bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
5. Multidisciplinary Collaboration Through Learning Communities: Navigating Anxiety
Authors: DeLathouwer Erin , Roy Wendy , Martin Ann , Liska Jasmine
Published: April 2017

A problem common to university faculty and students is an implicit sense of inadequacy regarding institutional hierarchies and disciplinary boundaries. Through a focus on multidisciplinarity, learning communities enable members to navigate multiple points of view within, between, and beyond apparent institutional boundaries. After having led a workshop that placed participants in the positions of both students and faculty members negotiating multidisciplinarity through learning communities, we conclude that learning communities’ methodological leveling of traditional hierarchies implicit in higher education leads to a sense of belonging that enables students and faculty to take risks essential for authentic learning. Anxiety over participation in academic discussions both inside and outside the classroom, and from within and beyond one’s disciplinary expertise, thus becomes productive rather than debilitating.
14. Le "principe d'adhésion": une clef de l'apprentissage
Authors: Bressan Yannick
Published: April 2017

Une récente découverte en psychologie, le principe d’adhésion émergentiste, offre des perspectives inattendues et prometteuses dans le domaine de l’éducation et de la transmission des savoirs. L’auteur présente les éléments techniques et phénoménologiques qui ont permis, dans le cadre d’une expérience en neuro-esthétique, de mettre à jour ce principe psychologique qui pourra s’avérer être un outil fondamental dans le cadre de la neuro-éducation et, plus concrètement, dans la réflexion sur l’évolution nécessaire que doit vivre aujourd’hui la transmission scolaire des savoirs. Dans un second temps, nous réfléchirons à l’élaboration et à l’utilisation de la « mise en scène pédagogique » en se fondant sur les découvertes liées au principe d’adhésion émergentiste. C’est ainsi les premiers pas encourageants, stimulants et prometteurs dans une étude en psychologie expérimentale et en neuro-éducation que propose cet article.
1. La communauté d’apprentissage : une approche innovante au développement pédagogique des formateurs
Authors: Bélanger Claire
Published: April 2017

De 2010 à 2011, je  me suis engagée, en tant que conseillère en pédagogie au Centre d’études et de formation en enseignement supérieur à l’Université de Montréal, dans un processus d’accompagnement et d’étude d’une communauté d’apprentissage. Cette communauté d’apprentissage regroupait des professionnels de la Direction de la santé publique qui donnaient de la formation à des étudiants provenant de différents programmes de l’Université. Étant donné les effets positifs de la participation à la communauté sur la pratique d’enseignement de ces formateurs, j’ai souhaité partager mon expérience avec les enseignants universitaires et les personnes qui les accompagnent dans leur développement pédagogique. Plus particulièrement, mon article a pour but de fournir des informations sur ce qu’est une communauté d’apprentissage, des moyens pratiques de mise en œuvre de ce type de dispositif ainsi que de ses retombées possibles.
25. Blind Curves or Open Roads? Student Leaders Speak on the Future of Canadian Post-Secondary Education
Authors: Demenoff Selena , Genest-Richard Pascal , Labbé Jolène , Bourgault Rébecca , Lewis Johanna , Robinson Alannah , Pritz John , Bell Cameron , Beach Laura , Beaupré-Lavallée Alexandre , Barudin Jessica , Howard Ray Charles , Liu Mimi , Nichols Sarah
Published: April 2017

In working to build a better, more just future, post-secondary institutions play a crucial role in shaping the students of today and tomorrow. Many institutions already employ a number of innovative programs aimed at broadening students’ horizons. We can now look forward to seeing these initiatives grow. As students, we outline our views on some of the challenges and possible avenues for change in post-secondary education. Efforts to strengthen student leadership, optimize experiential learning, and develop a more holistic educational approach are important. Current challenges to post-secondary education lie within aspects of accessibility, funding, relationship disconnect, and segregated educational approaches. Strengths and challenges encountered within post-secondary education can frame learning boundaries to be deconstructive or constructive. Both boundary modalities can play important roles in designing the future of post-secondary education in Canada.
19. Evidence in Support of Removing Boundaries to Undergraduate Research Experiences
Authors: Haave Neil , Audet Doris
Published: April 2017

