Reasonable Course Research Articles

Beyond Collaboration: Modeling Course Design on Theatre Ensembles for Improved Classroom Culture and Purposeful Learning

The author unpacks and utilizes the pedagogical success of improvisational theatre ensembles, offers core course design elements inspired by improv that match best practices, and gives concrete ideas for immediate use to strengthen community and increase engagement in college classrooms. Ensemble Culture is a framework for building community in the classroom and beyond using creativity, empathy, storytelling, complexity, equity, interdependence, authentic audience, and experiential learning. Educators have seen success through this method in First-year seminars, Quantitative Reasoning courses, introductory seminars, and upper level/advanced courses.

Clinical Reasoning Training based on the analysis of clinical case using a virtual environment

IntroductionStudents experience difficulties defining a sequential order and analyzing variables when solving a clinical problem on real-time. Learning in a virtual environment using PBL and e-learning promotes hypothesis-generating research and case study through clinical reasoning. MethodsTwenty-two physical therapy students enrolled in a Clinical Reasoning course were asked to solve virtual clinical cases that included three different fields: orthopedic, cardiovascular/pulmonary and neurological. To evaluate the intervention, students’ perception as well as their lecture/lab academic performance, were considered. ResultsAn increase in academic performance in both lecture and lab average grades in comparison to previous years (ANOVA test, *p<0.05). Fifty-eight percent of students reported prior study, critical thinking and technical language were aspects improved by this resource. Half of the enquired subjects also reported not having enough time to solve cases and suggested be given more adequate feedback. ConclusionsAfter this experience, teacher's role as a facilitator in the teaching learning process, putting the student in a leading role by using metacognitive strategies in tune with technology. Case-solving presents an advantage by improving the process of hypothesis-generation based on the information gathered from a case study problem. Early introduction of teaching strategies promote a systematic practice such as critical thinking through case study, and debate about the feedback needed for its achievement.

Information Resources Valued by Medical Students in a Clinical Reasoning Course: A Cross-Sectional Study

The clinical reasoning process for arriving at an accurate diagnosis represents a complex activity. How medical students harness existing information resources in their clinical reasoning courses has not been reported before. This cross-sectional study surveyed students to recall their most useful information resources halfway through their series of clinical reasoning courses. Students then evaluated the comparative usefulness of these selected resources. Sixty-nine of the 107 students enrolled in the clinical reasoning courses completed the three-part survey (64.5% response rate). Students found point-of-care tools, journal articles, textbooks, and diagnostic software to be most useful.

Short-Term Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Concurrent Multi-Modal Conservative Therapy in Management of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) affects 4.6% of adults in the United States.1 Though surgical techniques are available for management, non-surgical regimens should be considered first. Studies have evaluated the effectiveness of non-surgical therapies, showing improvement in around 80% of individuals.2 To our knowledge, evaluation of a concurrent multi-modal approach to conservative management of TMD remains limited. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of concurrent multi-modal conservative therapy in the management of TMD. A retrospective chart review was carried out to evaluate all patients presenting to a TMD practice of a single oral and maxillofacial surgeon for 1 year. Patients who underwent a course of multi-modal conservative therapy for at least 1 month concurrently were evaluated. Therapy consisted of a soft chew diet, flat-plane occlusal splint, pharmacotherapy with an NSAID and muscle relaxant, as well as consultation with a physical therapist. The outcomes measured included subjective improvement in symptoms, change in maximum incisal opening (MIO) with and without pain, and the need for additional surgery. Statistical data analysis was utilized to evaluate the rate of subjective improvement and changes in the pre- and post-treatment MIO with and without pain. The Wilcoxon rank sum test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to evaluate for significant differences between pre- and post-treatment MIO with and without pain. Logistic regression was used to evaluate for factors associated with subjective improvement after treatment. A significance value of 0.05 was chosen for all analyses. Fifty-four patients presented from February 2018 to February 2019 with TMD. Of these patients, 19 met the inclusion criteria. Subjective improvement was found in 58% of patients; 68% of patients did not require any further surgical intervention; 74% of patients experienced improvement of MIO without pain. MIO without pain increased by an average of 4.947mm (SD 6.924) for all patients. In the patients who improved, MIO without pain increased by 7.545mm (SD 7.367). The Wilcoxon rank sum test suggests a significant difference in the post-treatment MIO without pain between the group that showed subjective improvement and the group that did not. The Wilcoxon signed rank test suggests that there is a significant difference between the pre- and post-treatment MIO without pain in all participants, regardless of improvement (P-value .005), and in the improvement group alone (P-value .008). Finally, logistic regression showed that a 1mm increase in post-treatment MIO without pain was associated with a 23% increase in the odds of a patient improving. Our analysis shows that multi-modal conservative therapy is effective in management of patients with TMD. Over half of the patients followed showed subjective improvement. Those that subjectively improved showed an increase in MIO without pain to an average of greater than 40mm. It is also important to note that patients who did not subjectively improve also revealed a lack of improvement in MIO with and without pain. Additionally, despite reporting subjective improvement, a few patients still went on to undergo additional surgical intervention. Finally, if we consider lack of follow-up as a possible indicator of improvement, the rate of subjective improvement rises to 82%. A multi-modal approach to conservative therapy in the management of TMD is a reasonable treatment course and has a good chance of eliminating the need for surgical intervention. Additional studies with larger samples are needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of this concurrent multi-modal approach.

