Northeastern Illinois University students use Podium, one of many multimedia presentation applica... more Northeastern Illinois University students use Podium, one of many multimedia presentation applications available on the market. These presentation applications offer a rich array of choices for the type and quantity of information to compile. This" paperless" implementation gives students the opportunity to create a lab report that is a network of ideas, cross-referenced with hyperlinks in a personal fashion that is logical for that particular student.
Recently, there has been a significant change from single session verification labs that were con... more Recently, there has been a significant change from single session verification labs that were conducted individually or in pairs, to inquiry or research-based lab experiments that evolve over several sessions in the laboratory and are conducted in larger teams. These experiments more accurately reflected the research process within academia and industry. Additionally, this kind of laboratory experiment required continual collaboration, coordination and active exchange of ideas among the team members both in and out of the lab. To ...
Chem-Wiki site was implemented to help undergraduate students collaborate in their organic chemis... more Chem-Wiki site was implemented to help undergraduate students collaborate in their organic chemistry research based lab. The laboratory experiments extend over six sessions and engage the students in inquiry and research. This requires students to work in larger teams and the collection of a full set of data requires extended discussion amongst the students, both in and out of the lab. Finally, to report on their findings, students are required to submit a report that summarizes both their ongoing process as well as their results ...
Creating opportunities and forums for reflection is an essential component of holistic learning. ... more Creating opportunities and forums for reflection is an essential component of holistic learning. Web 2.0 technology has enabled new opportunities not only for sharing information but enabling “collaborative reflection” among students. This new application of this technology is a natural evolution that has emerged for use beginning with shared web pages to wikis.
Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) can result from diverse lung insults. Toxic oxygen met... more Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) can result from diverse lung insults. Toxic oxygen metabolites have been implicated in this clinical condition and in animal models of pulmonary edema. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an oxygen metabolite, mediates tissue injury. We measured H2O2 levels by a spectrophotometric technique in the breath condensate of 68 mechanically ventilated patients; 13 patients with normal lungs undergoing elective surgery had no such detectable levels of H2O2. Fifty-five patients in the ICU meeting criteria for the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) had a higher concentration of H2O2 in the expired breath condensate than ICU patients without pulmonary infiltrates (2.34 +/- 1.15 vs 0.99 +/- 0.72 mumol/L, p less than 0.005). This marker had a sensitivity of 87.5 percent and a specificity of 81.3 percent in separating the two patient populations. Patients with AHRF and focal pulmonary infiltrates who did not meet criteria for ARDS also had higher concentrations of H2O2 (2.45 +/- 1.55 mumol/L) than patients without pulmonary infiltrates (p less than 0.001). No difference was observed between the expired H2O2 concentrations of patients with ARDS or patients with focal pulmonary infiltrates. Patients with brain injury or sepsis tended to have higher levels of H2O2 regardless of lung pathology. Increased levels of H2O2 are detected in the expired breath of ICU patients with focal lung infiltrates and in ARDS patients, which is consistent with the hypothesis that oxygen metabolites participate in the pathogenesis of ARDS and other forms of AHRF.
Peer-led workshops in General Chemistry at the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) were affe... more Peer-led workshops in General Chemistry at the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) were affected by COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020-2021 academic year. Most Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) workshops were conducted in person, but with the difference that protocols of distancing had to be observed, and a few were conducted online, so adjustments were necessary to prepare Peer Leaders to conduct their workshops in both types of settings. The facets of the modified PLTL program were supported by the online preparation for facilitation and chemistry content The results of an examination of critical incidents (Brookfield, 1995) are shared here. This qualitative examination of Peer Leaders’ experiences was undertaken because of its exploration of formative events. Through the responses to several rounds of questions about their experiences, Peer Leaders acknowledged the reality of dealing with Covid-19 restrictions as well as their preparation via a weekly online seminar. This pap...
Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an effective strategy to further education reform and improvemen... more Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an effective strategy to further education reform and improvement. PLTL increases retention in courses in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering, as well as in other disciplines; improves the process of learning and prepares students to work in teams, and creates a mechanism to develop leaders. PLTL engages an experienced and trained student as the learning facilitator of a small group of learners in the capacity of Vygotsky's " more capable peer. " PLTL has been recognized as a strategy to help students emulate the peer leaders as role models, to reduce student anxiety and build confidence in the learners. PLTL builds strong study skills, develops such critical professional skills as working in teams, listening, critical thinking, leadership development, and fosters communities of learners who approach learning as a way of life. The Peer Leaders, generally undergraduate students who are trained for this role, understand the challenges that students have with the material. In a new initiative, Peer Leaders are creating and developing workshop material in conjunction with faculty, augmenting their metacognition. PLTL is an internationally recognized curriculum enhancement strategy adopted at over 150 universities and colleges across the United States, and in the United Kingdom and Jamaica, West Indies. Initially started as Chemistry Workshop, PLTL is coordinated by the Peer-Led Team-Learning International Society (www.pltlis.org). This paper will present the basics of the PLTL instructional model and the practicalities of the six critical components which distinguish the model: integration of the workshop component into the course structure, involvement of the teaching faculty, training and supervision of the peer leaders, creation of challenging materials, and provision of appropriate institutional resources. In addition, the paper will present the results of assessment conducted on student performance and experiences with the PLTL program. Published PLTL data over the past 20 years have shown that using successful peer leaders in small group workshops boost performance in critical first-year courses including core math, science and engineering courses.