Undergraduate research is one of several high impact educational practices used by educational institutions to increase student engagement and success (Kuh, 2008). Many studies on the impact of undergraduate research have surveyed students or faculty on their personal experience and its influence on students’ subsequent degrees and employment (Brownell & Swaner, 2010). These studies have documented the ability of high impact educational practices to have the greatest influence on those students who self-identify as belonging to a minority or disadvantaged group. Few studies, however, have documented the impact on students with lower grades.  The privilege of being admitted to an undergraduate research experience (e.g., an independent studies course) is typically reserved for upper-year students who have proven themselves academically. This paper presents correlational data from our campus showing that academically weaker students have a greater increase in academic performance between prior grade point average (GPA) and final grade in an independent studies course than academically stronger students. In addition, student annual GPA data shows that the impact of undergraduate research serves to raise student GPA in the year of an independent studies course. Although the findings are based on data from one small campus, they do raise the question that if undergraduate research has the greatest impact on academically weaker students and accelerates academic maturity, is limiting registration into these courses on the basis of superior GPA and years of study placing inappropriate boundaries on student learning?
6. Analyser la réflexion des étudiants : moyen de repérer et dépasser les limites des formations universitaires axées sur le développement de compétences
Authors: Chaubet Philippe
Published: April 2017

Proposer de faire réfléchir les étudiants pour les aider à se forger des compétences est bel et bon. Mais sait-on seulement capter « de la réflexion »? La définition suggérée ici permettrait de le faire. Elle correspond à un courant anglo-saxon contemporain de pratique réflexive. Elle est cohérente avec les fondements théoriques de la didactique professionnelle européenne. Vingt étudiants du Québec ont ainsi pointé des événements de leurs formations qui les ont fait réfléchir, sans pourtant utiliser le terme « réflexion ». L’étude est qualitative, d’orientation interprétative-compréhensive. Ses résultats suggèrent que l’on peut dépasser la limite du rhétorique « Faisons réfléchir nos étudiants » pour montrer de manière raisonnable des étincelles, dans les formations, qui ont réellement stimulé leur réflexion. Cela ouvre des portes à l’analyse de la réflexion des apprenants, et donc à l’amélioration des formations universitaires à visées réflexive et de développement de compétences.
22. UDL - From Disabilities Office to Mainstream Class: How the Tools of a Minority are Addressing the Aspirations of the Student Body at Large
Authors: Fovet Frederic , Mole Heather
Published: April 2017

Confronted by the increasingly changing and varied nature of disabilities in Higher Education (Bowe, 2000; McGuire & Scott, 2002), Disability Service providers across North America are progressively moving away from targeted remedial assistance focusing on the disabilities of students, to a less frontline role involving the sensitization of faculty around strategies that seek to widen access and develop awareness (Sopko, 2008).  Universal Design is hence often the model of choice (Rose, Harbour, Johnston, Daley & Abarbanell, 2006).  It incorporates extensive use of technology and seeks the implementation of winning conditions in the classroom space that reduce or eliminate the need for later remedial work with students (Burgstahler, 2006).  The hypothesis of this paper is that Universal Design, though conceived as a tool for a specific clientele, may quickly transpire to be the model best suited to serve the needs of the student body at large.The paper attempts to demonstrate how the core values underlying the Universal Design approach in fact meet wider educational aspirations of the 21st century.  Not only do its strategies and goals allow wider access to students with Disabilities, but they allow the integration of the ‘millennium learners’, encourage higher student retention, guarantee higher rates of graduation and establish greater equity and respect for diversity.  A model, designed to assist the minority, is quickly becoming a tool that has the capacity to open the class and the lecture hall to the diversity of the emerging and metamorphosing High Education learner, even if his/ her idiosyncrasies are still barely known (Howard, 2004).
17. Thinking Outside Discipline Boundaries to Integrate Indian Education for All Across the Curriculum
Authors: Carjuzaa Jioanna , Hunts Holly
Published: April 2017

The Montana Indian Education for All (IEFA) Act is an unprecedented reform effort 40 years in the making. In this paper we summarize the IEFA professional development opportunities provided to faculty at a land grant university in the western United States while highlighting a faculty member’s personal efforts to integrate IEFA in a culturally responsive manner.  We explain how, instead of limiting the transmission of ideas, expanding discipline boundaries has opened a flood-gate to new information and other ‘ways of knowing’ for the faculty member and her students.
12. Breaking Down the Boundary Between High School and University Chemistry
Authors: Cunningham Natashia , Knorr Kris J , Lock Pippa E , Vajoczki Susan L
Published: April 2017

This study examined some of the factors that influence students’ transition from Ontario high school chemistry to university introductory chemistry. The study was a mixed-methods, multi-phase research study carried out by an undergraduate honours thesis student who had experienced some of these transition issues. Students’ transition into chemistry was reported to be more difficult than their overall transition into university, including their academic transition; they thus appeared to experience a “transition within a transition.”  Students identified testing, curricular experience, and the amount of independent work as the principal areas of misalignment between their high school and university chemistry experiences. In exploring the use of support resources, students reported that there were sufficient resource opportunities but typically did not avail themselves of one-on-one interactions. Analysis of the data has led to recommendations for the instructional team for Introductory Chemistry at McMaster University.
Knowledge mobilization across boundaries with the use of novel organizational structures, conferencing strategies, and technological tools: The Ontario Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators (oCUBE) Model
Authors: Kajiura Lovaye , Smit Julie , Montpetit Colin , Kelly Tamara , Waugh Jennifer , Rawle Fiona , Clark Julie , Neumann Melody , French Michelle
Published: April 2017

