Background: In a computed protein multiple sequence alignment, the coreness of a column is the fraction of its substitutions that are in so-called core columns of the gold-standard reference alignment of its proteins. In benchmark suites of protein reference alignments, the core columns of the reference alignment are those that can be confidently labeled as correct, usually due to all residues in the column being sufficiently close in the spatial superposition of the known three-dimensional structures of the proteins. Typically the accuracy of a protein multiple sequence alignment that has been computed for a benchmark is only measured with respect to the core columns of the reference alignment. When computing an alignment in practice, however, a reference alignment is not known, so the coreness of its columns can only be predicted. Results: We develop for the first time a predictor of column coreness for protein multiple sequence alignments. This allows us to predict which columns of a computed alignment are core, and hence better estimate the alignment's accuracy. Our approach to predicting coreness is similar to nearest-neighbor classification from machine learning, except we transform nearest-neighbor distances into a coreness prediction via a regression function, and we learn an appropriate distance function through a new optimization formulation that solves a large-scale linear programming problem. We apply our coreness predictor to parameter advising, the task of choosing parameter values for an aligner's scoring function to obtain a more accurate alignment of a specific set of sequences. We show that for this task, our predictor strongly outperforms other column-confidence estimators from the literature, and affords a substantial boost in alignment accuracy.

This study is concerned with the problem of providing a program of formal advising for aiding elementary education majors in their selection of an academic area of specialization. .

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Kenneth F. Hughey / In academic courses, assessment is used to evaluate the effect of teaching on student learning. Academic advising has been viewed as a form of teaching (Crookston, 1972); therefore, it is necessary to assess the effect of academic advising on student learning. The best practices of assessment of academic achievement involve three key steps: the identification of student learning outcomes (i.e., what is assessed), the development and use of good measures of student learning (i.e., how assessment is conducted), and the use of sound professional judgment to understand the information gathered and to make changes to improve student learning (i.e., how assessment results are used). However, the assessment of academic advising is often minimal, narrow, and inconsistent. Further, when assessment of academic advising is conducted, it is most commonly a survey of student satisfaction of their advising experience (Carlstrom, 2012; Habley, 2004; Macaruso, 2007; Robbins, 2009). The purpose of this study was to learn about the assessment practices in the profession by surveying those who conducted or were responsible for assessment of academic advising. The study found that 80% of participants had identified academic advising student learning outcomes in their situation. The most frequently reported outcome was that students would know degree requirements. A little over half of the participants who identified student learning outcomes assessed the achievement of those outcomes and student surveys were the most frequently reported measure used. Seven percent of participants reported to use three or more measures to assess student learning outcomes. Multiple measures are needed in assessing outcomes to gather comprehensive evidence of outcomes achievement. Sixty percent of participants reported they used assessment information to make decisions regarding improvement of services and student learning. The most frequently reported use of information was making revisions to the advising process/delivery outcomes. The results of the survey indicated that participants viewed advisors’ belief in assessment as important to facilitating assessment of academic advising. They also viewed administrators’ use of information in making decisions and changes to improve advising practices and increase student learning as important.

Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / Abstract Intrusive advising is a concept that developed in the 1970s as a method of working with at-risk students by identifying challenges they faced and solutions to overcome them (Backhus, 1989). Intrusive contacts are those that make early, unsolicited contact with students in the hopes of identifying and resolving academic and social obstacles that would prevent persistence (Frost, 1991). This proactive approach has been experiencing revitalization in the current economic times due to declining funds and changing governmental funding models that would fund higher education on the basis of graduation rather than enrollment. Because 44 percent of first year students do not persist to their second year, this type of governmental funding model has profound implications for administrators (Bushong, 2009). I propose that administrators consider restructuring residence hall personnel responsibilities to include intrusive contacts in an effort to address retention issues. While residence hall personnel will not have the responsibility of scheduling classes, they can begin identifying and addressing issues earlier in the semester. This paper identifies several institutions that currently implement intrusive contacts in their residence halls and the benefits of doing so. These schools have indicated an increase in their students’ grades, commitment and persistence, and overall satisfaction since implementing intrusive contacts (B. Silliman, personal communication, November 1, 2012). The findings also revealed that residence halls with effective intrusive contacts involve collaborative efforts between student affairs personnel and faculty members, engage students in building rapport with staff early in their first semester, and focus on developing students holistically. This report provides a summary of best practices and strategies for implementing these contacts.

