An Evaluation Plan for Assessing the Utilization of Wikis as Collaborative Writing Tools

In most professional settings writing is very much a collaborative project. However, it is quite surprising that after more than a decade of selling commercial software to support collaborative writing, little software is able to maintain and facilitate human collaboration adequately. Cerrato (2003) demonstrates that a lot of the di1culties that arise when using collaborative software seem to arise from the underlying assumptions about the collaborative activity that have formed the basis in the design process of the computer-mediated collaborative writing programs. Her andings revealed that the use of collaborative writing systems encompassed a rather restricted view of collaboration in the context of creative activities such as writing. A description of these complex activities is conveniently reviewed by Lowry et al (2004). Lowry, Paul B. et al. (2004). Building a taxonomy and nomenclature of Collaborative Writing to improve Interdisciplinary Research and Practice. Journal of Business Communication, 41(1), 66–99.

To study the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) on learning and memory ability in Sprague–Dawley rats, we established a rat model of CIH. A total of 24 male Sprague–Dawley rats were included and were assigned to three experimental groups (n = 8/group): the unhandled control (UC) group (normal feeding for 4 weeks), the CIH group (CIH for 4 weeks), and the removal of hypoxia (RH) group (normal feeding for 4 weeks after CIH for 4 weeks). All the results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and comparison between groups was performed using S–N–K method. Performance on the Morris water maze test (a learning and memory test) was significantly worse for CIH rats than for UC rats and RH rats (P < 0.05), but was significantly better for RH rats than for UC rats (P < 0.05). Synaptophysin expression in the CA3 region of the hippocampus was reduced in the CIH group and the RH group compared with the UC group (P < 0.05), but was significantly greater in the RH group than in the CIH group (P < 0.05). Synaptophysin is a calcium-binding protein located in the membranes of presynaptic vesicles. Changes of synaptophysin expression may indirectly reflect the structural changes in the hippocampal CA3 region. In rats, CIH can cause declines in learning ability and memory and reduce the expression of synaptophysin in the CA3 region of the hippocampus; these effects could be partially rescued by the removal of hypoxic factors. The observed decline in learning and memory ability in rats may relate to a decrease in synapse quantity and structural changes in the CA3 region of the hippocampus.

A problem that still persists in Collaborative Writing is the lack of use of relevant technology to counter lessened interaction and learning participations in developing writing skills effectively. To offset these difficulties, this study examines the use of Edmodo on students' collaborative writing. This study used a quasi-experimental study of 56 students, grade 10, Gresik, Indonesia, with two assigned classes of experimental and the control group, each containing of 28 students. The results of this study reveal that there is a significant influence of Edmodo on Collaborative writing, evidenced by the results of sig. (2-tailed) is 0,000 (lower than 0.05). Edmodo has proven to be a dependable means when merged with a Collaborative Writing strategy, and has also been attested to reassure student participation and interaction. Suggestions and further research basis are also presented, especially to innovative scholars as treasured opportunities for accompanying enquiry to pay more courtesy to the progress of Collaborative Writing which is increasingly unlocked to always re-join hearty users’ wants. Key Words : Collaborative, Writing, Edmodo,Technology, Course of Fusion

Collaborative writing is used as a therapeutic technique in poetry therapy groups. This article describes a study on the effect of collaborative writing on cohesion in poetry therapy groups with 33 graduate students. Participants were randomly assigned to poetry therapy control groups without collaborative writing or experimental groups with collaborative writing. After six sessions, posttest scores on the Group Environment Scale (Moos & Hanson, 1974) indicated a significant difference in cohesion for those groups using collaborative writing. Previous research on collaborative writing and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Even if research on online collaborative writing is largely abundant, studies on the effects of varied digital collaborative tools applied to different stages of process writing are limited. This paper, therefore, presents the findings of a quasi-experimental study on the effects of three Web 2.0-based collaborative writing tools on university English language students’ writing performance and motivation. A one-group within-subjects quasi-experimental repeated-measures time series design was employed. Sixteen University students were comprehensively selected. Data were collected over four rounds using writing performance tests and a motivation questionnaire. The Friedman test was utilized to compare the mean scores of the related samples. Additionally, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was calculated to determine the concordance in the rating. The results revealed that Web 2.0-based collaborative writing had a statistically significant effect on students’ writing performance and motivation when applied to the different stages of process writing. Therefore, it is essential for teachers, schools, and curriculum designers to make a concerted effort to integrate Web 2.0 writing tools for collaborative writing.&nbsp;