The Ontario Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators (oCUBE) bringstogether over 50 biology educators from 18 Ontario universities with the commongoal to improve the biology undergraduate experience for both students andeducators. This goal is achieved through an innovative mix of highlyinteractive face-to-face meetings, online conferencing platforms (wiki andvideo conferencing), monthly online newsletters, and other activities. The beautyof the oCUBE model is that it meshes with the active learning methods that itsmembers use in their own teaching. It also creates a community of practice withintra- and inter-institutional collaborations that assist in resolving educationalissues of both common and immediate importance to oCUBE members. oCUBE membersreport that oCUBE activities and resources are very effective in helping themlearn new teaching strategies and in developing professionally.
Cultural Safety for Mi’kmaw Students and Staff at Cape Breton University
Authors: Schmidt Heather
Published: April 2017

Cultural safety reflects the extent to which an individual feels that their culture is respected, accepted and understood by the larger society in which they live.The concept was originally developed in the context of Indigenous Peoples, but it could also easily be applied to members of other minority groups whose voices are underrepresented in mainstream society (e.g., the LGBT community, the differently-abled, other ethnic minorities). In this paper, I discuss my ongoing efforts to assess and measure cultural safety in Mi’kmaw First Nation students, staff and faculty at a small university in northern Nova Scotia. To maximize the chances of Indigenous students graduating and achieving to their full-potential within post-secondary institutions, we need to stop and ask whether they feel a sense of belonging, connection and cultural safety on-campus. If the answer is ‘No’ or ‘Only in the Aboriginal student centre’, then we need to collaborate with Indigenous students to design and implement interventions. These may involve altering both the physical campus and the way in which non-Native individuals on-campus think about and relate to Indigenous culture and individuals.
Engaging Undergraduates in Social Science Research: The Taking the Pulse of Saskatchewan Project
Authors: Berdahl Loleen
Published: April 2017

Although student involvement in research and inquiry can advance undergraduate learning, there are limited opportunities for undergraduate students to be directly involved in social science research.  Social science faculty typically work outside of laboratory settings, with the limited research assistance work being completed by graduate students.  The challenge, therefore, is to find ways to involve undergraduate social science students in research projects that relate to their field of study and that allow them to develop career-relevant skills. The Taking the Pulse of Saskatchewan project presents a unique model for undergraduate student involvement in social science research.  The project involved over 30 faculty members from across the University of Saskatchewan’s Division of Social Sciences and over 40 undergraduate students.  Students were directly involved in data collection, data analysis, report writing and media communications. Through their involvement, students developed and applied research, inquiry and communications skills.  Drawing on academic literature regarding undergraduate involvement in research, this paper will present an overview of the Taking the Pulse project, and reflect on the lessons of the project.
The Impact of a Required Undergraduate Health and Wellness Course on Students’ Awareness and Knowledge of Physical Activity and Chronic Disease
Authors: Kuruganti Usha
Published: April 2017

As part of the undergraduate curriculum, the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) requires all students to take an undergraduate course in physical activity, health and wellness in their third year of study. This capstone course allows students to integrate concepts from their program regarding physical activity, fitness, and wellness. While students have anecdotally indicated that this course has improved their knowledge of health and wellness, this data had not been quantitatively assessed previously. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the course on students’ views of the impact of physical activity on disease and overall health and wellness. A survey was administered to the students enrolled in the course at the beginning and again at the end of the semester. The survey requested data in four categories; 1) the demographics of the student, 2) students’ knowledge of health agencies and guidelines, 3) students’ physical activity, health and wellness awareness and 4) students’ self-assessment of their knowledge of physical activity and chronic disease. The data showed that, at the end of the course, students felt that they improved in three areas; 1) their knowledge of health agencies and guidelines, 2) their awareness of physical activity and its impact on health and wellness and 3) their knowledge of physical activity and chronic disease. The results of this work provided information on the impact of a required health and wellness course on students’ knowledge of health and suggested that the material in the course helped their overall understanding of health.
Inquiry Guided Learning Projects for the Development of Critical Thinking in the College Classroom: a pilot study
Authors: Bentley Danielle C
Published: April 2017