First-year student retention has become a national priority for institutions of higher learning. Since 2004, retention of first-year college students has been on a steady decline. Due to recent the adoption of the Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas (GRAD) Act, college administrators in Louisiana are determined to increase first-year student retention, a key performance measure. Of the many factors known to support retention, student-faculty mentoring relationships are known to have a positive impact on college students’ experiences, including increased first-year student retention. However, there is less known about the role of academic advising combined with success coaching in retaining first-year college students. The purpose of this study is to understand first-year college students’ experiences with academic advising and success coaching. By conducting a case study, the researcher further understands the retention of first-year college students to the second year at a comprehensive research public university in Louisiana. The data collected from this study identifies current practices in first-year student retention to inform the current and future programs and services provided on campuses for first-year students.

Thesis advisor: Philip G. Altbach / Despite the long-held assumption that intercultural sensitivity is the foremost qualification of foreign student advisors and the central role that intercultural sensitivity plays in foreign student advising, the intercultural sensitivity of foreign student advisors has never been empirically studied. This exploratory, quantitative study investigates the level of intercultural sensitivity of a group of foreign student advisors in the United States. A sample of 300 U.S.-based foreign student advisors completed both an online survey and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003) a valid and reliable standardized assessment of intercultural sensitivity that measures an individual's orientation towards cultural differences in terms of Milton Bennett's (Bennett, 1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the relationships between scores on the IDI and twenty-three independent variables generated by the online survey instrument. Findings from the developmental scores on the Intercultural Development Inventory suggest that three-quarters of the sample experience cultural difference from an ethnocentric position described by the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. The results of regression analysis identified five factors that are associated with intercultural sensitivity, including political orientation, length of time spent as a foreign student advisor, academic study in the field of intercultural relations, level of education and support for gay marriage. Notable factors that were not associated with intercultural sensitivity include ethnicity, gender, religion, religiosity, and variously described intercultural experiences. Other key findings include that the profession overwhelmingly comprises European American women, indicating increasingly feminized profession, and that women are under-represented among the senior leadership of the field and are paid significantly less than men. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

This study examined the satisfaction with and use of technology infrastructure by students and faculty across a sample of five universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Overall, the findings indicated that both faculty and students were relatively satisfied with the information technology (IT) infrastructure at their respective campuses, although they tend to report satisfaction levels more than faculty or students in the United States. The study also revealed several areas of improvement, including the need for more reliable Wi-Fi networks on campuses and for the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and other digital technologies by the instructors. The analysis uncovered disparities in the overall experience of faculty and students with IT between universities located in the capital city and universities outside the capital city.

