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The Discipline To Get Things Done
March 23, 2011 at 12:06 am	(Writing) (authors, fanfiction, reading, style, writing)
The other day I mentioned that- in addition to math- fanfiction claimed a great deal of credit for turning me from a distracted scribbler to a writer who actually gets things done. To some this may sound strange; after all, isn't fanfiction written by people who can't come up with their own worlds and characters? Those poor people who can't write their own stories, and so have to piggyback on someone else's success?
Not so much.
I was introduced to fanfiction by a friend who wrote it as a stress relief through pre-law and law school. Some of her stories were silly and funny as anything, some heart-wrenching, and some truly epic tales that were full novels in their own right. They were well-paced, well-plotted, and wonderfully written, but they were still fanfiction- which means there was absolutely no pressure to try to publish past posting them online. There were purely for fun, for stress-relief, for the sake of curiosity.
That's really what most of fanfiction is: the ultimate "what if". Yes, there's some degree of people wanting to put themselves into the story, but most is curiosity. People love the books (or whatever the source material is) so much that they keep thinking about them and wonder what would happen if. What if Prim had gone to the Hunger Games? What if Cassia never looked at the microcard? What if Voldemort had won? Or even something more simple: what if Ron had danced with Hermione at the Yule Ball? They start with a question (or an argument), grow into a train of thought, and then mature into a story so entranced with the original author's creations that we can't help but play in their worlds.
On its own, fanfiction might not have much of an effect. Within a community, however, oh holy hell. As soon as you post a story, you have readers- you have feedback. Granted, at least three-quarters of this feedback is absolutely useless as far as constructive critiques go. They're nice to see, because they're usually gushing about loving it, but it doesn't actually tell you anything helpful. then there are the other ones, the reviews that speak very specifically to what works for them and what doesn't, what they love, the way you write, comments on aspects of story and character. If you have someone step too far ooc (out of character, for the less privileged geeky), or break a basic rule of the world, people are up in arms about it in the reviews. If your story isn't going anywhere? They'll let you know. Have an annoyingly perfect character who represents everything you could possibly want to be? Reviewers are not at all shy about calling shenanigans on a Mary Sue.
They also want the rest of the story, they want it now, and they're not shy about demanding asking for it. THIS was what made fanfiction so invaluable to me. As soon as I posted a chapter, I had people hounding me for the next one. I actually had to write every day to keep up with these bizarre new things called goals. I was posting a chapter about every week- every other week on some of the more complicated ones, or when real life intruded- and if I started slacking off, I had people on my ass about it. It was incredible! I was actually finishing stories, for pretty much the first time ever. Not short stories for class assignments, but novel-length projects.
It created a sense of discipline. I set goals and actively worked to meet them. Before, I had notebooks galore full of started stories that I could never manage to finish before I jumped to a different idea, a different obsession and fascination. It was a lot harder to do that when I'd get daily emails asking me why the next chapter wasn't up yet.
The more unexpected benefit was a matter of style. Before fanfiction, my writerly voice (I don't care if it's not a word, I'm using it anyway) jumped all over the place based on what I was reading or watching or even just the kind of mood I was in. Strangely enough, readers expect this thing called consistency. They allow for how a voice has to change across different projects, but within a single story, they want an identifiable voice. If they don't feel like they're getting one, they'll flat out ask if you're actually a group writing under a single name. Which…can get kind of embarrasing if you see it more than once.
There have been other benefits to writing fanfiction, too- you have to really study the characters and the world to do them justice, you learn to pay attention to the bigger picture, and (in my case) learn about these bizarre contraptions called chapters- but discipline and style were, for me, the most significant. I know time, experience, reading habits, and supposed maturity have all gone into my growth as a writer as well, but looking back on what I did before fanfiction and what I've done since shows a staggering difference. I don't write it anymore because I've been focusing on original ideas, but I still get the what if's and I have to admit, I really kind of miss it. Not just the writing but the reading- there is some amazing stuff out there.
There's also a painful amount of crap, but hey, with practice comes improvement.
…usually.
There are, however, boundaries that should be respected. If you read or write fanfiction, PLEASE DO NOT forward them on the source authors. Yes, fanfiction is a form of flattery, and yes, many of them have said they wrote fanfiction where they were younger, but they are not legally allowed to know it exists. Most publishing contracts require authors to protect their copyrights, of which posted fanfiction is technically a violation, even if you don't seek any renumeration from it. Most of the time this can balance out in a don't ask don't tell situation: if you don't bring it to the attention of the authors or publishers, they're not going to actively seek you out. No worries. There's also a basic respect thing in not telling the author how you think someone else did their idea so much better.
The other piece of that is the fear that something an author writes may be ever-so-slightly similar to a story a well-meaning fan sends them, even if the author never read the story, and grievous trouble can ensue. Just…don't do it, y'all. Be happy with your fan base online, acknowledge the source material, but leave the author of it.
Still, fanfiction is an amazing way to practice your writing, to try out new techniques, or even just experiment. The feedback is helpful (well, some of it), and the simple fact of getting things written on a regular basis, creating that sense of discipline, is invaluable.
It certainly was for me.


