). Results of the multiway ANOVA indicated that both country of origin and exercise showed a significant relationship with mental health: vigorous exercise was associated with better mental health status (F(1) = 5.505, p = 0.019). Medical students' mental health and health behaviour are associated with multiple factors. One of these is country of origin but exercise may also influence mental health. Health promotion programmes organised for medical students should take their country of origin into consideration and should include physical activity.

The role of exercise and gender for physical self-perceptions and importance ratings in Swedish university students.

PubMed

Lindwall, Magnus; Hassmén, Peter

2004-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how scores on the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP), including scores on the Perceived Importance Profile (PIP), were related to self-reported exercise frequency, duration, and gender in sample of Swedish university students. A total of 164 participants completed the PSPP, PIP, and a questionnaire focusing on frequency and duration of exercise. Exercise frequency, duration, and gender predicted best the PSPP sub-domains of Sport Competence and Physical Conditioning. Exercising more frequently, and for a longer time on each occasion was associated with higher PSPP and PIP scores. Women generally displayed lower PSPP scores than men. These results suggest that exercise professionals need to master a range of appropriate exercise strategies, since doubts concerning self-presentation may work against establishing a regular exercise routine.

Exercise caution: Over-exercise is associated with suicidality among individuals with disordered eating

PubMed Central

Smith, April R.; Fink, Erin L.; Anestis, Michael D.; Ribeiro, Jessica D.; Gordon, Kathryn H.; Davis, Heather; Keel, Pamela K.; Bardone-Cone, Anna M.; Peterson, Carol B.; Klein, Marjorie H.; Crow, Scott; Mitchell, James E.; Crosby, Ross D.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; le Grange, Daniel; Joiner, Thomas E.

2017-01-01

We conducted four studies to examine the relationship between over-exercise and suicidality. Study 1 investigated whether over-exercise predicted suicidal behavior after controlling for other eating disorder behaviors in a patient sample of 204 women (144 with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) Bulimia Nervosa [BN]). Study 2 tested the prospective association between over-exercise and acquired capability for suicide (ACS) in a sample of 171 college students followed for 3–4 weeks. Study 3 investigated whether pain insensitivity accounted for the relationship between over-exercise and ACS in a new sample of 467 college students. Study 4 tested whether ACS accounted for the relationship between over-exercise and suicidal behavior in a sample of 512 college students. In Study 1, after controlling for key covariates, over-exercise was the only disordered eating variable that maintained a significant relationship with suicidal behavior. In Study 2, Time 1 over-exercise was the only disordered eating behavior that was associated with Time 2 ACS. In Study 3, pain insensitivity accounted for the relationship between over-exercise and ACS. In Study 4, ACS accounted for the relationship between over-exercise and suicidal behavior. Over-exercise appears to be associated with suicidal behavior, an association accounted for by pain insensitivity and the acquired capability for suicide; notably, this association was found across a series of four studies with different populations. PMID:23219104

An Out-of-School Practical Exercise: An Examination of Different DNA Methylation Conditions Using a Restriction Assay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyduck, Birgit; Harms, Ute

2015-01-01

Our out-of-school practical exercise was designed to bring upper secondary school students in contact with one of the most exciting and expanding topics in biology today: epigenetics. In school, students only study the basics in genetics and the respective investigation techniques as provided by the syllabus. For a practical exercise in…

Using the RPE-Talk Scale to Individualize Physical Activity for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nye, Susan B.; Todd, M. Kent

2013-01-01

For some students, self-selecting a pace during exercise may not provide enough of a physical challenge. Others push themselves so hard that they tire out before they can experience the benefits of exercise. In order to improve self-monitoring of exercise intensity, a variety of tools using the perception of effort and the ability to talk while…

Appreciative Inquiry and Autonomy-Supportive Classes in Business Education: A Semilongitudinal Study of AI in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conklin, Thomas A.; Hartman, Nathan S.

2014-01-01

In this article, we describe 10 separate classroom experiences where an appreciative inquiry (AI) exercise was used for course creation. Post-exercise surveys of students showed that the AI exercise was perceived to be a successful practice. Students indicated putting effort toward reaching their peak learning experience and were satisfied with…

Using sentence combining in technical writing classes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosner, M.; Paul, T.

1981-01-01

Sentence combining exercises are advanced as a way to teach technical writing style without reliance upon abstractions, from which students do not learn. Such exercises: (1) give students regular writing practice; (2) teach the logic of sentence structure, sentence editing, and punctuation; (3) paragraph development and organization; and (4) rhetorical stance. Typical sentence, paragraph, and discourse level sentence combining exercises are described.

The Bottom Line: An Exercise to Help Students Understand How Social Inequality Is Actively Constructed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abelev, Melissa; Vincent, M. Bess; Haney, Timothy J.

2008-01-01

One of the important misconceptions in the American view of poverty is that people are poor because they do not work. This article presents an exercise, the "bottom line," which helps dispel students' misconceptions about the working poor. Through extensive primary-data collection and assembling a budget for low-skilled workers, the exercise: (1)…

How to Generate Understanding of the Scientific Process in Introductory Biology: A Student-Designed Laboratory Exercise on Yeast Fermentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Linda T.; Bell, Rebekah P.

2004-01-01

Heavy faculty teaching loads and limited funds biology teachers designed certain objectives in order to increase the understandability of the subject matter of the laboratory exercises they write. In relation to these objectives an old "cookbook" laboratory exercise on yeast fermentation is introduced which involve students asking questions,…

A Novel Active-Learning Protein Purification Exercise for Large-Enrollment Introductory Biochemistry Courses Using the CHROM Web Applet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrette-Ng, Isabelle H.; Usher, Ken C.

2013-01-01

The CHROM Web applet has been used to create a new active-learning exercise in which students design a purification scheme for a recombinant protein using ion-exchange chromatography (IEC). To successfully complete the exercise, students are challenged to apply elementary concepts from acid-base chemistry as well as protein and amino acid…

Measuring scientific reasoning through behavioral analysis in a computer-based problem solving exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mead, C.; Horodyskyj, L.; Buxner, S.; Semken, S. C.; Anbar, A. D.

2016-12-01

Developing scientific reasoning skills is a common learning objective for general-education science courses. However, effective assessments for such skills typically involve open-ended questions or tasks, which must be hand-scored and may not be usable online. Using computer-based learning environments, reasoning can be assessed automatically by analyzing student actions within the learning environment. We describe such an assessment under development and present pilot results. In our content-neutral instrument, students solve a problem by collecting and interpreting data in a logical, systematic manner. We then infer reasoning skill automatically based on student actions. Specifically, students investigate why Earth has seasons, a scientifically simple but commonly misunderstood topic. Students are given three possible explanations and asked to select a set of locations on a world map from which to collect temperature data. They then explain how the data support or refute each explanation. The best approaches will use locations in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres to argue that the contrasting seasonality of the hemispheres supports only the correct explanation. We administered a pilot version to students at the beginning of an online, introductory science course (n = 223) as an optional extra credit exercise. We were able to categorize students' data collection decisions as more and less logically sound. Students who choose the most logical measurement locations earned higher course grades, but not significantly higher. This result is encouraging, but not definitive. In the future, we will clarify our results in two ways. First, we plan to incorporate more open-ended interactions into the assessment to improve the resolving power of this tool. Second, to avoid relying on course grades, we will independently measure reasoning skill with one of the existing hand-scored assessments (e.g., Critical Thinking Assessment Test) to cross-validate our new assessment.

Medical students' essay-writing skills: criteria-based self- and tutor-evaluation and the role of language background.

PubMed

Chur-Hansen, A

2000-03-01

An exercise is described which aimed to make clear to first-year undergraduate medical students the expected writing skills required for an essay examination in one discipline. Many students were from a non-English speaking background and over one-third of students, regardless of language background, had limited experience in this type of essay writing. For this exercise, a practice essay was written by each student for formative assessment. The essay was rated by a tutor and by the student according to well-defined criteria. This allowed for comparisons to be made in a structured and objective way between the judgements of the student and the assessor. Students found the exercise to be very useful, although whether essay writing skills actually improved could not be established. Students from non-English speaking backgrounds tended to be most harsh in their self-evaluations, yet tutor-evaluations generally showed these students to have better writing skills than other students. Indeed, correlations between self- and tutor-evaluations were quite low. It is evident that students and their educators may be unclear about each others' expectations. By making explicit the requirements of an exercise, misunderstandings may be minimized and it is possible that student performance could improve, though further research is required to verify these hypotheses. It is suggested that students should be encouraged to evaluate their own work and should be instructed in writing skills throughout their medical degree education.

Effects of aerobic exercise associated with abdominal microcurrent: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Noites, Andreia; Nunes, Rita; Gouveia, Ana Isabel; Mota, Alexandra; Melo, Cristina; Viera, Ágata; Adubeiro, Nuno; Bastos, José Mesquita

2015-04-01

To analyze the short- and long-term effects of microcurrent used with aerobic exercise on abdominal fat (visceral and subcutaneous). Forty-two female students from a university population were randomly assigned into five group: intervention group (IG) 1 (n=9), IG2 (n=9), IG3 (n=7), IG4 (n=8), and placebo group (PG) (n=9). An intervention program of 10 sessions encompassing microcurrent and aerobic exercise (performed with a cycloergometer) was applied in all groups, with slightly differences between them. In IG1 and IG2, microcurrent with transcutaneous electrodes was applied, with different frequency values; 30-minute exercise on the cycloergometer was subsequently performed. IG3 used the same protocol as IG1 but with different electrodes (percutaneous), while in IG4 the microcurrent was applied simultaneously with the cycloergometer exercise. Finally, the PG used the IG1 protocol but with the microcurrent device switched off. All groups were evaluated through ultrasound and abdominal perimeter measurement for visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat assessment; through calipers for skinfolds measurement; through bioimpedance to evaluate weight, fat mass percentage, and muscular mass; and through blood analyses to measure cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose levels. After intervention sessions, visceral fat decreased significantly in IG1 compared with the PG. Subcutaneous fat was reduced significantly in all groups compared with the PG. After 4 weeks, almost all results were maintained. The addition of microcurrent to aerobic exercise may reduce fat more than does aerobic exercise alone.

Physical activity-related injury and body mass index among US high school students.

PubMed

Lowry, Richard; Lee, Sarah M; Galuska, Deborah A; Fulton, Janet E; Barrios, Lisa C; Kann, Laura

2007-07-01

Few studies have focused on the relationship between physical activity-related (PA) injury and overweight among youth. We analyzed data from the 2001 and 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (n = 28,815). Logistic regression was used to examine the independent effects of BMI and frequency of participation in vigorous activity, moderate activity, strengthening exercises, physical education (PE) classes, and team sports on the likelihood of PA injury. Approximately 14% of females and 19% of males reported seeing a doctor or nurse during the previous 30 d for an injury that happened while exercising or playing sports. PA injury was associated with participation in team sports, strengthening exercises, and (among females) vigorous physical activity. Controlling for type and frequency of physical activity, injury was not associated with being overweight (BMI >or= 95th percentile). Moderate physical activity and school PE classes may provide relatively low-risk alternatives for overweight youth who need to increase their physical activity.

Behavior Risk Factors Among Russian University Students Majoring in Medicine, Education, and Exercise Science.