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo verificar o impacto do uso da estratégia de orientação didático-pedagógica denominada consultoria individual (al. Sprachlernberatung) como meio de promover a amenização da ansiedade de produção oral na língua estrangeira. O estudo compreende uma revisão da literatura sobre a relação entre a ansiedade de produção oral na língua estrangeira e o desempenho dos alunos no aprendizado da língua-alvo, tendo como ponto de partida a distinção entre ansiedade como um traço de personalidade e a ansiedade de produção oral na língua estrangeira como uma ansiedade específica. A partir de um levantamento via questionários escritos e orais dos fatores geradores da ansiedade de produção oral na língua estrangeira e da autoavaliação dos participantes, a pesquisa busca refletir sobre o efeito de variáveis afetivas como motivação, autoconfiança e ansiedade no aprendizado de uma língua estrangeira no ambiente acadêmico. O estudo de caso concentra-se no depoimento de dez alunos de um curso de Licenciatura em Letras com habilitação em Língua e Literatura Alemã. Através desse estudo, identificamos que a ansiedade de produção oral no alemão como língua estrangeira decorre da crença dos próprios alunos de que esta seria uma língua \"difícil\", bem como da pouca habilidade linguística que eles acreditam ter, o que acarretaria apreensão na comunicação em qualquer situação de produção oral espontânea. Outro fator em destaque é o valor atribuído pelos alunos ao erro no processo de aprendizagem decorrente de experiências frustrantes, anteriores, com o aprendizado da língua. A visão que se tem do erro leva os alunos ao sentimento de inferioridade diante dos colegas de sala e dos falantes nativos da língua alemã. Contudo, compreendemos ao final da análise que esses fatores decorrem em grande parte da deficiência dos hábitos de estudo desses alunos e de sua pouca preparação de estratégias de aprendizagem. Nesse contexto, a consultoria individual é apresentada com o objetivo de provocar a autorreflexão desses participantes perante seu processo de aprendizagem da língua alemã, instigando-os a agir ativamente sobre esse e outros empecilhos na aprendizagem da língua-alvo. / The aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact of the methodological instrument called academic advising (gm. Sprachlernberatung) as a resource to reduce oral production anxiety in a Foreign Language. The thesis then embraces a literature review about the relation of the oral production anxiety in a Foreign Language to the performance of students in the learning process of a target language, starting with the distinction between anxiety as a personality trait and the oral production anxiety in a Foreign Language as a specific type of anxiety. By focusing on both oral and written surveys on the trigging factors of the oral production anxiety in a Foreign Language and the self-assessment of students, this thesis reflects on the effect of affective variables such as motivation, self-confidence and anxiety in the learning process of a Foreign Language in the academic environment. Thus, the case study refers to the testimony of ten students from a Graduation Course on German Language and Literature. From the use of this method, it was possible to identify that the oral production anxiety in German as a Foreign Language comes from the belief that the language is difficult, as well as from the little linguistic proficiency that they believe to possess, which causes apprehension in communication in any spontaneous oral production situation. Another burning issue is the importance given to making mistakes in the learning process, which can derive from previous frustrating experiences with the language. As a result, the views that the students have on making mistakes make them feel inferior when facing classmates or German native speakers. Nevertheless, in the end of this analysis, it was possible to spot that these variables mostly come from the lack of study habits and the scarce learning strategies. In this context, the academic advising is presented in order to provoke self-reflection of these students in the learning process of the German language, instigating them to act more actively on this or any other barrier that can hinder their learning of a target language.

A orientação pedagógica como campo de atuação profissional no contexto brasileiro se constitui como um processo cuja concepção, de alguma forma, confunde-se com a estruturação e consolidação do sistema educacional no Brasil. É possível encontrar, desde a educação jesuítica, a presença de um conjunto de ações administrativo-pedagógicas que indicam a necessidade de procedimentos articulados e distribuídos entre os diferentes níveis das hierarquias institucionais, sem os quais os propósitos organizacionais não seriam atingidos (FRANCA, 1952; AZEVEDO, 1976; CHAGAS, 1970; PRZYBYLSKI, 1982; 1985; SPERB, 1976). Diante desse cenário, questionam-se, no contexto atual, as funções e atribuições do orientador pedagógico. Assim, o presente estudo, utilizando-se de pesquisa descritiva-documental, investiga os elementos que caracterizam a orientação pedagógica nos pareceres e resoluções emanados pelos Conselhos de Educação. Busca-se, também, mapear os processos de definição das atribuições que compõem as funções orientadoras do ensino e revelar indicadores a partir dos quais se possa pensar a atuação e a formação dos orientadores. A análise de Pareceres e Resoluções permite perceber que as áreas explicitadas compõem a totalidade da escola para a organização efetiva do funcionamento pedagógico, no sentido de cumprir normas e manter a coerência entre os princípios e as finalidades da educação. Também revela o modo pelo qual a orientação pedagógica se insere no contexto da gestão democrática e da docência. / In the Brazilian context, Education Advising has been established as a professional field in such a way that it is hardly dissociated from the creation and consolidation of the educational system itself. Since the time of Jesuit education it has been possible to find a series of both administrative and pedagogical decisions that indicate that the organizational purposes would not be achieved without procedures which are articulated and distributed among the various levels of the hierarchical institutions (FRANCA, 1952; AZEVEDO, 1976; CHAGAS, 1970; PRZYBYLSKI, 1982; 1985; SPERB, 1976). Nowadays, education advisors functions and tasks are being questioned. Therefore, the present study, based on documentary and descriptive research, investigates the main features of advising in the official opinions and resolutions of the Education Boards. It also aims at mapping the processes by which education advising tasks have been defined and at showing some indicators to help reflection on advisors formation and work. The analysis of opinions and resolutions sheds light on the component areas of schools and their effective organization to ensure the pedagogical work with regulations and coherence between educational principles and objectives. It also reveals how education advising is in the context of democratic management and teaching.

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