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Rob Valletta On The Vanderpump Rules Cast: "They're Like The Quarterback In High School That Everyone Knows, But They Never Made It To The Pros"
by Marenah on May 31st, 2018
Even when he wasn't present, Rob Valletta was a main topic of conversation during the last season of Vanderpump Rules. This is because his now-ex-girlfriend Scheana Marie mentioned him (and his ability to hang a TV in under seven minutes) whenever she could.
Rob and Scheana claim that they broke up because of the drama from the show, but we all have to admit that a lot of people know Rob because of Vanderpump Rules. Some of the cast members even claimed that he used Scheana to get exposure from the show during the reunion shows. He did break up with her right when filming ended….
Rob shared his side of the story during an interview with the Juicy Scoop With Heather McDonald podcast– an interview that Heather McDonald said went down because Rob reached out to her. Interesting. Rob seems to be so against the show, yet has no problem riding its coattails and promoting himself. Personally, I'm all for it and find it hilarious, but it's probably not sitting too well with Scheana and the other cast members.
Rob said, "Outside of the show, yeah they're great. When that show starts filming, it is a whole different world. It's a whole different mentality." He added, "That's what they get paid for. That's what makes that show so good. They're willing to say whatever and do whatever because that's their job."
Rob clarified Scheana's claim that Rob "doesn't like to kiss." He explained, "See, I do like to kiss. There's TV stuff and then there's life stuff." He admitted, "I'm not a huge PDA person though. I won't kiss in public. I'll hold hands. I'll be affectionate."
Heather asked Rob about making the cast clean up his Big Bear house on the last morning of their trip. She wondered, "Wouldn't you have a maid come in?: He kept it real and admitted, "No, I think that makes great TV." It really did. He added, "You have a maid come in. Of course, but it's way more entertaining to watch Jax [Taylor] and all those guys hungover."
Rob admitted that he felt forced to do the show, while doing an interview that he initiated about this same show. He shared, "The thing I didn't really like about the situation and why I was incredibly hesitant to do it is because it was worded to me a very certain way that if I didn't do it this would make Scheana look really bad to the network. And it could jeopardize her job. It wasn't said as clear as that, but it was definitely presented to me in that way. At the end of the day, you have to protect your girlfriend. If her whole life is being shown on camera, I'll take the leap of faith." He pointed out, "I ended up doing the show for free." Does this mean that he initially asked for a paycheck? Shocked/not shocked.
Heather asked the big question: "Did you guys ever say 'I love you'?" Rob confessed, "Yeah." Then Heather asked, "Why did you say to Jax that you didn't say 'I love you' on the boat?" He told Heather, "There were weeks and stuff of dealing with this. I was already pushing back." He added, "I was kind of shutting down."
Rob continued, "I look back at some of the things and I was like 'Did I say that?' I was being stubborn. I was being very stubborn because I didn't want to give them anything." Even if Rob didn't want to provide content for the show, Scheana took care of that by mentioning him in every single one of her scenes. Rob insisted, "I said I don't throw the 'love' word around- which is very true."
Rob had no problem admitting that this season was not the most-flattering for Scheana. He said, "They make her look really…. I look at it and I feel bad for her." He explained, "All she did was she went overboard on protecting me." He continued, "I respect them for the way they edited it. At the end of the day, it was a woman protecting her boyfriend, who was pushing away because it was a scary world." He added, "I respect her for that and I respect her for having my back."
And just when this interview was a good look for Rob, defending his often-maligned ex and the production of the show, Rob declared, "These people are not famous. They're popular. They're like the quarterback in high school that everyone knows, but they never made it to the pros." Really, Rob? That's an absurd thing to say considering how many people know Rob thanks to this show.
Rob wasn't on the reunion episodes this year, but it seems like he would have went if he was invited. Rob shared, "They didn't ask me to go on the reunion. They know that I would go on and defend Scheana." He said, "A lot of the cast is not going to attack me. In general the cast would not attack me because at the end of the day, I didn't do anything wrong, but they know they can attack Scheana. If I'm not there, it's a much more open space to attack someone and get what you want."
RELATED: Vanderpump Rules Cast Members Weigh In On Rob Valletta & Randall Emmett
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ROB'S COMMENTS? WILL YOU MISS ROB ON VANDERPUMP RULES NEXT SEASON?
Scheana Marie Gushes About New Butt; Says She Cut Out Alcohol Sugar
Stassi Schroeder Sounds Off On Scheana Marie's Podcast, Her Relationship With Patrick Meagher & More
Tags: Heather McDonald, Jax Taylor, Rob Valletta, Robert Valletta, Scheana Marie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Lightning rally strikes Arroyo visit to Los Angeles. Thunderous outcry from Fil-Ams: 'No to Con-Ass, No to Cha-Cha. Gloria has got to go.'
Contact: Rhonda Ramiro
Secretary General, BAYAN-USA
Los Angeles, CA — On early Saturday morning, Filipino Americans launched a lightning rally to greet Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her mini-junket at the Sheraton Gateway near Los Angeles International Airport. The lightning rally was one of many demonstrations across the Philippines and around the world in recent days to protest the passage of the House Resolution 1109 to convene a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass), considered the latest move of the US-Arroyo regime to change the Philippine Charter (Cha Cha) and further undermine democracy in the Philippines.
BAYAN-USA & GABRIELA USA's member organizations began the lightning rally, marching to a rendition of "Bayan Ko" carrying "No to Con-Ass" and "No to Cha-Cha" signs, AnakBayan LA, Habi Arts and Sisters of GABRIELA Awaken (SiGAw) members expressed their anger at the US-Arroyo regime's desperate Con-Ass maneuver to hold on to power. Fil-Ams were also demanding justice for fellow Habi Arts member, Melissa Roxas, a US Citizen who was abducted and tortured by armed men last May while doing community health work in the Philippines. A street theater piece highlighting the on-going human rights violations was dedicated to Roxas, Jonas Burgos, Karen Empeno, Sherlyn Kadapan, James Balao, Juanito Carabeo, John Edward Jandoc and all other victims of the US-Arroyo regime. With a thunderous outcry denouncing Arroyo, the protestors drowned out the cheers of US-Arroyo supporters as Arroyo was escorted back to LAX. The morning rally was concluded with an "Arroyo, You're A Jerk" hip hop dance circle led by AnakBayan Los Angeles.
"Con-Ass and Charter Change are lame attempts for Arroyo and her cronies to stay in power. They all hoped that the Filipino people would not care enough to notice, but the public outcry of our people in the Philippines, the US and all over the world prove that the people are wise and keen on her trickery," declared Daya Mortel, BAYAN-USA Southern California Regional Coordinator and Habi Arts member. "She has tried every trick in the book short of declaring Martial Law. Wherever she may go, there will be people who will protest and criticize her abuse of power."
"Con-Ass is the biggest threat to democracy and the Filipino people today," stated Kuusela Hilo, Vice Chairperson of BAYAN-USA and member of AnakBayan LA. "The Filipino people have suffered under the US-Arroyo regime, and for Arroyo to position herself as Prime Minister or declare martial law would only mean more suffering and repression for our people."
The rapes of "Nicole" and "Vanessa" and the devastation wrought on civilians by the annual Balikatan military exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement have drawn increasing criticism from all sectors of Philippine society. "GMA has turned her back on Filipina women and all other Filipinos by railroading our Constitution and the democratic process. If Con-Ass and Cha-Cha are pushed through, foreigners will be able to own the natural resources of the country and Filipinas will continue to be violated by US troops in the Philippines," said Terrie Cervas, Vice Chairperson of GABRIELA USA and founding member of SiGAw. Cervas concluded, "By rewriting the Philippine Constitution, the Philippines will be victim to 100% foreign ownership of industries and re-installation of permanent military US presence, beyond supposed 'temporary' posts already in place under the Visiting Forces Agreement." For the last ten years, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) has paved the way for US military advisers, troops and equipment to train and equip the Philippine military which has been implicated in 1,017 extra-judicial killings and 1,010 cases of torture.
"The fact that Arroyo tried to visit LA unnoticed is very telling," said Mortel. "She knew she could not come to LA, the hometown of Melissa Roxas, without facing unanswered questions of why her government has not done a thorough probe into the abduction and torture of Roxas and her companions. Or why hundreds of others have been disappeared and why thousands of other victims have yet to receive justice."
BAYAN-USA will continue to campaign against Con-Ass and Cha-Cha. BAYAN-USA will also be working with national alliances and human rights organizations in the United States to demand justice for Melissa Roxas and all other victims of human rights violations. "We do not want any of our hard-earned US tax dollars funding Philippine death squads," said Hilo. "Senator Barbara Boxer sponsored a hearing on the human rights crisis in the Philippines just two years ago in Washington DC, and we will be asking Senator Boxer and other elected officials to take Melissa Roxas' case seriously, to take a stand to defend a US citizen that has survived abduction and torture, and to require that not one cent of US taxes be used to fund human rights violations in the Philippines."
BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the US representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As an international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the US. BAYAN-USA's online petition against the VFA can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow. The online petition to demand justice for Roxas and her companions Juanito Carabeo, and John Edward Jandoc can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html.
Tags: Balikatan,Charter Change,GMA,Melissa Roxas,Nicole,protest,VFA


