Online education continues to grow, bringing opportunities and challenges for students and instructors. One challenge is the perception that academic integrity associated with online tests is compromised due to undetected cheating that yields artificially higher grades. To address these concerns, proctoring software has been developed to address and prevent academic dishonesty. The purpose of this study was to compare online test results from proctored versus unproctored online tests. Test performance of 147 students enrolled in multiple sections of an online course were compared using linear mixed effects models with nearly half the students having no proctoring and the remainder required to use online proctoring software. Students scored, on average, 17 points lower [95% CI: 14, 20] and used significantly less time in online tests that used proctoring software versus unproctored tests. Significant grade disparity and different time usage occurred on different exams, both across and within sections of the same course where some students used test proctoring software and others did not. Implications and suggestions for incorporating strategic interventions to address integrity, addressing disparate test scores, and validating student knowledge in online classes are discussed.
Previous work has shown that high-intensity (HI) exercise results in total body increased production of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that exercise induces a higher level of oxidative stress in muscles leading to the production of various peroxides and aldehydes that are potentially toxic to cells. However, these past studies were carried out only with subjects that were exercised to exhaustion or at a very high intensity. In this paper, we report how a moderate-intensity (MI) exercise, which is more normally experienced, as well as a HI acute bout of exercise influenced oxidative stress-related reactions by measuring malonaldehyde (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxides (LH) in red vastus, white vastus, and soleus muscle. The muscles from untrained male Sprague-Dawley rats were removed immediately after either a HI 1-min run at 45 m/min (n = 8) or a 20-min MI run at 20 m/min (n = 8) and compared with a control group that did not run. MI exercise resulted in a 90% increase in MDA in white vastus and a 62% increase in red vastus muscle (P less than 0.05). HI exercise resulted in a 157, 167, and 83% increase in MDA in white vastus, red vastus, and soleus muscle, respectively. LH values in red and white vastus after HI exercise increased an average of 33%, but this proved not to be statistically significant. These results confirm earlier studies that HI exercise does increase MDA in skeletal muscle, and when intensity of exercise is considerably lowered, elevated MDA is still found but at a relatively lesser amount.
Many graduate and professional programs include Problem Based Learning (PBL) as a mainstay in their curricula. For many undergraduate students, this is a change from a teacher-centered to a student-centered learning method. This study was undertaken to learn about perceptions and test performances of college students (N=116) enrolled in liberal education classes when PBL is used vs. traditional teaching methods. Results indicated students perceived traditional teacher-centered learning more favorably than student- centered PBL. Nevertheless, test scores were similar. Negative student perceptions about learning in PBL classes did not support either teacher observations of learning activity in the classroom or compromised test performances.
Tumor growth is impacted by energy balance, a tumor-promoting hormone, prolactin, and genetics. Physical inactivity can affect energy imbalance and blood prolactin concentration, which could ultimately modify gene expression associated with tumor regulation. Spontaneous tumors occur in 45-71% of Sprague-Dawley (SD) laboratory rats, yet few studies have considered the potential impact of the inherent sedentary condition of a standard cage on tumorigenesis. Tumor profiles, microarray analyses, and tumor promoting hormone prolactin were compared to determine how residing in a standard cage affects tumor development. Female SD rats were sorted into 1. cage with no outside activity (SED), 2. twice-weekly, one hour physical activity in large box (PA), and 3. regular voluntary running wheel exercise (EX) groups. SED had higher tumor number and size throughout most of their lifespan compared with EX. PA had tumor profiles similar to SED. Higher tumor burden (54%) in SED vs. EX (38%), although falling in the range of previous studies, may be abnormally high due to the sedentary setting of a standard cage. At 16 months, SED tumors included thyroid carcinoma, malignancy, mammary fibroadenoma, cystadenoma, and granuloma when compared with benign mammary gland cysts that were most common in EX. Eight cardiac genes related to tumors were down-regulated in SED vs. EX (i.e. Rab40c, Lyn, Rab5b, Mycn, Tnfsf13, Fyn Brca1, and LOC291530), and five were up-regulated (i.e. Tnfrsf4, C1qtnf1, Tnfsf9, Dlc1, and RGD:619831). Prolactin levels were highest in SED at ages 6 and 12 months (p<0.05), after which age-associated hyperprolactinemia occurred. In conclusion, when compared with animals that had access to exercise, animals housed in standard cages had a larger number and size of tumors that included malignancy, as well as higher prolactin levels, lower energy intake,lower energy expenditure,and thirteen different tumor-associated gene expressions.