This paper describes the inaugural success of implementing Inquiry Guided Learning projects in a college-level human anatomy and physiology course. In this context, scientific inquiry was used as a means of developing skills required for critical thinking amoung students. The projects were designed using the Information Search Process (Kuhlthau, 1991) as a framework with emphasis placed on three of the six stages: question selection, scientific research, and presentation of results. The projects were quantitatively assessed using self-reported confidence ratings from a 10-point Likert scale. The projects were also qualitatively assessed using informal student feedback focusing on student suggestions for project improvement. Moving forward, the Inquiry Guided Learning projects will continue to be a formal course component, with the next stage of implementation to include a thorough assessment of student learning outcomes.
A multi-perspective examination of the barriers to field-placement experiences for students with disabilities
Authors: Flanagan Tara , Benson Fiona J , Fovet Frederic
Published: April 2017

In light of the innumerable changes in post-secondary environments that reflect a movement toward inclusive education and a reliance on real-world evaluations in the form of field placements, we report on our findings from a collaborative research project that examines field placement experiences from a variety of perspectives. Our research project, prompted by our own observations of the barriers to equity for field placement students with disabilities at our institution, is an attempt to reflect on our disability service and our teaching and learning practices. We expanded on the traditional focus in the field by creating a multi-dimensional cross-sector collaboration and by including the perspectives of Professional Program Directors, Field Placement Coordinators, and students with disabilities. We found that all stakeholders reported barriers to success in field placement for students with disabilities, saw few solutions, and anticipated the barriers to continue into the world of employment. We discuss these findings in relation to the implications for teaching and learning and for disability service provision in post-secondary institutions.
“There is No Single Right Answer”: The Potential for Active Learning Classrooms to Facilitate Actively Open-minded Thinking
Authors: Chen Victoria
Published: April 2017

Education is meant to open your mind, but is that what universities are really doing? Rather than fostering open-minded thinking, the format of lecturing, the lack of interaction among students and instructors, and the passive nature of learning are likely producing the opposite, students with closed-minds. The development and implementation of Active Learning Classrooms (ALC) has the capability to counteract this negative trend by providing a configuration suited for more collaborative learning and opportunities for students to share their thoughts, hear other perspectives from peers, and have the potential to become more open-minded. A description of a study on students in a fourth year psychology course is provided in which the instructor changed her course in order to use the ALC to its fullest capacity. Students were also given an Actively Open-minded Thinking questionnaire (Stanovich & West, 1997) pre and post course, with results indicating that open-minded thinking increased over the term. Although there are many components that could contribute to this result, the impact that educational spaces may have on student learning are discussed.
The Interplay of Space, Place and Identity: Transforming Our Learning Experiences in an Outdoor Setting
Authors: Cassidy Alice , Wright Alan , Strean William B. , Watson Gavan
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we use a day-long professional development workshop for higher education faculty conducted in an outdoor setting as the starting point for an examination of the value of such activities. We explore the potential benefits, in terms of learning and holistic well-being, of educational activities designed to provide participants with sessions either in the natural environment or the built (urban) environment beyond the four walls of the traditional classroom. Drawing on the literature of ‘place-based learning’, the well-established traditions of some conference organizations, the emerging trend to mount such pre-conference workshops in the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE: Canada) and the feedback of past participants, we explore the nature of these experiences and the various outcomes, grappling with the challenge of identifying tangible ‘takeaways’ at the individual and community levels. We conclude with directions for further analysis of the role of this type of session in terms of conference pedagogy and means of measuring impact on the well-being, outlook, and practices of instructors in higher education.
Initiating Innovation in Post-secondary Institutions – Customizing Teaching and Learning Environments: Collective Reflections from the 2014 Cohort of 3M National Student Fellows
Authors: Carroll Heather , Chandrashekhar Shwetha , Huang Danny , Kim David , Liu Peter
Published: April 2017

In light of the enormous changes unfolding presently in the higher education landscape, we don’t have to look too far to recognize evidence of the transformation and redefinition of the construct of both teaching and learning in the information age. With a growing focus on teaching and learning at all levels of post-secondary institutions, innovation is reflective in the introduction of new learning spaces, state-of-the-art technology-enhanced education, and prominence given to discussions about adapting teaching and learning to the 21st century. Likewise, in this article we examine the reflections, ideas, conversations and exchanges inspired by the cohort’s plenary planning discussions and the current birth of innovation in reshaping Canadian higher education.
Toward Accuracy, Depth and Insight: How Reflective Writing Assignments Can Be Used to Address Multiple Learning Objectives in Small and Large Courses
Authors: Dukewich Kristie R , Vossen Deborah P
Published: April 2017