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The White Stripes were an American rock duo formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals).After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit music scene, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful and critically acclaimed albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom, with the single "Seven Nation Army" which used a guitar and a whammy pedal to create the iconic opening riff becoming their signature song. The band recorded two more albums, Get Behind Me Satan in 2005 and Icky Thump in 2007, and dissolved in 2011 after a lengthy hiatus from performing and recording. The White Stripes used a low-fidelity approach to writing and recording. Their music featured a melding of garage rock and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo were also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which featured a simple color scheme of red, white, and black—which was used on every album and single cover the band released—as well as the band's fascination with the number three. The band's discography consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one extended play (EP), one concert film, one tour documentary, 26 singles, and 14 music videos. Their last three albums each won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
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The University of British Columbia campus
UBC Health
Retirement of Dr. Louise Nasmith, Associate Provost Health
Dr. Louise Nasmith, Associate Provost Health, will be retiring from UBC at the end of this month. Louise has been at UBC since 2007 when she was appointed as the Principal of the College of Health Disciplines following an international search.
Following a review of the College of Health Disciplines in 2014, and recognizing that UBC was uniquely placed to play a leading role in BC and Canada in the transition to a more patient-centred and community-based health care system, a decision was made to integrate that portfolio with other integral health areas under UBC Health. Louise accepted the role of Associate Provost Health and led the UBC Health Office since 2014. By facilitating closer cross-discipline and sector linkages, UBC Health has strengthened UBC's impact and capacity for excellence in health education and research, and created opportunities for improved wellbeing and patient outcomes, accelerated knowledge development and innovation, and greater training effectiveness.
In addition to steering UBC Health, Louise stepped up to co-head UBC's Department of Family Practice. Louise is the recipient of the 2018 Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) President's Award for Exemplary National Leadership in Academic Medicine. She is a fellow with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and an honorary fellow with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). For the last decade, she has been working with educators, practitioners, health authorities, and governments to advance collaborative practice and inter-professional education in various jurisdictions within Canada with a particular focus on primary health care. Her work has significantly impacted the landscape of health education in Canada. UBC is very grateful to Louise for everything she has done for the university.
UBC is pleased to advise that Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger has agreed to step into the interim role as Acting Associate Provost Health, effective July 1. Dr. Jarvis-Selinger is a Professor and Associate Dean, Academic in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is a PhD-trained educational specialist and researcher in the area of Human Learning, Development and Instruction. Prior to joining the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Jarvis-Selinger was an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, Director of Curriculum for the UBC Doctor of Medicine (MD) undergraduate program, and the Assistant Dean, Faculty Development in the Faculty of Medicine.
With the recent Board of Governors' decision to appoint Dr. Dermot Kelleher as the Vice-President Health, there will soon be a search for an Associate Vice-President Health who will assist Dr. Kelleher in leading the UBC Health portfolio.
We wish Louise all the very best in her retirement and would like to thank Sandra for leading the UBC Health office in the interim.
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Jay Parkes and Dawn Zimmaro share about learning and assessing with multiple-choice questions in college classrooms on episode 155 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Tests don't hurt students—people with tests hurt students.
It's not the multiple choice question that is problematic … it's about how the assessment can be used.
The whole goal here is learning, not assessing.
Technology has really expanded our ability to do some assessments and diagnostics in ways we haven't been able to do in the past.
Jay is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He teaches courses in classroom assessment and college teaching as well as social science research methods. He has conducted research in classroom assessment in public schools, at universities, and at a medical school. He has offered workshops over the years on assessment topics to a wide variety of instructors.
Dawn is a Senior Program Manager, Learning Assessment at Amazon where she helps to innovate and scale workforce learning. She previously served as the Director of Learning Design and Assessment at the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) at Stanford University where she led the development of pedagogical and assessment solutions related to innovations in blended and online learning in higher education courses. Prior to working at OLI at Stanford, she was the Senior Director and Director of Assessment for the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas at Austin directing research and assessment efforts related to educational innovation initiatives. She has been working with university faculty and administrators on higher education assessment issues since 1998. Dawn earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from The College of New Jersey, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in measurement and evaluation and minor in statistics from the Pennsylvania State University. She has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses at Penn State University, Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Bonni: [00:00:00] Today on episode number 155 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Jay Parkes and Dawn Zimmaro share about learning and assessing with multiple choice questions in college classrooms.
Bonni: [00:00:25] Welcome to this episode of Teaching in Higher Ed. This is the space where we explore the art and science of being more effective at facilitating learning. We also share ways to improve our personal productivity so we can have more peace in our lives and be even more present for our students.
Bonni: [00:00:53] Hello. I'm Bonni Stachowiak and I am excited today to be welcoming not one but two guests to the program both here to talk about Assessing with Multiple Choice Questions in College Classrooms, a book that they wrote together.
Bonni: [00:01:09] Let's start off sharing a little bit about Jay Parkes background. He's the Professor of Educational Psychology and has been the chair of the Department of Individual, Family and Community Education since 2010 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Jay teaches graduate courses in classroom assessment educational measurement introductory and intermediate statistics and research design. He's conducted research in classroom assessment in public schools, at universitie,s and at a medical school.
Bonni: [00:01:43] And our second guest is Dawn Zimmaro and she leads the Development of Pedagogical and Assessment Solutions related to innovations in blended and online learning models. Dawn's primary professional interests are measuring the effectiveness of new delivery models on student learning classroom assessment using learning data to inform instructional and learning practices and competency based assessment. Dawn has been working with the university faculty and administrators on higher education assessment issues since nineteen ninety eight. And Dawn is the Director of Learning Design and Assessment at the Open Learning Initiative at Stanford University. Jay and Dawn, welcome to Teaching in Higher Ed.
Jay: [00:02:36] Thank you. Great to be here.
Dawn: [00:02:38] Thanks for having us.
Bonni: [00:02:40] I have a confession to make to both of you and also to everyone listening that Jay when you first contacted me about coming on the show to talk about the book about multiple choice questions I know that this is important for us to study all aspects of our teaching and so many of us use multiple choice questions in some form of assessment or another. But I wasn't at all prepared for how interested I would be in your book and I read it.
Bonni: [00:03:09] It was interesting from the first page all the way till the end. And I have to I guess I want to start out with a question for Dawn. Do you get this kind of reaction from other people where they're just expecting gosh multiple choice really are we going to talk about this and this is this something we're going to do. I mean there's sort of seems like there might be this negative reputation about multiple choice questions. What can you tell me about that?
Dawn: [00:03:33] Yeah absolutely. I think that's one of the first direct reactions we get not only from instructors but from students as well. Either Jay is been in front of the classroom as a teacher himself and I've been a faculty consultant for years and from both sides of the spectrum you know I have to use multiple choice questions in my classroom what can you do.
Dawn: [00:03:57] What advice can you give me about how to best use them in the classroom? And so there's is already this negative perception of you know this is an assessment strategy I really don't want to use but for a variety of different reasons I'm going to have to add this the reputation is often we often summarize it.
Dawn: [00:04:16] We use this quote in our book where we say tests don't hurt students. People with test hurt students. You know it's not the multiple choice question that is problematic it's how the assessment can be used.
Dawn: [00:04:29] And one of the big issues is when they're not written well when they're written poorly you know students get frustrated. You know as test takers and you know getting these assessments and then the instructors hear complaints from students and kind of throw their hands up and say you know know I'm teaching a large class I have to use this assessment format.
Dawn: [00:04:50] And so it kind of becomes this vicious cycle. And what we're trying to do and the information that we we try to do in our own practice is and share with our colleagues is that when done well they can be effective learning and assessment tools.
Dawn: [00:05:05] And that's really the focus of the major part of what we wrote was how do you actually you know use this as learning tools for yourself learning tools for your students.
Dawn: [00:05:14] And then as a part of the process work to assess you know student mastery and student and different kinds of thinking skills and critical thinking skills with a format that traditionally has been viewed as you know simple recall of information and very limited in its applicability.
Dawn: [00:05:32] So what we're trying to address is just getting at that like that negative reputation sort of that sense that you know this is not really effective or a worthwhile assessment it's sort of a necessary evil. So we're trying to break that stigma and you know bring a different story to ways in which we can do assessment in really effective ways to make us learning and assessing with students more enjoyable for the instructor and for the student.
Bonni: [00:05:58] You said something there I don't want people to miss and that is that we can use this for assessment but we also can use it for learning. And we've had a number of episodes in the past that are linked to in the show notes about retrieval practice and of course multiple choice questions can be such a wonderful way for us to do retrieval practice right in the classroom.
Bonni: [00:06:20] And as you say in your book and also as all of the retrieval practice experts talk about how powerful it can be that students get feedback right away and just how powerful that can be in terms of their own learning and making those connections with those neurons and helping them recall the answers a little bit more before I get too carried away.