Objective To investigate the neurotoxicity of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) in vivo and its effects on rats' learning and memory ability. Methods The aggregated Aβ(25-35) was injected bilaterally into entorbi- hal cortex(EC) of rats. Control rats were injected with saline water. All rats were subjected to Y-maze task at 7 d and 8d after operation. After behavioral testing, the rats were sacrificed. The neurpathological changes of EC were examined by Nissl staining, HE staining and Congo Red staining. Results The cumulative number of electric shocks in acquisition test and retention test of the saline group was 19.17±5.58 and 10.56±1.72 31 respectively. The corresponding number in Aβ-treated rats was 31.13±6.98 and 18.47±4.64, and significantly increased compared with control group (P<0.05). A Congo Red-positive deposit of aggregated material was found at Aβ injection site accompanied by neurons loss and gliacyte reaction. The damaged area of Aβ-treated rats was significandy greater than that of control rats and was negatively correlated with the learning ability (r=-0.241, P < 0.05). Conclusion Bilateral injection of aggregated Aβ into EC induces behavioral deficits and amyloid pathology similar to those observed in early phases of AD. These results show definite neurotoxicity of Aβ in vivo. Therefore, injection of Aβ into EC constitutes a promising animal model for investigating selective aspects of AD and for screening drug candidates designed against Aβ pathology. Key words: Alzheimer's disease; Entorhinal cortex; Amyloid-beta protein; Learning and memory ability

The effects of sodium overload on learning and memory parameters of model animals are disputable. Additionally, it has been proved that brain oxidative stress leads to disrupted cognitive abilities. The aim of our study was to estimate the learning abilities and the oxidative status of brain cortices of rats in a model of sodium overload. In our experimental part two groups of male Wistar albino rats, receiving standard rodent food, were used – a Control group (C) and a NaCl group (NaCl), receiving 2.5 g/kg NaCl, p.o. once daily, for one week. After developing the sodium overload model, both groups were tested for their 8-Arm Radial Maze (8-ARM) performance. All rat brain cortices were tested for activity of Xanthine oxidase and free radical accumulation, using spectrophotometric methods. The results for group NaCl were presented as percentages of the corresponding biomarkers for group C. Group C showed much less anxiety and unmotivated behavior and considerably better memory and learning abilities than group NaCl. Much higher levels of xanthine oxidase and free radical accumulation were registered in the brain cortices of group NaCl compared to the brain cortices of group C. We discuss that the sodium overload resulted in oxidative stress in the rat brain cortex, mainly due to accumulation of superoxide. This was accompanied with increased anxiety, unmotivated choices, and disrupted learning and memory abilities. We concluded that excessive dietary NaCl intake in a rat model of sodium overload is accompanied by disrupted learning and memory abilities, increased anxiety and increased oxidative stress in the brain cortex.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a typical neurodegenerative disease with a complex etiology. Until now, there has been no effective treatment available for AD; however, improving energy dysmetabolism, the key pathological event in the early stage of AD, can effectively delay the progression of AD. This paper aims to investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of the new Tiaoxin recipe on early AD. APP/PS1 mice were divided into a model group, a new Tiaoxin recipe group, and a donepezil group, and C57/BL mice were used for the control group. Mouse cognitive and learning abilities were tested using the Morris water maze test and a new object-recognition experiment. The 42 amino acid form of amyloid β peptide (Aβ1-42) content was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the senile plaque area was detected by thioflavin S staining, and the senescence- associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal)-positive area was detected by chemical staining. Also, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride (NADH) contents were detected using a biochemical method, and the cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38) and silent mating-type information regulation 2 homolog 3 (SIRT3) protein expression levels were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Compared with those of the control group, the learning and memory abilities of the model group were impaired; the senile plaque deposition, Aβ1-42 content, and SA-βgal-positive staining area were increased; the ATP concentration, NAD+ concentration, and NAD+/NADH ratio were decreased; the CD38 protein expression level was increased; and the SIRT3 protein expression level was decreased. Following intervention with the new Tiaoxin recipe, the learning and memory abilities were improved; the senile plaque deposition, Aβ1-42 content, and SA-βgal-positive area were reduced; the ATP concentration, NAD+ concentration, and NAD+/NADH ratio were increased; CD38 protein expression was decreased, and SIRT3 protein expression was increased. This study shows that the new Tiaoxin Recipe can improve cognitive ability and reduce the Aβ1-42 content and senile plaque deposition in APP/PS1 mice, which may occur through the downregulation of CD38 protein expression, upregulation of SIRT3 protein expression, restoration of the NAD+ level, promotion of ATP synthesis, mitigation of energy metabolism disorders.