PubMed

Anischenko, Aleksander; Gurevich, Konstantin; Arhangelskaya, Anna; Klenov, Michael; Burdukova, Ekaterina; Ogarev, Valrii; Ignatov, Nikolay; Osadchenko, Irina

2016-09-14

To analyze the prevalence of select behavioral risk factors among Russian university students majoring in medicine, education, and exercise science. A total of 834 students from five Federal universities located in four federal regions of Russia were included in the study. The purposive sample included future doctors, school teachers, and fitness trainers. Students were asked specifically about smoking, level of physical activity, and food preferences. To calculate body mass indices (BMIs), waist, hip, weight, and height were also measured. Smoking rates, level of activity, and nutritional habits were significantly different by age, but BMI was not. Smoking rates and BMI were significantly different by gender, but level of activity and nutritional habits were not. Like the differences found by age, smoking rates, level of activity, and nutritional habits were significantly different by ethnicity, but BMI was not. There were significant difference across all behavioral health risk factors by region. The results show significantly higher levels of physical inactivity, consumption of unhealthy foods, and high BMIs among medical students compared with future teachers and wellness instructors (p < .05). In the same time, the smoking levels are the highest among future teachers. The highest prevalence of smoking was found to be associated with gender (for females living Moscow and for males in rural regions), and Russian ethnic group. Tailored programs to prevent common health behavior risk factors among future medical doctors are urgently needed in the Russian Federation. © The Author(s) 2016.

Association Between Exercise Participation and Quality of Sleep and Life Among University Students in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Shih-Pei; Shih, Kuo-Sen; Chi, Chung-Pu; Chang, Chin-Ming; Hwang, Kai-Lin; Chen, Yu-Hsuan

2016-05-01

This cross-sectional survey study examined exercise, sleep quality, and quality of life (QOL) in 1230 Taiwanese university students. Compared with women, men had higher body mass index (BMI) (22.3 ± 4.1 vs 20.7 ± 3.5 kg/m(2)), higher exercise frequency (2.6 ± 1.7 vs 2.0 ± 1.4 d/wk), better sleep quality (global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 6.0 ± 2.8 vs 6.5 ± 2.7), better physical QOL (physical component summary 52.7 ± 6.2 vs 51.7 ± 6.6), and higher reporting of good self-perceived health (62.2% vs 43.3%) (P <01). However, gender differences were nonsignificant after multivariable adjustment. Exercise frequency, sleep quality, and QOL were significantly intercorrelated. After multivariable adjustment, self-perceived health and satisfaction with exercise participation predicted quality of sleep and QOL (P <01). Exercise frequency was positively correlated (P =012), and exercise intensity was negatively associated (P <001) with physical QOL. In conclusion, those who regularly exercised (at least 1 d/wk or 2.5 h/wk) had better QOL. Students with better self-perceived health or satisfaction with exercise participation also had better quality of sleep and better QOL. © 2016 APJPH.

Learning by Doing: A Practical Foreign Language Classroom Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carton-Caprio, Dana

1975-01-01

A shopping exercise for the foreign language classroom is described. In this exercise, students contribute unused items, "money" is provided, and the students then set up stores and buy and sell the items. (RM)

Perceptions about exercise and intrinsic motivation of students attending a health-related physical education program.

PubMed

Papacharisis, Vassilios; Goudas, Marios

2003-12-01

The present study examined effects of sex, attitude towards physical activity, perceived barriers for participation in physical activity, and students' perception of their parents' participation in physical activity on the intrinsic motivation of students participating in a health related program in physical education. 643 students (303 boys and 340 girls) responded to questionnaires measuring intrinsic motivation, attitudes towards physical activity, perceived barriers to exercise and perceived parents' participation in physical activity. Mean age was 12.9 yr. (SD=1.2, range 11-14 years). Analysis indicated that students' intrinsic motivation towards the program was influenced by perceived barriers to exercise. Sex, attitudes towards physical activity, and perceived parents' participation in physical activity seem to be less important.

Peer associations for substance use and exercise in a college student social network.

PubMed

Barnett, Nancy P; Ott, Miles Q; Rogers, Michelle L; Loxley, Michelle; Linkletter, Crystal; Clark, Melissa A

2014-10-01

Substance use and exercise have opposite trajectories in young adulthood, and research indicates that peers are influential for both of these health behaviors, but simultaneous investigations of peer associations with substance use and exercise have not been conducted. Use a college residence hall peer network to examine associations between peer behaviors and alcohol use, marijuana use, and exercise behavior. 129 undergraduates (51.9% female, 48.1% non-Hispanic White; 84.5% first-year students) in one residence hall completed a Web-based survey of substance use and exercise and identified up to 10 students in the residence hall who were important to them. Two social network analytic methods, community detection cluster analysis and network autocorrelation modeling, were used to identify peer groupings and to examine the associations between peer and participant behaviors, respectively. Participants nominated an average of 4.1 residence hall members, and 53.9% of the ties were reciprocal. 6 clusters were identified that differed significantly on demographics, college activities, substance use, and exercise. Weekly volume of alcohol consumed among nominated peers was significantly associated with that of participants, and all other covariates, including gender and athlete status, were not significant. Peer marijuana use also was associated with participant use after controlling for covariates. Exercise levels of nominated peers were not associated with exercise levels of participants. College student networks may be good targets for health-related prevention programs. Programs that use close-proximity peers to influence the behavior of others might be more effective with substance use as the target behavior than exercise.

The Quantitative Effect of Students Using Podcasts in a First Year Undergraduate Exercise Physiology Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abt, Grant; Barry, Tim

2007-01-01

This study reports the quantitative effect of students using podcasts in a 1st year undergraduate exercise physiology module. From a cohort of 70 students, 50 volunteered and completed the study. Using a pre-post random allocation research design, students were allocated to either a podcast group (PG) or control group (CG) based on a 32-question…

Comparison of two exercise programs on general well-being of college students.

PubMed

Bass, Martha A; Enochs, Wendy K; DiBrezzo, Ro

2002-12-01

Responses to life stressors are associated with negative behaviors that may increase risk for illness and injury. The effect of high intensity exercise in reducing reactivity to psychological stress has been well documented among older people. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of weight-training versus aerobic dance on psychological stress in college students. 45 students participated in a weight-training course, 35 students participated in aerobic dance classes, and 34 students served as a control group. The Survey of Recent Life Experiences was used to appraise stressfulness of current experiences before and after exercise intervention. On immediate retest after 8 wk. of weight-training perceived stress was significantly reduced when compared with an 8-wk. aerobic dance program, but there were no significant differences between the control group and the weight-training group or the aerobic dance group. These results suggest that a regular routine of low intensity exercise such as weight-training may reduce perceived stress on an immediate test.

Race and Sex Differences in College Student Physical Activity Correlates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McArthur, Laura H.; Raedeke, Thomas D.

2009-01-01

Objectives: To assess sex/race differences on psychosocial correlates of physical activity among college students. Methods: Survey research protocol. Results: Students (n = 636) exercised an average of 3.5 days per week, with black females being the least active. Across subgroups, health/fitness was rated as the most important motive for exercise,…

Promoting Active Learning by Practicing the "Self-Assembly" of Model Analytical Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algar, W. Russ; Krull, Ulrich J.

2010-01-01

In our upper-year instrumental analytical chemistry course, we have developed "cut-and-paste" exercises where students "build" models of analytical instruments from individual schematic images of components. These exercises encourage active learning by students. Instead of trying to memorize diagrams, students are required to think deeply about…

Use of Concept Mapping in an Undergraduate Introductory Exercise Physiology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henige, Kim

2012-01-01

Physiology is often considered a challenging course for students. It is up to teachers to structure courses and create learning opportunities that will increase the chance of student success. In an undergraduate exercise physiology course, concept maps are assigned to help students actively process and organize information into manageable and…

Does Formative Assessment Improve Student Learning and Performance in Soil Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopittke, Peter M.; Wehr, J. Bernhard; Menzies, Neal W.

2012-01-01

Soil science students are required to apply knowledge from a range of disciplines to unfamiliar scenarios to solve complex problems. To encourage deep learning (with student performance an indicator of learning), a formative assessment exercise was introduced to a second-year soil science subject. For the formative assessment exercise, students…

Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use among First-Year Drinking College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Michele Johnson; Werch, Chudley

2008-01-01

Objective: The authors explored the relationship between self-reported vigorous exercise frequency and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use behaviors among first-year college students who self-identified as drinkers. Participants: The authors recruited 391 freshman college students in Northeast Florida to participate in an alcohol abuse…

Measuring Perceived Benefits and Perceived Barriers for Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Seth A.

2005-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties and relationship to physical activity levels of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) among college students. Methods: A total of 398 college students completed the EBBS and a measure of self-efficacy, the Physical Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. In addition, a subsample of 275 students also…

How to Motivate Students to Study before They Enter the Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pogacnik, Lea; Cigic, Blaz

2006-01-01

Laboratory exercises constitute an important part of chemical and biochemical courses at the university level. Nevertheless, students frequently are insufficiently prepared for the practical work, which often reduces their work to the level of a technician. A system designed to motivate students to study prior to the laboratory exercise was…

The Five-Year Resume: A Career Planning Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laker, Dennis R.; Laker, Ruth

2007-01-01

For most college students, lack of career planning wastes time and resources and may result in years of "career drift." Lack of planning can also lead to deception once students begin seeking career-related employment. Faced with a competitive job market, some students inflate and exaggerate their resumes. The five-year resume exercise helps…

Dye Degradation by Fungi: An Exercise in Applied Science for Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefebvre, Daniel D.; Chenaux, Peter; Edwards, Maureen

2005-01-01

An easily implemented practical exercise in applied science for biology students is presented that uses fungi to degrade an azo-dye. This is an example of bioremediation, the employment of living organisms to detoxify or contain pollutants. Its interdisciplinary nature widens students' perspectives of biology by exposing them to a chemical…

Role-Reversal Exercise with Deaf Strong Hospital to Teach Communication Competency and Cultural Awareness

PubMed Central

Parkhill, Amy L.; Schlehofer, Deirdre A.; Starr, Matthew J.; Barnett, Steven

2011-01-01

Objective To implement a role-reversal exercise to increase first-year pharmacy students' awareness of communication barriers in the health care setting, especially for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. Design Volunteers from the local deaf community conducted Deaf Strong Hospital, a role-reversal exercise in which students were the “patients.” Students navigated through a reception area, encounter with a physician, and having a prescription filled at a pharmacy without receiving or using any spoken language. Assessment A debriefing session was held in which small groups of students had the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of deaf and hard-of-hearing volunteers. On a survey administered to assess students' learning, 97% agreed or strongly agreed that the experience would likely impact their attitudes and behavior in future interactions with patients who did not speak English. Conclusions The role-reversal exercise was an effective method of teaching students that the delivery of health care is dependent on adequate communication between health care providers and the patient. PMID:21655407

Fundamentals of microfluidics for high school students with no prior knowledge of fluid mechanics.

PubMed

Tandon, Vishal; Peck, Walter

2013-01-01

Three microfluidics-based laboratory exercises were developed and implemented in a high school science classroom setting. The first exercise demonstrated ways in which flows are characterized, including viscosity, turbulence, shear stress, reversibility, compressibility, and hydrodynamic resistance. Students characterized flows in poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic devices in the other two exercises, where they observed the mixing characteristics of laminar flows, and conservation of volumetric flow rate for incompressible flows. In surveys, the students self-reported increased knowledge of microfluidics, and an improved attitude toward science and nanotechnology.