Writing-to-learn involves the use of low-stakes informal writing activities intended to help students reflect on concepts or ideas presented in a course. Writing-to-learn can be a flexible and effective tool to help students understand and engage with course concepts, and past research has shown that writing-to-learn activities can substantially improve performance on summative assessments. Not only is coherent writing helpful for learning, it is also a skill that students are expected to acquire during their degree. However, it can be a challenge to provide writing opportunities that are both interesting to students and easy for instructors to implement and grade, particularly in courses with a large number of students. Reflective journaling is one method that can address these learning objectives. The versatility of reflective writing means that it can be adapted to suit a number of different disciplines. In this essay, we will explore reflective writing as a subgenre of writing-to-learn activities, summarizing some of the benefits associated with these assignments that have been described in the pedagogical literature. We will then describe how to tailor the assignments to different kinds of disciplines, including STEM courses, professional programs, and the social sciences and humanities. We will provide some guidance on how to resolve tension around marking and feedback for such an assignment. Finally, we will describe our individual experiences with using this kind of assignment in two courses. As there were a number of contextual differences between the two courses, including size and discipline, our commentary is advanced within the specific context supplied by each.
“What Do You Mean I Wrote a C Paper?” Writing, Revision, and Self-Regulation
Authors: Feltham Mark , Sharen Colleen
Published: April 2017

Students often express surprise at their grades on papers. This gap between expectation andachievement may stem in part from lack of facility with revision strategies. How, then, can teacherswork with their students to foster more effective revisions? This question in teaching and learninghas inspired an interdisciplinary collaboration: one of us is a management and leadership professor(Sharen), and the other is an English/communication professor (Feltham). In this essay, we describea research study from winter 2013 in which we explored how a series of interventions improvedstudents’ mindsets about the process of drafting and revising reports for a second-year-universitycourse entitled “Women and Leadership.” After outlining key aspects of this study that we feel are ofgeneral interest, we then present a series of reflective suggestions about how to teach revision derivedfrom both our experiences and a selective survey of the literature on both revision and self-regulation.
Original Undergraduate Research in Classroom Contexts: Student Perceptions of a Scaffolded Approach
Authors: Manarin Karen , McGrath April , Carey Miriam
Published: April 2017

This article describes a model for supporting undergraduate research that can be adapted for very different classroom contexts; we implemented this model in a first-year general education composition class, a second-year Psychology class and a fourth-year English literature seminar. We examine student work created for each class as well as reflections and interviews to explore student attitudes towards and perceptions of research. While the scaffolded approach had an impact on students' understanding of the research process, the effects did not vary significantly by level and context as we had expected.
Emerging Communities of Practice
Authors: McAlister Martha
Published: April 2017

Communities of practice are emerging as an innovative approach to faculty development. While collaborative learning is becoming popular in the classroom, autonomy and individualism continue to dominate the culture of higher education for faculty. However, as we begin to recognize that old solutions to new problems are no longer effective, there is a growing desire for innovative engagement requiring the embrace of multiple perspectives. This takes the development of new habits of mind and discourse. For my dissertation, I engaged in a qualitative study with my colleagues where we experimented with generative approaches to dialogue in a community of practice. It became apparent that creating supportive, collegial spaces where we can explore beyond the edge of what we currently know can help us bridge across differences, harness the potential within diversity, and step into the emerging future. However, it also became apparent that this quality of dialogue is not easy.
Five High-Impact Teaching Practices: A List of Possibilities
Authors: Fink L. Dee
Published: April 2017

If we want our teaching to have a major impact on student learning, what are some ideas that can help us do that? Since 1990, the scholars of teaching and learning have been generating a wealth of new ideas about college-level teaching. All of these are good ideas, but which ones have the most potential to have a high impact on student engagement and student learning? In this article, I offer my list of five high-impact teaching practices. Implementing any one of these can improve almost anyone’s teaching; implementing two or three of them will provide an amazing experience—an experience that will be as exciting for the professor as it will be for the students.
Balancing Openness and Interpretation in Active Listening
Authors: Topornycky Joseph , Golparian Shaya
Published: April 2017

Active listening is an important communication skill in a variety of disciplines and professions, including the profession of Educational Development. In our roles as educational developers, we engage in a variety of processes, all of which rely heavily on the practice of active listening. Emerging strategies of active listening praxis have allowed us to highlight the risks involved in applying techniques of active listening while engaging in our day to day practices as educational developers. In this paper, we share a short historical review of theories and approaches to active listening and identify its two inherent orientations: humanism and professionalism. We highlight openness and interpretation as two pillars of active listening and explore ways of maintaining a balance between those pillars as they relate to techniques of humanism and professionalism. We explain aspects of the interactive session we facilitated during STLHE 2015 where, as a group, we named and discussed ways that active listening could go wrong. We explore ways that we, as educators and educational developers, might recognize when we may be foregrounding technique over listening, and how to correct some of these issues.
The Marketing of Canadian University Rankings: A Misadventure Now 24 Years Old
Authors: Cramer Ken , Page Stewart , Burrows Vanessa , Lamoureux Chastine , Mackay Sarah , Pedri Victoria , Pschibul Rebecca
Published: April 2017