University of Michigan Medical School.

University of Michigan Medical School.

Learning to Solve Counting Problems: Challenges and Opportunities for Non-Math Majors

Our study stems from the belief that meaningful and challenging mathematics can be made accessible to all students. To this end, we designed and implemented a special course for undergraduate non-mathematics and non-mathematics education majors. The course entitled Counting and Chance satisfied the requirement of a core course in quantitative reasoning. The content chosen as the focus of this course was basic combinatorics (i.e., counting problems) – a topic that is non-procedural in nature and could be made accessible to students with limited mathematical background. The design of the course was inspired by inclusive pedagogical principles that motivate and support students’ conceptual learning. We present the characteristics of the learning environment that was developed within the framework of this course, point to the rich and sophisticated kinds of reasoning that students developed throughout the course, and discuss how students’ collaborative engagement in the learning process seemed to have contributed to their views of themselves as math learners and their conceptions of what math is. Our findings point to the feasibility of such a course for non-math students, and its potential merit in helping students: (i) develop appreciation of mathematics as a topic that requires thinking, reasoning, and convincing; (ii) become more confident in their ability to do math.

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson.

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson.

What Is An Ideal Critical Thinker Expected to Conclude about Anthropogenic Global Warming?

Critical thinking involves the ability to properly assess statements and actions, and it also requires a permanent disposition to appropriately use cognitive skills in the evaluation of any claim. In the present paper, we discuss the characteristics of an ideal critical thinker, and apply them to a contemporary problem, namely anthropogenic global warming (AGW, a hypothesis that accounts for the increase of the average temperature of Earth as a consequence of human activities), in order to discuss what an ideal critical thinker is expected to conclude about the occurrence of this phenomenon. We assume that an ideal critical thinker is able to find out where the most reliable information regarding a certain issue is, is competent to reasonably evaluate it, and has an inclination to calibrate her beliefs according to the results of the inquiry. We thus conclude that an ideal critical thinker is expected to accept the current scientific consensus that AGW is occurring, albeit considering this issue, as well as virtually any other idea, open to revision. The fact that in many occasions people are selective in using critical thinking skills, such as when they reject the massive evidence of AGW, should be a cause of concern for educators, who should motivate their students to think critically about any problem and question they encounter; this, in turn, could help the students to develop a better understanding of the world, take more reasonable courses of action, and be protected against misinformation.

