OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "assessment"

Browsing by Subject "assessment"

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Open Access
A statistical model for stock assessment of southern bluefin tuna with temporal changes in selectivity
(2003) Butterworth, Doug S; Ianelli, J N; Hilborn, R
Assessment of the status of southern bluefin tuna (SBT) by Australia and Japan has used a method (ADAPT) that imposes a number of structural restrictions, and is similar to methods used for a number of stocks world-wide. A flexible method for assessment of the SBT population is presented that is much less restrictive and has potentially wide applicability. The three key features are: (1) all fitting to data is within the context of maximum likelihood, (2) catch-at-age data are not assumed to be without error (as in existing methods), but rather to be random variables, while age-specific selectivity is allowed to change over time within the bounds of specific structure, and (3) autocorrelation in recruitment processes is considered within the likelihood framework of the model. While the results suggest the stock has been depleted considerably from its virgin biomass, and are generally consistent with previous assessments, they also indicate that it is not as much below the biomass that will produce maximum suitable yield as previously estimated and that the extent of stock rebuilding necessary may not be as large as has been argued. The available data are shown to provide little information on the steepness parameter of the stock-recruitment function, and hence on sustainable catch levels for the stock.
Open Access
Assessing post-traumatic stress disorder in South African adolescents: using the child and adolescent trauma survey (CATS) as a screening tool
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2005) Suliman, S; Kaminer, D; Seedat, Soraya; Stein, Dan J
BACKGROUND:Several studies have demonstrated that South African children and adolescents are exposed to high levels of violent trauma with a significant proportion developing PTSD, however, limited resources make it difficult to accurately identify traumatized children. METHODS: A clinical interview (K-SADS-PL, selected modules) and self-report scale (CATS) were compared to determine if these different methods of assessment elicit similar information with regards to trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents. Youth (n = 58) from 2 schools in Cape Town, South Africa participated. RESULTS: 91% of youth reported having been exposed to a traumatic event on self-report (CATS) and 38% reported symptoms severe enough to be classified as PTSD. On interview (K-SADS-PL), 86% reported exposure to a traumatic event and 19% were found to have PTSD. While there were significant differences in the rates of trauma exposure and PTSD on the K-SADS and CATS, a cut-off value of 15 on the CATS maximized both the number of true positives and true negatives with PTSD. The CATS also differentiated well between adolescents meeting DSM-IV PTSD symptom criteria from adolescents not meeting criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD are prevalent in South African youth and if appropriate cut-offs are used, self-report scales may be useful screening tools for PTSD.
Open Access
The assessment and treatment of panic disorder in general practice
(South African Academy of Family Physicians, 2012) Koen, N; Stein, Dan J
Panic disorder (PD) is an anxiety disorder that affects many South Africans. If undiagnosed or mismanaged, this condition may impact profoundly on an individual's functioning and quality of life. At the primary level, the assessment of panic attacks requires consideration of a number of differential diagnoses. General practitioners also play an invaluable role in the acute and long-term care and appropriate referral of individuals with PD. This article provides an overview of PD in general practice and includes a guideline for case identification and therapeutic options.
Open Access
Beyond social constructivist perspectives on assessment: the centring of knowledge
(Taylor & Francis, 2008) Shay, Suellen
Over the past few decades assessment has been heralded for its key role in the improvement of teaching and learning. However, more recently there have been expressions of uncertainty about whether assessment is in fact delivering on its promised potential. Against this backdrop of uncertainty and circumspection this paper offers a critical reflection on higher education assessment discourses with a particular focus on the discourse of criterion referenced assessment. The central argument is that while the social constructivist perspective has significantly illuminated our understanding of assessment, inadvertently the very object of assessment-knowledge has been eclipsed. I propose that a fruitful way forward for our assessment practices is the centring of disciplinary forms of knowledge as an explicit component of the object of our assessment. Drawing on sociologists of education - Basil Bernstein and Karl Maton - I stake out some of the theoretical ground for reconceptualising the relationship between knowledge and assessment.