Based on analyses of Maclean’s ranking data pertaining to Canadian universities published over the last 24 years, we present a summary of statistical findings of annual ranking exercises, as well as discussion about their current status and the effects upon student welfare. Some illustrative tables are also presented. Using correlational and cluster analyses, for each year, we have found largely nonsignificant, inconsistent, and uninterpretable relations between rank standings of universities and Maclean’s main measures, as well as between rank standings and the many specific indices used to generate these standings. In our opinion, when assessed in terms of their empirical characteristics, the annual data show generally that this system of ranking is highly limited in terms of its practical or academic value to students. Among other difficulties with the interpretation of ranks, we also discuss the possibility that ranking exercises have unintended, though potentially serious, negative consequences for the intellectual and personal welfare of students.
Flexible Learning Strategies in First through Fourth-Year Courses
Authors: Cassidy Alice , Fu Guopeng , Valley Will , Lomas Cyprien , Jovel Eduardo , Riseman Andrew
Published: April 2017

Flexible Learning (FL) is a pedagogical approach allowing for flexibility of time, place, and audience, including but not solely focused on the use of technologies. We describe Flexible Learning as a pedagogical approach in four courses framed by three key themes: 1) objectives and aspects of course design, 2) evaluation and assessment, and 3) challenges and improvements. Examples of strategies include: digital media-based assignments; iClicker and on-line quizzes; a librarian-created tutorial and links to copyright-cleared readings; use of Calibrated Peer Review as formative feedback; TurnItIn for self-review; wiki sites, group blogs and community work through Community-based Action Research (CBAR) conducted through the pedagogy of Community-Based Experiential-Learning (CBEL). We believe that the transferability of our experiences and findings is most relevant to educators seeking to create learning experiences that increase student engagement with complexity and uncertainty. FL approaches can help educators create learning environments that more closely resemble the contexts that students find upon graduation.
Is Fine Tuning Possible with Grade-Focused Students?
Authors: Frost Gail , Connolly Maureen
Published: April 2017

In our service-learning courses, students work with real people and record and reflect on these experiences, to learn appropriate professional behavior, how to think creatively, and how to respond to changing circumstances. Many of our students are strategic learners, characterized by alertness to assessment and intention to achieve the highest possible grades (Entwistle, Tait, & McCune, 2000). Their need to be correct often overrides the opportunity to explore ideas, troubleshoot, and problem solve. Their slavish allegiance to one correct answer prevents many from engaging in the messy processes of trial and error, formative feedback and assessment, reflection, and refinement (Dewey, 1938). They not only avoid the benefits of proximal learning, they also deny themselves the benefits of cognitive play that Vygotsky (1962) encourages. An end of term binge, their rush to get work done at the eleventh hour, can occur because many seem reluctant to take advantage of formative feedback opportunities (i.e. fine tuning) during the term. Accompanying this binge is the concomitant expectation of immediate feedback from the instructor, and the equally unrealistic expectation of their own spontaneous comprehension of the material without adequate assimilation time. This paper will describe our efforts to implement formative assessment in our classes. We present a number of formative assessment examples, discuss the pros and cons of teaching this way, and suggest some implementation strategies that enhance student motivation and timely engagement.
Successful implementation of rituximab in patients with severe refractory forms granulomatosis with poliangiitis
Authors: Bolpacic Jasna , Savic Nevena , Arandjelovic Snezana , Tomic-Spiric Vesna , Raskovic Sanvila , Peric-Popadic Aleksandra
Published: April 2017

Introduction. Wegeners?s granulomatosis is a disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation of the upper and/or lower respiratory tract, glomerulonephritis with varying degrees of small vessel vasculitis and classic anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (c-ANCA) findings. The treatment uses different modalities of immunosuppressive therapy which does not always lead to remission. We presented the efficacy of biological therapy in a patient with refractory form of the Wegeners?s granulomatosis. Case report. A 23-years-old patient, was treated in August, 2011 at the Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Clinical Center of Serbia because of suppurative otitis media, resulting twice in mastoidectomy. On the day 7 after the surgery, hemoptysis and fever occurred. Considering lung x-ray that showed presence of the round soft-tissue changes on both sides, nonspecific inflammatory syndrome in laboratory analysis and positive c-ANCA (1 : 160) with high titers the antibodies to the proteinase 3 (anti-PR 3), Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed. Due to the fact that administration of glucocorticoids, cyclophosphamide and immunomodulatory dose of immunoglobulin did not lead to clinical remission, it was decided to apply rituximab. After its application clinical remission occurred and it lasted fifteen months. Conclusion. Application of biologic therapy might be successful in the treatment of patients with severe form of refractory granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
Adjunctive effect of the colloidal silver ions solution in the treatment of chronic periodontal disease: A preliminary clinical study
Authors: Kovacevic Vladan , Dakovic Dragana , Bokonjic Dubravko
Published: April 2017