Review of the Scientific and Institutional Capacity of Small Island Developing States in Support of a Bottom-up Approach to Achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14 Targets

Capacity building efforts in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are indispensable for the achievement of both individual and collective ocean-related 2030 agenda priorities for sustainable development. Knowledge of the individual capacity building and research infrastructure requirements in SIDS is necessary for national and international efforts to be effective in supporting SIDS to address nationally-identified sustainable development priorities. Here, we present an assessment of human resources and institutional capacities in SIDS United Nations (UN) Member States to help formulate and implement durable, relevant, and effective capacity development responses to the most urgent marine issues of concern for SIDS. The assessment highlights that there is only limited, if any, up-to-date information publicly available on human resources and research capacities in SIDS. A reasonable course of action in the future should, therefore, be the collection and compilation of data on educational, institutional, and human resources, as well as research capacities and infrastructures in SIDS into a publicly available database. This database, supported by continued, long-term international, national, and regional collaborations, will lay the foundation to provide accurate and up-to-date information on research capacities and requirements in SIDS, thereby informing strategic science and policy targets towards achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) within the next decade.

Schumann and the Myth of Madness

Despite the recent flurry of revisionism in Schumann biography, the last months of his career are still misunderstood. Biographers describe a gradual psychological decline, which led to Schumann's removal from his position. But there is no evidence that Schumann was suffering from mental illness before 10 February 1854. According to Clara's diary and correspondence, Schumann was healthy and contented in the fall of 1853, and his psychotic break came as a shock. Two recently published sources – a report to the Düsseldorf city council and correspondence between Schumann and a Berlin colleague – suggest that Schumann decided to resign and seek his fortune elsewhere. The fall of 1853 was one of the most prolific periods in his career and he may have felt that he could support his family on his earnings as a composer. Schumann's resignation was not the irrational response of a desperate man, but a reasonable course of action.

Using Open-Source Videos to Flip a First-Year College Physics Class

Flipped classrooms provide students the opportunity to collaboratively solve challenging problems in class with help and scaffolding available from instructors. Because there are many ways to structure a flipped course, research on the effectiveness of flipping classrooms has produced mixed results. Therefore, it is important for researchers to describe the class structure when evaluating the flipped classroom format. This enables other instructors to determine which approach is best suited to their particular teaching style. The current paper describes and evaluates the use of existing open-source (stand-alone) videos when flipping an introductory physics classroom. Over 4 years, data was gathered via three methods including a survey measuring self-reported student perceptions of the course (n = 48), performance on a concept inventory (n = 113), and institutional records (n = 298) to provide a holistic view of the effects of flipping the class. Results indicated that students regularly watched and took notes on the videos, but not all the students enjoyed the flipped classroom format. Despite fewer topics being covered in the flipped version of the class, there were no statistically significant differences in concept inventory performance before and after the course was flipped. Students had higher grades in the associated laboratory course and in subsequent quantitative reasoning courses after the course was flipped. There were no statistically significant differences between grades in subsequent physics courses or based on gender after the course was flipped. Additional implications of the study are also presented.

СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЕ БУХГАЛТЕРСКОЙ, НАЛОГОВОЙ И УПРАВЛЕНЧЕСКОЙ ИНФОРМАЦИОННЫХ СИСТЕМ КАК ФАКТОР ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ

In modern conditions, economic security is one of the main elements of enterprise management, and to ensure it, it is very important to have reliable information about the activities of an economic entity. Moreover, accounting and information systems (accounting, tax accounting, management accounting) are the basis for planning, analysis and control of the company's activities. The importance and usefulness of information lies in the fact that it brings benefits to the entrepreneur and is used in decision-making to obtain effective results. This article discusses the problem of improving the accounting and information system of accounting, tax and management accounting to ensure the economic security of enterprises, which is one of the key in the modern world. The relationship between the three main information systems used in the activities of the entity, presented in the form of the scheme, which also demonstrates the whole process of obtaining information (starting from data collection to synthesis and recognition), they need to make competent management decisions. How complete, reliable and high-quality accounting information will be depends, first of all, on the results of a comprehensive analysis of the company's economic activities, which will serve as the beginning for making certain management decisions. The role of information in business is great and timely detection and elimination of threats to the economic security of the organization depends on it. This article discusses modern types of unfair actions that lead to a violation of economic security of an economic entity, and also identifies methods that affect their elimination. Thus, increasing information content within the framework of observing the economic security of the enterprise will contribute to the development of the enterprise as a whole. Based on the theoretical part and in the course of reasoning, the main aspects of this problem were identified, and measures aimed at eliminating it in the organization were determined