Bonni: [00:06:39] I'm just really interested in all of this and ask of you both so many questions I might stop myself for just a minute and ask Jay Why did you decide to focus on multiple choice questions?
Jay: [00:06:52] We like multiple choice questions focus on them because they're everywhere. Folks use them all the time not just in their teaching not just in classes but there are a fundamental building block of a lot of licensure exams so students and graduates are going to encounter multiple choice questions.
Jay: [00:07:10] So many instructors we work with particularly in professional fields like medicine and law know that their students are going to encounter these questions on their license your exams and so they want to make sure they see them in their in their education.
Jay: [00:07:24] So there there are ubiquitous measurement tool regardless of how people feel about them. They're also one of the most well-researched measurement tools available. They've been around for most of a century in education in the United States and there we understand them very well we know how they work.
Jay: [00:07:46] There's a huge research base on them. One of the key things why a lot of people end up using them is they're very economical They're economical in terms of testing real estate that in say 25 minutes or 30 minutes of testing time you can ask a lot of multiple choice questions of students where with something like a even a short essay you can't get nearly as many topics covered as you could.
Jay: [00:08:09] One of the things that I think happened over the last eight or ten years is with budget pressures in institutions of higher ed class sizes have crept back up. And so some instructors have felt forced to use them where before they were using other forms of assessment that more open ended kinds of things.
Jay: [00:08:29] One of the reasons we focused on multiple choice at this point too is the technological applications have really blossomed and help us improve the development of the questions delivery of them scoring them. You can add video clips now into multiple choice questions and so forth through technological applications.
Jay: [00:08:51] So it's there really they're everywhere. They're widely used and we can now use them more fastly and flexibly than we ever have before so they're a great tool in any instructor's tool box.
Bonni: [00:09:06] I love how you phrase that in terms of it being a part of a tool box that has a lot of other tools in it. And one of the things I always get really sad about is when I hear someone that you talk about the increase in class sizes and you talk about this feeling pressure to use them because of they're just the more transactional nature of things so I do get really sad when we give up as faculty and just say this is all we're going to do. I don't think it's going to take us far enough.
Bonni: [00:09:32] But I do feel like they have gotten a bad rap and therefore perhaps we're not focusing on the opportunities when they really are the right tool. And then if we're going to use them let's actually use them well and that's what I really appreciated about your book and Jay I wonder if you would just spend a little bit of time telling us what how would we know if our multiple choice questions were any good or not how do we construct a good multiple choice question.
Jay: [00:10:00] Sure. I think the first thing we need do is reintroduce ourselves to the multiple choice question. It's one of the things we all know but we probably haven't thought of in detail that it's almost like a social media friend.
Jay: [00:10:13] The multiple choice question has a couple of fundamental parts to it. The first is that part that gets presented to the examinee that sets up the task for them and in model choice parlance that's called the stem is now called a question because sometimes it's a statement.
Jay: [00:10:31] So it's called a stem and then the stem is followed by a series of options. And there are two kinds of options. One kind of option is the right answer. Or the one that students are supposed to select if they know the material and that's called the key and then the other ones are called distractors.
Jay: [00:10:51] And that basic structure is the multiple choice questions so good multiple choice question has a clear stem that tackles just one learning objective and then a series of options all of which relate in some way to the stem that could be reasonable answers. But one of which is probably the best or the right answer.
Jay: [00:11:14] And so part of what makes for a good multiple choice question is one that is clearly learned the learning objectives. It's one that assesses just one thing. It's awfully hard multiple choice really helps us there because it's it's hard in some respects to build multiple things into a multiple choice.
Jay: [00:11:34] And then another piece of a good multiple choice question I'd like to talk to faculty about that is just just ask a straight question. No tricks no traps no funny games. Just ask a question. The goal in any assessment in a classroom but particularly here with more of a choice is to find out which of the students have mastered the learning objective objectives and which have not.
Jay: [00:11:59] And so that's why we're asking the question there is in the research literature on humor and assessment there's some disagreement as to whether humor is good humor is bad. I think the fundamental issue is it needs to integrate into your broader teaching.
Jay: [00:12:16] If you're if you have your own sense of humor and you use it daily in class and you want to move that also into your assessments that's fine. If you're not doing that. Don't try to be funny on the test. It confuses students concrete issues for folks for whom English isn't their first language.
Jay: [00:12:36] And and they're wound up in and tight anyway. They're not in the mood to get a joke. So a good multiple choice question. In the end is it is well constructed line with learning objectives and tackles one thing and doesn't try to get cute.
Bonni: [00:12:55] You talked about there being two types of options there's that key that's the correct answer. And then there are the distractors in a moment I'm going to ask Dawn a little bit more about those distracters.
Bonni: [00:13:05] But Jay let me just ask you to tell me what went wrong. I know what went wrong but that's because I read your book but I'm sitting down I'm administering a test recently and I wound up having three different students come up to me. They are allowed to ask me questions during the test because I have English as a second language learners regularly. I say I can be your human dictionary. I don't want you to use your phone to look a word up but as long as me giving you the answer to a vocabulary word.
Bonni: [00:13:34] If it was the introduction to business and I say what's profit. Well that's that's a vocabulary that's related to a learning objective so I'm not going to tell you what that means but if it's something not related then I'm happy to do it so I had three students come up to me.
Bonni: [00:13:48] "Can you tell me what paramount means? What is paramount? What does paramount mean?" Jay what went wrong in that particular test construction for me for the intro to business where the word paramount was not a learning objective.
Jay: [00:14:02] Well what it sounds to me like part of my notion of just ask a straight question is don't use language that is officious or pretentious or or trying to sound more learned use the language that is appropriate to the students and their level of education and where they are in the field.
Jay: [00:14:25] And you gave a very good example of in business. Profit is an important word. They should know that word. It's reasonable for us to expect them to know that word and its content relevant. It's relevant to the learning objectives in the course.
Jay: [00:14:42] And so that's the we have to use that word a word like paramount depending on its setting and so forth is perhaps not as simple as it needs to be to get to that one idea that the question needs to be about.
Jay: [00:14:58] So linguistically, keeping our questions as simple as they can be is important because we want to stay out of the students way and let them show us what they know we want them getting the question wrong because they don't know what profit is not because they don't know what Paramount is.
Jay: [00:15:17] And so which again is it that's not dumbing it down. Dumbing it down would be artificially lowering the language standards. But this is being really clear about what language is content relevant and what language is not and keeping the language that's not out of students way. There's another reasonably well known rule and mobile choice writing that says avoid window dressing and window dressing in that context is superfluous language.
Jay: [00:15:49] Those are the things that are in the question somehow but don't actually aren't actually necessary to know what students know and those kinds of things just confuse students more and more and that's different from there's kind of multiple choice question called a vignette based question where you you have a short scenario is the stem and then a question and one of the learning goal might be sifting relevant from irrelevant information.
Jay: [00:16:20] Well in that case there has to be irrelevant information in the in the stem so that students can do the sorting. And yet that's only relevant if the learning goal is to find relevant from irrelevant information.
Jay: [00:16:36] So one of the keys is just to keep the language as simple as it needs to be. One of my favorite studies in this area was done with elementary kids in math and they were they were testing both English language learners and native English speakers in math and they deliberately lowered the reading level of the math questions so that they were well below the grade level of the students they were testing and they were hoping that would help the English language learners.
Jay: [00:17:05] And the surprising result was everybody's math scores went up because they've got the language out of the way and let the math come through. So it's a it's a well-known research based strategies to keep the language out of the students way so dawn we get to you.
Bonni: [00:17:26] Now to talk about these distractors. Tell us one more time what a distractor is and then tell us why they're so important to get right.
Dawn: [00:17:35] Sure Bonni. So as Jay mentioned one of the key pieces a multiple choice question are the options and the distractors refer to the incorrect options as a part of the multiple choice question. And I've actually had some questions from faculty members as to why we use the term distracter and you know essentially it's a good measurement. We we do want students who don't know the concept to be enticed.
Dawn: [00:18:04] Or as the name implies distracted by an incorrect option and select it because they if they haven't really mastered the learning objective that's contained in that question then they're probably more susceptible to pick an option that is based on a common mistake or a common misconception that they hold.
Dawn: [00:18:22] And so the distractors aren't just incorrect answer choices but should be based on those mistakes or misconceptions that students you know the questions they ask in class or in conversation with students that the errors that you see sort of as a part of the classroom discussion or homework assignments you know including those is a part of a multiple choice question is good measurement good assessment and it actually helps with diagnostics.
Dawn: [00:18:49] So students who pick a particular misconception if we're able to give them individualized feedback or feedback to an entire class we can say you know Option B was the incorrect answer choice and here's why. Here's the misconception that this is addressing.
Dawn: [00:19:06] And similarly if we're looking at performance of an entire class and a large portion of the class is picked picked a particular distracter maybe we didn't teach it well enough or maybe there's a misconception that I need to go back and read instruct on because if 30 40 percent of my class are all picking that same distractor there might be an issue with the way it was presented either in a textbook or other in search resources or the way we talked about it in class.