Physical Activity Patterns and Factors Related to Exercise during Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Study.

PubMed

Nascimento, Simony Lira; Surita, Fernanda Garanhani; Godoy, Ana Carolina; Kasawara, Karina Tamy; Morais, Sirlei Siani

2015-01-01

To assess the physical activity levels of pregnant women and to examine the characteristics associated with the practice of exercise and the activities of daily living during pregnancy. For this cross-sectional study, 1,279 women were recruited within 72 hours postpartum. They were interviewed about their socio-demographic data and obstetric history and were administered self-report questionnaires about exercise and daily physical activities during pregnancy. Data on the current pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn outcomes were collected from participants' medical records. To analyze factors related to the practice of exercise, we used the student t-test, X², and odds ratio (OR), with a corresponding 95% confident interval (CI), followed by a multiple logistic regression. The significance level was 5%. Compared to the pre-pregnancy period, the prevalence of physical activity among participants was lower throughout pregnancy (20.1%) (p = 0.01). Half of the women interrupted practicing physical exercise due to pregnancy. The lowest prevalence of exercise was observed in the first (13.6%) and third trimesters (13.4%). Less than half of women received exercise guidance during prenatal care meetings (47.4%). Walking was the most commonly reported exercise, followed by water aerobics. Factors positively associated with exercise practice were higher educational level (OR= 1.82; CI 95% 1.28-2.60), primiparity (OR=1.49; CI 95% 1.07-2.07), exercising before pregnancy (OR= 6.45; CI 95% 4.64-8.96), and exercise guidance during prenatal care (OR=2.54; CI 95% 1.80-3.57). Mildly intense exercise and domestic activities were most frequently reported among pregnant women. There were no differences in maternal and perinatal outcomes between active and sedentary pregnant women. The findings indicate that promoting physical activity remains a priority in public health policy, and women of childbearing age, especially those planning a pregnancy, should be encouraged to adopt an exercise routine or maintain an active lifestyle during pregnancy in order to avoid sedentary- and obesity-associated risks.

Earliest Recollections and Birth Order: Two Adlerian Exercises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parrott, Les

1992-01-01

Presents two exercises designed to demonstrate the influence of two Adlerian principles on personality. Includes exercises dealing with birth order and earliest recollection. Concludes that the exercises actively demonstrate major concepts for counseling courses in Adlerian psychotherapy. Reports that students rated both exercises highly, with…

Effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in an undergraduate exercise physiology course.

PubMed

Nybo, Lars; May, Michael

2015-06-01

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of changing a laboratory physiology course for undergraduate students from a traditional step-by-step guided structure to an inquiry-based approach. With this aim in mind, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of learning outcomes (individual subject-specific tests and group interviews) were performed for a laboratory course in cardiorespiratory exercise physiology that was conducted in one year with a traditional step-by-step guided manual (traditional course) and the next year completed with an inquiry-based structure (I-based course). The I-based course was a guided inquiry course where students had to design the experimental protocol and conduct their own study on the basis of certain predefined criteria (i.e., they should evaluate respiratory responses to submaximal and maximal exercise and provide indirect and direct measures of aerobic exercise capacity). The results indicated that the overall time spent on the experimental course as well as self-evaluated learning outcomes were similar across groups. However, students in the I-based course used more time in preparation (102 ± 5 min) than students in the traditional course (42 ± 3 min, P < 0.05), and 65 ± 5% students in the I-based course searched for additional literature before experimentation compared with only 2 ± 1% students in the traditional course. Furthermore, students in the I-based course achieved a higher (P < 0.05) average score on the quantitative test (45 ± 3%) compared with students in the traditional course (31 ± 4%). Although students were unfamiliar with cardiorespiratory exercise physiology and the experimental methods before the course, it appears that an inquiry-based approach rather than one that provides students with step-by-step instructions may benefit learning outcomes in a laboratory physiology course. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Designing a flashcard with knowledge pills for learning to solve chemistry exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cancela, Angeles; Sanchez, Angel; Maceiras, Rocio

2012-08-01

Nowadays, universities tend to promote more learner-centred learning, creating a more interactive and motivational environment for students and teachers. This paper describes an expanded framework to help chemical educators to construct a quiz for solution of chemical exercises in their courses. The novelty of this contribution is that the proposed tool combines a flashcards-based method with knowledge pills. The framework has three levels: definition of problem for a teacher; the quiz; use of the quiz for the student. The tool could provide predefined or automatically generated exercises of chemicals. Students could practise where and whenever they like via the Internet. Theirs answers would be registered automatically by the tool and if the students have doubts about any of the questions, they can see a knowledge pill with a teacher explanation about the solution of the exercise. Moreover, they would be able to check their scores from the tests. Once the flashcards were designed and produced, the opinions of other lecturers and students about them were considered. Both groups considered that the tool could be useful to improve the students' learning process. For future work, this design will be used with the students and its effectiveness will be analysed.

Effectiveness of a Case-Based Computer Program on Students' Ethical Decision Making.

PubMed

Park, Eun-Jun; Park, Mihyun

2015-11-01

The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a case-based computer program, using an integrative ethical decision-making model, on the ethical decision-making competency of nursing students in South Korea. This study used a pre- and posttest comparison design. Students in the intervention group used a computer program for case analysis assignments, whereas students in the standard group used a traditional paper assignment for case analysis. The findings showed that using the case-based computer program as a complementary tool for the ethics courses offered at the university enhanced students' ethical preparedness and satisfaction with the course. On the basis of the findings, it is recommended that nurse educators use a case-based computer program as a complementary self-study tool in ethics courses to supplement student learning without an increase in course hours, particularly in terms of analyzing ethics cases with dilemma scenarios and exercising ethical decision making. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Data-Driven Exercises for Chemistry: A New Digital Collection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grubbs, W. Tandy

2007-01-01

The analysis presents a new digital collection for various data-driven exercises that are used for teaching chemistry to the students. Such methods are expected to help the students to think in a more scientific manner.

Experiences of using mobile technologies and virtual field tours in Physical Geography: implications for hydrology education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingston, D. G.; Eastwood, W. J.; Jones, P. I.; Johnson, R.; Marshall, S.; Hannah, D. M.

2012-05-01

Education in hydrology is changing rapidly due to diversification of students, emergent major scientific and practical challenges that our discipline must engage with, shifting pedagogic ideas and higher education environments, the need for students to develop new discipline specific and transferrable skills, and the advent of innovative technologies for learning and teaching. This paper focuses on new technologies in the context of learning and teaching in Physical Geography and reflects on the implications of our experiences for education in hydrology. We evaluate the experience of designing and trialling novel mobile technology-based field exercises and a virtual field tour for a Year 1 undergraduate Physical Geography module at a UK university. The new exercises are based on using and obtaining spatial data, operation of meteorological equipment (explained using an interactive DVD), and include introductions to global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The technology and exercises were well received in a pilot study and subsequent rolling-out to the full student cohort (∼150 students). A statistically significant improvement in marks was observed following the redesign. Although the students enjoyed using mobile technology, the increased interactivity and opportunity for peer learning were considered to be the primary benefits by students. This is reinforced further by student preference for the new interactive virtual field tour over the previous "show-and-tell" field exercise. Despite the new exercises having many advantages, exercise development was not trivial due to the high start-up costs, the need for provision of sufficient technical support and the relative difficulty of making year-to-year changes (to the virtual field tour in particular). Our experiences are highly relevant to the implementation of novel learning and teaching technologies in hydrology education.

Experiences of using mobile technologies and virtual fieldtrips in Physical Geography: implications for hydrology education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingston, D. G.; Eastwood, W. J.; Jones, P. I.; Johnson, R.; Marshall, S.; Hannah, D. M.

2011-12-01

Education in hydrology is changing rapidly due to diversification of students, emergent major scientific and practical challenges that our discipline must engage with, shifting pedagogic ideas and higher education environments, the need for students to develop new discipline specific and transferrable skills, and the advent of innovative technologies for learning and teaching. This paper focuses on new technologies in the context of learning and teaching in Physical Geography and reflects on the implications of our experiences for education in hydrology. We evaluate the experience of designing and trialling novel mobile technology-based field exercises and a virtual field trip for a Year 1 undergraduate Physical Geography module at a UK university. The new exercises are based on using and obtaining spatial data, operation of meteorological equipment (explained using an interactive DVD), and include introductions to global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The technology and exercises were well received in a pilot study and subsequent rolling-out to the full student cohort (∼150 students). A statistically significant improvement in marks was observed following the redesign. Although the students enjoyed using mobile technology, the increased interactivity and opportunity for peer learning were considered to be the primary benefits by students. This is reinforced further by student preference for the new interactive virtual field trip over the previous "show-and-tell" field exercise. Despite the new exercises having many advantages, exercise development was not trivial due to the high start-up costs, the need for provision of sufficient technical support and the relative difficulty of making year-to-year changes (to the virtual field trip in particular). We believe our experiences are directly relevant to the implementation of such novel learning and teaching technologies in hydrology education.

Turning a Common Lab Exercise into a Challenging Lab Experiment: Revisiting the Cart on an Inclined Track

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amato, Joseph C.; Williams, Roger E.

2010-01-01

A common lab exercise in the introductory college physics course employs a low-friction cart and associated track to study the validity of Newton's second law. Yet for college students, especially those who have already encountered a good high school physics course, the exercise must seem a little pointless. These students have already learned to…

To the Moon!--A Launch Pad for Encouraging Students to Express Their Opinions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkhalter, Nancy

2011-01-01

In this article, the author discusses a four-part exercise called "To the Moon!" The exercise encourages students to develop and orally defend their choice of four volunteers who will be part of a team to colonize Earth's moon. This oral exercise prepares them for subsequent written work. As Bean (1996, 7) states, "Good writing...grows out of good…

Stream piracy in the Black Hills: A geomorphology lab exercise

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zaprowski, B.J.; Evenson, E.B.; Epstein, J.B.

2002-01-01

The Black Hills of South Dakota exhibits many fine examples of stream piracy that are very suitable for teaching geomorphology lab exercises. This lab goes beyond standard topographic map interpretation by using geologic maps, well logs, gravel provenance and other types of data to teach students about stream piracy. Using a step-by-step method in which the lab exercises ramp up in difficulty, students hone their skills in deductive reasoning and data assimilation. The first exercises deal with the identification of stream piracy at a variety of spatial scales and the lab culminates with an exercise on landscape evolution and drainage rearrangement.

Gender-moderated links between urgency, binge drinking, and excessive exercise.

PubMed

Reilly, Erin E; Dmochowski, Sasha; Schaumberg, Katherine; Earleywine, Mitch; Anderson, Drew

2016-01-01

Exercise correlates with alcohol use, but the nature of this relation and the extent to which it is maladaptive remains unclear. Urgency and motives for engaging in drinking and exercise might indicate when these behaviors are problematic. The current study examined whether urgency moderated the association between exercise motivated by weight loss and drinking. College students (N = 589, 45.7% male) completed the study during the spring of 2012. Participants completed self-report assessment measures, including frequency/quantity of alcohol consumption, exercise for weight loss, and urgency, during a single session. Negative urgency moderated the relation between exercise and alcohol consumption in men but not women; the link between excessive exercise and alcohol use was stronger for men with higher levels of urgency. Further clarification of the mechanisms underlying alcohol use and physical activity-particularly maladaptive approaches to exercise-will inform health interventions among college students.

Perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers of Non-Exercising Female University Students in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Lovell, Geoff P; Ansari, Walid El; Parker, John K

2010-01-01

Many individuals do not engage in sufficient physical activity due to low perceived benefits and high perceived barriers to exercise. Given the increasing incidence of obesity and obesity related health disorders, this topic requires further exploration. We used the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to assess perceived benefit and barrier intensities to exercise in 200 non-exercising female university students (mean age 19.3 years, SD = 1.06) in the UK. Although our participants were selected because they self reported themselves to be non-exercising, however they reported significantly higher perceived benefits from exercise than perceived barriers to exercise [t(199) = 6.18, p < 0.001], and their perceived benefit/barrier ratio was 1.33. The greatest perceived benefit from exercise was physical performance followed by the benefits of psychological outlook, preventive health, life enhancement, and then social interaction. Physical performance was rated significantly higher than all other benefits. Psychological outlook and preventive health were not rated significantly different, although both were significantly higher than life enhancement and social interaction. Life enhancement was also rated significantly higher than social interaction. The greatest perceived barrier to exercise was physical exertion, which was rated significantly higher than time expenditure, exercise milieu, and family discouragement barriers. Implications from this investigation for the design of physical activity programmes include the importance, for females, of a perception of high benefit/barrier ratio that could be conducive to participation in exercise. Applied interventions need to assist female students to ‘disengage’ from or overcome any perceived ‘unpleasantness’ of physical exertion during physical activity (decrease their perceived barriers), and to further highlight the multiple health and other benefits of regular exercising (increase their perceived benefits). PMID:20617003

Perceived exercise benefits and barriers of non-exercising female university students in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Lovell, Geoff P; El Ansari, Walid; Parker, John K

2010-03-01

Many individuals do not engage in sufficient physical activity due to low perceived benefits and high perceived barriers to exercise. Given the increasing incidence of obesity and obesity related health disorders, this topic requires further exploration. We used the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to assess perceived benefit and barrier intensities to exercise in 200 non-exercising female university students (mean age 19.3 years, SD = 1.06) in the UK. Although our participants were selected because they self reported themselves to be non-exercising, however they reported significantly higher perceived benefits from exercise than perceived barriers to exercise [t(199) = 6.18, p < 0.001], and their perceived benefit/barrier ratio was 1.33. The greatest perceived benefit from exercise was physical performance followed by the benefits of psychological outlook, preventive health, life enhancement, and then social interaction. Physical performance was rated significantly higher than all other benefits. Psychological outlook and preventive health were not rated significantly different, although both were significantly higher than life enhancement and social interaction. Life enhancement was also rated significantly higher than social interaction. The greatest perceived barrier to exercise was physical exertion, which was rated significantly higher than time expenditure, exercise milieu, and family discouragement barriers. Implications from this investigation for the design of physical activity programmes include the importance, for females, of a perception of high benefit/barrier ratio that could be conducive to participation in exercise. Applied interventions need to assist female students to 'disengage' from or overcome any perceived 'unpleasantness' of physical exertion during physical activity (decrease their perceived barriers), and to further highlight the multiple health and other benefits of regular exercising (increase their perceived benefits).

Use of interactive theater and role play to develop medical students' skills in breaking bad news.

PubMed

Skye, Eric P; Wagenschutz, Heather; Steiger, Jeffrey A; Kumagai, Arno K

2014-12-01

Creative arts have been increasingly implemented in medical education. This study investigated the use of interactive theater and role play with professional actors in teaching breaking bad news to medical students. The objectives were to explore the contexts, approaches, experiences, and reactions in giving and receiving bad news. Second-year medical students participated in a required educational session that utilized interactive theater which helps students learn about the issues of breaking bad news to a patient with cancer. Following the interactive theater piece, professional actors provided students role play experiences in small groups with breaking bad news. Anonymous evaluation surveys were given out to all second-year medical students at the conclusion of the breaking bad news session. Surveys contained quantitative and qualitative responses. Three years of evaluations were analyzed. A total of 451 (88 %) students completed the evaluations. Comments were thematically analyzed. Ninety-four percent agreed that the theater piece prompted reflection on patient-provider communications, and 89 % agreed that it stimulated discussion on complex issues with breaking bad news. The two most common themes in student comments concerned the importance of realism in the theater piece, and the value of experiencing multiple perspectives. Use of professional actors during the role play exercises enhances the realism and pushed the students out of their own "comfort zones" in ways that may more closely approximate real life clinical situations. Interactive theater can be a potentially powerful tool to teach breaking bad news during medical school.

Using an international p53 mutation database as a foundation for an online laboratory in an upper level undergraduate biology class.

PubMed

Melloy, Patricia G

2015-01-01

A two-part laboratory exercise was developed to enhance classroom instruction on the significance of p53 mutations in cancer development. Students were asked to mine key information from an international database of p53 genetic changes related to cancer, the IARC TP53 database. Using this database, students designed several data mining activities to look at the changes in the p53 gene from a number of perspectives, including potential cancer-causing agents leading to particular changes and the prevalence of certain p53 variations in certain cancers. In addition, students gained a global perspective on cancer prevalence in different parts of the world. Students learned how to use the database in the first part of the exercise, and then used that knowledge to search particular cancers and cancer-causing agents of their choosing in the second part of the exercise. Students also connected the information gathered from the p53 exercise to a previous laboratory exercise looking at risk factors for cancer development. The goal of the experience was to increase student knowledge of the link between p53 genetic variation and cancer. Students also were able to walk a similar path through the website as a cancer researcher using the database to enhance bench work-based experiments with complementary large-scale database p53 variation information. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Using Student Centred Evaluation for Curriculum Enhancement: An Examination of Undergraduate Physiotherapy Education in Relation to Physical Activity and Exercise Prescription

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donoghue, Grainne; Doody, Catherine; Cusack, Tara

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine physiotherapy students' perceptions of current education content of entry-level physiotherapy programmes in terms of physical activity (PA) and exercise promotion and prescription (EPP). Sixty-two physiotherapy students from three Irish Universities participated. Three Structured Group Feedback Sessions…

An Exercise for Illustrating the Logic of Hypothesis Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Leigh

2009-01-01

Hypothesis testing is one of the more difficult concepts for students to master in a basic, undergraduate statistics course. Students often are puzzled as to why statisticians simply don't calculate the probability that a hypothesis is true. This article presents an exercise that forces students to lay out on their own a procedure for testing a…

Implementing "Marketing Me": A Simulation Enhanced Variant for a Student Self-Marketing Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flostrand, Andrew; Ho, Jason Y. C.; Krider, Robert E.

2016-01-01

The use of student self-branding exercises in introductory marketing courses for undergraduate business programs has been growing in popularity due to a number of advantages for students. This article introduces implementation of the "Marketing Me" variant developed and used since 2013 by the authors, wherein alumni are brought in to…

Forecasting Periodic Trends: A Semester-Long Team Exercise for Nonscience Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tierney, John

2008-01-01

Team learning is an effective means of teaching that can contribute toward increased student interest. This article describes a team learning exercise developed for a course for nonscience majors. Students are randomly assigned numbers (atomic numbers) the first day of class. Each student builds a portfolio of information for their element. In the…

Investigating the Outcomes and Perceptions of an Inclusive Aquatic Exercise Class for University Students with Physical Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dysterheft, Jennifer; Chaparro, Gioella; Rice, Laura; Rice, Ian

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether university students with physical disabilities (SWD) gained similar benefits from recreational physical activity participation as able-bodied (AB) university students as reported in the literature. Researchers designed an inclusive, university-offered aquatic exercise class for SWD. Six SWD…

Sweeping Hearts: Writing Poems Inspired by Native American Music and Poetry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raby, Elizabeth

1995-01-01

States that having students write poems while listening to a cassette tape of "Earth Spirit" by R. Carlos Nakai has been a remarkably successful exercise with students in grades 2-12. Discusses exercises in which the author reads three poems while the tape plays, and the students then write poems of their own. (PA)

A Hands-On Classroom Simulation to Demonstrate Concepts in Enzyme Kinetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Junker, Matthew

2010-01-01

A classroom exercise is described to introduce enzyme kinetics in an undergraduate biochemistry or chemistry course. The exercise is a simulation in which a student acts as an enzyme that "catalyzes" the unscrewing of a nut from a bolt. With other students assisting, the student enzyme carries out reactions with bolt-nut substrates under different…

Can an Inquiry Approach Improve College Student Learning in a Teaching Laboratory?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rissing, Steven W.; Cogan, John G.

2009-01-01

We present an inquiry-based, hands-on laboratory exercise on enzyme activity for an introductory college biology course for science majors. We measure student performance on a series of objective and subjective questions before and after completion of this exercise; we also measure performance of a similar cohort of students before and after…

Reassigning the Structures of Natural Products Using NMR Chemical Shifts Computed with Quantum Mechanics: A Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palazzo, Teresa A.; Truong, Tiana T.; Wong, Shirley M. T.; Mack, Emma T.; Lodewyk, Michael W.; Harrison, Jason G.; Gamage, R. Alan; Siegel, Justin B.; Kurth, Mark J.; Tantillo, Dean J.

2015-01-01

An applied computational chemistry laboratory exercise is described in which students use modern quantum chemical calculations of chemical shifts to assign the structure of a recently isolated natural product. A pre/post assessment was used to measure student learning gains and verify that students demonstrated proficiency of key learning…

The Impact of Work-Integrated Learning Experiences on Attaining Graduate Attributes for Exercise and Sports Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Melinda; Pascoe, Deborah; Charity, Megan

2017-01-01

Exercise and Sports Science (E&SS) programs at Federation University Australia provide work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to develop, apply and consolidate theoretical knowledge in the workplace. This study aimed to determine the influence of WIL experiences on achieving common graduate attributes for E&SS students.…

Student Preferences for Live versus Virtual Rats in a Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elcoro, Mirari; Trundle, Melissa B.

2013-01-01

We examined the preference of undergraduate students for a live or a virtual rat when learning about concepts of operant conditioning. Students were provided with the opportunity to directly compare a virtual and a live rat in a supplemental exercise for Learning courses. We argue that the design of teaching exercises should involve a systematic…

A Simple Student Laboratory on Osmotic Flow, Osmotic Pressure, and the Reflection Coefficient.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feher, Joseph J.; Ford, George D.

1995-01-01

Describes a laboratory exercise containing a practical series of experiments that novice students can perform within two hours. The exercise provides a confirmation of van't Hoff's law while placing more emphasis on osmotic flow than pressure. Students can determine parameters such as the reflection coefficient which stress the interaction of both…

Performing an Event Study: An Exercise for Finance Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, William A., Jr.; Robins, Russell P.

2017-01-01

This exercise helps instructors teach students how to perform a simple event study. The study tests to see if stocks earn abnormal returns when added to the S&P 500. Students select a random sample of stocks that were added to the index between January 2000 and July 2015. The accompanying spreadsheet calculates cumulative abnormal returns and…

School meals defined from the perspective of students catered for under the National School Feeding Program, Brazil.