This study aims to examine the improvement of metacognitive abilities in learning mathematics through a variety of formative assessments. The study applied an experimental approach with a pre- and post-tests control group design. Six classes of students were chosen by cluster random sampling as the sample, with two classes serve as the experimental group with performance assessments, two classes serve as the comparison group with essay assessments and two additional classes serve as the control group with multiple choice assessments. The instrument to measure metacognitive ability was developed specifically for the pre-and post-tests. The gain score was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and continued with the Scheffe test. The study discovered that students who participated in learning with formative assessments of performance showed the highest levels of metacognitive skills followed by those who participated in learning with formative assessments of essays and those who participated in learning with formative assessments of multiple-choice questions came in third. These findings lead to the conclusion that formative assessment of performance has a positive effect on improving metacognitive abilities. According to the characteristics of learning mathematics, this situation might happen because the performance evaluation includes activities that are difficult, comprehensive and associated with daily life. In addition, performance assessment also has intrinsic value because it requires students to organize and present material in their own way. It is recommended that mathematics teachers use formative performance assessments in order to enhance cognitive capacities.

Tacit knowledge is an essential foundation for developing students’ learning ability, especially in understanding and solving problems. However, the transforming of tacit knowledge confront a big challenge during the outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), because most teaching and learning activities were conducted in online context, which impair a face-to-face interaction. To explore the effect of tacit knowledge on students’ learning ability in the online learning environments, the current study based on SECI model (The Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization) proposed to design the tacit knowledge transformation teaching approach. To assess the effectiveness of this approach, 60 elementary school students were recruited in the quasi-experiment. The results of retention test and transfer test showed that the experimental group, using the tacit knowledge transformation teaching approach, has significant improvement on learning ability than the control group. The current research theoretically provide a teaching strategy on tactic knowledge, and practically helps teachers to organize instructional activities, thereby, advocating the appropriate use of social media.

Collaborative writing has been a common activity in different professions for many years. Researchers from multiple disciplines, including from HCI and CSCW, have experimented and evaluated a number of collaborative writing tools. However, with the emergence of more modern technologies like cloud-based Google Docs, newer versions of Microsoft Word etc., collaborative writing practices are gaining in popularity and use. Yet, we know little about the accessibility of these systems and how they should be designed to best support the increasingly common collaborative practices that constitute everyday work groups and collaboration. Our research goal is to study how people with visual impairments collaboratively write with other sighted and/or visually impaired peers in practice, whether and how they use computer-mediated collaborative tools, and design new assistive technologies to facilitate collaboration among a group of writers with visual impairments or mixed abilities.

This research shall focus to investigate the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the students’ learning abilities. It was stated according to a recent case that the fast growth of AI technology into our world has caused significant changes into the learning abilities of the students. And this study has led to an influence on factors such as assignments, class exercises, and study projects on the Artificial intelligence. Therefore, the AI has caused an unpredictable effect on students’ learning abilities. A descriptive study with the sample size of 50 is planned to conduct the research. The results of the research shall help to identify the impact of AI on students’ learning abilities. In a nutshell, this study will investigate the profound influence that artificial intelligence (AI) is having on students' capacity for learning and provide recommendation for better plan and result accordingly.