The subject of proof in criminal procedure

In the theory of evidential reasoning in a criminal trial, there is a discrepancy in the subject matter of proof. There are two main positions. The first one states that the object of proof is fact, while the second one is a statement expressed in a sentence. The article presents a possible solution to this controversy. The starting point is the observation that the bearers of truth are statements/sentences. Therefore, since truth is one of the basic values in criminal proceedings, it results that the object of proof is a claim. Secondly, in the course of evidential reasoning is carried out in the form of thought operations - these can only be carried out with the use of sentences. The article ends with an conclusion that the object of evidence is a proposition; proving the fact is epistemologically impossible. Such a solution seems to be beneficial for the theory of proof, as it may improve the quality of evidential reasoning, including the quality of justifications of verdicts.

Rural community well-being through minor league sport

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how small-town residents’ perceptions of a minor league sport team’s socially responsible initiatives (SRI) influence several psychological responses to SRI, including feelings of gratitude, subjective well-being, place attachment and community pride.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional, survey-based research design was employed to empirically assess the effects of SRI on positive psychological responses in the context of a minor league sport team located in a rural community. The data set used in this study included a convenience sample of 307 small-town residents.FindingsResidents of the rural community did perceive and feel grateful for their minor league sport team’s SRI. Grateful residents experienced higher levels of subjective well-being (happiness, pleasure and satisfaction) as well as enhanced community pride and attachment due to the local sport team’s altruistic and prosocial behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s findings shed light on a critical function and benefit of a minor league sport team in rural communities. Emotionally valued prosocial efforts enhance the well-being of residents in rural communities. Thus, a reasonable course of action for local community leaders and public-sector organizations is to invest in and create partnership opportunities with their local minor league sport teams. Such efforts can turn sport teams into leverageable assets that can help promote healthy and sustainable communities for current residents as well as future generations.Originality/valueA contribution of this study is the integration of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions to better understand how gratitude mediates the relationship between SRI and beneficial community-focused outcomes such as pride, attachment and well-being.

Efficacy of Mastery-Based Adaptive Technology in Introductory Quantitative Reasoning Course

In this study, we explored the efficacy of using Hawkes Learning, a mastery-based adaptive technology system in a freshmen level Quantitative Reasoning course at a four-year private university. Students used this competency based adaptive platform to master the content by learning the material at their own pace, then practicing the problems and finally getting certified on their homework assignments. Each topic of this system offered three intuitive modes to mastery: Learn, Practice, and Certify. We analyzed students’ performance and perceptions with this system and compared it with the previous traditional model. Our study indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between students’ performance but their perceptions towards learning have improved significantly when they used this technology. We found that most students were able to succeed in QR course with this technology and it enabled them to become better independent learners. Keywords: Mastery-Based Learning, Adaptive Technology, Digital Learning, Quantitative Reasoning, Introductory Mathematics Course DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-24-02 Publication date: August 31st 2019

UK guidelines on 18F-fluciclovine PET/CT in prostate cancer imaging.

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist specialists in Nuclear Medicine and Radionuclide Radiology in recommending, performing, interpreting and reporting F-fluciclovine PET/computed tomography. It should be recognised that adherence to the guidance in this document will not assure an accurate diagnosis or a successful outcome. These guidelines will assist individual departments in the formulation of their own local protocols. The guidelines apply to studies on adults. All that should be expected is that the practitioner will follow a reasonable course of action based on current knowledge, available resources and the needs of the patient in order to deliver effective and safe medical care.

