Teaching, learning and assessment in MSc. Databases units at University of Greenwich

In this paper we look at ways of delivering and assessing learning on database units offered on higher degree programmes (MSc) in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Greenwich. Of critical importance is the teaching methods employed for verbal disposition, practical laboratory exercises and a careful evaluation of assessment methods and assessment tools in view of the fact that databases involve not only database design but also use of practical tools, such as database management systems (DBMSs) software, human designers, database administrators (DBA) and end users. Our goal is to clearly identify potential key success factors in delivering and assessing learning in both practical and theoretical aspects of database course units.

Entorno virtual para el aprendizaje y la evaluación automática en bases de datos

La enseñanza y evaluación automática a través de un sistema Computer Based Assessment (CBA) requiere de software especializado que se adapte a la tipología de actividades a tratar y evaluar. En esta tesis se ha desarrollado un entorno CBA que facilita el aprendizaje y evaluación de los principales temas de una asignatura de bases de datos. Para ello se han analizado las herramientas existentes en cada uno de estos temas (Diagramas Entidad/Relación, diagramas de clases, esquemas de bases de datos relacionales, normalización, consultas en álgebra relacional y lenguaje SQL) y para cada uno de ellos se ha analizado, diseñado e implementado un módulo de corrección y evaluación automática que aporta mejoras respecto a los existentes. Estos módulos se han integrado en un mismo entorno al que hemos llamado ACME-DB.

Incidence and predictors of cutaneous manifestations during the early course of systemic sclerosis: a 10-year longitudinal study from the EUSTAR database.

OBJECTIVES To longitudinally map the onset and identify risk factors for skin sclerosis and digital ulcers (DUs) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) from an early time point after the onset of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) in the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort. METHODS 695 patients with SSc with a baseline visit within 1 year after RP onset were followed in the prospective multinational EUSTAR database. During the 10-year observation period, cumulative probabilities of cutaneous lesions were assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate risk factors. RESULTS The median modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) peaked 1 year after RP onset, and was 15 points. The 1-year probability to develop an mRSS ≥2 in at least one area of the arms and legs was 69% and 25%, respectively. Twenty-five per cent of patients developed diffuse cutaneous involvement in the first year after RP onset. This probability increased to 36% during the subsequent 2 years. Only 6% of patients developed diffuse cutaneous SSc thereafter. The probability to develop DUs increased to a maximum of 70% at the end of the 10-year observation. The main factors associated with diffuse cutaneous SSc were the presence of anti-RNA polymerase III autoantibodies, followed by antitopoisomerase autoantibodies and male sex. The main factor associated with incident DUs was the presence of antitopoisomerase autoantibodies. CONCLUSION Early after RP onset, cutaneous manifestations exhibit rapid kinetics in SSc. This should be accounted for in clinical trials aiming to prevent skin worsening.

Time course-dependent changes in the transcriptome of human skeletal muscle during recovery from endurance exercise: From inflammation to adaptive remodeling

Re-programming of gene expression is fundamental for skeletal muscle adaptations in response to endurance exercise. This study investigated the time-course dependent changes in the muscular transcriptome following an endurance exercise trial consisting of 1 h of intense cycling immediately followed by 1 h of intense running. Skeletal muscle samples were taken at baseline, 3 h, 48 h, and 96 h post-exercise from eight healthy, endurance-trained, male individuals. RNA was extracted from muscle. Differential gene expression was evaluated using Illumina microarrays and validated with qPCR. Gene set enrichment analysis identified enriched molecular signatures chosen from the Molecular Signatures Database. Three h post-exercise, 102 gene sets were up-regulated [family wise error rate (FWER), P < 0.05]; including groups of genes related with leukocyte migration, immune and chaperone activation, and cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) 1-signaling. Forty-eight h post-exercise, among 19 enriched gene sets (FWER, P < 0.05), two gene sets related to actin cytoskeleton remodeling were up-regulated. Ninety-six h post-exercise, 83 gene sets were enriched (FWER, P < 0.05), 80 of which were up-regulated; including gene groups related to chemokine signaling, cell stress management, and extracellular matrix remodeling. These data provide comprehensive insights into the molecular pathways involved in acute stress, recovery, and adaptive muscular responses to endurance exercise. The novel 96 h post-exercise transcriptome indicates substantial transcriptional activity, potentially associated with the prolonged presence of leukocytes in the muscles. This suggests that muscular recovery, from a transcriptional perspective, is incomplete 96 h after endurance exercise involving muscle damage.

