Revision Exercise Research Articles

Framework for policymaking on self-management of health by older adults using technologies

BackgroundDuring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support care management exponentially increased. Governments around the world adapted existing programs to meet the needs of patients. The reactivity of governments, however, led to changes that were inequitable, undermining groups such as older adults living with chronic diseases and disability. Policies that align with recent developments in ICTs can promote better health outcomes and innovation in care management. A framework for policymaking presents potential for overcoming barriers and gaps that exist in current policies.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to examine how well a provisional framework for policymaking represented the interactions between various components of government policymaking on older adults’ self-management of chronic disease and disability using ICTs.MethodsThrough an online survey, the study engaged policymakers from various ministries of the government of Ontario in the evaluation and revision of the framework. The data were analyzed using simple statistics and by interpreting written comments.ResultsNine participants from three ministries in the government of Ontario responded to the questionnaire. Overall, participants described the framework as useful and identified areas for improvement and further clarification. A revised version of the framework is presented.ConclusionsThrough the revision exercise, our study confirmed the relevance and usefulness for a policymaking framework on the self-management of disease and disability of older adults’ using ICTs. Further inquiries should examine the application of the framework to jurisdictions other than Ontario considering the dissociated nature of Canadian provincial healthcare systems.

Gaming Pedagogy For Effective Learning In Engineering Colleges

Abstract: Our conventional teaching style teaches how to listen, memorize, and how to apply it to the real world. However, it is a good style of teaching, participation of the student in a subject is very less. Most of the time, it is faculty centric. Furthermore, in this style of teaching, practical knowledge is very less, most of them working towards the marks. In order to improve the teaching methods and to reduce the gap between the student and faculty, many academicians did their research in active learning. It improves the quality of teaching, and gave different ambient to the students. In this dissertation, gaming pedagogy is designed for engineering college students. Millennium learners prefer active learning; most importantly, they are visual learners. The mind map is one such technique, here they need to associate something related. Though it is a group activity, it cannot be conducted as a game. Teaching with images arouses their curiosity and if it is clubbed with a game their interest goes infinite. Hence, the pedagogy calledconnexion was designed to attract the diverse learners. Here, the class was divided into groups. One set of students was asked to prepare the task for connexion game called authors, and the other set was simplyparticipants. The authors weaved together the images available in the public domain for finding the concept. Doing so they came up with lots of questions with the items they were exploring and they even developed some good strategies. They also designed clue questions for the participants to answer with the help of the teacher. For this study, connexion game conducted for the subject programming for problem solving using C. For detailed analysis fifty students chosen in our class; Students assessed in a specific concept via a connexion game. From the result, it is observed that ninety percentage of the students actively participated and understood the concept easily. The feedback also collected from the students, it shows that they are enjoying gaming pedagogy. As an end result, this gaming made the authors to think critically and the participants have a good conceptual understanding in addition to a good revision exercise and entertainment for them. Keywords :Teaching, game, connexion, learners, pedagogy.

“Test‐enhanced” focused self‐directed learning after the teaching modules in biochemistry

Focused self-directed learning is very much essential at present in medical education to catch-up with the increasing information load. Cognitive psychology laboratory studies show that repeated testing of information produces superior retention relative to repeated study. The overall goal of this intervention was to evaluate the effectiveness of "Test enhanced learning" in the form of "Open book examination" as a formative assessment in Biochemistry when compared to "Self-study." Three exercises were carried out after the regular teaching sessions on different topics in biochemistry for the first year MBBS students. A multiple choice questions based pretest was conducted after the regular lecture classes on a topic but before the revision exercise. The students were subjected "Open book examination" with short answer questions for a period of 1 hour. A posttest was done with the same set of MCQs after the revision exercises. The gain score of "Open book examination" was compared with that of "Self study." Feedback from the students was taken. The isolated results from each of the three exercises conducted and their combined results supported the hypothesis that "Test enhanced learning" in the form of open book examination is a superior form of learning process than self-study for assimilation of knowledge. Most of the students opined that the "Open book examination" enhanced their self directed focused learning process. The students felt that "Open book examination" is more beneficial than "Self study" in reinforcing the learning concepts after regular didactic lectures. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(5):472-477, 2018.