Effect of Probability Information on Bayesian Reasoning: A Study of Event-Related Potentials.

People often confront Bayesian reasoning problems and make decisions under uncertainty in daily life. However, the time course of Bayesian reasoning remains unclear. In particular, whether and how probabilistic information is involved in Bayesian reasoning is controversial, and its neural mechanisms have rarely been explored. In the current study, event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded from 18 undergraduates who completed four kinds of Bayesian reasoning tasks. It was found that compared with the high hit rate task, the low hit rate task elicited more significant N1 (100∼200 ms) and N300 (250∼350 ms) components, suggesting that N1 might be associated with the attention to stimulus materials, and N300 might be associated with the anchor to hit rate. In contrast to the low base rate task, the high base rate task elicited more significant late positive components (LPC, 350∼700 ms), indicating that LPC might reflect the adjustment of probability estimation based on the base rate. These results demonstrate that both the base rate and hit rate play significant roles in Bayesian reasoning, and to some extent, these findings verify that people may follow the “anchoring-adjustment” heuristic in Bayesian reasoning. The current findings provide further proof for the information processing mechanism of Bayesian reasoning.

Linking Mathematics and Psychological Science

We describe a successful collaboration between mathematics and psychological science faculty members to create a learning community for our students that linked sections of introductory mathematical reasoning and psychological science courses. The students in our learning community were in their second or third semester. The learning community is designed so that, throughout the semester, students regularly move across the border between the two linked disciplines by completing common assignments, including a group project. We modified our existing course topics and frameworks to be intentional about building connections between the courses.

Модель спільного прийняття рішення в медичній практиці

На сьогоднішній день питання пацієнторієнтованного надання медичних послуг стоїть особливо гостро. Та мова йде не просто про хороші манери лікарів: ввічлива посмішка, привітання, звертання до пацієнта з повагою, скільки про медичні результати завдяки вираженим професійним компетенціям.&#x0D; Якість комунікації в медичній сфері відіграє величезну роль в наданні кваліфікованної медичної допомоги, за рахунок того, що сприяє:&#x0D; &#x0D; більш ефективному інтерв'ю або збору інформації (точність, продуктивність, підтримка для пацієнта);&#x0D; підвищенню задоволеності і пацієнта, і фахівця;&#x0D; поліпшенню стану здоров'я пацієнта, прихильності до призначеної терапії (комплаєнс).&#x0D; &#x0D; Таким чином, для того щоб біомедичні технології були безпечними та результативними, їх варто застосовувати на базі ефективної комунікації та відношення. Одним із ефективних методів взаємодії лікар-пацієнт є метод спільного прийняття рішення (СПР). Це процес, в якому пацієнти заохочуються брати участь у виборі відповідних методів лікування або варіантів самоуправління своїм станом. Модель має три етапи: впровадження вибору; опису варіантів; надання допомоги пацієнтам у вивченні переваг та прийнятті рішень.&#x0D; Спільне прийняття рішень є доцільним, коли існує більше одного можливого курсу дій, і жоден варіант очевидно не найкращий для всіх. У цих випадках доведено, що формування відношення пацієнта до можливих переваг та ризиків лікування хвороби має бути ключовим фактором у прийнятті рішення.&#x0D; Коли існує спільна думка, лікарі можуть краще використовувати мотиваційні підходи для сприяння зміни поведінки, подолання клінічної інерції та сприяння саморегуляції та селф-менеджменту (самоуправління) пацієнтами всього процесу лікування та реабілітації.

Reliability of ACCUPLACER score in predicting success in Quantitative Reasoning Course

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the ACCUPLACER placement test score (elementary algebra) and the student success in the quantitative reasoning course at Regis College. Our study points to a weak but significant correlation between the ACCUPLACER placement score and the student success in the quantitative reasoning course. We propose that an in-house placement system based on the unique requirements of the institution will be a much more effective approach to place the students at appropriate levels of instruction.