The impact of the built environment on health across the life course : design of a cross-sectional data linkage study

Introduction: The built environment is increasingly recognised as being associated with health outcomes. Relationships between the built environment and health differ among age groups, especially between children and adults, but also between younger, mid-age and older adults. Yet few address differences across life stage groups within a single population study. Moreover, existing research mostly focuses on physical activity behaviours, with few studying objective clinical and mental health outcomes. The Life Course Built Environment and Health (LCBEH) project explores the impact of the built environment on self-reported and objectively measured health outcomes in a random sample of people across the life course. Methods and analysis: This cross-sectional data linkage study involves 15 954 children (0–15 years), young adults (16–24 years), adults (25–64 years) and older adults (65+years) from the Perth metropolitan region who completed the Health and Wellbeing Surveillance System survey administered by the Department of Health of Western Australia from 2003 to 2009. Survey data were linked to Western Australia's (WA) Hospital Morbidity Database System (hospital admission) and Mental Health Information System (mental health system outpatient) data. Participants’ residential address was geocoded and features of their ‘neighbourhood’ were measured using Geographic Information Systems software. Associations between the built environment and self-reported and clinical health outcomes will be explored across varying geographic scales and life stages. Ethics and dissemination: The University of Western Australia's Human Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Health of Western Australia approved the study protocol (#2010/1). Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at local, national and international conferences, thus contributing to the evidence base informing the design of healthy neighbourhoods for all residents.

Web-based course support systems: an essential tool for supporting flexible learning environment

In Higher Education web-based course support systems are essential for supporting flexible learning environments. They provide tools to enable the interaction between student and tutor to reinforce transfer of theory to understanding particularly in an academic environment, therefore this paper will examine issues associated with the use of curriculum and learning resources within Web-based course support systems and the effectiveness of the resulting flexible learning environments This paper is a general discussion about flexible learning and in this case how it was applied to one of the courses at undergraduate level one. The first section will introduce what is flexible learning and the importance of flexible learning in Higher Education followed by the description of the course and why the flexible learning concepts is important in such a course and finally, how the flexibility was useful for this particular instance.

How Video Lecture Capture affects Student Engagement in a University Computer Programming Course: Attendance, Video Viewing Behaviours and Student Attitudes