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A critical look at the potential of Ecopath with ecosim to assist in practical fisheries management
(National Inquiry Services Centre, 2004) Plagányi, Éva E; Butterworth, Doug S
Ecosystem-orientated thinking is increasingly incorporated into fishery management. Given the complexity of ecosystem processes, there is a need to evaluate the tools used to steer this thinking critically. ECOPATH with ECOSIM (EwE), an aggregate system-modelling package, is currently the most widely employed approach to assess the ecosystem effects of fishing. The basic equations and assumptions, strengths and weaknesses, and the potential of this approach to contribute to practical fisheries management advice are reviewed. Strengths include the structured parameterization framework, the inclusion of a well-balanced level of conceptual realism, a novel representation of predator-prey interaction terms, and the inclusion of a Bayes-like approach (ECORANGER) to take account of the uncertainty associated with values for model inputs. Weaknesses in model structure include the constraining nature of the mass-balance assumption (of ECOPATH) for initiating projections, the questionable handling of life history responses such as compensatory changes in the natural mortality rates of marine mammals, overcompensatory stock-recruit relationships that result from default parameter settings, possible problems in extrapolating from the microscale to the macroscale, as well as some (not too far-reaching) mathematical inconsistencies in the underlying equations. There is a paucity of systematic and stepwise investigations into model behaviour and properties, and users are cautioned against non-critical use of the default settings. An important limitation related to the predominant use of EwE as a "black-box" modelling tool is that some users fail to consider a range of alternative interaction representations. As with all multispecies approaches, the major limitation in applying the EwE approach lies in the quality and quantity of available data. Current EwE applications generally do not adequately address uncertainty in data inputs and model structure. Prudent EwE applications that utilize good data and are based upon rigorous statistical analyses can complement the quantitative predictions of traditional single-species models. They could be particularly useful in some contexts if output in the form of probability distributions encompassing a range of likely ecosystem responses were to be coupled with attempts to extend Operational Management Procedure (OMP) approaches to fisheries management beyond the singlespecies level. In particular, such applications could serve as the operating models of the underlying dynamics that are used for computer simulation testing of OMPs.
Open Access
Elbow Observation
(2016) Buchholtz, Kim; Burgess, Theresa
This video demonstrates the specific observations related to the elbow joint, to be performed prior to the physical tests
Open Access
Kindling fires: examining the potential for cumulative learning in a journalism curriculum
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Kilpert, Leigh; Shay, Suellen
This study investigated context-dependency of learning as an indicator for students’ potential to continue learning after graduation. We used Maton’s theoretical concepts of 'cumulative' and 'egmented' learning, and 'semantic gravity', to look for context-independent learning in students' assessments in a Journalism curriculum. We postulated whether the curriculum constrained or enabled cumulative learning. Students' responses to assessments were coded by their degree of context-dependency, or semantic gravity. We found that, firstly, students are overly successful in producing context-dependent answers but struggle to deliver context-independent responses. Secondly, students were not effective when they used higher level knowledge principles without the foundation of lower level ones. Lastly, the marking criteria were encouraging markers to reward context-dependent answers over context-independent ones. This study has implications for educators interested in curriculum design that enables cumulative learning in discipline specific contexts.
Open Access
Learning to assess in the academic workplace: case study in the natural sciences
(Unisa Pres, 2008) Jawitz, Jeff
A study into how academics learn to assess student performance affirms the significance of context in understanding learning in the academic workplace. The study involved three case studies in academic departments with significant differences in the teaching, research and professional dimensions of academic life. This article reports on the experiences of new academics in one of the case studies, a department in the Natural Sciences. This case study highlights how relationships between colleagues, opportunities for conversations about assessment practice, and the alignment of assessment practices with the kinds of capital valued in each context are important considerations in understanding the ease, or difficulties, new academics experience in learning to judge student performance. Programmes that aim to help academics develop their assessment practice need to recognise that learning to judge student performance involves developing confidence to create and use opportunities to learn within the academic workplace.