A Strategic Approach Using Representative LV Networks in the Assessment of Technical Losses on LV Network with Solar Photovoltaic

Low voltage network (LVN) forms an extensive part of the distribution network as it is used to connect electricity supply from utility substations to diverse segments of loads in different geographic locations. With the increasingly high penetration of solar PV in LVN, utility companies are finding it necessary to establish the contribution of these solar PV to the overall technical losses in the distribution network. This paper presents a strategic approach using representative LVN to determine the impact of solar PV on technical losses on the LVN. Five types of representative LVN characterized by different customer load segments (domestic, commercial and industrial) and peak load demand were developed. The impact on technical losses of solar PV connected to these representatives LVN were assessed on a statistical basis for a supply zone. The results obtained are consistent and could be applied to establish investment strategies on distribution network, tariff revision exercise and optimization of distribution network planning/design.

Examinations and remediation actions for the mathematics problem in electrical engineering at The University of the West Indies

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies' (UWI’) St Augustine Trinidad and Tobago Campus conducted a review and revision of its BSc mathematics programming in 2009. The review was framed to take account of strategic as well as operational imperatives of an accredited degree in the context of a number of resource and other constraints typical of small island developing states. Intake, content and delivery were examined and the findings were used to guide the revision exercise. Associated interventions were assessed five years later. This paper provides an account of the considerations and process for the review and revision exercises. It discusses student performance and other indicators before and after the interventions; and examines the new curriculum against fit for purpose criteria alongside programming in best in class institutions and UK-based accreditation reference points. The paper closes with recommendations for ongoing review and revision cycles applicable to the Department at the UWI and other similarly situated institutions.

Minerals: A Very Short Introduction by David J. Vaughan. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014. No. of pages: 137. Price: UK£7.99. ISBN 978‐0‐19‐968284‐3 (paperback)

It is 35 years since I sat my finals, and over 30 years since I demonstrated my last laboratory classes in mineralogy and petrology as a graduate student. Since then, my main interest in mineralogy has been the calcite that makes up the endoskeleton of my beloved echinoderms. But, living as I do in the flat landscape of Noord Holland, I get great satisfaction in identifying exotic building stones and their mineralogy. In those 35 years, I have not read a book on mineralogy per se until now. In consequence, relatively little of David Vaughan's excellent Minerals: A Short Introduction was a revision exercise to my degree; so much is fresh that much is like a whole new subject. Minerals is well-written and adequately illustrated, although I would have liked to have seen more detailed figure captions and labels. Vaughan has a local proliferation of the royal ‘we’ in Chapter 1 (pp. 9–10) and uses that ugly tautology, ‘age dating’, once (p. 55), but these are the slightest of blemishes; the text is highly readable. The production is the high standard that I expect from OUP and Minerals is a convenient size to slip into a jacket pocket. If I have a complaint about Minerals it is with the reproduction of certain figures. All are good, but figure 4 should have reproduced in colour; for anyone seeing photomicrographs of a thin section in cross polarized light and a polished section for the first time, these are grey and a disappointment. Further, sections of several multi-part figures are printed over the page (e.g. figures 1, 3–6). With more careful copy editing, the different parts of figures could have appeared on opposite pages, which would have produced a superior effect. Unlike some authors, Vaughan has a precise feel for what his readers know and want to know. When I read ‘It is not my intention to devote space to reviewing the theory of plate tectonics’ (p. 46), I knew I was reading a book in touch with its readership. The first four chapters – ‘The mineral world’, ‘Studying minerals’, ‘Minerals and the interior of the Earth’ and ‘Earth's surface and the cycling of minerals’ – covered ground with which I was more or less familiar, but with new insights and details gleaned from technological breakthroughs over the past third of a century. Chapter 5, ‘Minerals and the living world’, would not have been covered by a degree course in the late 1970s, but subjects like geobiology are now important research areas; this is a fine overview. ‘Minerals as resources’ (Chapter 6) similarly builds on my previous, rather limited student knowledge of ore minerals, putting ore concentrations into a firm plate tectonic context and looking at the importance of, to give contrasting examples, zeolites and the continuing enigma of the banded iron formations. But the most enlightening chapter was the last, ‘Minerals past, present and future’, which examines the origin of the mineral diversity of the Earth, the influence of minerals on the origin of life and mineral resources in the future, a breath-taking tour de force in just twelve pages. This is an inexpensive book that will attractive to anyone with an interest in the science of the Earth, but should be particularly accessible to undergraduates and amateurs. It represents excellent value for money and paints the mineralogy of our planet with a big brush. I give it an unqualified recommendation.

