scholarly journals The iPortfolio: Measuring uptake and effective use of an institutional electronic portfolio in higher education

Author(s):  
Brian R Von Konsky ◽  
Beverley Oliver

<span>An institutional electronic portfolio called the </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> had over 17,000 subscribers one year after its introduction at an Australian university. This paper reports on a study to determine how students use these </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> accounts, and factors leading to uptake and effective use. Self-assessed competence with technology skills, factors motivating uptake, and barriers to adoption were examined using an online survey completed by 554 students. Of these, 339 had an </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> at the time they completed the survey. Survey results were examined in the context of usage patterns based on data automatically collected for operational and administrative purposes. No statistically significant difference in prior technology use or self-assessed competence with information technology was observed when comparing students with </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> accounts to those without. Assessment was found to be the principal driver of</span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> uptake. However, about two-fifths (42.9%) of students agreed that they were likely to use the </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> in the future, even if it was not a course requirement. An additional 29.6% were neutral. Significant use of the </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> to reflect on extracurricular activities was not observed. Improved employability outcomes were seen to be a benefit of </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> adoption by about half (52%) of the students. Recommendations are made to promote </span><em>iPortfolio</em><span> uptake and encourage student reflection on 'lifewide' experiences that enhance employability and augment learning within the formal curriculum.</span>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schröder ◽  
Charly Gaul ◽  
Attyla Drabik ◽  
Albrecht Molsberger

Abstract Background and Objective:Applying local treatments like neuromodulation or injections for cluster headache, requires exact knowledge of the anatomical structures and pain topography. However studies with emphasis on exact pain localization are rare although local treatments are increasingly used for patients in whom systemic pharmacotherapy is ineffective or contraindicated. Here, survey results with emphasis on exact pain location in cluster headache attacks for onset of pain, peak pain and radiation of pain, are presented. Methods: Data from 631 respondents were collected for 23 months using an online survey composed of 117 questions on pain location, epidemiology, and clinical features. 5260 datapoints on 44 pain locations were analyzed.Results: There is a periorbital concentration of pain during onset and peak phases of attacks. Pain locations outside the periorbital region were reported more frequently during radiation when compared to the onset and peak of attacks. Dorsal (occipital/nuchal) pain is more frequent during onset and radiation compared to peak: onset pain (13%) vs. peak pain (6%), p < 0,001. Pain radiation (22%) vs. peak pain (6%), p < 0,001. There is no significant difference in dorsal pain frequencies for pain radiation (22%) vs. onset (13%), p = 0,552. Furthermore, single pain spots differ significantly in frequency during the three attack phases.Conclusions: Analysis of the pain location data shows phase specific frequencies and distributions of pain location during the three stages of a cluster headache attack. Single pain spots differ significantly in frequency during the three attack phases. Dorsal pain is more frequent during onset and radiation, compared to peak. Extra-orbital pain locations are more frequent during pain radiation. These findings will help to better understand cluster headache and might help to identify further target structures for local treatments.



2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liese Exelmans ◽  
Holly Scott

This study expands knowledge on the effects of technology use on sleep by (1) focusing onsocial media use in an adult sample, (2) investigating the difference between overall andnighttime-specific social media use with regards to sleep, and (3) exploring a vulnerabilityperspective. For the latter, the moderating roles of gender, age, and habitual social mediachecking behavior were examined. A representative quota sample of 584 adults (18-96 yearsold) participated in an online survey. Results indicated that 2 out of 3 adults used socialmedia, and that use both shortly before and in bed was prevalent. Only nighttime use wasassociated with poorer sleep quality. Age and habitual checking behavior moderated thisassociation, identifying younger adults and those with strong checking habits as possiblevulnerable groups for poor sleep. The findings are interpreted in light of existing research onmedia habits and problematic (social) media use.



