Objective: The purposes of this study were (a) to determine whether or not undergraduate athletic training educators are writing learning objectives that foster critical thinking (CT) skills, and (b) to determine if their written assignments and written examinations are measuring the extent to which students have developed CT skills. Design and Setting: Thirty institutions seeking accreditation for their athletic training programs from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs in the 1994-95 academic year were asked to provide their curriculum materials (course syllabus, two to three examinations, or both from each athletic training-specific course). Subjects: Thirteen curriculum directors (43%) provided materials. Measurements: Each learning objective, examination question, and written assignment was classified as either CT or non-critical thinking (NCT) using Bloom's taxonomy. Results: From 64 usable syllabi, a total of 678 learning objectives were classified as either CT (52%) or NCT (48%). From 81 written examinations, 3215 questions were classified as either CT (14%) or NCT (86%). In addition, a total of 143 written assignments were all classified as CT. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that educators fostered more CT in their learning objectives and written assignments than in their written exams. Valid educational instruments (eg, Bloom's taxonomy) may help educators design learning objectives, assignments, and examinations.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Aaron H. Carlstrom / This study extends existing student ratings research by exploring how teaching methods, individually and collectively, influence a minimum standard of student achievement on learning objectives and how class size impacts this influence. Twenty teaching methods were used to predict substantial or exceptional progress on each of 12 learning objectives. Analyses were conducted in four class-size groups, Small (between 10-14 students), Medium (between 15-34 students), Large (between 35-49 students), and Very Large (50 or more students). Archival data were over 580,000 classes of instructors and students who responded to two instruments within the IDEA Student Rating of Instruction system: Instructors completed the Faculty Information Form, and students responded to the Student Ratings Diagnostic Form. Significant progress, for the purpose of this study, means students indicated they made either substantial or exceptional progress on learning objectives the instructor identified as relevant to the course. Therefore, student ratings of progress were dichotomized and binary logistic regression was conducted on the dummy variables. Descriptive statistics and point-biserial correlations were also conducted to test the hypotheses. Teaching methods that stimulated student interest were found to be among the strongest predictors of significant progress on the majority of learning objectives across all class sizes. For all class sizes, significant progress was correctly classified from a low of 76% of the time to a high of 90% of the time. The higher students rated the instructor in stimulating them to intellectual effort the more progress they reported on a majority of learning objectives across all class sizes. Higher instructor ratings on inspiring students to set and achieve challenging goals were also associated with significant student progress on learning objectives across all class sizes. Class size was not a major factor affecting the predictive strength of groups of teaching methods on student progress on learning objectives. However, it was a factor concerning the predictive strength of individual teaching methods. The larger the enrollment the greater was the predictive strength of key teaching methods. Implications of the study for faculty professional development and for future research are discussed.

Thesis advisor: Henry I. Braun / With teachers being largely held accountable for student learning outcomes, it is of critical importance to identify effective and ineffective teachers through the development and implementation of a successful teacher evaluation system. Addressing the call to explore indicators of teacher effectiveness and enhance the traditional methods and practices of teacher evaluation, this study extends current efforts investigating different approaches to measuring teacher effectiveness through exploration of the relationship between two indicators of teacher effectiveness: the value-added estimates based on student test performance and growth, and the quality of student learning objectives (SLO) developed by teachers. It uses data from a large school district in North Carolina, comprising student achievement outcomes in mathematics and reading across five grades and three years. Different hierarchical linear models are employed to obtain teachers' VAM estimates with regression adjustments for prior years of achievement, student background characteristics, and teacher level covariate adjusted for each set of models. Weighted Least Squares (WLS) analysis, logistic regression, and point-biserial analysis are used to examine the variations in the relationships among teachers' VAM estimates, SLO quality and SLO attainment status across years and grades. The HLM results revealed fluctuations in teachers' VAM rankings obtained at different stages of the model sequence that caused the correlations with SLO quality to vary as well. The WLS results indicated that the correlations between VAM and SLO quality also varied across years and grades. Further data analysis revealed generally weak associations between SLO quality and attainment status, as well as those between teachers' VAM estimates and whether their SLOs were achieved. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