A Conceptual Model for Virtual Classroom Management

Classroom management refers to the actions and strategies that teachers use to maintain order in a classroom. A Virtual classroom is an asynchronous-based online learning environment that delivers course materials to learners and provides collaboration and interaction using an asynchronous-based forum as the main platform to support the learners’ independent study. In a physical classroom there is physical contact between the students and the instructor. This makes it easy for the instructor to enforce rules that are intended for effective classroom management. This physical contact is elusive in a virtual classroom and yet effective classroom management is desired. Virtual classroom is useful to the students for revision exercise; as a backup for physical classroom contact. This paper proposes a conceptual model using existing virtual tool to bring about an effective classroom management strategies in a Virtual classroom.

Doing it for themselves: students creating a high quality peer-learning environment

To support our students during their study and exam preparation we have developed a novel synoptic revision exercise using the online PeerWise system. Academic staff involvement was passive after introducing the assignment to the cohort via scaffolding activities, thus generating an entirely student-led peer-learning environment for the task. Student engagement exceeded all expectations with high levels of activity and peer-learning occurring over a wide range of topics. We report on a detailed investigation of the quality of the student-generated content, involving two years of data with separate cohorts.The research project was evaluated and conducted under the BERA Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, the University of Nottingham Code of Research Conduct and Research Ethics and the e-Ethics@Nottingham: Ethical Issues in Digitally Based Research guidelines. All student data sources were anonymised for use by the project team. The research activities were separate from the assessed coursework task that created the student content. Opinion comments from students were obtained via an anonymous online feedback questionnaire that included free text responses. Note that support material, examples of scaffolding materials and technical guidance screencasts are available online at: http://www.peerwise-community.org/ The analysis includes classification of the student question type (revised Bloom's taxonomy), investigation of the utility of the feedback/model answers, along with time-resolved analysis of activity during the coursework window. The research seeks to reveal the nature of student behaviour in a peer-review environment and alleviate some of the common concerns held by academics considering moving to this type of activity.

Working Group – Acceptability of effects in the field

The aim of this working group is to continue the work of field and semi-field group that had reported at the last Bee Protection Group meeting in Bucharest (2008). This had resulted in the latest revision of the EPPO 170 guidelines (2010), with particular attention being paid to the higher tier (cage and field) studies. One of the primary considerations in the revision exercise had been to maintain a balance between providing sufficient information to enable suitable studies to be conducted but maintaining flexibility (not too prescriptive) to ensure that the specific requirements of all studies could be addressed. During the revision of the EPPO 170 guidelines, a number of specific issues were identified that went beyond the scope of the current exercise but were considered to need further work. These could generally be characterised as the ‘acceptability of effects in the field’.

Bridging the language and cultural gaps: the use of blogs

This article aims to demonstrate how the use of an online journal, a bilingual blog, can contribute to filling in the language and cultural gaps of foreign language learners. This case study focuses on the participation, interaction, motivation, language acquisition, feedback and cultural input improved by students of Spanish as a Foreign Language at the University of Queensland in Australia and students of English as a Foreign Language at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain. It demonstrates how this learner-directed instructional context allows intercultural and language exchanges, firstly between participants, as a peer revision exercise and secondly, as collaborative work and a discussion platform in the blog GranCanBrisbaneEspañolEnglish.

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

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.

Problems of Determining the Applicable Tax Laws in Nigeria: Resolving the Dilemma For FIRS and Taxpayers

AbstractThe recent law revision exercise and tax reform in Nigeria have unwittingly introduced a measure of confusion into determining the applicable tax statute(s). The problem is so bad that, if the opinion of three different experts were sought on the same issue, it is possible that they would purport to be referring to the same law yet cite different sections of different laws. The thrust of this article is to disentangle the associated issues for the proper guidance of taxpayers and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The article posits that the continued use of the Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990 by FIRS is most inappropriate and illegal, and may open any assessment performed under them to legal challenge. The article advocates for a re-enactment of the Companies Income Tax Act.