2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Sloka ◽  
W EM Pryse-Phillips ◽  
M Stefanelli

Background Previously, multiple sclerosis (MS) has been thought to be associated with changes in hormone levels. This study investigates the association between the age of menarche and the age of onset of the first symptoms of MS. Methods A complete list of patients diagnosed with MS in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador was constructed. The age of menarche for our entire relapsing remitting female MS (RRMS) population was requested by mailout survey. Age of symptom onset was ascertained by chart review. Results A 74% rate of return on the survey results was obtained (150 RRMS patients). A linear regression model demonstrated that the age of first symptoms increased by 1.16 years as the age of menarche increased by one year (R2=0.69, P=0.04). Another analysis showed that the average age of first symptoms for women with reported menarche from 10 to 12 years was 28.96 years compared with 31.83 years for a reported menarche from 13 to 15 years, a significant difference ( P=0.047, t-test). Conclusions This study suggests that menarche may be related to the pathogenesis of MS.



2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-478
Author(s):  
Sarah Allen ◽  
Robert Mayo

Purpose School-aged children with hearing loss are best served by a multidisciplinary team of professionals. The purpose of this research was to assess school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perceptions of their access to, involvement of, and working relationships with educational audiologists in their current work setting. Method An online survey was developed and distributed to school-based SLPs in North Carolina. Results A significant difference in access to and involvement of educational audiologists across the state was found. Conclusions This research contributes to professional knowledge by providing information about current perceptions in the field about interprofessional practice in a school-based setting. Overall, SLPs reported positive feelings about their working relationship with educational audiologists and feel the workload is distributed fairly.



VASA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 484-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Barker ◽  
Felicity Evison ◽  
Ruth Benson ◽  
Alok Tiwari

Abstract. Background: The invasive management of varicose veins has a known risk of post-operative deep venous thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate absolute and relative risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following commonly used varicose vein procedures. Patients and methods: A retrospective analysis of secondary data using Hospital Episode Statistics database was performed for all varicose vein procedures performed between 2003 and 2013 and all readmissions for VTE in the same patients within 30 days, 90 days, and one year. Comparison of the incidence of VTEs between procedures was performed using a Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Results: In total, 261,169 varicose vein procedures were performed during the period studied. There were 686 VTEs recorded at 30 days (0.26 % incidence), 884 at 90 days (0.34 % incidence), and 1,246 at one year (0.48 % incidence). The VTE incidence for different procedures was between 0.15–0.35 % at 30 days, 0.26–0.50 % at 90 days, and 0.46–0.58 % at one year. At 30 days there was a significantly lower incidence of VTEs for foam sclerotherapy compared to other procedures (p = 0.01). There was no difference in VTE incidence between procedures at 90 days (p = 0.13) or one year (p = 0.16). Conclusions: Patients undergoing varicose vein procedures have a small but appreciable increased risk of VTE compared to the general population, with the effect persisting at one year. Foam sclerotherapy had a lower incidence of VTE compared to other procedures at 30 days, but this effect did not persist at 90 days or at one year. There was no other significant difference in the incidence of VTE between open, endovenous, and foam sclerotherapy treatments.



2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Christina M. Rudin-Brown ◽  
Eve Mitsopoulos-Rubens ◽  
Michael G. Lenné

Random testing for alcohol and other drugs (AODs) in individuals who perform safety-sensitive activities as part of their aviation role was introduced in Australia in April 2009. One year later, an online survey (N = 2,226) was conducted to investigate attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge regarding random testing and to gauge perceptions regarding its effectiveness. Private, recreational, and student pilots were less likely than industry personnel to report being aware of the requirement (86.5% versus 97.1%), to have undergone testing (76.5% versus 96.1%), and to know of others who had undergone testing (39.9% versus 84.3%), and they had more positive attitudes toward random testing than industry personnel. However, logistic regression analyses indicated that random testing is more effective at deterring AOD use among industry personnel.



1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (05) ◽  
pp. 1327-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A Kyrle ◽  
Andreas Stümpflen ◽  
Mirko Hirschl ◽  
Christine Bialonczyk ◽  
Kurt Herkner ◽  
...  