abstract: Academia is not what it used to be. In today’s fast-paced world, requirements are constantly changing, and adapting to these changes in an academic curriculum can be challenging. Given a specific aspect of a domain, there can be various levels of proficiency that can be achieved by the students. Considering the wide array of needs, diverse groups need customized course curriculum. The need for having an archetype to design a course focusing on the outcomes paved the way for Outcome-based Education (OBE). OBE focuses on the outcomes as opposed to the traditional way of following a process [23]. According to D. Clark, the major reason for the creation of Bloom’s taxonomy was not only to stimulate and inspire a higher quality of thinking in academia – incorporating not just the basic fact-learning and application, but also to evaluate and analyze on the facts and its applications [7]. Instructional Module Development System (IMODS) is the culmination of both these models – Bloom’s Taxonomy and OBE. It is an open-source web-based software that has been developed on the principles of OBE and Bloom’s Taxonomy. It guides an instructor, step-by-step, through an outcomes-based process as they define the learning objectives, the content to be covered and develop an instruction and assessment plan. The tool also provides the user with a repository of techniques based on the choices made by them regarding the level of learning while defining the objectives. This helps in maintaining alignment among all the components of the course design. The tool also generates documentation to support the course design and provide feedback when the course is lacking in certain aspects. It is not just enough to come up with a model that theoretically facilitates effective result-oriented course design. There should be facts, experiments and proof that any model succeeds in achieving what it aims to achieve. And thus, there are two research objectives of this thesis: (i) design a feature for course design feedback and evaluate its effectiveness; (ii) evaluate the usefulness of a tool like IMODS on various aspects – (a) the effectiveness of the tool in educating instructors on OBE; (b) the effectiveness of the tool in providing appropriate and efficient pedagogy and assessment techniques; (c) the effectiveness of the tool in building the learning objectives; (d) effectiveness of the tool in document generation; (e) Usability of the tool; (f) the effectiveness of OBE on course design and expected student outcomes. The thesis presents a detailed algorithm for course design feedback, its pseudocode, a description and proof of the correctness of the feature, methods used for evaluation of the tool, experiments for evaluation and analysis of the obtained results. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Software Engineering 2018

Enligt Svenska Barnmorskeförbundet arbetar barnmorskor i Sverige inom området reproduktiv, perinatal och sexuell hälsa. Det breda kompetensområdet inkluderar möten med såväl kvinnor som män. Dagens svenska barnmorskeutbildning är på avancerad nivå och omfattar 90 högskolepoäng. Den genererar en ny yrkesexamen och yrkeslegitimation som barnmorska, samt magisterexamen i reproduktiv, perinatal och sexuell hälsa. I en svensk studie uttryckte barnmorskor att de hade bristande kunskap om mäns reproduktiva och sexuella hälsa och de önskade vidareutbildning i andrologi. Barnmorskor upplevde också att män uppvisar kunskapsbrister inom konception och reproduktion. I en annan studie uttryckte män att de upplevde sig begränsade att söka hälso- och sjukvård på grund av maskulinitetsnormer.  Syftet med föreliggande studie var att utforska lärandemål om mäns reproduktiva, perinatala och sexuella hälsa i relation till begreppsanvändning, vid barnmorskeprogram i Sverige.   Föreliggande studie baseras på kvalitativ metod med en induktiv ansats. Urvalet utgjordes av utbildnings- och kursplaner från samtliga 12 lärosäten som erbjuder barnmorskeutbildning i Sverige. Dataanalysen genomfördes med hjälp av en manifest och en summativ innehållsanalys av lärandemålen.   Den summativa innehållsanalysen visade bland annat att män benämns totalt fem gånger i lärandemålen från 12 stycken utbildningsplaner och 105 stycken kursplaner. Resultatet från den manifesta innehållsanalysen visade att barnmorskestudenten ska erhålla kunskap om den humanistiska människosynen och mänskliga rättigheter, mäns hälsa under den reproduktiva livscykelns alla faser och kunna stödja och verka för en god sexuell, reproduktiv och perinatal hälsa. Barnmorskans främjande arbete för föräldrar, familjen, närstående, partners och ungdomars reproduktiva, perinatala och sexuella hälsa tydliggjordes som kunskapsområden. Det framkom även att barnmorskan ska ha kunskap om föräldrautbildning till blivande och nyblivna föräldrar och föräldrars behov av individuellt stöd. Vidare kunskap om familjehälsovård, helhetssyn på patienten, närståendes autonomi och delaktighet samt partnerns eller parets behov av vård.  Föreliggande studies slutsats var att lärandemålen i svensk barnmorskeutbildning innefattar kunskap om män som patienter, föräldrar, familjemedlemmar, närstående, partners, individer och ungdomar. Barnmorskan ska kunna bemöta män under hela deras livscykel vilket förutsätter både kunskap och att vara tillgänglig för män som har behov av barnmorskans kompetens. Resultatet skapar implikationer om förtydligande från såväl profession som lärosäten om män som patientgrupp i såväl dagsläget som i framtiden. / According to the Swedish Midwifery Association midwives in Sweden work in the area of reproductive, perinatal and sexual health. The broad area of ​​expertise includes meetings with both women and men. Today's Swedish midwifery education is at an advanced level and comprises 90 higher education credits. It generates a new professional degree and professional credentials as a midwife, as well as a master's degree in reproductive, perinatal and sexual health. In a Swedish study, midwives expressed that they had a lack of knowledge about men's reproductive and sexual health and they wanted further education in andrology. Midwives also experienced that men experience lack of knowledge in conception and reproduction. In another study, men expressed that they felt limited to seeking health care due to masculinity norms. The aim of the present study was to explore learning objectives about men's reproductive, perinatal and sexual health in relation to concept use, in midwifery programs in Sweden. The present study is based on a qualitative method with an inductive approach. The selection consisted of education and curriculum plans from all 12 higher education institutions that offer midwifery education in Sweden. The data analysis was carried out with the help of a manifest and a summative content analysis of the learning objectives. The summative content analysis showed, among other things, that men are named a total of five times in the learning objectives from 12 educational plans and 105 curriculum plans. The results from the manifest content analysis showed that the midwifery student should gain knowledge about the humanistic view of human beings and human rights, men's health during all phases of the reproductive life cycle and be able to support and work for good reproductive, perinatal and sexual health. The midwife's preventive work for parents, the family, relatives, partners and adolescents’ reproductive, perinatal and sexual health was clarified as areas of knowledge. It also emerged that the midwife must have knowledge of parent education for expectant and new parents and parents' need for individual support. Further knowledge of family health care, a holistic view of the patient, relatives' autonomy and participation, and the partner's or couple's need for care. The present study concluded that the learning objectives in Swedish midwifery education include knowledge about men as patients, parents, family members, relatives, partners, individuals and adolescents. The midwife must be able to meet men throughout their life cycle, which presupposes both knowledge and accessibility to men who need the midwife's care. The result creates implications for clarification from both the profession and higher education institutions about men as a patient group in the current situation as well as in the future.