Dawn: [00:19:35] And so there's some really helpful information and diagnostics that we can get from the way from the distracters and how we actually build them and I do want to point out that there are two common distractors the faculty members often right that are not good measurement and those are using none of the above.
Dawn: [00:19:56] And all of the above as answer choices and this is I would say I don't know if Jay would agree with this is the number one question when I'm giving workshops or talking about effective assessment strategies and multiple choice questions almost invariably I get asked this question every time why should I not use those two options as distracters.
Dawn: [00:20:18] And in the case of none of the above if my learning objective you know to use your example Bonni is that students should understand the concept of profit and the correct answer is none of the above have I really assessed whether or not they understood the concept of profit.
Dawn: [00:20:34] They can eliminate negative examples of that definition but I really haven't assessed whether or not they've mastered the definition of profit. In most cases though none of the above is used as a distractor incorrect answer choice. And students know that it's sort of a throw away option. Rarely is it the correct answer. And so they they most often can easily eliminate it.
Dawn: [00:20:59] So as Jay talked about and we also talk about in terms of item writing the number of distracter there's no hard and fast rules. Research has shown you know above four or five answer choices it's really hard to write good enough at distractors that discriminate pretty well that students actually pick them.
Dawn: [00:21:20] And if some some research has also shown that your theory may be sufficient enough if again the fourth and fifth options really aren't plausible. If you're going to put none of the above is one of the answer choices then it's probably best to only have three choices.
Dawn: [00:21:37] Similarly we we often see faculty members use all of the above as one of the choices they want to know if students can see if there's a series of elements that came together in a list. The problem with that in a multiple choice format. There are other formats where that may be more appropriate but in a multiple choice question if the correct answer is all of the above let's say there are five answer choices and it's the last one.
Dawn: [00:22:03] Students only need to know that two of the four in the list are correct to know that all of the above is the correct answer. So we've really only assessed partial knowledge. We we we don't know which one students actually get that just that they at least can identify two in the list or are correct.
Dawn: [00:22:22] Similarly if they can eliminate one of the options in all of the above is in the list then they can also automatically eliminate all of the above. So now students are sort of doing their test taking strategies and now instead of you know five answer choices they've eliminated one plus all the above. Now they could guess from three even without having much knowledge of the concept.
Dawn: [00:22:44] And so those distracters are really helpful they're just they're good measurement when the choices are written based on common misconceptions they can Bryde diagnostic information for both individual students as well as to you about groups of students and what choices they're picking and they should all be plausible choices and not based on you know none of the above or all of the above strategies.
Bonni: [00:23:08] I had heard previously about whether the things that Jay mentioned previously don't use humor in the distractors. I mean I think most of us probably are aware that that's not the richest test taking or or even in this experience.
Bonni: [00:23:24] But one of the things that I think is important to ask you about is there are some times where it's easy for me to formulate these distractors. An example might be there are four functions of a manager. There's planning organizing leading and controlling and I can put a question up there.
Bonni: [00:23:45] And the goal the learning outcome for me would be that they could identify which form of management was being described. But there are other times where it's much more crystal clear what the right answer is.
Bonni: [00:23:58] And I know I'm just kind of making it to the distractors I know I don't do a good job always in those cases of coming up with these good distracters that are based on common misperceptions and what I think I'm hearing you say is that I'm way better off to slow myself down and really reflect on that and try to suss out what might be better distractors than just making up a word because I do that's it is I don't know if this is terrible but I'll admit it on my show it's ok I admitted failure before.
Bonni: [00:24:29] But sometimes I'll just make something up that sounds plausible to see if they can distinguish between the actual answer and the thing I made up that wasn't plausible but I think I'm hearing you say that that's not a good practice.
Dawn: [00:24:41] Jay can also comment on this as well. But I would say that that is you are correct that is not a good practice and one check that you can do is an instructor if you're having difficulty you know reading those distracters or those incorrect options. Can you explain why that answer choice was wrong.
Dawn: [00:24:59] So it's. So even if you're not providing feedback either you know in terms of written feedback or if you're using technology to deliver feedback to students. But if you had to write to the student why that answer was wrong your explanation would be this is a nonsensical made up word.
Dawn: [00:25:18] And if that is the reason why you've selected that as distractor then that's probably not your best strategy. There should be some rationale behind why that term or concept is related to the question related to the learning objective.
Dawn: [00:25:31] And you could say like you said the four practices of management you can say here's why this is not an example of this particular practice. Right.
Dawn: [00:25:40] And so I think that's a good like you said slow down you know don't force there's no hard and fast rule even across questions if at most your questions have for answer choices but you can only come up with three plausible ones. That's better than trying to either use humor or make up a term that might sound reasonable. If you can explain it in a in a in a rational way that really addresses the learning objective then it's probably not a good distractor.
Bonni: [00:26:07] This was really helpful to me I mean so much of the book was incredibly helpful to me but just because I want to not play games when it comes to testing like you said earlier Jay, I want to just have a high regard for my students and it can be stressful to take a test. I don't like to take tests either and I've been at this for a long time and I don't like to get things wrong. I mean it's a common human thing to not want to fail or be wrong we have to fight against that.
Bonni: [00:26:33] And so I never want to play games or take it lightly that you know that that test is not something that can be stressful for them and how to make it as low stress as I can. Well still really measuring those learning outcomes.
Bonni: [00:26:47] There's always going to be some stress and some of that's actually good stress when we're under stress I get stressed when I do this podcast but it's a good kind of stress it brings energy right so it's not that all of the stress is bad but I don't want to be playing games for them. I want to really respect them and their own learning process.
Bonni: [00:27:01] And Dawn what you just said to me I really will take that away as far as can I explain why the answer choice was wrong. And if the answer was I made it up hahaha it's kind of a little disparaging It's doesn't represent how I want to be as a teacher I can do better than that.
Jay: [00:27:18] That's an excellent insight and I think the other way I'd recast it is not so much an error as it is a missed opportunity. What else can you learn about your students. And the answer may be as Dawn said nothing else. So why spend the ink on an option that isn't going to tell you anything about what your students know or don't know.
Jay: [00:27:40] So when I'm thinking about distractors is it's not so much about doing it wrong it's about capitalizing on this opportunity that we have in this question to learn something about what they do or don't know about the learning objectives.
Bonni: [00:27:55] Oh I really liked that that that puts I think less. Less for me on the pass fail grade. And just like you said you thought there wasn't much to do with toys. Not until I read your book and now I've really enjoyed how much you've challenged me to rethink some of these. Well before we go on to the recommendations segment I don't want to miss out on two questions are all kind of move us along.
Bonni: [00:28:18] One is for Dawn. Tell us a little bit about how technology has allowed us to capitalize on these multiple choice questions.
Dawn: [00:28:27] So I think Jay alluded to in sort of his description of you know why why why are we focusing on multiple choice questions and I think one of the changes that we've seen in the last decade is the ways in which we can leverage technology to help support the entire assessment cycle instruction assessment and feedback.
Dawn: [00:28:50] And part of that loop in ways in which we can both create the questions themselves we can deliver questions more quickly and sort of in 24/7 access to students so we could give formative assessments you know low stakes assessments where students I think you mentioned earlier retrieval practice right.
Dawn: [00:29:11] Students get up multiple opportunities to engage with the material in and get feedback immediately on what they're doing and they can do that outside the classroom before they come to class. They could do it actually in higher stakes situations with technology they can take assessments on smartphones and tablets.
Dawn: [00:29:30] So I think that technology has really expanded our ability to do some assessments and diagnostics in ways that we hadn't been able to do in the past.
Dawn: [00:29:41] And one such strategy I think that we've seen as we can actually use technology to scale up your questions and create item pools so that. Which are you know a bank of questions that we use across different semesters and you can have students take assessments whereby one student is getting you know one question on a learning objective and a different student who may be sitting right next to them in a computer lab could be getting a very different question.
Dawn: [00:30:10] But again on the same learning objective and so our ability to create item pools in I own banks with technology and then deliver you know randomize questions and to deal with some security issues depending on how you're doing your assessments so in a low stakes environment maybe you don't care if students collaborate and work together.
Dawn: [00:30:31] But in other high stakes environments maybe they're you're teaching an online class and you want you know your assessments are kind of giving or giving them a course credit and so you can put some security measures in using technology. And also so that's outside the classroom but also inside the classroom we can deliver formal assessments.
Dawn: [00:30:53] As I mentioned sort of with a smartphone or tablet or you know some faculty members of purchase clicker systems whereby you can say OK we're going to check on management strategies and you know pose a multiple choice question you on the screen and students all submit their answer in a clicker question then you can see the distribution of students in your class in real time and say wow half of you really didn't you know this is the wrong.
Dawn: [00:31:18] Everybody picked C and this was the wrong management strategy. Let's talk about why. So that sort of real time feedback to you is the instructor and the students in the classroom that we hadn't been able to do before I think is really advantageous way in which we've leveraged technology.
Bonni: [00:31:37] And Jay, for our last question and this part of the show how can we involve our students.
Jay: [00:31:43] Well it's important to involve our students. After all the whole goal here is learning not assessing. We want students learning. And one of the things I love to tell people is that the Latin root of the word access is an idiot or a which means to sit beside.