PubMed

Paiva, Janaína Braga de; Freitas, Maria do Carmo Soares de; Santos, Ligia Amparo da Silva

2016-08-01

Based on socio-anthropological studies into food and in connection with guidance from the Public Policy on Food and Nutrition Security in Brazil, this paper sought to objectively analyze students' views of the school meals given to them as part of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The data was produced through ethnographic exercises that were developed where the above Program (hereafter Program) had been implemented in a semi-arid municipality in the state of Bahia. The exercises also involved the production of written material and the use of focus groups with teenagers in primary school education. Of particular note in this study was the time and space the students had for their break/recreation period which brought to light the relationship between the body and food. Based on the responses given we were able to identify different understandings and meanings associated with the food served in these institutions. The study helped to shed some light on the relational aspects between habitual eating at "home-on the road-and-in school" with the right to have school meals. We were also able to obtain a broader understanding of the eating habits of teenagers that are catered for as part of the PNAE.

Time perspective and the theory of planned behavior: moderate predictors of physical activity among central Appalachian adolescents.

PubMed

Gulley, Tauna; Boggs, Dusta

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how well time perspective and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicted physical activity among adolescents residing in the central Appalachian region of the United States. A descriptive, correlational design was used. The setting was a rural high school in central Appalachia. The sample included 185 students in grades 9 through 12. Data were collected in school. Variables included components of the TPB, time perspective, and various levels of exercise. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. The TPB was a moderate predictor of exercise frequency among central Appalachian adolescents, accounting for 42% of the variance. Time perspective did not add to the predictive ability of the TPB to predict exercise frequency in this sample. This study provides support for the TPB for predicting frequency of exercise among central Appalachian adolescents. By understanding the role of the TPB in predicting physical activity among adolescents, nurse practitioners will be able to adapt intervention strategies to improve the physical activity behaviors of this population. Copyright © 2014 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social physique anxiety, obligation to exercise, and exercise choices among college students.

PubMed

Chu, Hui-Wen; Bushman, Barbara A; Woodard, Rebecca J

2008-01-01

The authors examined relationships among social physique anxiety, obligation to exercise, and exercise choices. College students (N = 337; 200 women, 137 men) volunteered to complete 3 questionnaires: the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire (OEQ), and Physical Activity Specification Survey (PASS). On the SPAS, men (M score = 31.9 +/- 8.8) differed from women (M score = 37.3 +/- 8.3; p = .001). Men (M score = 43.0 +/- 9.9) and women (M score = 43.0 +/- 9.6) responded similarly (p = .94) on the OEQ. There was no interaction between sex and exercise level on the SPAS or OEQ. When separated by low, medium, and high SPAS scores, neither OEQ nor exercise scores differed. Obligation to exercise appears to be similar for both sexes. Women, however, appear to have higher levels of anxiety regarding how others evaluate their physique than do men. The combination of level of activity and sex do not appear to be associated with social physique anxiety or obligation to exercise.

[Influence of an 8-week exercise intervention on body composition, physical fitness, and mental health in female nursing students].

PubMed

Yamazaki, Fumio; Yamada, Hisao; Morikawa, Sachiko

2013-03-01

To determine the effectiveness of habitual exercise on the health promotion of college students, we measured the body composition and physical fitness of female nursing students before (Pre) and after (Post) an 8-week low-intensity exercise intervention. We also conducted a questionnaire survey of their mental health condition before and at every 4 weeks during the intervention. The quantity of physical exercise increased (P < 0.0001) from 0.9 ± 0.2 METs･hr/week in the pre-intervention period to 6.6 ± 0.7 METs･hr /week during the intervention period. The exercise intervention did not alter the body weight, but decreased the body fat (Pre, 26.8 ± 0.5%; Post, 24.9 ± 0.5%, P < 0.01) and increased the whole-body muscle mass (Pre, 69.1 ± 0.5%; Post, 70.8 ± 0.4%, P < 0.01). The results of physical fitness tests showed that the intervention promoted muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, agility, and muscular power. The scores for mental health were significantly raised by the intervention. These results suggest that habitual exercise for 8 weeks was effective for the promotion of physical and mental health in female nursing students.

[Approach to Evidence-based Medicine Exercises Using Flipped Teaching: Introductory Education for Clinical Practice for 4th-Year Pharmacy Students].

PubMed

Onda, Mitsuko; Takagaki, Nobumasa

2018-01-01

　Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences has included an evidence-based medicine (EBM) exercise in the introductory education for clinical practice for 4th-year pharmacy students since 2015. The purpose of this exercise is to learn the process of practice and basic concepts of EBM, especially to cultivate the practical ability to solve patients' problems and answer their questions. Additionally, in 2016, we have attempted flipped teaching. The students are instructed to review the basic knowledge necessary for active learning in this exercise by watching video teaching materials and to bring reports summarizing the contents on the flipped teaching days. The program includes short lectures [overview of EBM, document retrieval, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and systematic review], exercises [patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) structuring, critical appraisal of papers in small groups with tutors], and presentations. The program includes: step 1, PICO structuring based on scenarios; step 2, critical appraisal of English-language papers on RCTs using evaluation worksheets; and step 3, reviewing the results of the PICO exercise with patients. The results of the review are shared among groups through general discussion. In this symposium, I discuss students' attitudes, the effectiveness of small group discussions using flipped teaching, and future challenges to be addressed in this program.

[Factors associated with the degree of participation in physical activities among students of a public university in the south of Brazil].

PubMed

Silva, Diego Augusto Santos; Petroski, Edio Luiz

2011-10-01

The scope of this study was to analyze the factors associated with the degree of participation in physical activities (DPPA) among students of a public university in the south of Brazil. The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Questionnaire was used for the evaluation of DPPA. DPPA was classified as adequate and inadequate. Nutritional status was evaluated based on BMI, classified as normal (< 25 kg/m²) and overweight (> 25 kg/m²). The following socio-demographic variables were analyzed: gender, age group, work, maternal educational level, class period, and marital status. Poisson regression was used to examine the association between DPPA and independent variables, considering p < 0.05. The sample, which was representative of the institution, consisted of 738 students (59.2% males). The prevalence of inadequate physical activity participation was 30.8%. Adjusted analysis showed that female (PR=2.79; 95%CI: 2.10-3.68) and overweight students (PR=1.53; 95%CI: 1.04-2.23) presented a higher risk of inadequate physical activity participation. These findings might be useful for the implementation of health promotion programs in universities, which should pay special attention to female and overweight students in their freshman year.

Exercise as an Intervention to Reduce Study-Related Fatigue among University Students: A Two-Arm Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

de Vries, Juriena D; van Hooff, Madelon L M; Geurts, Sabine A E; Kompier, Michiel A J

2016-01-01

Many university students experience high levels of study-related fatigue. This high prevalence, and the negative impact of fatigue on health and academic performance, call for prevention and reduction of these symptoms. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent an exercise intervention is effective in reducing three indicators of study-related fatigue (emotional exhaustion, overall fatigue, and need for recovery). Effects of exercise on secondary outcomes (sleep quality, self-efficacy, physical fitness, and cognitive functioning) were also investigated. Participants were students with high levels of study-related fatigue, currently not exercising or receiving other psychological or pharmacological treatments, and with no medical cause of fatigue. They were randomly assigned to either a six-week exercise intervention (low-intensity running three times a week, n = 49) or wait list (no intervention, n = 48). All participants were measured before the intervention (T0), and immediately after the intervention (T1). Exercisers were also investigated 4 weeks (T2) and 12 weeks (T3) after the intervention. Participants in the exercise condition showed a larger decrease in two of the three indicators of study-related fatigue (i.e., overall fatigue and need for recovery) as compared to controls. Additionally, sleep quality and some indicators of cognitive functioning improved more among exercisers than among controls. No effects were found for self-efficacy, and physical fitness. The initial effects of the exercise intervention lasted at follow-up (T2 and T3). At 12-week follow up (T3), 80% of participants in the exercise condition still engaged in regular exercise, and further enhancements were seen for emotional exhaustion, overall fatigue, and sleep quality. These results underline the value of low-intensity exercise for university students with high levels of study-related fatigue. The follow-up effects that were found in this study imply that the intervention has the potential to promote regular exercise and accompanying beneficial effects in the longer run. Netherlands Trial Register NTR4412.

The prevalence of compulsive eating and exercise among college students: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Guidi, Jenny; Pender, Maribeth; Hollon, Steven D; Zisook, Sidney; Schwartz, Faye H; Pedrelli, Paola; Farabaugh, Amy; Fava, Maurizio; Petersen, Timothy J

2009-01-30

Eating disturbances continue to grow among college students, and researchers have begun to investigate factors that may lead to abnormal eating behaviors in this population. Recent research has also suggested that excessive exercise can become a compulsive behavior that may affect psychological health. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the relationships between both compulsive eating and exercise, and demographic and clinical variables in a college population. Participants were 589 undergraduates (mean age 20 years) recruited during a mental health screening at two different campuses. Participants completed a screening package of measures including a questionnaire about socio-demographic data, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Consumptive Habits Questionnaire (CHQ), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale-Self-rated version (MOAS), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short version (QLESQ). A prevalence rate of 7.2% was found for compulsive eating and 18.1% for compulsive exercise, as measured by the CHQ. Only 11 participants (1.9%) reported both compulsive eating and exercise. There was no significant relationship between compulsive eating and compulsive exercise. The results suggest that college students may represent a group at high risk of developing abnormal eating behaviors and compulsive exercise.

Biology of an Enzyme: A Research-Like Experience for Introductory Biology Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towle, David W.

1992-01-01

Presents a series of laboratory exercises designed to introduce students to a realistic experience in biological research that is feasible with large numbers of beginning biology majors. The exercises center on the study of alkaline phosphatase. (DDR)

Star power: an experiential learning exercise to foster ecological perspectives on power, privilege, and oppression.

PubMed

Nnawulezi, Nkiru; Campbell, Christina; Landstra, Kalleigh; Davis, Se'ara; Vandegrift, Cortney; Taylor, Amanda

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the utility of Star Power as an experiential learning exercise applied in a community psychology undergraduate course. This exercise simulates systems of power, privilege, and oppression while fostering an ecological perspective that raises students' awareness and knowledge about power differentials within society. The simulation of trading and lawmaking works best with 18 to 35 students and takes approximately 80 minutes to conduct. This article highlights three representative student perspectives concerning their participation and experience with Star Power. Strategies for facilitating class discussion are also reported.

Inadequate Sleep and Exercise Associated with Burnout and Depression Among Medical Students.

PubMed

Wolf, Megan R; Rosenstock, Jason B

2017-04-01

The authors studied whether low levels of exercise or inadequate sleep correlated with higher levels of burnout and depression in medical students. Medical students of all years at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey in Fall 2012 and Winter 2013. Validated measures were used to assess exercise, sleep, burnout, and depression. Response rates were 28.7 % at the beginning of the school year and 22.6 % at the middle of the school year. Burnout rates overall were 22.4 % at the beginning of the year and 19.2 % in the middle of the year. Eight percent of students screened positive for depression at the beginning of the year and 9.3 % in the middle of the year. Decreased exercise frequency was significantly correlated with lower professional efficacy. Pathological sleepiness was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of burnout. Inadequate sleep correlated with significantly lower professional efficacy and higher exhaustion scores. Burnout was associated with a positive depression screen. Positive depression screening, pathological sleepiness, and sleeping less than 7 h a night were independent predictors of burnout. Sleep habits, exercise, and a positive depression screen were associated with burnout risk within the medical student population.

Using simple manipulatives to improve student comprehension of a complex biological process: protein synthesis.