Nosological changes in psychiatry: hubris and humility

Nosological changes in psychiatry: hubris and humility

Formulation of questions followed by small group discussion as a revision exercise at the end of a teaching module in biochemistry

Undergraduate medical students get fewer opportunities to clarify their doubts and to reinforce their understanding of concepts after lecture classes. There is no information available in the literature that addresses the question of usefulness of prior formulation of questions followed by small group discussion by undergraduate medical students as a revision exercise. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effect of formulation of objective type short answer questions by undergraduate medical students followed by small group discussion on the answers of the questions prepared as a revision exercise on their understanding of the topic "amino acid metabolism" and the retention of the gain after 15 days. At the end of a regular teaching module on the topic of amino acid metabolism, undergraduate medical students were asked to prepare 16 objective type short answer questions on the various aspects of the topic as homework. Small group discussions involving 12-14 students in each group and lasting one hour were conducted on the questions and answers prepared by them in the presence of a faculty member. The effects on low, medium, and high achievers were evaluated with multiple choice questions by pre-test and post-tests before and after the group discussion. Formulation of questions was highly effective in improving understanding on the topic for all the students. The overall mean post-test scores after the formulation of questions (12.6) and after the small group discussion that followed (14.7) were significantly higher than the mean pre-test score (8.5). For high achievers, the gain from formulation of questions was higher than the gain from small group discussion. Small group discussion was highly effective for all students. The gain from small group discussion was higher among the low and medium achievers in comparison with the high achievers. The gain from the exercise was retained among the low, medium, and high achievers after 15 days. In conclusion, formulation of short answer questions followed by small group discussion on the answers of the questions prepared by the undergraduate medical students is an effective revision exercise for improving their understanding on a selected topic.

Preface

The Convention has successfully wound up its work, it also has lived up to the expectations. For the first time, national parliaments, the European Parliament as well as the civil society were involved in a treaty revision exercise. The Convention has succeeded where Intergovernmental Conferences have failed. That is also true for the institutional questions. The coming Intergovernmental Conference will thus be presented – following the decision of the European Heads of State in Thessaloniki – with a well-balanced and comprehensive draft text without options. Enshrining the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Constitution shows that the Union is not just a free-trade area but founded on definite common values and rights.

Pure mathematics 1 & 2, by Hugh Neill and Douglas Quadling. Pp. 406. £9.95. 2000. ISBN 0 521 78369 0 (Cambridge University Press).

Introduction 1. The motion of projectiles 2. Moments 3. Centre of mass 4. Rigid objects in equilibrium 5. Elastic strings and springs Revision exercise 1 6. Motion round a circle 7. Geometrical methods 8. Centres of mass of special shapes 9. Linear motion with variable forces 10. Strategies for solving problems Revision exercise 2 Practice examinations Answers Index Formulae

Integrating formative evaluation into a learner‐centred revision course

AbstractThis article describes a learner‐centred course which ran in summer 1988. It was ostensibly a revision exercise, using computer assisted learning (CAL), but an element of formative evaluation was deliberately built into the process, making it contribute to our systematic review and development of our teaching. Our aim was to take snapshots of learning at different stages, through a short but intensive revision class in mathematics for engineering and science undergraduates at a Scottish universityThe CALM Project—Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics—has produced 2 5 software units to enhance the teaching of calculus to large groups of undergraduates. The CALM software was piloted by one group of students and a formative evaluation of the packages has been reported elsewhere (Beevers et al 1987, Beevers et al 1988a). This revision course enabled us to confirm many of the previous evaluation findings on the CALM software; we also discovered that a round‐up session on problem‐solving is an important and integral part of the learning process. The evaluation proved useful to us as teachers of mathematics, and has already influenced the future development of our CAL work.

Even better MCQ books?

Even better MCQ books?

Short Reviews

THIS small book contains a useful elementary account of the structure of the sheep's brain intended, as its sub-title suggests, for first-year students of zoology. The brain of the sheep from its size and the ease with which it can be obtained and handled affords a much better object for study than the brains of the smaller mammals generally employed for dissection in this course. The detail given is well suited for first-year zoology, but the medical student would also find it helpful to work through it as a revision exercise before passing on to the detailed study of the more complex human brain. The text is written in a clear and straightforward manner, and the well-produced illustrations add considerably to its usefulness.

Short Reviews

THIS small book contains a useful elementary account of the structure of the sheep's brain intended, as its sub-title suggests, for first-year students of zoology. The brain of the sheep from its size and the ease with which it can be obtained and handled affords a much better object for study than the brains of the smaller mammals generally employed for dissection in this course. The detail given is well suited for first-year zoology, but the medical student would also find it helpful to work through it as a revision exercise before passing on to the detailed study of the more complex human brain. The text is written in a clear and straightforward manner, and the well-produced illustrations add considerably to its usefulness.