Open Access
Pain assessment and management: An audit of practice at a tertiary hospital
(2019) Prempeh, Nana Agya Boakye Atonsah; Parker, Romy; Duys, Rowan; De Vaal, Alma
Background: Despite advances in techniques and analgesics for pain management, pain remains a major health problem. Regular assessment and reassessment of pain using guidelines with measurable goals is essential for effective pain management in acute hospital settings. Unfortunately, no such guidelines exist in South Africa. To implement appropriate precepts for the South African context, current practice must be understood. Aim: To evaluate pain assessment and management of patients in two surgical wards at Groote Schuur Hospital. Setting: Groote Schuur Hospital is a government-funded tertiary academic institution within the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The patients at this hospital are generally from the low-income strata and live in resource-poor communities. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective medical record audit was conducted. The folders of all 215 patients admitted to a specific orthopaedic trauma and urogynaecological ward at Groote Schuur Hospital in June 2015 were targeted for review. Medical folders not available or with missing notes were excluded. Variables evaluated included the number of pain assessments recorded, pain assessor, assessment tool and management plan. Results: 168 folders were available for review. Nearly half of the patients had no documented pain assessment. When pain assessment was conducted, the verbal rating scale was the predominant tool used, and assessments were mostly conducted by the ward doctor. Pain interventions appeared to be primarily based on the professional knowledge and experience of the practitioner and were not evidence-based. Conclusion: Pain assessment and management was a problem in the two wards reviewed, which is similar to the findings of studies referenced in this text. Health professionals need to be empowered to manage pain adequately. An assessment tool, which integrates the biopsychosocial factors that influence the pain experience, should be routinely employed by a multidisciplinary team to facilitate goal-directed therapy.
Open Access
Physiotherapy students' Assessment of Psychosocial Yellow Flags in Low Back Pain
(2007) Parker, R
Background: Low Back Pain (LBP) makes up a large proportion of referrals to physiotherapy worldwide. Thus training in its effective assessment and management is essential. With psychosocial yellow flags having been recognised as the strongest predictors of chronicity in LBP, guidelines on the management of LBP emphasise the importance of assessing and managing yellow flags. Aim: The aim of this research was to explore whether physiotherapy students were able to assess risk of chronicity based on the presence of yellow flags in descriptions of people with LBP. Method: A postal semi-structured questionnaire based on clinical vignettes was sent to all the Level 3 physiotherapy students studying at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. Results: The survey was responded to by 15 of the students (35%). The respondents overestimated risk of chronic LBP from the vignettes. Evaluation of risk for chronicity was based on few yellow flags i.e. the strongest predictors of chronicity were not effectively interpreted resulting in incorrect determination of risk for chronic LBP. All respondents included at least one risk factor not supported by the evidence. Conclusions: Physiotherapy students in this study did not appear to respond appropriately to the presence of yellow flags in the presented vignettes.
Open Access
Preparedness for tertiary chemistry: multiple applications of the chemistry competence test for diagnostic and prediction purposes
(The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011) Davidowitz, Bette; Potgieter, Marietjie
The development of the Chemistry Competence Test was prompted by the extensive curriculum changes in the South African school system after democracy was established in 1994. As chemists, we were concerned that there might be a lack of articulation between secondary and tertiary levels, since we anticipated that curriculum changes would have an impact on the knowledge base and skills development of prospective students. A diagnostic test developed initially to document proficiencies of first-time entering students to South African universities has proved to be a versatile instrument for multiple uses. Apart from monitoring levels of preparedness for tertiary chemistry during a period of systemic change, it has also been used to evaluate institutional placement policies, to identify specific conceptual problems and procedural deficiencies, and to measure conceptual gains over the course of the first year at university. In addition, its application for the prediction of risk of failure in first-year chemistry based on cognitive and non-cognitive variables was demonstrated. All these findings are valuable resources to inform lecturers who are concerned about minimizing the conceptual gap between secondary and tertiary chemistry.
Open Access
Race and assessment practice in South Africa: understanding black academic experience
(Taylor & Francis, 2012) Jawitz, Jeffrey
Despite efforts to transform the racialised system of higher education in South Africa inherited from apartheid, there has been little research published that interrogates the relationship between race and the experience of academic staff within the South African higher education environment. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and critical race theory, this article traces the experience of two black male academics in relation to the assessment practices of their colleagues at a historically white university in South Africa. The interviewees, both graduates from the departments in which they teach, reflected on their experience of their departmental assessment practices both as black students and black academics. The analysis concludes that despite their differing perceptions and experiences they both regard the assessment practices of some of their white colleagues as undermining of their black students' efforts to succeed.