PubMed

Guzman, Karen; Bartlett, John

2012-01-01

Biological systems and living processes involve a complex interplay of biochemicals and macromolecular structures that can be challenging for undergraduate students to comprehend and, thus, misconceptions abound. Protein synthesis, or translation, is an example of a biological process for which students often hold many misconceptions. This article describes an exercise that was developed to illustrate the process of translation using simple objects to represent complex molecules. Animations, 3D physical models, computer simulations, laboratory experiments and classroom lectures are also used to reinforce the students' understanding of translation, but by focusing on the simple manipulatives in this exercise, students are better able to visualize concepts that can elude them when using the other methods. The translation exercise is described along with suggestions for background material, questions used to evaluate student comprehension and tips for using the manipulatives to identify common misconceptions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of concept mapping in an undergraduate introductory exercise physiology course.

PubMed

Henige, Kim

2012-09-01

Physiology is often considered a challenging course for students. It is up to teachers to structure courses and create learning opportunities that will increase the chance of student success. In an undergraduate exercise physiology course, concept maps are assigned to help students actively process and organize information into manageable and meaningful chunks and to teach them to recognize the patterns and regularities of physiology. Students are first introduced to concept mapping with a commonly relatable nonphysiology concept and are then assigned a series of maps that become more and more complex. Students map the acute response to a drop in blood pressure, the causes of the acute increase in stroke volume during cardiorespiratory exercise, and the factors contributing to an increase in maximal O(2) consumption with cardiorespiratory endurance training. In the process, students draw the integrative nature of physiology, identify causal relationships, and learn about general models and core principles of physiology.

Using self-reported and objective measures of self-control to predict exercise and academic behaviors among first-year university students.

PubMed

Stork, Matthew J; Graham, Jeffrey D; Bray, Steven R; Martin Ginis, Kathleen A

2017-07-01

Thirty students (mean age = 18 ± 0.5 years) completed self-report (Self-Control Scale) and objective (isometric handgrip squeeze performance) measures of self-control, provided their exercise and academic (study/schoolwork) plans for the next month, and then logged these behaviors over the subsequent 4-week period. Trait self-control predicted exercise and academic behavior. Handgrip squeeze performance predicted academic behavior and adherence to academic plans. Further, regression analysis revealed that trait self-control and handgrip performance explained significant variance in academic behavior. These findings provide a new understanding of how different self-control measures can be used to predict first-year students' participation in, and adherence to, exercise and academic behaviors concurrently.

Evaluating the Effects of an Applied Learning Exercise on Students' Interest in Social Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Robert D.; Nackerud, Larry G.

2005-01-01

There is ample evidence that points out that the majority of social work students have little interest in social policy analysis. In this study, the impact a classroom-based policy construction exercise had on the interest level in policy of a differentiated sample (N = 43) of MSW students, in which participants were enrolled in either a…

Creative Exercises (CEs) in the Biochemistry Domain: An Analysis of Students' Linking of Chemical and Biochemical Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warfa, Abdi-Rizak M.; Odowa, N.

2015-01-01

Creative exercises (CEs), a specific form of open-ended assessment tools, have been shown to promote students' linking of prior and newly learned concepts within a course. In this study, we examined how often students in an upper-division undergraduate biochemistry course linked prior chemical concepts to biochemical ones in response to CE…

A Web Environment to Encourage Students to Do Exercises outside the Classroom: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capus, Laurence; Curvat, Frederic; Leclair, Olivier; Tourigny, Nicole

2006-01-01

For the past five years, our students have been passing less and less time preparing for lectures and exams. To encourage them to do more exercises, a pedagogical activity was offered outside the classroom. With the goal of making students more active during the problem-solving process, an innovative online environment, Sphinx, was developed.…

Investigation of Participation Motivations in Exercises of Students Participating in Archery in Extra Curricular Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gündüz, Nevin; Keskin, Muzaffer Toprak; Erdugan, Fuat

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to investigate Investigation of Participation Motivations in Exercises of Students Participating in Archery in Extra Curricular Activities. While the study's universe consists of all 11th graders studying at High school, the sample includes 32 of the 11th grade students who participated in arrow shooting activities in…

Cues to Healthy Decision-Making among College Students: Results from a Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Satya P.; Lozano, Valerie; Taani, Murad

2014-01-01

Problem: Almost 60% of college students consume less than two servings of fruits and vegetables a day while 40-50% either exercise irregularly or do not exercise. When surveyed in another study, half of the students responded that they had not received any information about healthy eating and behaviors from their colleges while nearly 60% said…

Assessment of Numeracy in Sports and Exercise Science Students at an Australian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Simon; McGlynn, Susan; Stuart, Deidre; Fahey, Paul; Pettigrew, Jim; Clothier, Peter

2018-01-01

The effect of high school study of mathematics on numeracy performance of sports and exercise science (SES) students is not clear. To investigate this further, we tested the numeracy skills of 401 students enrolled in a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in SES using a multiple-choice survey consisting of four background questions and 39 numeracy…

A Classroom Auction with Externalities: Applied to Mergers and Acquisitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meister, J. Patrick; Anderson, Kyle J.

2007-01-01

The authors describe an in-class exercise in which students participate in an auction to buy US Airways. The exercise is based on events of late 1995, in which neither United nor American Airlines decided to bid for US Airways. Two teams of students participate in an English auction. Students learn that the equilibrium of the sequential game is…

An Exercise in Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Hazard Ranking System: A Simulation. Grades 8-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HAZWRAP, The Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program.

The educational objective of this exercise is for students to use a risk assessment tool to evaluate a hazardous release site and for students in grades 8-12 to increase their experience with geology, aquifers, soils, land use, pollution, data analysis, and map concepts. Students use background information on hazardous materials, the Environmental…

Increasing Left and Right Brain Communication to Improve Learning for Tenth Grade Students in a Public School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Jennifer J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory correlation research study was to determine if students who engaged in exercises designed to increase left and right brain hemisphere connections would score higher on identical tests than those who did not perform the exercises. Because the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act requires students to reach benchmarks of…

Phylogenetic Reconstruction as a Broadly Applicable Teaching Tool in the Biology Classroom: The Value of Data in Estimating Likely Answers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julius, Matthew L.; Schoenfuss, Heiko L.

2006-01-01

This laboratory exercise introduces students to a fundamental tool in evolutionary biology--phylogenetic inference. Students are required to create a data set via observation and through mining preexisting data sets. These student data sets are then used to develop and compare competing hypotheses of vertebrate phylogeny. The exercise uses readily…

Building the body: active learning laboratories that emphasize practical aspects of anatomy and integration with radiology.

PubMed

Zumwalt, Ann C; Lufler, Rebecca S; Monteiro, Joseph; Shaffer, Kitt

2010-01-01

Active learning exercises were developed to allow advanced medical students to revisit and review anatomy in a clinically meaningful context. In our curriculum, students learn anatomy two to three years before they participate in the radiology clerkship. These educational exercises are designed to review anatomy content while highlighting its relevance to the study of radiology. Laboratory exercises were developed using inexpensive materials in the form of hands-on stations designed for use by students working together in small groups. Station exercises include model building, exploring relevant radiological imaging, and practicing clinical techniques. Students are encouraged to move from abstract conceptualization of the anatomy using models to applying knowledge to living tissues by using a portable ultrasound to explore superficial anatomy on each other. Stations are designed to integrate knowledge and reemphasize concepts in different contexts, so that upon completion students have a reinforced understanding of the three-dimensional anatomy of the region in question, the appearance of the anatomy on radiological images, and an appreciation of the relevance of the anatomy to radiological procedures. (c) 2010 American Association of Anatomists.

Learning While Exercising for Science Education in Augmented Reality among Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Kuei-Fang; Chen, Nian-Shing; Huang, Shih-Yu

2012-01-01

Because of a shortage of physical exercise, concerns about adolescents have recently been raised in Taiwan. In educational environments where student exercise has been limited by scheduling constraints and the lack of physical exercise has become a vital problem, "learning while exercising" may be part of a possible solution. This study…

Three Microstructural Exercises for Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Means, Winthrop D.

1986-01-01

Describes laboratory exercises which demonstrate a new simplified technique for deforming thin samples of crystalline materials on the stage of a petrographic microscope. Discusses how this process allows students to see the development of microstructures resulting from cracking, slipping, thinning, and recrystallization. References and sources of…

Price Elasticity of Demand: An A-Level Economics Revision Exercise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Paul

1992-01-01

Presents a review exercise requiring students to sort diagrams and descriptions of price elasticity of demand. Reports that students are given jumbled diagrams and explanations that they must arrange in proper form. Reveals that some items are designed as distractors. (SG)

Self-Efficacy and the Self-Monitoring of Selected Exercise and Eating Behaviors of College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingery, Paul M.

1990-01-01

Results from a study of 85 college students indicate that self-efficacy is a moderately strong predictor of self-monitored performance of dietary and exercise behaviors when measured following a self-monitored performance attempt. (IAH)

Predictors of Exercise Relapse in a College Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullum, Julie; Clark, Matthew M.; King, Teresa K.

2000-01-01

Investigated factors that predicted exercise relapse among college students. Physically active undergraduates completed questionnaires measuring Prochaska's 10 processes for change of exercise, self-efficacy, and decisional balance. Exercise levels were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks later. At baseline, relapsers had significantly lower…

Challenging Students' Intuitions—the Influence of a Tangible Model of Virus Assembly on Students' Conceptual Reasoning About the Process of Self-Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, Caroline; Tibell, Lena A. E.

2015-10-01

A well-ordered biological complex can be formed by the random motion of its components, i.e. self-assemble. This is a concept that incorporates issues that may contradict students' everyday experiences and intuitions. In previous studies, we have shown that a tangible model of virus self-assembly, used in a group exercise, helps students to grasp the process of self-assembly and in particular the facet "random molecular collision". The present study investigates how and why the model and the group exercise facilitate students' learning of this particular facet. The data analysed consist of audio recordings of six group exercises ( n = 35 university students) and individual semi-structured interviews ( n = 5 university students). The analysis is based on constructivist perspectives of learning, a combination of conceptual change theory and learning with external representations. Qualitative analysis indicates that perceived counterintuitive aspects of the process created a cognitive conflict within learners. The tangible model used in the group exercises facilitated a conceptual change in their understanding of the process. In particular, the tangible model appeared to provide cues and possible explanations and functioned as an "eye-opener" and a "thinking tool". Lastly, the results show signs of emotions also being important elements for successful accommodation.

Inquiry experiences as a lecture supplement for preservice elementary teachers and general education students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jill A.; Dorward, James T.

2000-07-01

The study reported here was designed to substantiate the findings of previous research on the use of inquiry-based laboratory activities in introductory college physics courses. The authors sought to determine whether limited use of inquiry activities as a supplement to a traditional lecture and demonstration curriculum would improve student achievement in introductory classes for preservice teachers and general education students. Achievement was measured by responses to problems designed to test conceptual understanding as well as overall course grades. We analyzed the effect on selected student outcome measures in a preliminary study in which some students engaged in inquiry activities and others did not, and interviewed students about their perceptions of the inquiry activities. In the preliminary study, preservice elementary teachers and female students showed significantly higher achievement after engaging such activities, but only on exam questions relating directly to the material covered in the exercises. In a second study we used a common exam problem to compare the performance of students who had engaged in a revised version of the inquiry activities with the performance of students in algebra and calculus-based classes. The students who had engaged in inquiry investigations significantly outperformed the other students.