SummaryIncreased thrombin generation occurs in many individuals with inherited defects in the antithrombin or protein C anticoagulant pathways and is also seen in patients with thrombosis without a defined clotting abnormality. Hyperhomocysteinemia (H-HC) is an important risk factor of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We prospectively followed 48 patients with H-HC (median age 62 years, range 26-83; 18 males) and 183 patients (median age 50 years, range 18-85; 83 males) without H-HC for a period of up to one year. Prothrombin fragment Fl+2 (Fl+2) was determined in the patient’s plasma as a measure of thrombin generation during and at several time points after discontinuation of secondary thromboprophylaxis with oral anticoagulants. While on anticoagulants, patients with H-HC had significantly higher Fl+2 levels than patients without H-HC (mean 0.52 ± 0.49 nmol/1, median 0.4, range 0.2-2.8, versus 0.36 ± 0.2 nmol/1, median 0.3, range 0.1-2.1; p = 0.02). Three weeks and 3,6,9 and 12 months after discontinuation of oral anticoagulants, up to 20% of the patients with H-HC and 5 to 6% without H-HC had higher Fl+2 levels than a corresponding age- and sex-matched control group. 16% of the patients with H-HC and 4% of the patients without H-HC had either Fl+2 levels above the upper limit of normal controls at least at 2 occasions or (an) elevated Fl+2 level(s) followed by recurrent VTE. No statistical significant difference in the Fl+2 levels was seen between patients with and without H-HC. We conclude that a permanent hemostatic system activation is detectable in a proportion of patients with H-HC after discontinuation of oral anticoagulant therapy following VTE. Furthermore, secondary thromboprophylaxis with conventional doses of oral anticoagulants may not be sufficient to suppress hemostatic system activation in patients with H-HC.



2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Ning Sa ◽  
Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan

AbstractWith the development of mobile technologies, voice search is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. By investigating the general usage of voice search and user perception about voice search systems, this research aims to understand users’ voice search behavior. We are particularly interested in how users perform voice search, their topics of interest, and their preference toward voice search. We elicit users’ opinions by asking them to fill out an online survey. Results indicated that participants liked voice search because it was convenient. However, voice search was used much less frequently than keyboard search. The success rate of voice search was low, and the participants usually gave up voice search or switched to keyboard search. They tended to perform voice search when they were driving or walking. Moreover, the participants mainly used voice search for simple tasks on mobile devices. The main reasons why participants disliked voice search are attributed to the system mistakes and the fact that they were unable to modify the queries.



2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Garg

Objective: The aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between income, subjective wellbeing, and culture among people from a higher socio-economic class across the world. Rationale: Ed Diener proposed the law of diminishing marginal utility as an explanation for differences in subjective wellbeing among different income groups across different countries (Diener, Ng, &amp; Tov, Balance in life and declining marginal utility of diverse resources, 2009). Thus, people with higher incomes would experience less subjective wellbeing due to income, and culture should emerge as a significant predictor. Method: Data from this study came from another study (https://siddharthgargblog.wordpress.com/2019/07/14/love-for-money/). I used an online survey to collect data on annual income in US dollars, subjective wellbeing (WHO-5), and country of residence (Indicator of Culture). 96 responses (Indians = 24, Foreigners = 72) were entered in IBM SPSS and a regression analysis was conducted. The raw dataset used in this study can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8869040.v1Results: ANOVA showed a significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) between Indians and foreigners on levels of subjective wellbeing. Linear regression shows the regression coefficient of culture to be significant (Beta = -.254, p = .014) but the regression coefficient of income was not found to be significant. The overall model was found to explain 8.2% of the variance in wellbeing.Conclusion: The sample of this study is too small to make any kind of generalization; it does lend a little bit of support to the idea of diminishing marginal utility of income on subjective wellbeing and provides a rationale for further research.



2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Apar Pokharel ◽  
Naganawalachullu Jaya Prakash Mayya ◽  
Nabin Gautam

Introduction: Deviated nasal septum is one of the most common causes for the nasal obstruction. The objective of this study is to compare the surgical outcomes in patients undergoing conventional septoplasty and endoscopic septoplasty in the management of deviated nasal septum. Methods:  Prospective comparative study was conducted on 60 patients who presented to the Department of ENT, College of Medical sciences, during a period of one year. The severity of the symptoms was subjectively assessed using NOSE score and objectively assessed using modified Gertner plate. Results: There was significant improvement in functional outcome like NOSE Score and area over the Gertner plate among patients who underwent endoscopic septoplasty. Significant difference in incidence of post-operative nasal synechae and haemorrhage was seen in conventional group compared to endoscopic group. Conclusions: Endoscopic surgery is an evolutionary step towards solving the problems related to deviated nasal septum. It is safe, effective and conservative, alternative to conventional septal surgery.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document