Background/Aim. Bacteria play the most important role in the development of periodontitis and chlorhexidine (CHX) is a ?gold standard? in its treatment. Silver ions are also strong antiseptics, being used in dentistry for a long time. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of CHX and colloidal silver ions solution (SSI) in the treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis. The additional aim was to ascertain silver ions, tolerability and efficacy comparing to CHX. Methods. Twenty-nine examinees of both sexes (the average age 50.6) participated in this study and were divided into two groups. The patients in the first group (n = 15) suffering from a generalized moderate chronic periodontitis, after scaling and root planning (SRP), were treated by rinsing of periodontal pockets with 0.2% solution of CHX. The patients of the second group (n = 14), in addition to the treatment of periodontal pockets, were treated with a 5 mg/mL colloidal SSI. Results. During the periodontal treatment, the mean values of all clinical parameters (except clinical attachment loss ? CAL), in the both groups of patients were statistically significantly lower (p < 0.001) in relation to the initial values. The greater reduction of periodontal bleeching on probing (BOP) depth after one month was found in the SSI treated group (0.97 mm) in relation to the CHX group (0.65 mm). The local application of CHX and SSI led to statistically significant reduction of gingival parameters (gingival index ? GI and BOP) in the groups after the treatment (GI for 0.65 and 0.87; BOP for 0.31 and 0.33, respectively). Conclusion. The results of our study showed that colloidal SSI was at least equally effective in the treatment of patients with periodontal disease as the solution of CHX. Additionally, the SSI is simple for use which speaks in favor of its more extensive use in dentistry including chronic periodontal disease.
Drug Intoxication and the Need to Autopsy: A Diagnosis of Exclusion?
Authors: Fowler David R.
Published: April 2017

The recent surge in drug deaths has focused attention on the diagnosis of drug intoxication as a cause of death. In Maryland, the Department of Vital Records has shown an increase from 649 intoxication deaths in 2012 to 1259 in 2015. Preliminary data for 2016 document 1892 of these deaths. Many of the medicolegal death investigation offices in the United States are facing potential loss of accreditation. There is limited capacity to add more staff due to a lack of appropriately trained pathologists and budget constraints. The diagnosis of this intoxication and the need to autopsy all of these cases is a matter of debate, as many death investigation offices look for alternative means to maintain accreditation. The alternative to adding more staff is to reduce the autopsy caseload. Can this be done without compromising the intent of the medical examiner system and the law? Balancing this with being fiscally responsible may be a very real challenge and one that will test many death investigation systems due to this pandemic of drug deaths. If there is a need to reduce the autopsy caseload, it should be in cases other than where the diagnosis is one of exclusion.
Confronting an Upsurge in Opiate Deaths with Limited Resources
Authors: Andrew Thomas A. , Duval Jennie V.
Published: April 2017

The dramatic increase in drug-related deaths in the last decade has presented fiduciary and logistical difficulties to medicolegal jurisdictions of all types and sizes. New Hampshire, with a centralized state medical examiner system of death investigation, has been confronted with the task of investigating these drug-related deaths against the backdrop of statutory hurdles inhibiting a nimble response to the situation. This has led to a collaborative approach with law enforcement and the state Department of Justice in terms of triaging drug deaths to full autopsy versus external examination with toxicology testing. Preliminary data suggest that between 11 and 13% of suspected drug deaths have an alternative cause of death revealed by autopsy. Positive toxicological findings were documented in 97.5% of cases in which only an external examination was performed; however, some of these cases may have had undetected, significant internal findings that could have accounted for an alternative cause of death if an autopsy had been performed. While the case triage system described has temporarily addressed the acute problem, the issue of the medical examiner's appropriate role in the adequate evaluation of public health and safety remains extant. Furthermore, noncompliance with the National Association of Medical Examiners inspection and accreditation standards puts this agency, and others facing the same issues, at risk of losing full accreditation status until such resource issues are addressed by legislators and other stakeholders in the quality of medicolegal death investigation in the United States.
A Case of Previously Unsuspected Huntington Disease Diagnosed at Autopsy
Authors: Miller Catherine R. , Mambo Nobby C. , Dong Jianli , Campbell Gerald A.
Published: April 2017

Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with a worldwide prevalence of four to ten per 100 000. It is characterized by choreiform movements, behavioral/psychiatric disturbances, and eventual cognitive decline. Symptoms usually present between 30 and 50 years of age and the diagnosis is based on the combination of clinical symptoms, family history, and genetic testing. A variation of HD, juvenile Huntington disease (JHD), presents earlier, with more severe symptoms and with a worse prognosis. Symptoms are different in JHD, with personality changes and learning difficulties being the predominant presenting features. Seizures are common in JHD, and chorea is uncommon; movement disorders at presentation of JHD are predominantly nonchoreiform. The inheritance pattern for both HD and JHD is autosomal dominant and the disease is caused by an elongation of the CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene.

