A validation study of students' end comments: Comparing comments by students, a writing instructor, and a content instructor

In order to include more writing assignments in large classrooms, some instructors have been utilizing peer review. However, many instructors are hesitant to use peer review because they are uncertain of whether students are capable of providing reliable and valid ratings and comments. Previous research has shown that students are in fact capable of rating their peers papers reliably and with the same accuracy as instructors. On the other hand, relatively little research has focused on the quality of students' comments. This study is a first in-depth analysis of students' comments in comparison with a writing instructor's and a content instructor's comments. Over 1400 comment segments, which were provided by undergraduates, a writing instructor, and a content instructor, were coded for the presence of 29 different feedback features. Overall, our results support the use of peer review: students' comments seem to be fairly similar to instructors' comments. Based on the main differences between students and the two types of instructors, we draw implications for training students and instructors on providing feedback. Specifically, students should be trained to focus on content issues, while content instructors should be encouraged to provide more solutions and explanations

The 1976 Municipal Bankruptcy Law

After generally surveying the history of municipal bankruptcy legislation in the United States and former chapter IX in particular, an in depth analysis of the new chapter IX provisions is given. The article concludes that the new act, while having several imperfections, will well serve cities overburdened with debt

Peer Review of Writing: Learning from Revision using Peer Feedback and Reviewing Peers' Texts

To better understand the ways in which peer feedback can vary across contexts to shape learning outcomes, the current dissertation examined how student ability levels shapes peer review. Peer review involves opportunities to learn from receiving feedback and providing feedback. Both elements were considered within one larger experiment. A sample of 189 students enrolled in an Introduction to Psychological Science course participated in this experiment. As part of the requirements for class, students wrote a first draft of their paper, reviewed four peers' papers, revised their draft based on peer feedback, and wrote a new paper on a different topic. In this experiment, I manipulated to whom the students provided feedback and from whom they received feedback in order to observe the relationships between writer ability, quality of text reviewed, and ability of the feedback source. In the first study, I determined which types of comments had an impact on draft quality and whether there were differences in the amounts received and implemented depending on the writer ability and feedback source. In the second study, I examined the extent to which students could learn from reviewing peers' texts and how the ability of the writer and the quality of the text being reviewed influenced the amount of improvement. Based on the findings from the two studies, theoretical and pragmatic implications were offered

Understanding the Mechanisms of Gold Shell Growth onto Polymer Microcapsules to Control Shell Thickness

Polymer microcapsules have been used commercially for decades, however they have an inherent flaw which renders them impractical as a carrier of small, volatile molecules. The porous nature of the polymer shell allows for diffusion of the encapsulated molecules into the bulk. The use of metal shells is an innovative way to prevent undesired loss of small molecules from the core of microcapsules, however it is important, particularly when using expensive metals to ensure that the resulting shell is as thin as possible. Here we investigate the fundamental mechanisms controlling the gold shell thickness when a fragrance oil is encapsulated in a poly(methyl methacrylate) shell. We consider the distribution of the nanoparticles on the capsule surface, and from quantification of the adsorbed nanoparticle (NP) density and resulting shell thickness, we propose mechanisms to describe the gold shell growth for systems with high and low NP surface coverage. We suggest from our observations that the gold grows to fill in the gaps between NPs. At low NP concentrations, thicker metal shells form. We postulate that this is due to the low NP density on the surface, forcing the gold clusters to grow larger before they meet the adjacent ones. Thus, to grow the thinnest possible shells a densely packed monolayer of platinum nanoparticles is required on the capsule surface

Augmenting Assessment with Learning Analytics

Learning analytics as currently deployed has tended to consist of large-scale analyses of available learning process data to provide descriptive or predictive insight into behaviours. What is sometimes missing in this analysis is a connection to human-interpretable, actionable, diagnostic information. To gain traction, learning analytics researchers should work within existing good practice particularly in assessment, where high quality assessments are designed to provide both student and educator with diagnostic or formative feedback. Such a model keeps the human in the analytics design and implementation loop, by supporting student, peer, tutor, and instructor sense-making of assessment data, while adding value from computational analyses

Structure response for cellulose-based hydrogels via characterization techniques.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional crosslinked polymeric networks capable of imbibing substantial amounts of water or biological fluids and are widely used in biomedical applications, especially in pharmaceutical industry as drug delivery systems. Although their solvent content can be over 99%, hydrogels still retain the appearance and properties of solid materials and the structural response can include a smart response to environmental stimuli (pH, temp, ionic strength, electric field, presence of enzyme etc.) These responses can include shrinkage or swelling. Cellulose-based hydrogels are one of the most commonly used material and extensively investigated due to the widespread availability of cellulose in nature. Cellulose is the most abundant renewable resource on earth is intrinsically degradable. Additionally, the presence of hydroxyl groups results in fascinating structures and properties. Also, cellulose-based hydrogels with specific properties can be obtained by combining it with synthetic or natural polymers. This chapter surveys different characterization for cellulose-hydrogels and the structure response relationship. As such we would describe the techniques involved for characterizing cellulose-based hydrogels and their response in terms of their morphology such as polarized optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); their stability by thermal properties (often with differential scanning calorimetry, DSC), structure response such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In addition, we give a focus on measuring the mechanical properties of superabsorbent hydrogels giving examples with cellulose where applicable. Finally, we describe the techniques for analyzing biological techniques and the applications with cellulose.ye