Abstract This study compared the ability of selected measures of vision, health, physical activity and performance, and fall history to predict the risk of recurrent falls in independent community-dwelling older adults. Of particular interest was the association between visual field (VF) constriction and falling. Age-related VF constriction is well documented and is known to accelerate in persons over age 55. Although several authors have implied that VF constriction in older adults could contribute to instability and falls, there has been no attempt to systematically examine this relationship. A battery of tests were administered to men and women (N = 96) 60–88 years of age. Falls were closely monitored for 1 year following the testing. Fifty of the 96 participants (52%) fell during the 1-year monitoring period, amassing a total of 91 falls, 5 of which resulted in fractures. There were 46 nonfallers, 27 one-time fallers, and 23 recurrent fallers. A stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that average VF constriction, use of eyeglasses, and low systolic blood pressure were independently associated with recurrent falling. On discriminant function analysis, these 3 variables predicted status as a recurrent faller correctly in 48% of cases, and predicted nonfaller status correctly in 93% of cases. The overall performance of the model was 70%. Hypotheses are offered for how average VF constriction, use of eyeglasses, and low systolic blood pressure could influence stability and fall risk in older adults. Keywords: blood pressureeyeglassesfallslocomotionolder adultsstabilityvisual field
The interaction of genetics and environment play a major role in health and disease. Physical activity Influences the expression of specific sets of gene that regulate critical physiological functions. Modeling experiments to investigate gene-environment interaction in a laboratory setting would provide the opportunity to gain mechanistic insight under controlled conditions. In laboratory research it is unclear if the gene-environment interaction of a sedentary lifestyle predisposes laboratory animals to hypokinetic diseases such as hypertension. PURPOSE We sought to compare gene expression and physiological markers of hypertension in animals with: i. A sedentary lifestyle in a standard cage (SED); ii. access to twice-weekly physical activity in a large box outside a standard cage (PA); and iii. access to regular exercise in cages with running wheels (EX). METHODS The GeneChip® Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array was used for comprehensive screening of the transcribed rat genome on a single array. Here, we report results related to genes directly associated with hypertension. Blood pressure was measured by a tail-cuff sphygmomanometer. RESULTS Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was highest in the SED (140.6±3.1 mmHg) vs. EX (129.8±2.6 mmHg, F 1,28 =6.33, p < 0.05). Mean SBP and mean gene expressions showed the following significant correlations: SBP and farnesyl diphosphate farnesyl transferase 1 (Fdft1), r =0.95;SBP and very low-density lipoprotein receptor (Vldlr) r =0.52; and SBP and gap junction membrane channel protein alpha 1 (Gja1), r =0.36, p < 0.05. Fdft1, a regulator of lipid biosynthesis, was highest in SED followed by PA and EX (5713±101 vs. 5527±385 vs. 5097±145). Vldlr, a regular of cholesterol metabolism and lipid transport, was lower in SED vs PA (6899±144 vs. 7782±333, p < 0.05). Gja1, a regulator of cell signaling and heart rate, was lower in SED compared with EX (324±62 vs. 366.7±75, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that a sedentary environment can induce hypertension and that certain blood pressure-regulating genes are expressed differently in SED compared to animals with access to either PA or EX. Supported by NIH Grant 1 R15 AG 20526–01A1.
