Designing, Developing, and Evaluation of a Germane Load-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Program for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Objectives: The current study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a germane load-based cognitive rehabilitation program designed for students with special learning disabilities. Methods: The exploratory, descriptive method was used for designing the program. Thematic analysis (Sterling (2001)) was used to estimate the germane load themes. Based on the previous studies, 85 specific germane load codes were identified and evaluated. According to the results, the Multimedia Principle in germane load, Multi-personalization principle, and the Feedback principle consisted of 16, 17, 12 basic themes, respectively. Besides, the Reflection principle, as the most important learning principle in germane load, contained 17 basic themes, and the Guided Activity principle consisted of 8 basic themes. The content validity method was used to validate the program, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with a panel of 10 experts as well as two relative content validity coefficients (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). Results: The minimum and maximum content validity index (CVI) for each article or program component are 0.8 and 1, respectively, and the minimum and maximum content validity index (CVR) for each article or program component are 0.7 and 1, respectively. Conclusions: The results showed that the germane load-based cognitive rehabilitation program for students with special learning disabilities has appropriate content validity as well as the necessary validity for educational, clinical, and research purposes.

South Dakota State University Beef 2020 increases participant knowledge of the beef industry1

South Dakota State University has developed a hands-on program that addresses the preharvest management factors that influence beef carcass value to aid producers in their management and marketing decisions. The 3-d program includes live cattle and carcass evaluation, beef carcass fabrication, a harvest demonstration, sensory panel, and presentations on topics including live market cattle evaluation, health, and disposition in relation to carcass quality, feeding and management, and value-added beef cuts. To evaluate program effectiveness, data were collected from all programs held between 2013 and 2019. Participants were asked to evaluate their perceived value for each program component, as well as their knowledge of the industry prior to and after completing the program. Upon completion of the 2018 Beef 2020, a focus group of program alumni was assembled to better understand participant experiences, application of the material, and guide future programming. The recommendations of the focus group were implemented during the 2019 program. Component value scores are reported in a box and whisker plot and participant knowledge was evaluated using a paired t-test with significance determined at P < 0.05. Special attention was given to the results of 2019 compared to previous years to determine the efficacy of the program changes. Overall, the average value scores for the sessions all ranked above 8 on a scale of 1–10, indicating a relatively large value to participants. Knowledge of carcass traits, carcass value, and management factors that influence those traits increased after participation in the Beef 2020 program (5.18 vs. 7.67 ± 0.16; P < 0.0001). The use of a focus group was concluded to be an effective means of assessing program value, strengths, and weaknesses. The Beef 2020 program can be used as a model for other Extension professionals to create programs intended to link livestock producers to their end products.

Status and Challenges of the National Service Training Program and Its Impact on Values Formation

National Service Training Program (NSTP) is a very significant factor in the values formation of students. The study determined the status and challenges of NSTP and its impact on students’ values formation. The respondents were 349 NSTP graduates from school year 2013-2014. A set of researcher-made survey questionnaire was used as tool in data gathering. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used a descriptive statistics and Man-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis H Test at 0.05 alpha were employed as inferential statistics. All statistical computations were processed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results showed that the status of NSTP implementation as perceived by students as a whole and when grouped as to sex and program component was “good” and when classified as to course, Fisheries rated “excellent”. As to challenges of NSTP implementation, the Fisheries rated “serious” and when classified as to course, “very serious”. The impact of NSTP on students’ values formation as a whole and classified as to variables was “high.” No significance difference on the level of challenges was noted when variables were classified into sex and program component but a significant difference as to course. The good values of students at UA are greatly influenced by the program policies of NSTP training.

Choosing Illustrations of Spider (Faces) for Best First Impressions in Natural History Interpretive Programs A Program Component Analysis

This study demonstrates that faces of spiders that are neotenic are perceived as less scary than others, if not cute. A convenience sample of adults (n=69) at a university distributed 15 photographs spider faces along a ruler based on perceived scariness. Six of the seven photographs of jumping spiders (Family Salticidae) were ranked as least scary. Results suggest that using illustrations of jumping spiders to create a positive affective first impression in interpretive programs about spiders is a reasonable assumption. Spiders in the jumping spider family may be viewed as a –gateway spider.” This study illustrates a research and design approach termed Program Component Analysis (PCA), in which a design question for only a component of a program is subjected to systematic analysis.

A Strategic Document on Monetary Policy for the Period of the Inflation Targeting Adoption in Ukraine

The article explains why the Main Guidelines of Monetary Policy need to be adopted in a new format: A monetary policy strategy for 2016-2020. This document must combine the program component (goals, objectives and ways of achieving them) and communication component (explanations in understandable format). Based on international experience of inflation targeting central banks in devising strategic documents on monetary policy, the article offers a format of this document for Ukraine and the key provisions it should include. In particular, it explains the approaches to setting the document’s goals, use of the instruments necessary to achieve these goals, decision making procedures, declarations and application of an exchange rate regime, and also communication of monetary decision-making.