This study investigates the impact of wiki-mediated collaborative writing (WMCW) on enhancing persuasive writing skills, 21st century skills, and writing self-efficacy of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students, following the Vygotskian social-constructivist theory of learning. Two intact classes, comprising 79 ESP students, were randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 39) and a control group ( n = 40), respectively. Over a term of 12 two-hour sessions, the experimental group received wiki-mediated collaborative writing instruction, while the control group received non-wiki collaborative writing instruction. Data were collected through two timed persuasive writing tasks, a 21st century skills scale, a writing self-efficacy scale, and individual semi-structured interviews. The study employs a sequential exploratory mixed method, analyzing the quantitative data using paired samples and independent samples t- t ests, and applying language-related episodes and thematic analyses to analyze the qualitative data. The findings indicate that both wiki-mediated and individual writing groups (non-wiki collaborative writing) instructions improved ESP students’ performance in persuasive writing skills, 21st century skills, and writing self-efficacy. Furthermore, the ESP students in the wiki-mediated collaborative writing group outperformed those in the non-wiki collaborative writing group. The qualitative analysis reveals peer writing mediations in the wiki space that enhance the ESP students' writing content, organization, and language use. The pedagogical implications of the study are discussed.

Collaborative writing (CW) has been proven advantageous to enhance the second and foreign language skills of university students. However, little research to date has explored whether CW practices are fruitful for secondary school learners in foreign language (FL) contexts, a population characterized by low language proficiency levels, and few opportunities to engage with the FL. The present classroom-based study examines CW in this setting and aims to determine whether CW fosters language opportunities, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs), which will allow learners in low-input scenarios to compose better texts. Two parallel intact classes were studied: a control group ( n = 16) which produced an argumentative essay individually, and an experimental group ( n = 16) which did so in pairs while recording their interactions. The findings revealed that the pairs produced shorter but more accurate and slightly more lexically and grammatically complex texts and obtained higher scores in content, structure and organization. Collaboration afforded students the opportunity to pool ideas, deliberate over language use, and provide each other with feedback (collective scaffolding). Most importantly, collaborating seemed to be beneficial for all intermediate secondary learners and, thus, a useful strategy for improving FL writing skills in the secondary school context.

Objective To study the prevention effects of AduoLa Fuzhenglin(ADL)Oll the brain injury induced by microwave radiation in rats.Methods A total of 140 male Wismr rats were divided randomly into 5 groups,including control group,microwave exposed group,low dosage(0.75 g·kg-1·d-1)group.middle dosage(1.5 g·kg-1·d-1)group and high dosage(3 g·kg-1·d-1)group.Rats in three ADL groups were lavaged with ADL per day for 2 weeks before radiation.After administration,rats were exposed to microwave at 30 mW/cm2 for 15 min.The abilities of learning and memory were detected by Morris water maze,and the contents of amino acids neurotransmitter of hippocampus were detected by HPLC, then the histology and uhrastrncture of hippocampus were observed with light and electron microscope at 6 h,7 and 14 d after exposure.Results The abilities of learning and memory were declined(F=0.000-0.043,P<0.05)from 6 h to 7 d after exposure,and the contents of four kinds of amino acid neurotransmitter in hippocampus were decreased,of which GLU,GLY and GABA were decreased significantly(F=0.000-0.007,P<0.01)at 6h after exposure,then tissue edema,neuronal degeneration,neuron mitoehondria swelling and cavitation,endocytoplasmie rotieulum broaden,synaptic cleft blurred,and perivascular space widen were found in the hippocampus at 6 h and 7 d after exposure.The changes in low dosage group were similar to those of the radiation group.However,in middle and high dosage groups,the abilities of learning and memory were normal to some extent with the significant differences compared to the radiation group from 6 h to 7 d after exposure(F=0.015-0.028.P<0.05).The contents of four kinds of amino acid neurotransmitter were not decreased,especially GLU contents close tO normal level.There were significant differences between middle and high dosage groups and radiation group at 6 h after exposure(F=0.000-0.042,P<0.05).Moreover,no obvious injury in the hippocampus was observed in middle and high dosage groups at 6 h and 7 d after exposure.Conclusions Exposure to 30 mW/cm2 microwave radiation could decrease the abilities of learning and memory,induce amino acid neurotransmitter turbulence,and injure the histology and uhrastructure of hippocampus.ADL at the dosages of 1.5 and 3 g·kg-1·d-1 would have preventive effects on the injury induced by microwave exposure.The concentration of 1.5 g·kg-1 ·d-1 of ADL might be the effective dosage to prevent the brain damage after microwave exposure. Key words: AduoLa Fuzhenglin; Microwave; Rat; Brain injury; Prevention