Jay: [00:32:00] And that's such a different mental picture of where we should be relative to our students we should be beside them as we assess them not in a confrontational position in front or facing them or whatnot.
Jay: [00:32:13] And I think that's important because it it gives us a way to think about. There are folks who love to think of when they give a test they think like a police officer or a gatekeeper rather than thinking as a facilitator and an encourager and a coach and a teacher.
Jay: [00:32:31] And there's a ton of strategies tactically that you can use to involve students. So if you think about the classic study guide for an exam my study guides tend to be much more involved at the beginning of the semester than they are at the end of the semester. Because I'm I'm scaffolding for supporting the students more at the beginning to understand my expectations.
Jay: [00:32:55] When I say some of my multiple choice questions are going to have applications go to involve you applying what we've learned to real world situations. What exactly does that look like. So I give them examples of multiple choice questions so they can see it and see what I mean by application.
Jay: [00:33:15] So there are just so many things you can do. There's a whole set of techniques around collaborative testing where you can have students working together in various ways on tests that are nervous some people but there are ways to maneuver through the concerns and the questions about how to do that.
Jay: [00:33:32] So there are ways even during the test to involve students in their learning and assessment together at the same time. And then after the test they're things like have them write about the questions they missed and do activities that come back as feedback.
Jay: [00:33:50] But could be broader activities about well where was this material on the test. In the book in the lectures in the course site to help them understand how the assessment and the learning tie together and are really just different complexions of the same thing which is are they mastering the material or do they know that they need to know to move on to the next course or to move into the professions.
Jay: [00:34:16] So one of my favorite ways to think about this is where can you pull professional ethics or professional skills into the assessment itself. One of my favorite examples that we write about in the book is a professor teaching an environmental science course and he has a no leg work policy. Why does he have no late word policy.
Jay: [00:34:44] Because if you're an environmental engineer on the job and you submit a bid on a contract two days after it's due. You don't get the contract but he explains that to his students and he says I have a late policy because I'd rather have you lose some points in my class than lose that contract. Perhaps your job two years from now.
Jay: [00:35:03] So pulling what's important in the profession in the way we do our assessments I think is an awesome way to make assessments more meaning for students and to involve them in this work.
Bonni: [00:35:14] That is such a more student oriented way of having high expectations and we have talked about that before on the show as far as just having a student centered teaching philosophy doesn't mean that we lower our expectations. We can have superbly expectations and then have our students delight us and even exceeding what we ever thought they could do.
Bonni: [00:35:35] But this transparency is so vital in explaining this is why I don't allow the work and it's actually to serve you to build good habits. I just. That's just fabulous. I love it. Thanks for sharing that example.
Bonni: [00:35:47] And this is the point in the show where we each get to give some recommendations and I will try to be concise on mine because I want to leave plenty of time for the two of you. I was so inspired by a Web site.
Bonni: [00:35:59] And of course that's a free open online course coming this summer from a former podcast guest by the name of Mike Wesch. He has built an anthropology 101 course and I'm gonna post a link to it in the show notes. It is absolutely gorgeous as far as Site Design, tons of beautiful images tons of wonderful videos it just begs you to keep scrolling and scrolling and cooking and being inspired and encouraged and challenge.
Bonni: [00:36:28] He has the whole being framed around 10 lessons very rich media based 10 challenges. An example of some of the challenges would be talking to strangers try something new. The UnThing experiment. Humans of my stuff hero stories. Your manifesto.
Bonni: [00:36:49] And then for each one of those 10 challenges he has ten showcases where the students actually submit their own work and their demonstration of learning of these various challenges that are all based on his 10 lessons.
Bonni: [00:37:03] It's just a wonderful wonderful site. He's a brilliant teacher and I think any of us that would go have a look at anth101.com or again linked to in the show notes will just be inspired and left wanting to do more with our teaching. And Dawn, I'm going to pass it over to you for your recommendation.
Dawn: [00:37:23] Thanks Bonni. I have two things that I would recommend or one pertains to some of the work that I do in higher education. It's a weblog by Michael Feldstein and Phil Hill called e-Literate and it addresses topics around teaching and learning in higher education specifically those impacted by technology.
Dawn: [00:37:45] And I found the post by the CO publishers and some of the featured articles there to be really informative as we as educators and folks to work with faculty and faculty development as we try to sift through the landscape of what's happening in higher education and educational technology. It's often feels like we're inundated by choices choices about ways in which we can help support our learning and we can help students social connections and we can engage in research around educational technology in and kind of filtering through ways in which to most effectively use those educational technologies.
Dawn: [00:38:28] And it's sort of distilling some of the research and applications. I found this web site to really be accessible to the educator and faculty members who are trying to figure out you know where can I go for some advice about how you know how this applies to what I'm trying to do in my practice and most a more recent article that I found particularly helpful is can there be a microscope of the mind that really looks set machine learning and cognitive science and distills it into a digestible format of saying how how do we know how students learn. What does the research say about that and then how does that affect what I do in it in the teaching teaching. And what I do in the classroom. So I think that particular resource and it said mfeldstein.com is where you can find that weblog.
Dawn: [00:39:22] And then the other resource is more about sort of personal and professional growth that I've used in my past in various leadership positions. And it's called The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins.
Dawn: [00:39:35] It's geared towards executive level leaders but it's also a placable I think anyone coming into a new management position about how do you define your role in thinking about those first three months on the on the job. How is it that you want to set yourself up for success.
Dawn: [00:39:51] And also how do you work with those around you to support your you know personal and professional growth as a manager and as a leader in the organization. And really those those first you know first 90 days on the job are where you establish your relationships where you sort of set precedent for how you're going to engage as a leader in the organization. I found some helpful tips about how I could use that time that transition time when taking on a new position to really be successful in what I'm trying to do.
Bonni: [00:40:25] It's such a wonderful resource. I've recommended it so many times it's it's fabulous and I'm so glad you brought it up on the show because we've never had it come up before so thank you. And Jay let me pass that over to you.
Jay: [00:40:37] Thank you Bonni. I want to recommend the podcast Manager Tools and it's sister podcast Career Tools and their manager-tools.com. They focus on very practical advice. It's not management theory. It's very corporate focused it's meant for folks in a business context but so much of what they discuss transfers so well into higher education. I use a lot of their tools with my advising with my own students and I use it with colleagues and I use it in my own work around the university day in and day out.
Jay: [00:41:12] They've got very concrete practical advice on things like how to run an effective meeting or how and when to write thank you notes. You'd be surprised. There's a fabulous podcast about how and when to write thank you notes. They have covered a lot of other routine activities and they're just always fabulous and they're there. Method is to talk about. Here are the three things you do about this on Tuesday morning. It's not theoretical it's not high minded stuff it's real practical. They have a 45 minute podcast on how to shake hands. It's just fabulous stuff.
Jay: [00:41:52] So I ask students if a student says to me would you write me a recommendation. I say you go listen to the career tools podcast on how to manage your references first and then if you're willing to do that I will write you a recommendation. So I've been listening to them for years and I can point to dozens of their tools that I use here on here at the university myself. I just can't think highly enough of them and they've been at this for 12 years now.
Bonni: [00:42:20] Well Dawn and Jay thank you so much for joining me on today's Teaching in Higher Ed and thanks for introducing me to your wonderful book. It was an absolute delight to read. It was exactly what you say multiple choice questions should be in the sense of there's no there's no I can't think of how to explain it it's not written in such a way to make it not engaging to any of us it's written just very practically.
Bonni: [00:42:43] And really helpful and encouraging and I just enjoyed reading it from cover to cover it wasn't work for a second. It was just a delight but also in terms of really really challenged me so just thanks so much for joining us today and participating in the community.
Jay: [00:42:57] Well I'm so glad to hear you liked the book and found it useful and I really appreciate you having us on.
Dawn: [00:43:02] Yes thank you so much.
Bonni: [00:43:04] It was just fabulous having both Dawn and Jay on the program and as I said previously it sure was a delight to me to get to know so much more about using multiple choice questions in my teaching through their work and I'm just so grateful they came on the show.
Bonni: [00:43:21] And I'm also grateful that you decided to listen today and to be a part of the Teaching in Higher Ed community. If you'd like to have access to what the guests recommend each week on the show and what I do as well.
Bonni: [00:43:33] And also to get it article about teaching or productivity each week that you don't have to remember to go look at. You can subscribe to the weekly update and you can do that at teachinginhighered.com/subscribe.
Bonni: [00:43:47] When you subscribe you automatically receive a guide that has 19 tools that I have found to be really helpful in technology that helps me either facilitate learning or be a little bit more productive. Back to the enter of the show so I can be more present for my students and other people that I am close to and are important to me. Thanks for listening and we've got some great episodes coming up. And I look forward to seeing you then. Take care.
I just stumbled onto your podcast and I am enjoying it during my commutes. Thank you for all the work you put into it!
I will look into Stefanakis' book for more context, but my first impression is that this poetic interpretation of the word assessment may not be real.
Thanks for the chuckle. It reminded me of when I used to teach computer application classes the first year of my professional career. The number of times I taught Excel and asked people to type "deficit" and wound up staring at "defecate" was quite amusing to me at the time. As you no doubt could tell, I haven't read Stefanakis' work, so can't comment on the accuracy of the translation. Appreciate the encouragement about the show, though.
Actually, the Oxford English Dictionary gives as part of the etymology of the word "assess" that it is from the " frequentative of assidēre to sit by".
So I'll stand by my statement . . . and use yours, too!