Introduction
The use of video capture of lectures in Higher Education is not a recent occurrence with web based learning technologies including digital recording of live lectures becoming increasing commonly offered by universities throughout the world (Holliman and Scanlon, 2004). However in the past decade the increase in technical infrastructural provision including the availability of high speed broadband has increased the potential and use of videoed lecture capture. This had led to a variety of lecture capture formats including pod casting, live streaming or delayed broadcasting of whole or part of lectures.
Additionally in the past five years there has been a significant increase in the popularity of online learning, specifically via Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) (Vardi, 2014). One of the key aspects of MOOCs is the simulated recording of lecture like activities. There has been and continues to be much debate on the consequences of the popularity of MOOCs, especially in relation to its potential uses within established University programmes.
There have been a number of studies dedicated to the effects of videoing lectures.
The clustered areas of research in video lecture capture have the following main themes:
• Staff perceptions including attendance, performance of students and staff workload
• Reinforcement versus replacement of lectures
• Improved flexibility of learning
• Facilitating engaging and effective learning experiences
• Student usage, perception and satisfaction
• Facilitating students learning at their own pace
Most of the body of the research has concentrated on student and faculty perceptions, including academic achievement, student attendance and engagement (Johnston et al, 2012).
Generally the research has been positive in review of the benefits of lecture capture for both students and faculty. This perception coupled with technical infrastructure improvements and student demand may well mean that the use of video lecture capture will continue to increase in frequency in the next number of years in tertiary education. However there is a relatively limited amount of research in the effects of lecture capture specifically in the area of computer programming with Watkins 2007 being one of few studies . Video delivery of programming solutions is particularly useful for enabling a lecturer to illustrate the complex decision making processes and iterative nature of the actual code development process (Watkins et al 2007). As such research in this area would appear to be particularly appropriate to help inform debate and future decisions made by policy makers.
Research questions and objectives
The purpose of the research was to investigate how a series of lecture captures (in which the audio of lectures and video of on-screen projected content were recorded) impacted on the delivery and learning of a programme of study in an MSc Software Development course in Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The MSc is conversion programme, intended to take graduates from non-computing primary degrees and upskill them in this area. The research specifically targeted the Java programming module within the course. It also analyses and reports on the empirical data from attendances and various video viewing statistics. In addition, qualitative data was collected from staff and student feedback to help contextualise the quantitative results.
Methodology, Methods and Research Instruments Used
The study was conducted with a cohort of 85 post graduate students taking a compulsory module in Java programming in the first semester of a one year MSc in Software Development. A pre-course survey of students found that 58% preferred to have available videos of “key moments” of lectures rather than whole lectures. A large scale study carried out by Guo concluded that “shorter videos are much more engaging” (Guo 2013). Of concern was the potential for low audience retention for videos of whole lectures.
The lecturers recorded snippets of the lecture directly before or after the actual physical delivery of the lecture, in a quiet environment and then upload the video directly to a closed YouTube channel. These snippets generally concentrated on significant parts of the theory followed by theory related coding demonstration activities and were faithful in replication of the face to face lecture. Generally each lecture was supported by two to three videos of durations ranging from 20 – 30 minutes.
Attendance
The MSc programme has several attendance based modules of which Java Programming was one element. In order to assess the consequence on attendance for the Programming module a control was established. The control used was a Database module which is taken by the same students and runs in the same semester.
Access engagement
The videos were hosted on a closed YouTube channel made available only to the students in the class. The channel had enabled analytics which reported on the following areas for all and for each individual video; views (hits), audience retention, viewing devices / operating systems used and minutes watched.
Student attitudes
Three surveys were taken in regard to investigating student attitudes towards the videoing of lectures. The first was before the start of the programming module, then at the mid-point and subsequently after the programme was complete.
The questions in the first survey were targeted at eliciting student attitudes towards lecture capture before they had experienced it in the programme. The midpoint survey gathered data in relation to how the students were individually using the system up to that point. This included feedback on how many videos an individual had watched, viewing duration, primary reasons for watching and the result on attendance, in addition to probing for comments or suggestions. The final survey on course completion contained questions similar to the midpoint survey but in summative view of the whole video programme.
Conclusions and Outcomes
The study confirmed findings of other such investigations illustrating that there is little or no effect on attendance at lectures. The use of the videos appears to help promote continual learning but they are particularly accessed by students at assessment periods. Students respond positively to the ability to access lectures digitally, as a means of reinforcing learning experiences rather than replacing them. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive indicating that the videos benefited their learning. Also there are significant benefits to part recording of lectures rather than recording whole lectures. The behaviour viewing trends analytics suggest that despite the increase in the popularity of online learning via MOOCs and the promotion of video learning on mobile devices in fact in this study the vast majority of students accessed the online videos at home on laptops or desktops However, in part, this is likely due to the nature of the taught subject, that being programming.
The research involved prerecording the lecture in smaller timed units and then uploading for distribution to counteract existing quality issues with recording entire live lectures. However the advancement and consequential improvement in quality of in situ lecture capture equipment may well help negate the need to record elsewhere. The research has also highlighted an area of potentially very significant use for performance analysis and improvement that could have major implications for the quality of teaching. A study of the analytics of the viewings of the videos could well provide a quick response formative feedback mechanism for the lecturer. If a videoed lecture either recorded live or later is a true reflection of the face to face lecture an analysis of the viewing patterns for the video may well reveal trends that correspond with the live delivery.