Open Access
The Research Commons: a new creature in the library?
(Emerald, 2010) Darch, Colin; de Jager, Karin; Daniels, William
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use made of the Research Commons during its first year of operation in an attempt to establish whether it actually provides a genuinely new and different service from the point of view of the end‐users, and whether a facility such as this could indeed be presumed to support research and enhance research output at the university. Design/methodology/approach – Using Lippincott's assessment grid, an attempt was made to assess activities in the Research Commons according to the dimensions of extensiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, service quality and usefulness. Methodology was mixed, with quantitative and qualitative components that logged the extent and nature of the use of the various facilities in the Research Commons and sought to establish from stakeholder perceptions whether the services on offer are regarded as substantially different from those in the undergraduate Knowledge Commons and whether they are indeed seen to be supporting research activities. Findings – It was found that a combination of numerical and qualitative measurements has yielded sufficient evidence for the drawing of preliminary conclusions. The evidence gathered demonstrates that the Research Commons, designed primarily as a site for the creation of new knowledge in the form of original writing by researchers at postgraduate and academic level, is indeed an advance on the well‐established "library commons" concept, and that its creation represents an instance of "parallel invention" – the "new creature" that the title refers to. Originality/value – This paper provides a multifaceted perspective on the activities taking place in a new library facility and should provide librarians and researchers with evidence‐based insight into how meaningful research support may be provided to young researchers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as part of an academic library service in a middle income country.
Open Access
Researching assessment as social practice: implications for research methodology
(Elsevier Ltd., 2008) Shay, Suellen
Recent educational journals on both sides of the Atlantic have seen a resurgence of debate about the nature of educational research. As a contribution to these debates, this paper draws on theoretical and methodological 'thinking tools' of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Specifically, the paper explores what Jenkins [Jenkins, R. (2002). Pierre Bourdieu. London: Routledge and Falmer] refers to as Bourdieu's ""reflexive epistemological pluralism"" and its implications for research into higher education, with a particular focus on assessment as social practice. This particular theoretical and methodological understanding is used to critically reflect on a study conducted in 2005 on the impact of a policy on anonymous examination marking which was implemented at the University of Cape Town in 2004. The study collected both quantitative data of student examination performance pre and post-policy implementation, as well as interviews with course conveners. The paper argues that when viewed interdependently the data offers insight into some of the ""principles of vision and division"" [Bourdieu, P. (1996). The state nobilityP: Elite schools in the field of power. Cambridge: Polity Press] at work in assessors' judgment-making process. The assessors' deliberations expose ideological tensions between the dual challenges of equity and excellence in the context of a historically white liberal university under transformation.
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The South African horse mackerel assessment using an age-structured production model, with future biomass projections
(2004) Johnston, Susan J; Butterworth, Doug S
The South African horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus capensis) fishery began in 1950. It currently consists of a demersal/midwater trawl fleet (concentrated on the South coast) and a pelagic purse-seine fishery (concentrated on the West Coast). Adult horse mackerel are taken as a by-catch by the demersal trawl fleet and as a targeted catch by the midwater trawl fleet. Juvenile horse mackerel are taken as a by-catch by the pelagic purseseine fleet. Previous stock assessments for this fishery include a surplus production model (Punt 1989, 1992), and a Beverton-Holt yield-per-recruit approach (Butterworth and Raubenheimer 1992; Butterworth and Clarke 1996). For convenience, the rest of this paper uses “demersal” to imply both midwater and demersal operations.
Open Access
Student Video Production: Assignment to Assessment
(2013-07-05) Pallitt, Nicola; Chetty, Rulisha;
The value of student video productions in higher education is often understated in discussions related to ICTs in education, where the topic of lecture recording dominates. This concerns students’ consumption of video rather than production. We would like to shift from the notion of video as just a resource to focus on video as a teaching and learning strategy/task where the end product is as important as the filmmaking process. This guide takes you through the process of setting up the assignment and preparing students for it, video editing software, ethical and legal issues to consider as well as how to assess student video projects. It is published under a Creative Commons license. Download the PDF or view on ISSUU.