Speech-language pathology students' self-reports on voice training: easier to understand or to do?

PubMed

Lindhe, Christina; Hartelius, Lena

2009-01-01

The aim of the study was to describe the subjective ratings of the course 'Training of the student's own voice and speech', from a student-centred perspective. A questionnaire was completed after each of the six individual sessions. Six speech and language pathology (SLP) students rated how they perceived the practical exercises in terms of doing and understanding. The results showed that five of the six participants rated the exercises as significantly easier to understand than to do. The exercises were also rated as easier to do over time. Results are interpreted within in a theoretical framework of approaches to learning. The findings support the importance of both the physical and reflective aspects of the voice training process.

HEP in Greek Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassouliotis, Dimitris; Kourkoumelis, Christine; Vourakis, Stylianos

2017-03-01

The HEP Inquiry learning resources created over the last four years by the European outreach projects are reviewed. The resources are mostly addressed to high school students and the purpose is to ignite their interest on science. In addition, at the University of Athens for the last four years we have been using the HYPATIA online event analysis tool as a lab course for fourth year undergraduate physics students, majoring in HEP. Each year 40-50 students highly appreciated the course, since they get a direct involvement in the actual toplevel research. Up to now, the course was limited to visual inspection of a few tens of ATLAS events. Recently we have enriched the course with additional analysis exercises, which involve large samples of events. The students, through a user friendly interface can analyze the samples (both signal and background ones) and optimize the cut selection in order to search for the Higgs decay H □ 4 leptons. Recently ATLAS released 1/fb of data, so starting now the students analyse real data.

Impact of a Mental Illness Stigma Awareness Intervention on Pharmacy Student Attitudes and Knowledge.

PubMed

Bamgbade, Benita A; Ford, Kentya H; Barner, Jamie C

2016-06-25

Objective. To determine if exposure to an intervention course impacts pharmacy students' mental health stigma (MHS) and mental health knowledge (MHK). Methods. A one-group pre/posttest intervention study of third-year pharmacy students (N=120) was conducted. Dependent variables were subdomains of MHS (recovery, safety, disclosure, separation, comfort) which were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree). Mental health knowledge was measured with 10 true/false questions. The 2.5-hour intervention included presentations, videos, discussions, and active-learning exercises. Pre/posttests were administered, and data were analyzed using paired t tests and McNemar's tests. Results. Among responding students (n=88; 73.3% response rate), the following stigma subdomains significantly decreased after the intervention for depression and schizophrenia: recovery, safety, separation, and comfort. Mental health knowledge scores significantly increased from 5.9 (1.5) to 6.8 (1.5). Conclusion. Pharmacy students' MHS and MHK related to depression and schizophrenia can be improved through a brief and interactive anti-stigma intervention.

A study of the impact of collaborative learning on student learning of major concepts in a microbiology laboratory exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgarten, Kristyne A.

This study investigated the possible relationship between collaborative learning strategies and the learning of core concepts. This study examined the differences between two groups of nursing students enrolled in an introductory microbiology laboratory course. The control group consisted of students enrolled in sections taught in the traditional method. The experimental group consisted of those students enrolled in the sections using collaborative learning strategies. The groups were assessed on their degrees of learning core concepts using a pre-test/post-test method. Scores from the groups' laboratory reports were also analyzed. There was no difference in the two group's pre-test scores. The post-test scores of the experimental group averaged 11 points higher than the scores of the control group. The lab report scores of the experimental group averaged 15 points higher than those scores of the control group. The data generated from this study demonstrated that collaborative learning strategies can be used to increase students learning of core concepts in microbiology labs.

Communicating out loud: Midwifery students' experiences of a simulation exercise for neonatal resuscitation.

PubMed

Carolan-Olah, Mary; Kruger, Gina; Brown, Vera; Lawton, Felicity; Mazzarino, Melissa; Vasilevski, Vidanka

2018-03-01

Midwifery students feel unprepared to deal with commonly encountered emergencies, such as neonatal resuscitation. Clinical simulation of emergencies may provide a safe forum for students to develop necessary skills. A simulation exercise, for neonatal resuscitation, was developed and evaluated using qualitative methods. Pre and post-simulation questions focussed on student confidence and knowledge of resuscitation. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Pre-simulation questions revealed that most students considered themselves not very confident/unsure about their level of confidence in undertaking neonatal resuscitation. Most correctly identified features of the neonate requiring resuscitation. Post-simulation, students indicated that their confidence and knowledge of neonatal resuscitation had improved. Themes included: gaining confidence; understanding when to call for help; understanding the principles of resuscitation; tailoring simulation/education approaches to student needs. Students benefits included improved knowledge, confidence and skills. Participants unanimously suggested a program of simulation exercises, over a longer period of time, to reinforce knowledge and confidence gains. Ideally, students would like to actively participate in the simulation, rather than observe. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions.

PubMed

Carnegie, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary was used to create feedback-oriented interactive online exercises to help students strengthen certain HOCS as they actively constructed answers to questions concerning the regulation of 1) metabolic rate, 2) blood sugar, 3) erythropoiesis, and 4) stroke volume. Each exercise began with a SAQ presenting an endocrine dysfunction or a physiological challenge; students were prompted to answer between six and eight multiple-choice questions while building their answer to the SAQ. Student outcomes on the SAQ sections of summative exams were compared before and after the introduction of the online tool and also between subgroups of students within the posttool-introduction population who demonstrated different levels of participation in the online exercises. While overall SAQ outcomes were not different before and after the introduction of the online exercises, once the SAQ tool had become available, those students who chose to use it had improved SAQ outcomes compared with those who did not. © 2015 J. Carnegie. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Morning Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitt, Natalie Crohn

2006-01-01

In this article, Natalie Schmitt recalls her teaching experiences with morning exercise programs, beginning with her first teaching job as assistant Morning Exercise teacher at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. In the Morning Exercises, students were encouraged to employ all means of expression: speaking, drawing, dancing, singing, acting.…

Common Student Misconceptions in Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, James P.; Doran, Dominic A.; MacLaren, Don P. M.

2008-01-01

The present study represents a preliminary investigation designed to identify common misconceptions in students' understanding of physiological and biochemical topics within the academic domain of sport and exercise sciences. A specifically designed misconception inventory (consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions) was administered to a cohort…

An International Capital Budgeting Experiential Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manuel, Tim; Tangedahl, Lee

2009-01-01

This article describes an experiential exercise that uses a brief simulation model intended to introduce undergraduate international finance students to the complexities in corporate investments in foreign countries. Use of the model requires one or preferably two class periods. Student learning goals include: (a) understanding how different…

Dexterity Drills for the Student Violinist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darling, Cynthia

2007-01-01

Practical dexterity exercises are essential for the student violinist. Dimitri Hadjipetkov, the tricampus strings director at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, New Jersey, identifies three main benefits resulting from dexterity drills and exercises: (1) strengthening the third and fourth finger in first position; (2) improving…

Hot Salsa: A Laboratory Exercise Exploring the Scientific Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levri, Edward P.; Levri, Maureen A.

2003-01-01

Presents a laboratory exercise on spicy food and body temperature that introduces the scientific method to introductory biology students. Suggests that when students perform their own experiments which they have developed, it helps with their understanding of and confidence in doing science. (Author/SOE)

An 8-week thoracic spine stabilization exercise program improves postural back pain, spine alignment, postural sway, and core endurance in university students:a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Toprak Çelenay, Şeyda; Özer Kaya, Derya

2017-04-18

To investigate the effects of an 8-week thoracic stabilization exercise program on back pain, spinal alignment, postural sway, and core endurance in university students. University students were randomly allocated into exercise (n: 28) and control (n: 25) groups. The exercise program was carried out 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Postural pain, spinal alignment, postural sway, and core endurance were assessed via visual analogue scale, Spinal Mouse, Biodex Balance System, and McGill's trunk muscle endurance tests at the baseline and after 8 weeks of training. Differences were observed for postural pain, thoracic and lumbar curvature, dynamic stability index (eyes closed), and core endurance scores in the exercise group between baseline and week 8 (P < 0.05) and all the parameters were significantly different when compared to those of the control group (P < 0.05). The program decreased postural pain, spinal curvatures, and postural sway, and increased core endurance in university students. The program can be effective in postural pain and misalignment of spine problems related to core weakness and balance disorders.

Dietary Fat Intake and Exercise among Two- and Four-Year College Students: Differences in Behavior and Psychosocial Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berg, Carla J.; An, Lawrence C.; Ahluwalia, Jasjit S.

2013-01-01

Given the demographic differences among two-year colleges and four-year universities and the relatively limited access to health education and campus-based health resources, this study compares the frequency of limiting dietary fat intake and exercising among two- and four-year college students. A total of 2,265 undergraduate students aged 18-25…

Sensation Seeking and Locus of Control in University Students in the Context of Regular Exercise Participation and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tekin, Ali; Tekin, Gülcan; Çalisir, Melih

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the locus of control (LC) and sensation seeking (SS) levels of university female students according to regular exercise participation (REP) and gender (G). This descriptive study was initiated in 2016 and finished in 2017. A total of 623 students, 306 females and 317 males, from different academic departments…

Facilitating Active Engagement of the University Student in a Large-Group Setting Using Group Work Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinsella, Gemma K.; Mahon, Catherine; Lillis, Seamus

2017-01-01

It is envisaged that small-group exercises as part of a large-group session would facilitate not only group work exercises (a valuable employability skill), but also peer learning. In this article, such a strategy to facilitate the active engagement of the student in a large-group setting was explored. The production of student-led resources was…

Behavioral Regulations and Dispositional Flow in Exercise among American College Students Relative to Stages of Change and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ersöz, Gözde; Eklund, Robert C.

2017-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine behavioral regulations and dispositional flow in exercise among university students in terms of gender and stage of change. Participants: Data were collected from American college students (N = 257; M[subscript age] ± SD = 23.02 ± 4.05) in Spring 2013. Methods: Behavioral regulations and…

Measuring novices' field mapping abilities using an in-class exercise based on expert task analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caulkins, J. L.

2010-12-01

We are interested in developing a model of expert-like behavior for improving the teaching methods of undergraduate field geology. Our aim is to assist students in mastering the process of field mapping more efficiently and effectively and to improve their ability to think creatively in the field. To examine expert-mapping behavior, a cognitive task analysis was conducted with expert geologic mappers in an attempt to define the process of geologic mapping (i.e. to understand how experts carry out geological mapping). The task analysis indicates that expert mappers have a wealth of geologic scenarios at their disposal that they compare against examples seen in the field, experiences that most undergraduate mappers will not have had. While presenting students with many geological examples in class may increase their understanding of geologic processes, novices still struggle when presented with a novel field situation. Based on the task analysis, a short (45-minute) paper-map-based exercise was designed and tested with 14 pairs of 3rd year geology students. The exercise asks students to generate probable geologic models based on a series of four (4) data sets. Each data set represents a day’s worth of data; after the first “day,” new sheets simply include current and previously collected data (e.g. “Day 2” data set includes data from “Day 1” plus the new “Day 2” data). As the geologic complexity increases, students must adapt, reject or generate new geologic models in order to fit the growing data set. Preliminary results of the exercise indicate that students who produced more probable geologic models, and produced higher ratios of probable to improbable models, tended to go on to do better on the mapping exercises at the 3rd year field school. These results suggest that those students with more cognitively available geologic models may be more able to use these models in field settings than those who are unable to draw on these models for whatever reason. Giving students practice at generating geologic models to explain data may be useful in preparing our students for field mapping exercises.