The role of the international cocoa germplasm database and the international cocoa quarantine centre in information management and distribution of cocoa genetic resources

A range of physiological parameters (canopy light transmission, canopy shape, leaf size, flowering and flushing intensity) were measured from the International Clone Trial, typically over the course of two years. Data were collected from six locations, these being: Brazil, Ecuador, Trinidad, Venezuela, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Canopy shape varied significantly between clones, although it showed little variation between locations. Genotypic variation in leaf size was differentially affected by the growth location; such differences appeared to underlie a genotype by environment interaction in relation to canopy light transmission. Flushing data were recorded at monthly intervals over the course of a year. Within each location, a significant interaction was observed between genotype and time of year, suggesting that some genotypes respond to a greater extent than others to environmental stimuli. A similar interaction was observed for flowering data, where significant correlations were found between flowering intensity and temperature in Brazil and flowering intensity and rainfall in Côte d’Ivoire. The results demonstrate the need for local evaluation of cocoa clones and also suggest that the management practices for particular planting material may need to be fine-tuned to the location in which they are cultivated.

A BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODEL FOR CONSTRAINED DISTRIBUTED LAG FUNCTIONS: ESTIMATING THE TIME COURSE OF HOSPITALIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE

Numerous time series studies have provided strong evidence of an association between increased levels of ambient air pollution and increased levels of hospital admissions, typically at 0, 1, or 2 days after an air pollution episode. An important research aim is to extend existing statistical models so that a more detailed understanding of the time course of hospitalization after exposure to air pollution can be obtained. Information about this time course, combined with prior knowledge about biological mechanisms, could provide the basis for hypotheses concerning the mechanism by which air pollution causes disease. Previous studies have identified two important methodological questions: (1) How can we estimate the shape of the distributed lag between increased air pollution exposure and increased mortality or morbidity? and (2) How should we estimate the cumulative population health risk from short-term exposure to air pollution? Distributed lag models are appropriate tools for estimating air pollution health effects that may be spread over several days. However, estimation for distributed lag models in air pollution and health applications is hampered by the substantial noise in the data and the inherently weak signal that is the target of investigation. We introduce an hierarchical Bayesian distributed lag model that incorporates prior information about the time course of pollution effects and combines information across multiple locations. The model has a connection to penalized spline smoothing using a special type of penalty matrix. We apply the model to estimating the distributed lag between exposure to particulate matter air pollution and hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease using data from a large United States air pollution and hospitalization database of Medicare enrollees in 94 counties covering the years 1999-2002.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in 406 hospitalized premature infants: results from a prospective German multicentre database

Premature birth, chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD), congenital heart disease and immunodeficiency predispose to a higher morbidity and mortality in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. This study describes the preterms hospitalised with RSV infection from the prospective German DSM RSV Paed database. The DMS RSV Paed database was designed for the prospective multicentre documentation and analysis of clinically relevant aspects of the management of inpatients with RSV infection. This study covers six consecutive RSV seasons (1999-2005); the surveillance took place in 14 paediatric hospitals in Germany. Of the 1,568 prospectively documented RSV infections, 26% (n=406) were observed in preterms [vs. 1,162 children born at term (74%)] and 3% (n=50) had CLD, of which 49 had received treatment in the last 6 months ('CLDplus'). A significantly higher proportion in the preterm group had congenital heart disease, nosocomial infection, and neuromuscular impairment. There were significantly more children older than 24 months in the preterm group. The attributable mortality was 0.2% (n=2) in children born at term vs. 1.2% (n=5) in the preterm group (p=0.015) [preterm plus CLD 8.0% (n=4 of 50); McIntosh grade 1, 8.6% (n=3 of 35) and McIntosh Grade 4, 15% (n=3 of 20)]. Eight patients were categorized as 'palivizumab failures'. In the multivariate analysis, premature birth, CLD(plus), and nosocomial infection were significantly and independently associated with the combined outcome 'complicated course of disease'. In conclusion, this is the first prospective multicentre study from Germany that confirms the increased risk for severe RSV disease in preterms, in particular in those with CLD treated in the last 6 months before the onset of the infection. From the perspective of our results, the statements of the German Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases considering the use of passive immunisation (2003) seem reasonable.