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Summary of biological information used in assessment of the South African horse mackerel
(2004) Johnston, Susan J; Butterworth, Doug S
The current length-at-age relationship used in the South African horse mackerel assessment is taken from Kerstan 1999 (pers. commn) quoted in Horsten (1999). This relationship takes the form of a Von Bertalanffy growth curve:
Open Access
A summary of the assessment and management approach applied to South African abalone (Haliotis midae) in Zones?A-D
(2007) Plagányi, Éva E
The management of abalone stocks worldwide is complicated by factors such as poaching combined with the difficulties of assessing a sedentary (but not immobile) resource that is often patchily distributed. The South African abalone Haliotis midae fishery is faced with an additional problem in the form of a movement of rock lobsters Jasus lalandii into much of the range of the abalone. The lobsters have dramatically reduced sea urchin Parechinus angulosus populations, thereby indirectly negatively impacting juvenile abalone, which rely on the urchins for shelter. The model developed for abalone is an extension of more standard age-structured assessment models because it explicitly takes spatial effects into account, incorporates the ecosystem change effect described above and formally estimates illegal catches using a novel index, the Confiscations Per Unit Policing Effort (CPUPE). The model is simultaneously fitted to CPUE and Fishery-Independent Abalone Survey (FIAS) abundance data as well as several years of catch-at-age (cohort-sliced from catch-at-length) data for the various components of the fishery as well as for different strata. A basic tenet of fisheries modelling is to not go beyond the information content of the data. The model developed involves the efficient use of data to allow a model of greater complexity (as was essential in this instance) than usual. It has provided the basis for management advice over recent years by projecting abundance trends under alternative future catch levels.
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The 2004 re-assessment of the South African sardine and anchovy populations to take account of revisions to earlier data and recent record abundances
(2009) De Moor, C; Butterworth, Doug S
Hydroacoustic surveys off the coast of South Africa over the early years of the 21st century indicated that both the sardine Sardinops sagax and anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus populations had simultaneously reached record abundances. The South African pelagic fishery is regulated using an Operational Management Procedure (OMP). The OMP in use at that time had been developed using data from the two populations prior to this rapid and substantial increase in abundances. This paper documents the revised assessments that were urgently required to provide a basis to update the OMP. These assessments resulted in a changed perception of the status and productivity of these populations. In particular, estimates of the stock-recruitment relationships and the extent of variation about them, which play a key role in evaluating risk when developing OMPs, altered substantially from estimates derived from earlier assessments.
Open Access
Toward Linguistically Fair IQ Screening: The Multilingual Vocabulary Test
(2019) Siebert, Julian M.; Thomas, Kevin G.F.
Neuropsychological assessment in linguistically heterogeneous populations is fraught with numerous challenges, such as lacking or inappropriate normative data or the unavailability of appropriate tests. Accommodating multilingual individuals exacerbates the issue by adding the question of which language(s) to use when assessing multilingual individuals. Different testrelated concepts may be accessible to them via different languages, as their lexicon is spread out over two or more languages. Hence, any monolingual instrument is likely to disadvantage them. The present set of three studies circumvents this question and presents evidence for an inherently multilingual English/Afrikaans/isiXhosa screening tool for intelligence, the Multilingual Vocabulary Test (MVT). I describe the instrument’s development from the pilot study to a psychometric analysis of the final, digitally administered version. For an abbreviated 13-item version, Study 3 (N = 494) shows an internal consistency of  = .59 and Study 2 (N = 101) produced significant criterion-related validity values of r = .46 and r = .52 with the KBIT-2 and Shipley-2 VIQ scores respectively. Linear regression analyses show that, while all criterion measures are biased toward E1-speakers, the MVT is largely immune to test-takers’ linguistic background. Thus, the MVT paves the way toward more fairness in cognitive assessments, in general, and provides a promising first step toward addressing one of South African neuropsychologists’ greatest needs—that of a quick and easy-to-administer, yet linguistically fair screening tool for cognitive impairment.

Browsing by Subject "assessment"

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