text:
class SandBoxMode(object):
    """Setting for sandbox mode.

    This allows you to send a test email to ensure that your request body is
    valid and formatted correctly.
    """
    def __init__(self, enable=None):
        """Create an enabled or disabled SandBoxMode.

        :param enable: Whether this is a test request.
        :type enable: boolean, optional
        """
        self.enable = enable

    @property
    def enable(self):
        """Indicates if this setting is enabled.

        :rtype: boolean
        """
        return self._enable

    @enable.setter
    def enable(self, value):
        self._enable = value

    def get(self):
        """
        Get a JSON-ready representation of this SandBoxMode.

        :returns: This SandBoxMode, ready for use in a request body.
        :rtype: dict
        """
        sandbox_mode = {}
        if self.enable is not None:
            sandbox_mode["enable"] = self.enable
        return sandbox_mode

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Heavy AmericA – "Generation Lame" puts a fresh stamp on hard-edged classic rock
Atlanta-based Hip Hop and Rap artist Taz Forte releases "Home Team" EP
CELLUS.PAPI – "Figuring Less" – a natural knack for a shuffling flow!
Alternative Rock Newcomers Tomorrow's Fate Present their Debut Single 'Son Come Home'
"Crash and Burn" – Gear is back to pick up where they left off!
Ronaldo Ca$h – "Freestyle" is awash with intricate wordplay
OHENE – "456" taps into his prowess as both a rapper and a singer
$kirmish, Alixn & Zxkker – "Waifu" refines the subtleties of a style that pulls from so many different sources
Sayii January – "Cries, Under The Summertime Sun" will surely break him out of a crowded Atlanta rap scene
DICE The Gospel Souljer – "World State Address" paints pictures with his words
Nick Festari: "This is me... Slower and Faster" reaches for a new audience!
By: Jeena Johnson
Roberto Festari (a.k.a. Nick Festari) started to study piano at 9 years old. When he was 16, he became one of the organists of his parish. It was there that he took his first steps accompanying a talented choir during the liturgical celebrations and performances. In 1987 Nick Festari started to cooperate with Claudio Accatino and Federico Rimonti who began to work with the well-known dance producer Mark Farina. Late on Claudio and Federico started their own label, "HI-NRG ATTACK", where Festari was involved in writing almost 800 songs in about 20 years, also arranging and often singing these tracks behind many aliases, with his own particular style, achieving great success with Japanese fans and almost everywhere Eurobeat and Italo-Dance music was appreciated.
Nick Festari
In the summer of 2013 Nick decided to take the plunge into a solo career and left the Eurobeat and Dance scene, as well as HI-NRG ATTACK, which, up until that point, had provided him with satisfaction and professional skills. Nick Festari has now dived into pop-rock music, trying to reach for a totally new audience.
It's rare for me to like an album the first time I hear it. I've always found comfort in familiarity; usually new songs have to "grow" on me. But it was love at first listen for "This is me... Slower and Faster", Nick Festari's brand new 6-track EP. It's the kind of music you can listen to with your eyes closed and see the all kinds of imaginary pictures in your head; the kind of music you blast with the car's windows rolled down; the kind you sing along to with the enthusiasm of a fevered tent-revival disciple. "This is me... Slower and Faster", gives you chills from its first notes, which open with the upbeat You Wanna Make Me Fly (I Know You Belong To A Dream).
The album cover
I saw a certain spark of potential when I read Nicks previous credits but I wasn't sure what to expect. I tuned into "This is me... Slower and Faster", without any high expectations; what a monumental and rewarding surprise it was when I found out how much Nick had refined his sound and matured his songwriting after 30 years! I think the biggest change is that Nick's singing has not only improved in skill but also in method. His voice is dynamic and emotional, and anytime there is a screaming element, it is surgically placed and serves the song instead of being there for no apparent reason.
The songs on the album are of an extremely high and consistent quality. Every song is melodic and enjoyable and integral to the EP – there are no "fillers" that beg to be skipped. The songs have a vast, epic quality and even old-school approach to them that makes Nick Festari unusually powerful compared to a lot of other "modern" pop- rock bands.
Music is subjective; not everyone is going to like everything. But Nick Festari's is the real deal, just listen to the string orchestration and vocal harmonies on Wings Of An Angel to appreciate the musicality of the artist. The Song I Wrote For You and There Will Be No Prize are not your typical pop-rock songs, but have almost Techno or Eurobeat, electronic mixes built-in, that will put your spirits in a wonderful zone. You'll love driving through the city late at night, listening to these at full volume!
Musically, I have to talk about Don't Throw The Dice with it's beautiful guitars, drums and stupefying vocal harmonies, as well as the piano driven ballad, Don't Slam The Radio, which is probably my personal favorite on the Ep. Over and above being a great performer, Nick proves himself to be a superbly scrupulous musical arranger on these songs. Beautiful, uplifting chord progressions, luscious harmonies and ear-catching melodies are ever present here.
If you're already a fan of Nick Festari, then you know that this album is much more 'wicked' than anything he has ever done before! If you've never heard of Nick or listened to him before, then crawl out from underneath that rock you've been living under, and grab "This is me... Slower and Faster" now!
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – BANDCAMP
This is me… Slower and Faster by Nick Festari
Tagged: Alternative, Italy, news, Nick Festari, Press, rock, This is me... Slower and Faster
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rage goes retro 2 - 3 Countdown episodes in FULL detail here!
Countdown Chartbusters Vol 2 LP?
Blackout section on 14th June, 1981?
Sophie Monk as Deborah Harry in Molly mini-series?
Will Molly ever guest program rage and thoughts on mini series?


Suspension spheres can help your car deliver a smoother ride by absorbing the worst of a bumpy road. If you need to replace your suspension spheres, find the exact part you need at Euro Car Parts.
Suspension spheres are hydraulic units, a little like balloons containing pressurised nitrogen gas. Often used in the hydropneumatic suspension system developed by Citroen, they help improve the handling and ride comfort of cars they're installed in. The gas acts as a springing mechanism, while the hydraulic fluid does the heavy lifting. Over time, suspension spheres can be worn out, especially if you regularly drive on bumpy roads. If your car pitches to the side on corners, it could indicate that one or more of your suspension spheres needs to be replaced. Find suspension spheres for a variety of different makes and models of car at Euro Car Parts. Thanks to our relationships with premium manufacturers all over the world, we can offer original equipment and top-quality aftermarket products at amazing prices – pop in to one of our locations and get a great deal today.


(2) to increase the force of something is to militate.
Example - Mutual distrust militated against mitigating their anger.
(1) The word militate derives from the Latin militatum, which is the past participle of militare, serve as a soldier (from miles, soldier).
(2) The word mitigate derives from the Latin mitigare, make mild or gentle (from mitis, gentle or soft).


The underlying physico-chemical principle is "mass dependent isotope fractionation". The smaller the relative difference between isotopes, the larger is the relative isotope shift. This shift is induced when an element is transferred from a compartment to another which corresponds to a change in its chemical binding state. Lighter isotopes react faster (kinetic isotope effect) or enter weaker bonds (equilibrium isotope effect). The relative fractionation is largest for lithium (largest relative mass differences) and smallest for the heavy isotopes (e.g. molybdenum, uranium, smallest relative mass difference).
In weathering, rock is converted into soil. When soil is eroded, its products are found in solids and solutes transported by rivers. For lithium, the light isotope 6Li is partitioned preferentially into the clays that form, while the heavy 7Li moves preferentially into river dissolved Li.
Characteristic 7Li/6Li isotope patterns are found in global rivers: light 6Li is preferentially partitioned into clays, hence its 7Li/6Li ratio is low. Heavy 7Li remains in the fluid, hence its isotope ratios 7Li/6Li are high. Shown are 7Li/6Li ratios in permil differenve to a reference material.


text:
H&M Kids Sweater Campaign; What Went Wrong?
Social media has gone wild following a kids sweater campaign by H&M clothing brand, that launched in the United Kingdom. The problem; a black boy, pictured wearing a green sweater with the words; "Coolest Monkey In The Jungle" printed across the front.
Critics are calling this a racist and insensitive quote, because of the connotations behind the word "monkey in the jungle" worn by a black model.
As a result of the backlash, H&M lost a celebrity partner; musician The Weeknd. On January 7, 2018, the Canadian singer whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, tweeted; "woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i'm deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore…"
H&M issued this statement to The Washington Post; "We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree. We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. Therefore, we have not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering globally."
However, for many consumers, the apology isn't enough. What were they thinking? Was this a publicity stunt or an innocent mistake? Did a focus group test this campaign before the images were launched? Was there even a focus group? If so, was it racially diverse? Did the model's parents approve the shoot? There are so many puzzling questions about this campaign, and many are calling for a total boycott of the H&M brand. Let's attempt to dissect the issue(s);
The phrase "monkey in the jungle"; On a black model, this should have raised many red flags for everyone involved – photographers, the model's parents or guardians, H&M's PR team, the campaign supervisors, the list is endless. It's 2018 and we live in very charged times. Someone should have known that this wouldn't sit right with consumers. It's common sense at the very least.
Focus groups or campaign monitors; There must have been a team responsible for making sure that this campaign was suitable for public release. H&M is a large clothing company so it's not unreasonable to expect that such resources were indeed available. Going on this expectation, one wonders who the team consisted of. Did the focus group consist of caucasians or was it a diverse group including people from different races? The fact that this hoodie was advertised as such brings me to a few possible explanations;
H&M genuinely did not see an issue with this image (I sincerely doubt this).
There was no focus group to test this campaign (highly unlikely).
There was a team which did not include any people of colour (likely).
Someone saw the problem, but was too afraid to speak up (highly likely).
Publicity stunt?; I cannot wrap my head around the idea that this was a mistake. Was it? Really? Or was there an ulterior motive? It doesn't seem logical that in 2018, a large company like H&M would be this clueless about such obvious racial triggers. The boldness of it seems intentional, which leads me to think that H&M needed eyes on their company. Think about it; many upset people will flock to websites, where they will find several sales and discounts as H&M's way of fixing the their mistake. Think of the millions of people who might not see the issue with this campaign or even relate to it, and will therefore flock to the store to benefit from whatever perks result from damage control.
The impact; I don't imagine that this is a comfortable time for the young black boy in this campaign, who is – in my opinion, not mature enough to deal with such grand public scrutiny. Granted, the backlash is mainly in his favor. What happens, however, when the public is not looking so closely? I hope his parents/guardians teach him a strong sense of identity and boldness to help him navigate the fashion industry, which can often times be harsh, especially at a such a young and impressionable age.
The pattern; This too will pass, just like the Pepsi and Dove controversies. An apology here, a reparation sale there, and soon this will be history. There's no real sanction besides angry consumers and possible bad ratings. I say this not to undermine the impact that disgruntled customers can have on a company of that magnitude. However, it would be naive not to consider the possibility that such publicity could work in H&M's favor. Pepsi's sales shot up only a few weeks after the Kylie Jenner ad debacle.
What do you think about the situation? What was your initial reaction to the image? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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→ Want It All


Rare 2.8 Acres in Loveland, Wide Range of uses. 1 Block from Loveland Bike Trail & Only Minutes from I-275. Build to Suit. Perfect for Storage or Warehouse. 2 Parcels Included in Sale. Taxes reflect both parcels.


text:
Q: Multithreading in a Service (Android/Java) My app needs frequently needs to download images. So i'm implementing an IntentService in order to serve the download petitions.
The first problem is that the IntentService serves the download in order and sequentially and I'd like to have a way of prioritizing the downloads and making multiple downloads at the same time.
By the way I'm considering to use (inside the IntentService) a ThreadPoolExecutor with an PriorityBlockingQueue or combine a PriorityBlockingQueue and AsyncTasks.
What is the best approach for this problem? Is there some other reasonable posibilities?
Thanks in advance

A: You use AsyncTask.... the following snippet does the AsyncTask for your reference:
private class doSomethingDelayed extends AsyncTask {
    private int num_runs = 0;

    @Override
    protected Void doInBackground(Void... gurk) {

        Log.v(TAG, "going into postData");

        long ms_before = SystemClock.uptimeMillis();
        try {
            Log.v(TAG, "Time Now is " + ms_before);
            postData();
            Log.v(TAG, "coming out of postData");
            publishProgress(num_runs);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            System.out.println("--DoSomeThing--" + e.getMessage());
        }

        return null;
    }

    @Override
    protected void onCancelled() {
        Context context = getApplicationContext();
        int duration = Toast.LENGTH_LONG;
    }

    @Override
    protected void onProgressUpdate(Integer... num_runs) {
        Context context = getApplicationContext();

            }
        }
    }
}

A: Indeed a IntentService handles everything in sequence and shuts down where there's no more Intents available. I guess this will go wrong when you have a seperate thread to do your stuff.
What you can do is use a 'normal' Service and use the AsyncTask etc. When your tasks are done you can call stopSelf().