Nosocomial infection: A risk factor for a complicated course in children with respiratory syncytial virus infection - Results from a prospective multicenter German surveillance study

BACKGROUND: Nosocomially acquired respiratory syncytial virus infections (RSV-NI) may cause serious problems in hospitalized paediatric patients. Hitherto, prospectively collected representative data on RSV-NI from multicenter studies in Germany are limited. METHODS: The DMS RSV Ped database was designed for the prospective multicenter documentation and analysis of clinically relevant aspects of the management of inpatients with RSV-infection. The study covered six consecutive seasons (1999-2005); the surveillance took place in 14 paediatric hospitals in Germany. RESULTS: Of the 1568 prospectively documented RSV-infections, 6% (n=90) were NI and 94% (n=1478) were community acquired (CA). A significantly higher proportion in the NI group displayed additional risk factors like prematurity, chronic lung disease, mechanical ventilation (med. history), congenital heart disease, and neuromuscular impairment. Of all NI, 55% occurred in preterms (30.6% of all RSV-infections in preterms with severe chronic lung disease of prematurity were NI). Illness severity as well as the total mortality, but not the attributable mortality was significantly higher in the NI group. In the multivariate analysis, NI was significantly associated with the combined outcome 'complicated course of disease'. CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective multicenter study from Germany, which confirms the increased risk of a severe clinical course in nosocomially acquired RSV-infection. Of great concern is the high rate of (preventable) NI in preterms, in particular in those with severe chronic lung disease or with mechanical ventilation due to other reasons.

Hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus infection and neuromuscular impairment face an increased risk of a complicated course

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is an important cause of viral respiratory tract infection in children. In contrast to other confirmed risk factors that predispose to a higher morbidity and mortality, the particular risk of a preexisting neuromuscular impairment (NMI) in hospitalized children with RSV infection has not been prospectively studied in a multicenter trial. METHODS: The DMS RSV Paed database was designed for the prospective multicenter documentation and analysis of all clinically relevant aspects of the management of inpatients with RSV infection. Patients with clinically relevant NMI were identified according to the specific comments of the attending physicians and compared with those without NMI. RESULTS: This study covers 6 consecutive seasons; the surveillance took place in 14 pediatric hospitals in Germany from 1999 to 2005. In total, 1568 RSV infections were prospectively documented in 1541 pediatric patients. Of these, 73 (4.7%) patients displayed a clinically relevant NMI; 41 (56%) NMI patients had at least 1 additional risk factor for a severe course of the infection (multiple risk factors in some patients; prematurity in 30, congenital heart disease in 19, chronic lung disease 6 and immunodeficiency in 8). Median age at diagnosis was higher in NMI patients (14 vs. 5 months); NMI patients had a greater risk of seizures (15.1% vs. 1.6%), and a higher proportion in the NMI group had to be mechanically ventilated (9.6% vs. 1.9%). Eventually, the attributable mortality was significantly higher in the NMI group (5.5% vs. 0.2%; P < 0.001 for all). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that NMI was independently associated with pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission (OR, 4.94; 95% CI, 2.69-8.94; P < 0.001] and mechanical ventilation (OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.28-10.22; P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective multicenter study confirming the hypothesis that children with clinically relevant NMI face an increased risk for severe RSV-disease. It seems reasonable to include NMI as a cofactor into the decision algorithm of passive immunization.