The effects of backpack loads and spinal stabilization exercises on the dynamic foot pressure of elementary school children with idiopathic scoliosis

PubMed Central

Lee, Suemin; Shim, Jemyung

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to measure and observe the changes in dynamic plantar pressures when school children carried specific bag loads, and to determine whether improved physical balance after an eight-week spinal stabilization exercise program can influences plantar pressures. [Subjects] The subjects were 10 school students with Cobb angles of 10° or greater. [Methods] Gait View Pro 1.0 (Alfoots, Korea) was were based on to measure the pressure of the participants’ feet. Spinal stabilization exercises used TOGU Multi-roll Functional (TOGU, Germany) training. Dynamic plantar pressures were measured with bag loads of 0% no bag and 15% of subjects’ body weight. The independent t test was performed to analyze changes in plantar pressures. [Results] The plantar pressure measurements of bag load of 0% of subjects’ body weight before and after the spinal stabilization exercise program were not significantly different, but those of two foot areas with a 15% load were statistically significant (mt5, 67.32±24.25 and 51.77±25.52 kPa; lat heel, 126.00±20.46 and 102.08±23.87 kPa). [Conclusion] After performance of the spinal stabilization exercises subjects’ overall plantar pressures were reduced, which may suggest that physical balance improved. PMID:26311964

Guided Versus Unguided Learning: Which One To Choose?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.

2011-01-01

We present the results of a study that measures the effectiveness of two types of computer-based tutorials for teaching the concept of stellar parallax to non-science major students in a college-level introductory astronomy course. A number of previous studies on the use of computer technology in education suggested that a method of inquiry-based learning rooted in a discovery method must prevail over direct instruction. At the same time, a number of researchers raised a concern that the discovery approach especially in combination with interactive computer-based environments may present students with additional distractions and thus hinder the educational value of such interactions. This study was set to test the both approaches and to identify the preferable method for engaging students in active and meaningful learning. The study consisted of guided and unguided computer-based tutorials and used a control group in which students were engaged in paper-based exercises. The guided tutorial was an adaptive tutorial that was designed to respond to students’ input and to provide them with the next step: an exercise, an animated visualization, or a set of additional questions. The unguided tutorial allowed students to explore any part of the tutorial in any order. Both tutorials consisted of four parts and reviewed simple geometry, trigonometric parallax, angular sizes in astronomy, resolution and conversion of units, and had a concluding chapter on finding distance to a star. The control group used Lecture-Tutorials (Prather, et al) to learn angular sizes and stellar parallax. The efficacy of each treatment was validated through a 14-question pretest and two posttests to evaluate and contrast students’ immediate recall and their long-term knowledge and corroborated by a number of interviews with selected students. We present our preliminary results based on analyzed work of over 200 participants.

Modification of the Fox method to predict maximum oxygen uptake in female university students of Kolkata, India.

PubMed

Bandyopadhyay, Amit

2011-12-01

The present study was aimed to develop a simple method, i.e. the modified Fox test protocol (MFT) to predict VO2(max) in female sedentary university students of Kolkata, India. One hundred and eleven (111) healthy untrained female students of the University of Calcutta (mean age, body height and body mass of 22.76 ± 1.72 years, 163.52 ± 4.70 cm and 53.03 ± 3.78 kg, respectively) were randomly sampled for the study. They were further randomly divided into the study group (n = 60) and confirmatory group (n = 51). Direct estimation of the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2(max)) comprised an incremental bicycle exercise followed by expired gas analysis by the Scholander micro-gas analyzer. The submaximal heart rate (HR(sub)) was measured at the completion of five min of exercise at 110W workload. HR(sub) exhibited significant negative correlation (r = -0.87, P < 0.001) with VO2(max). Application of the computed norm in the confirmatory group depicted insignificant difference between VO2(max) and predicted VO2(max) or PVO2(max). Limits of agreement between PVO2(max) and VO2(max) were substantially small. The standard error of estimate of the norm was also substantially small. From the present study, MFT is recommended for application in the sedentary female university students for accurate and reliable assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness in terms of VO2(max).

A Telephone Communication Skills Exercise for Veterinary Students: Experiences, Challenges, and Opportunities.

PubMed

Grevemeyer, Bernard; Betance, Larry; Artemiou, Elpida

2016-01-01

Evidence from human medicine shows a rise in telephone communication in support of after-hours services and in providing medical advice, follow-up information, etc. While specific training programs are continuously being developed for human medical education, limited publications are available on training veterinary students in telephone communication. Presented is our method of introducing a telephone communication skills exercise to third-year veterinary students. The exercise progressed over three phases and currently follows the principles of the Calgary-Cambridge Guide. Challenges and improvements on implementing a telephone communication exercise are discussed. Within veterinary communication curricula, attention should be given to the specific communication skills required for successful telephone consultations. In the absence of visual nonverbal cues and prompts during a telephone interaction, communication skills must be applied with greater intent and attention to achieve an effective consultation outcome.

The University of Barchester. The Case of Ruth Kerwin. A Role Playing Exercise of a Departmental Staff Meeting Discussing a Problem Student. Organiser's Copy. UTMU: University Teaching Methods Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, David Warren; Terry, Paul

A role playing exercise is presented that can be run either with or without video-tape depicting a problem student in a play-acted version. Suggestions are offered for organizing the exercise, which is a meeting of professors, a residence hall worker, the assistant registrar, a tutor, and possibly a college counselor. General instructions for role…

The quantitative methods boot camp: teaching quantitative thinking and computing skills to graduate students in the life sciences.

PubMed

Stefan, Melanie I; Gutlerner, Johanna L; Born, Richard T; Springer, Michael

2015-04-01

The past decade has seen a rapid increase in the ability of biologists to collect large amounts of data. It is therefore vital that research biologists acquire the necessary skills during their training to visualize, analyze, and interpret such data. To begin to meet this need, we have developed a "boot camp" in quantitative methods for biology graduate students at Harvard Medical School. The goal of this short, intensive course is to enable students to use computational tools to visualize and analyze data, to strengthen their computational thinking skills, and to simulate and thus extend their intuition about the behavior of complex biological systems. The boot camp teaches basic programming using biological examples from statistics, image processing, and data analysis. This integrative approach to teaching programming and quantitative reasoning motivates students' engagement by demonstrating the relevance of these skills to their work in life science laboratories. Students also have the opportunity to analyze their own data or explore a topic of interest in more detail. The class is taught with a mixture of short lectures, Socratic discussion, and in-class exercises. Students spend approximately 40% of their class time working through both short and long problems. A high instructor-to-student ratio allows students to get assistance or additional challenges when needed, thus enhancing the experience for students at all levels of mastery. Data collected from end-of-course surveys from the last five offerings of the course (between 2012 and 2014) show that students report high learning gains and feel that the course prepares them for solving quantitative and computational problems they will encounter in their research. We outline our course here which, together with the course materials freely available online under a Creative Commons License, should help to facilitate similar efforts by others.

Effects of Hierarchy Vocabulary Exercises on English Vocabulary Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Ching-Ying; Hsu, Wei Shu

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of hierarchy vocabulary exercises and copying vocabulary exercises on EFL students' vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. Two specific factors were probed: (a) vocabulary gains and retention from different exercises; (b) reading comprehension performance through different…

Fit to Forgive: Effect of Mode of Exercise on Capacity to Override Grudges and Forgiveness

PubMed Central

Struthers, C. Ward; van Monsjou, Elizabeth; Ayoub, Mariam; Guilfoyle, Joshua R.

2017-01-01

Forgiveness is important for repairing relationships that have been damaged by transgressions. In this research we explored the notion that the mode of physical exercise that victims of transgressions engage in and their capacity to override grudges are important in the process of forgiveness. Two exploratory studies that varied in samples (community non-student adults, undergraduate students) and research methods (non-experimental, experimental) were used to test these predictions. Findings showed that, compared to anaerobic or no exercise, aerobic and flexibility exercise facilitated self-control over grudges and forgiveness (Studies 1 and 2), and self-control over grudges explained the relation between exercise and forgiveness (Study 2). Possible mechanisms for future research are discussed. PMID:28533758

Increasing students' physical activity during school physical education: rationale and protocol for the SELF-FIT cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Ha, Amy S; Lonsdale, Chris; Lubans, David R; Ng, Johan Y Y

2017-07-11

The Self-determined Exercise and Learning For FITness (SELF-FIT) is a multi-component school-based intervention based on tenets of self-determination theory. SELF-FIT aims to increase students' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during physical education lessons, and enhance their autonomous motivation towards fitness activities. Using a cluster randomized controlled trial, we aim to examine the effects of the intervention on students' MVPA during school physical education. Secondary 2 students (approximately aged 14 years) from 26 classes in 26 different schools will be recruited. After baseline assessments, students will be randomized into either the experimental group or wait-list control group using a matched-pair randomization. Teachers allocated to the experimental group will attend two half-day workshops and deliver the SELF-FIT intervention for 8 weeks. The main intervention components include training teachers to teach in more need supportive ways, and conducting fitness exercises using a fitness dice with interchangeable faces. Other motivational components, such as playing music during classes, are also included. The primary outcome of the trial is students' MVPA during PE lessons. Secondary outcomes include students' leisure-time MVPA, perceived need support from teachers, need satisfaction, autonomous motivation towards physical education, intention to engage in physical activity, psychological well-being, and health-related fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness). Quantitative data will be analyzed using multilevel modeling approaches. Focus group interviews will also be conducted to assess students' perceptions of the intervention. The SELF-FIT intervention has been designed to improve students' health and well-being by using high-intensity activities in classes delivered by teachers who have been trained to be autonomy needs supportive. If successful, scalable interventions based on SELF-FIT could be applied in physical education at large. The trial is registered at the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (Trial ID: ACTRN12615000633583 ; date of registration: 18 June 2015).

Iterated Function Systems in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waiveris, Charles

2007-01-01

The title may appear daunting, but the exercises, which can be presented to students from middle school to graduate school, are not. The exercises center on creating fractal images in the xy-plane with free. easy-to-use software and questions appropriate to the level of the student.

A Placer-Gold Evaluation Exercise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunley, A. Tom

1984-01-01

A laboratory exercise allowing students to use drillhole data to simulate the process of locating a placer gold paystreak is presented. As part of the activity students arithmetically compute the value of their gold, mining costs, and personal profits or losses, and decide on development plans for the claim. (BC)

Predictors of Obesity Bias among Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langdon, Jody; Rukavina, Paul; Greenleaf, Christy

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate particular psychosocial predictors of obesity bias in prehealth professionals, which include the internalization of athletic and general body ideals, perceived media pressure and information, and achievement goal orientations. Exercise science undergraduate students (n = 242) filled out a survey…

Learning about Vertebrate Limb Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Jennifer O.; Noll, Matthew; Olsen, Shayna

2014-01-01

We have developed an upper-level undergraduate laboratory exercise that enables students to replicate a key experiment in developmental biology. In this exercise, students have the opportunity to observe live chick embryos and stain the apical ectodermal ridge, a key tissue required for development of the vertebrate limb. Impressively, every…