A: If it's downloading small stuff in background, android.os.AsyncTask is a way to approach.
Check http://code.google.com/p/minemessagevibrator/source/browse/trunk/src/com/mine/oauth/MineOAuthAccessActivity.java for an example.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


With the savory flavors of grilling and barbecue often being the primary, and sometimes overpowering, flavor note, having something on the acidic side, such as this quick pickled slaw, can cut the richness with a counterpoint that enhances the flavor. It seems counter-intuitive, I know, but having a balance of flavors highlights the flavor notes on all sides, and keeps the food from becoming overwhelming.
Add the cider vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. Make sure that the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
Strain the vinegar into a glass or non-reactive bowl. Discard the peppercorns and bay leaves.
Add the shredded cabbage and jalapeno slices to the vinegar. Cover, and allow to steep for 30 minutes.
Stuff sterilized mason jars with the cabbage and jalapenos, and fill with the vinegar. Seal tightly, and refrigerate.
Coleslaw is almost a requirement at any barbecue. It's a delightful blend of creaminess and crunch, of sweet and acidity. You can chop the cabbage and carrots from scratch or from a pre-made bag, and as long as you get the dressing right, it will be a hit that compliments just about any main dish you pull off of the fire.
Make the dressing by combining all of the wet ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and whisking until well mixed. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Toss the dressing with the cabbage and carrots. Serve right away, or chill and keep for up to 4 days.


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text:
Vernon L. Dennis
Vernon L. Dennis, 90, of Fairview Heights, IL, born Friday, October 21, 1932, in Eldorado, IL, passed away Monday, December 26, 2022 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, MO.
Vernon worked as a Supervisor for Monsanto Chemical Company. He was a proud United States Air Force Veteran; serving during the Korean War. He was a member of Gothic Lodge #852 AF&AM, Scottish Rite Bodies; where he received his 33rd in 1984, past Most Wise Master – Fraternal Sec., as well as past board of directors and treasurer, and Ainad Shrine, Order of Demolay/Cross of Honor. Vernon also belonged to the Elks Lodge #664 in Fairview Heights, IL, was the past trustee of Canteen Township, and past chairman of Southwest Regional Port Authority.
Wife, Frances "Bonnie", nee Kleinschnittger, Dennis
Son, Ronald Dennis
Daughter, Kathleen S. Collins
Parents, Ezera and Ruby, nee Hobgood, Dennis
Son-in-law, James Collins of Belleville, IL
Sister, Lou Prodrasky of Chicago, IL
Kristin (A.J.) Scharf of Millstadt, IL
Joseph Holliday of Shiloh, IL
Sarah (Scott) Scoggan of Quincy, IL
5 great-grandchildren:
T.J. Scharf
Makenzie Scharf
Johnathan Holliday
Madison Holliday
Collins Scoggan
Brother-in-law, Rich Crowe
Niece, Sally Crowe
Nephew, David Crowe
many other dear nieces and nephews
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Children's Dyslexia Center- So. IL
Visitation: Visitation from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Friday, December 30th, 2022 at Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, IL.
Special Services: A Masonic Service will be held at 5:30 pm, Friday, December 30th, 2022 at Kurrus Funeral Home.
Funeral: A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 pm, Friday, December 30th, 2022, at Kurrus Funeral Home, with Rev. Karen Oplt officiating.
Interment: A Procession will leave Kurrus Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 10:45 am for interment at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
Karen S Oplt says:
Words escape me. Vernon will be missed.
Sandra Blevins(s9ster of Karen Oplt) says:
Vernon and Bonnie were very promnent citizens in the neighborhood I grew Up in- Prospect Park. Good honest citizens of the USA.My sympathy to the family who has known lots of loss of loved ones in past 2 years.
Bary S Irwin says:
Vernon and Bonnie Dennis Were the neatest, coolest, and Grooviest parents.
Ronnie and I were active in the E. St. Louis YMCA, and on several occasions required to bring our parents to speak to Ray
Sonnenberg, president of the YMCA. Yet, Vernon and Bonnie continued to let Ron and me to continue to hang out together.
They were special people and I am proud and lucky to have memories of the Dennis family.
Percy McKinney says:
I worked with Vern at Monsanto. Always a straight shooter, telling it like it was. He was "Good" people.
Glenna M Howell says:
I was so sorry to read of Vernon's death so soon after Bonnie's. They were a wonderful couple and Bonnie was the spark our Ladies of the Elks meetings needed. God Bless them both.


text:
Register Herald on Facebook
Register Herald on Twitter
Posted on November 30, 2019 by Register Herald
Preble County celebrates Adoption Month
By Kelsey Kimbler - kkimbler@registerherald.com
On Monday, Nov. 4 the Preble County Board of Commissioners presented Job and Family Services with a proclamation honoring National Adoption Month, November 2019.
EATON — Preble County is celebrating National Adoption Month this November.
On Monday, Nov. 4, the Preble County Board of Commissioners presented Job and Family Services with a proclamation honoring National Adoption Month, November 2019. According to Preble County Job and Family Services Director Becky Sorrell, more that 16,000 Ohio children currently live in foster homes or other out-of-home placement settings, and more than 3,000 of those children and youth are waiting to be adopted.
"Of these children, 251 will turn 18 over the next year and will transition out of care with no forever home. Children are never too old to be adopted and everyone deserves a family," she said.
Sorrell asked a Preble County family to write Job and Family Services letters about their adoption experience.
"Parents Rachel and Paul shared with us that they have been privileged to add three children permanently to their family through adoption," Sorrell said.
"Our journey began seven years ago when our only biological child started praying for God to allow him to become a big brother," Rachel wrote. "Now, five years later, we have been blessed to grow our family by three.
"We chose to love them and protect them and watch them blossom into the awesome kid's that they are now. The road to adoption was not an easy road, but we would not trade it for anything! It is a blessing that we will always be grateful for!"
Their adopted child Kaden shared, "I have been adopted for one and a half years and I feel safe and happy and secure. I feel like that because my mom and dad take care of us."
McKenna, who was also adopted, added, "[Adoption] is a great experience with great people in it. It can be challenging, because of what people will say, but overall I think it is great.
"I love being adopted, because people you might meet and the people you care about are the people that will be in your heart forever."
She also talked about the relationships she has built through adoption.
"My mom [is] amazing. She supports me and cares for me. I love her and I would not ask to have a new mom," she said. "My brother, he is not by blood, but he is very cool and nice, also he cheers me up when I'm sad or down.
Matthew, who was not adopted, said, "I have prayed for a little sister for seven years. I got a sister in 2015. I feel good about getting sisters and brothers."
Sorrell added, "This has been a great experience for all the members of this family. There is more than enough love to go around! The Preble County Commissioners and the Preble County Job and Family Services would like to encourage anyone interested in opening their hearts and homes to children, to please contact the Preble County Job and Family Services; Children Services Division at 937-456-1135 option 4."
https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2019/11/web1_Adoption1.jpgOn Monday, Nov. 4 the Preble County Board of Commissioners presented Job and Family Services with a proclamation honoring National Adoption Month, November 2019.
By Kelsey Kimbler
kkimbler@registerherald.com
Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH
532 N. Barron St.,
Eaton OH, 45320
Follow @theeatonrh
Hi! A visitor to our site felt the following article might be of interest to you: Preble County celebrates Adoption Month. Here is a link to that story: https://www.registerherald.com/news/35159/preble-county-celebrates-adoption-month


text:
package alerts

import (
	"github.com/Bowery/slack"
	constants "github.com/megamsys/libgo/utils"
)

type slacker struct {
	token string
	chnl  string
}

func NewSlack(m map[string]string) Notifier {
	return &slacker{token: m[constants.TOKEN], chnl: m[constants.CHANNEL]}
}

func (s *slacker) satisfied(eva EventAction) bool {
	if eva == STATUS {
		return false
	}
	return true
}

func (s *slacker) Notify(eva EventAction, edata EventData) error {
	if !s.satisfied(eva) {
		return nil
	}
	if err := slack.NewClient(s.token).SendMessage("#"+s.chnl, edata.M["message"], "megamio"); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	return nil
}