The aims of the present study were to explore how teachers in upper-secondary school choose and use literary texts and genres in their teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL), what their attitudes are towards the role of literature in reaching the learning objectives and what implications their textual choices have for  literature teaching in general. Six people participated in the study, three male and three female upper-secondary school teachers in Sweden with English as one of their main subjects. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with questions focusing on how the teachers use literary texts in order to teach English in the courses English 5, 6 and 7. The data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The identified themes were teachers’ general attitudes to literature teaching, learning objectives taught implicitly through literature and teachers’ basis for literary choices. The main conclusions drawn from this study were that in most of these cases, factors such as relatability and degree of intelligible input overrode canonicity in EFL literature teaching.

The quality of biospecimens stored in a biobank depends tremendously on the technical personnel responsible for processing, storage, and release of biospecimens. Adequate training of these biobank employees would allow harmonization of correct sample handling and thus ensure a high and comparable quality of samples across biobank locations. However, in Germany there are no specific training opportunities for technical biobank staff. To understand the educational needs of the technical personnel a web-based survey was sent to all national biobanks via established e-mail registers. In total, 79 biobank employees completed the survey, including 43 technicians. The majority of the participating technical personnel stated that they had worked in a biobank for less than three years and had never participated in an advanced training. Three-quarters of the technicians indicated that they were not able to understand English content instantly. Based on these results and the results of a workshop with 16 biobank technicians, 41 learning objectives were formulated. These learning objectives can be used as a basis for advanced training programs for technical personnel in biobanks. Setting up courses based on the identified learning objectives for this group of biobank staff could contribute to harmonization and sustainability of biospecimen quality.

yes / This paper considers the importance of applying sound instructional systems design to the development of a learning intervention aimed at developing skills for the effective deployment of an enhanced methodology for engineering systems design analysis within a Product Development context. The leading features of the learning intervention are summarised including the content and design of a training course for senior engineering management which is central to the intervention. The importance of promoting behavioural change by fostering meaningful learning as a collaborative process is discussed. Comparison is made between the instructional design of the corporate learning intervention being developed and the systems engineering based product design process which is the subject of the intervention.

Teacher evaluation is changing in the United States, primarily due to federal policies requiring that measures of student growth be embedded within teacher evaluation systems. Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) emerged as one way to measure teacher effectiveness. SLOs are teacher-developed goals for student achievement that reflect student learning and growth over a specified time period. Each state or district utilizing SLOs in teacher evaluation implements SLOs in a different way, and the details of SLO implementation affect the extent to which teaching is improved. This grounded theory research study investigated the influence of SLOs on teachers and teaching. The researcher interviewed 20 teachers from six regions of the United States. This research identified three dimensions of SLO implementation that influence SLOs' effect: School Leadership, School Climate and Teacher Agency. These dimensions are explored in this research, resulting in recommendations that would serve to enhance the benefits of SLOs on teachers and teaching. Additionally, future research suggestions are noted to add to the growing body of research on SLOs.