There are many published case reports of Huntington disease that were confirmed at autopsy, but to our knowledge, there are no reports in the literature where the diagnosis of Huntington disease was first made at autopsy. We present a case of a 28-year-old African-American male who was in a state of neglect due to a lifetime of abuse, cognitive difficulties, and seizures, whose cause of death was pneumonia.

The gross autopsy findings included bilateral caudate nucleus atrophy and lateral ventricular dilation. Microscopically, severe bilateral neuronal loss and gliosis of the caudate and putamen nuclei were seen. Genetic testing for the number of CAG repeats confirmed the diagnosis and was consistent with JHD.
Tilting at imaginary windmills: a comment on Tyfield
Authors: Giraud Yann , Weintraub E. Roy
Published: April 2017

In the inaugural issue of this journal, David Tyfield (2008) used some recent discussions about "meaning finitism" to conclude that the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) is an intellectually hopeless basis on which to erect an intelligible study of science. In contrast, the authors show that Tyfield's argument rests on some profound misunderstandings of the SSK. They show that his mischaracterization of SSK is in fact systematic and is based on lines of argument that are at best incoherent.
The scientific method of Sir William Petty
Authors: Ullmer James H.
Published: April 2017

An understanding of the precise nature of the scientific method of Sir William Petty has proved elusive to historians of economic thought, in no small part because of a lack of Petty's own characterization of his scientific approach. This research clarifies the nature of Petty's method, as to whether it was primarily inductive or deductive, and to what extent it relied on empirical foundations. The paper employs a two-pronged analysis. First, it examines the main sources of Petty's method: the works of Sir Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, and the synergistic influences of the Hartlib Circle, the Royal Society, the Dublin Philosophical Society, and the Mersenne group. Second, four of Petty's most noted contributions to political economy are deconstructed in order to identify his scientific method. This research concludes that Petty relied almost exclusively on deduction in his scientific approach and that his analysis does not reveal any inductive reasoning. When data was available, Petty constructed his economic theories on empirical foundations.
Collective intentionality in economics: making Searle's theory of institutional facts relevant for game theory
Authors: Hédoin Cyril
Published: April 2017

Economic theories of team reasoning build on the assumption that agents can sometimes behave according to beliefs or preferences attributed to a group or a team. In this paper, I propose a different framework to introduce collective intentionality into game theory. I build on John Searle’s account, which makes collective intentionality constitutive of institutional facts. I show that as soon as one accepts that institutions (conventions, social norms, legal rules) are required to solve indetermination problems in a game, it is necessary to assume a form of collective intentionality that comes from what I call a common understanding of the situation among the players. This common understanding embodies the epistemic requirements for an institution to be a correlated equilibrium in a game. As a consequence, I question recent claims made by some economists according to which game-theoretic accounts of institutions do not need to assume collective intentionality.
The role of hypothesis testing in the molding of econometric models
Authors: Hoover Kevin D.
Published: April 2017

This paper addresses the role of specification tests in the selection of a statistically admissible model used to evaluate economic hypotheses. The issue is formulated in the context of recent philosophical accounts on the nature of models and related to some results in the literature on specification search. In contrast to enumerative induction and a priori theory, powerful search methodologies are often adequate substitutes for experimental methods. They underwrite and support, rather than distort, statistical hypothesis tests. Their success is grounded in a systematic effort to mold appropriate models to, and test them against, constraints of the data.
Equality of resources, risk, and the ideal market
Authors: Lindblom Lars
Published: April 2017

Ronald Dworkin's theory of equality of resources makes extensive use of markets. I show that all these markets rely on one specific neoclassical conception of the ideal market in full equilibrium, as analyzed by Debreu. This market must be understood as operating under circumstances of certainty, and this is incompatible with several components of Dworkin's account. In particular, it does not allow one to hold people responsible for their option luck, and it implies a high social safety net rather than insurance schemes for addressing brute luck. I conclude by outlining an interpretation of equality of resources that takes the ideal market seriously.
Resolving the small improvement argument: a defense of the axiom of completeness
Authors: Anderson Jack
Published: April 2017

This paper defends the axiom of completeness against a particular incomparabilist objection, the small improvement argument (or SIA). In my view, a theory of choice must admit of a number of folk psychological assumptions, most importantly, that agents conceive of choice options as simplified possible worlds and have preferences between such worlds. In addition, this paper argues that an additional folk psychological assumption allows a trimodal theory of choice to satisfactorily address the concerns about preference-indifference intransitivity raised by the SIA. This additional claim is that agents resolve their consideration of choice options to varying degrees. In my view, the SIA can be answered without abandoning or modifying the axiom of completeness.