Assessment of an iPad-based Sperm Motility Analyzer for Determination of Canine Sperm Motility

The objective of this study was to evaluate the repeatability and accuracy of canine sperm motility (total and progressive) assessment with a tablet-based Canine iSperm ® instrument compared to computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). The experiment used fresh and frozen/thawed canine semen samples for comparisons of semen analysis parameters (concentration, total motility, and progressive motility) between a CASA system, iSperm ®, and NucleoCounter ® SP-100 ™ (concentration) instruments. Spearman’s Rho correlational analysis was used to identify significant associations between motility assessment methods. Significant positive correlations were found between CASA assessment and iSperm ® for both progressive and total motility measurements. We also determined the coefficient of variation (CV) for repeatability of sample analysis for iSperm ® and CASA for fresh sperm, wherein each sample was assessed 10 times on both devices. For fresh and frozen-thawed samples, concentration assessment by iSperm ® showed high variability (CV= 19.9 ± 1.5%). For iSperm ® assessment of total and progressive motility, the CV’s were 6.3 ± 0.5% and 10.7 ± 0.8%, respectively. The results indicate that the iSperm ® application offers an accurate and alternative measurement of motility to traditional CASA analysis, though caution should be taken when assessing concentration due to the high CV observed in this study.

CELBEST Project: Design and Implementation of the First Engineering Education-specific Assessment Tool for Professional Communicative Competence

Following the 2010 review of engineering programs in Canada by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University introduced a number of changes to its undergraduate program in order to align with the new CEAB outcome-based accreditation approach [1-3]. As programs’ accreditation begun to be reviewed for progress toward assessment of graduate attributes (G.A.), the 12 graduate attributes as defined by the CEAB became de facto the undergraduate program outcomes at Memorial. This paper provides an overview of the Faculty’s approach to the development and progressive assessment of communication skills as Graduate Attribute (G.A.: 07) in such a way that is aligned with CEAB accreditation requirements while taking into account the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in its program.

A progressive assessment strategy improves student learning and perceived course quality in undergraduate physiology

In 2010, second-year physiology ( n = 165) had a traditional single 3-h end-of-semester exam. To provide diagnostic feedback earlier, for students enrolled in 2011 ( n = 128), we incorporated an in-class exam at 3 wk in addition to the final exam. Based on initial analysis and positive student comments, for the 2012 cohort ( n = 148), we expanded this to incorporate four 1-h in-class exams every 3 wk plus a short final integrative exam. Average scores from exams and questionnaires (student evaluations of learning and teaching, 10 questions) were compared among 2010, 2011, and 2012 cohorts. We also compared scores in the practical component of the course, which had a constant format for all cohorts. Data are given as means ± SD; statistical analyses were done with unpaired two-way Students t-tests. From 2010 to 2012, there was a significant improvement in total exam scores (59.7 ± 15.8 vs. 68.6 ± 14.2, P < 0.001) but no significant change in total practical scores (72.3 ± 9.0 vs. 74.4 ± 10.2, P = 0.05), indicating that the rise in exam score was not due to higher academic abilities of the 2012 cohort. Overall mean student evaluation of learning and teaching responses (4.9 ± 0.4 vs. 5.3 ± 0.3, P = 0.015) and overall percent broad agreement (66.0 ± 8.0 vs. 79.2 ± 7.5, P = 0.003) indicated a significant improvement in student satisfaction. In conclusion, both learning outcome and perceived course quality were enhanced by the increased frequency of examinations, possibly by promoting consistent student study habits.