Northeastern Illinois University students use Podium, one of many multimedia presentation applica... more Northeastern Illinois University students use Podium, one of many multimedia presentation applications available on the market. These presentation applications offer a rich array of choices for the type and quantity of information to compile. This" paperless" implementation gives students the opportunity to create a lab report that is a network of ideas, cross-referenced with hyperlinks in a personal fashion that is logical for that particular student.
Recently, there has been a significant change from single session verification labs that were con... more Recently, there has been a significant change from single session verification labs that were conducted individually or in pairs, to inquiry or research-based lab experiments that evolve over several sessions in the laboratory and are conducted in larger teams. These experiments more accurately reflected the research process within academia and industry. Additionally, this kind of laboratory experiment required continual collaboration, coordination and active exchange of ideas among the team members both in and out of the lab. To ...
Chem-Wiki site was implemented to help undergraduate students collaborate in their organic chemis... more Chem-Wiki site was implemented to help undergraduate students collaborate in their organic chemistry research based lab. The laboratory experiments extend over six sessions and engage the students in inquiry and research. This requires students to work in larger teams and the collection of a full set of data requires extended discussion amongst the students, both in and out of the lab. Finally, to report on their findings, students are required to submit a report that summarizes both their ongoing process as well as their results ...
Creating opportunities and forums for reflection is an essential component of holistic learning. ... more Creating opportunities and forums for reflection is an essential component of holistic learning. Web 2.0 technology has enabled new opportunities not only for sharing information but enabling “collaborative reflection” among students. This new application of this technology is a natural evolution that has emerged for use beginning with shared web pages to wikis.
Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) can result from diverse lung insults. Toxic oxygen met... more Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) can result from diverse lung insults. Toxic oxygen metabolites have been implicated in this clinical condition and in animal models of pulmonary edema. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an oxygen metabolite, mediates tissue injury. We measured H2O2 levels by a spectrophotometric technique in the breath condensate of 68 mechanically ventilated patients; 13 patients with normal lungs undergoing elective surgery had no such detectable levels of H2O2. Fifty-five patients in the ICU meeting criteria for the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) had a higher concentration of H2O2 in the expired breath condensate than ICU patients without pulmonary infiltrates (2.34 +/- 1.15 vs 0.99 +/- 0.72 mumol/L, p less than 0.005). This marker had a sensitivity of 87.5 percent and a specificity of 81.3 percent in separating the two patient populations. Patients with AHRF and focal pulmonary infiltrates who did not meet criteria for ARDS also had higher concentrations of H2O2 (2.45 +/- 1.55 mumol/L) than patients without pulmonary infiltrates (p less than 0.001). No difference was observed between the expired H2O2 concentrations of patients with ARDS or patients with focal pulmonary infiltrates. Patients with brain injury or sepsis tended to have higher levels of H2O2 regardless of lung pathology. Increased levels of H2O2 are detected in the expired breath of ICU patients with focal lung infiltrates and in ARDS patients, which is consistent with the hypothesis that oxygen metabolites participate in the pathogenesis of ARDS and other forms of AHRF.
Peer-led workshops in General Chemistry at the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) were affe... more Peer-led workshops in General Chemistry at the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) were affected by COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020-2021 academic year. Most Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) workshops were conducted in person, but with the difference that protocols of distancing had to be observed, and a few were conducted online, so adjustments were necessary to prepare Peer Leaders to conduct their workshops in both types of settings. The facets of the modified PLTL program were supported by the online preparation for facilitation and chemistry content The results of an examination of critical incidents (Brookfield, 1995) are shared here. This qualitative examination of Peer Leaders’ experiences was undertaken because of its exploration of formative events. Through the responses to several rounds of questions about their experiences, Peer Leaders acknowledged the reality of dealing with Covid-19 restrictions as well as their preparation via a weekly online seminar. This pap...
Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an effective strategy to further education reform and improvemen... more Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an effective strategy to further education reform and improvement. PLTL increases retention in courses in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering, as well as in other disciplines; improves the process of learning and prepares students to work in teams, and creates a mechanism to develop leaders. PLTL engages an experienced and trained student as the learning facilitator of a small group of learners in the capacity of Vygotsky's " more capable peer. " PLTL has been recognized as a strategy to help students emulate the peer leaders as role models, to reduce student anxiety and build confidence in the learners. PLTL builds strong study skills, develops such critical professional skills as working in teams, listening, critical thinking, leadership development, and fosters communities of learners who approach learning as a way of life. The Peer Leaders, generally undergraduate students who are trained for this role, understand the challenges that students have with the material. In a new initiative, Peer Leaders are creating and developing workshop material in conjunction with faculty, augmenting their metacognition. PLTL is an internationally recognized curriculum enhancement strategy adopted at over 150 universities and colleges across the United States, and in the United Kingdom and Jamaica, West Indies. Initially started as Chemistry Workshop, PLTL is coordinated by the Peer-Led Team-Learning International Society (www.pltlis.org). This paper will present the basics of the PLTL instructional model and the practicalities of the six critical components which distinguish the model: integration of the workshop component into the course structure, involvement of the teaching faculty, training and supervision of the peer leaders, creation of challenging materials, and provision of appropriate institutional resources. In addition, the paper will present the results of assessment conducted on student performance and experiences with the PLTL program. Published PLTL data over the past 20 years have shown that using successful peer leaders in small group workshops boost performance in critical first-year courses including core math, science and engineering courses.
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