The course of radiographic loosening, pain and functional outcome around the first revision of a total hip arthroplasty

Background: The published data on pain and physical function before and after revision of total hip arthroplasty (THA) is scarce. The study reports the course and interrelationships of radiographic loosening, pain and physical function 5 year before and after a first revision THA. Methods: The study was based on the IDES-THA database. All patients with their first THA revision for aseptic loosening and a documented index surgery on the same side and at least one pre-revision and one post-revision follow-up were selected. Only patients with an intact contralateral hip joint (Charnley class-A) were included. Follow-ups within ±5.5 years around the revision time point were analyzed. Annual prevalences of radiographic component loosening and the non-desired outcomes (moderate/severe/intolerable pain, walking <30 minutes, hip flexion range <90°) were calculated. Results: Signs of radiographic component loosening started to increase about 4 years before revision surgery. Two years later, a sharp increase of painful hips from 15% to 80% in the revision year was observed. In the year after revision surgery, this rate dropped back to below 10%. Walking capacity started to noticeably deteriorate 3 years before revision and in the revision year about 65% of patients could not walk longer than 30 minutes. As opposed to pain, walking capacity did not recover to pre-revision levels and the best outcome was only reached two years post-revision. Hip flexion range had the slowest and least extent of deterioration (≈45% flexed <70° in the revision year) but with the best outcomes at only three years after revision surgery it took the longest to recover. Conclusion: Prevalence of radiological loosening signs and/or pain intensity follow an almost parallel course around the first revision of a THA for aseptic component loosening. This process begins about 4 years (radiographic loosening) before the actual revision surgery and intensifies about 2 years later (pain). It also involves walking capacity and hip range of motion. While pain levels go back to levels similar to those after primary surgery, range of motion and even more walking capacity remain moderately compromised.

Self Learning and self evaluation exercises database in basic mechanics: a theoretical-practical approach

In the School of Mines of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) the first course of different degrees has been implemented and adapted to the European Higher Educational Area (EHEA). In all of the degrees there is a first semester course which gathers all the contents of basic mechanics: from the first kinematics concepts to the rigid solid plane motion Before the Bologna process took place, the authors had established the final assessment of the theoretical contents through open questions of theoretical-practical character In the present work, the elaboration of a wide database containing theoretical-practical questions that students can access on line is presented. The questions are divided in thirteen different questionnaires composed of a number of questions randomly chosen from a certain group in the database. Each group corresponds to a certain learning objective that the student knows. After answering the questionnaire and checking the grade assigned according to the performance of the student, the pupils can see the correct response displayed on the screen and widely explained by the professors. This represents a 10% of the final grade. As the student can access the questionnaires as many times as they want, the main goal is the self-assessment of each learning objective and therefore, getting the students involved in their own learning process so they can decide how much time they need to acquire the required level.

The development of a multi-function computer-assisted instruction system using a hierarchical database structure as the lesson compendium.

Computer-Based Learning systems of one sort or another have been in existence for almost 20 years, but they have yet to achieve real credibility within Commerce, Industry or Education. A variety of reasons could be postulated for this, typically: - cost - complexity - inefficiency - inflexibility - tedium Obviously different systems deserve different levels and types of criticism, but it still remains true that Computer-Based Learning (CBL) is falling significantly short of its potential. Experience of a small, but highly successful CBL system within a large, geographically distributed industry (the National Coal Board) prompted an investigation into currently available packages, the original intention being to purchase the most suitable software and run it on existing computer hardware, alongside existing software systems. It became apparent that none of the available CBL packages were suitable, and a decision was taken to develop an in-house Computer-Assisted Instruction system according to the following criteria: - cheap to run; - easy to author course material; - easy to use; - requires no computing knowledge to use (as either an author or student) ; - efficient in the use of computer resources; - has a comprehensive range of facilities at all levels. This thesis describes the initial investigation, resultant observations and the design, development and implementation of the SCHOOL system. One of the principal characteristics c£ SCHOOL is that it uses a hierarchical database structure for the storage of course material - thereby providing inherently a great deal of the power, flexibility and efficiency originally required. Trials using the SCHOOL system on IBM 303X series equipment are also detailed, along with proposed and current development work on what is essentially an operational CBL system within a large-scale Industrial environment.