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Anthelio Healthcare Solutions of Dallas, Texas has awarded a contract to MedQuist Holdings Inc., a premier provider of integrated clinical documentation solutions for the U.S. healthcare system.
A provider of comprehensive healthcare information technology services and business process solutions, Anthelio selected MedQuist based on previous experience with the robust speech recognition capabilities and efficient workflow features built into DEP.
As per the contract, Anthelio will now implement MedQuist's DocQment Enterprise Platform in eight of its clients' hospitals across five states for use by its medical transcriptionists.
MedQuist's DocQment Enterprise Platform is the industry-leading speech recognition and clinical documentation workflow platform. Existing technology currently in use by Anthelio will be replaced by DEP.
To create and manage clinical documentation across their enterprise, MedQuist-Anthelio clients, such as Detroit Medical Center, already use DEP.
"Choosing the right technology partner can be complex and challenging. MedQuist made the entire process simple and cost effective," noted Dianne Summers, National Operations Director, Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, in a press release.
"We've seen MedQuist's people and platform in action and experienced the speed to value, innovation and support they deliver. It's a winning combination that enables us to quickly go to work for our customers."
MedQuis not only offers healthcare facilities with technology and services but also has a large number of B2B relationships. Companies supplying Health Information Management expertise and improvement solutions, with DEP as the backbone, are able to provide results reporting, advanced speech, workflow and management tools to better run their businesses.
Efficiency, streamlined workflow and cost reductions are just some of the benefits healthcare institutions realize as a result of an integrated MedQuist-partner relationship.
"We're proud to expand our relationship with Anthelio and look forward to bringing clinical transformation capabilities to an extensive group of health organizations across the country", said Peter Masanotti, President and Chief Executive Officer of MedQuist.
In related news, MedQuist Holdings Inc has won a contract from Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey to provide computer-assisted coding technology and outsourced coding services.
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Brad Paisley's new single, "Beat This Summer," is an ode to a summer romance from years ago and his new video for the track brings the song's lyrics to life. Directed by Roman White, the sentimental video shows a young Brad, guitar in hand, wooing his childhood crush during an unforgettable summer on the beach.
Read our review of Brad Paisley's Wheelhouse >>
"Beat This Summer" is the latest single from Brad's new album, Wheelhouse. Brad will hit the road on his Beat This Summer Tour next month.
Watch the video below:

subset: commoncrawl


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Archive for the 'Hub Cap Center' tag
Houston, Texas, 1970
There's dozens of different ways to identify a car, from overall dimensions to headlamp and taillamp configurations to sheetmetal topography. In our carspotting series, we've even used license plates to pinpoint the time and place. For today's carspotting photo, we'll get rid of the cars altogether and focus on the myriad hubcaps hanging on the wall of Hub Cap Center in Houston, Texas, as Danny Lyon photographed it for Documerica in April 1973. Can you identify the cars that all these caps came from?


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SEJ344 - Technology Project
Unit details
|2016 unit information
|Enrolment modes:
|Trimester 2: Waurn Ponds (Geelong)
|Credit point(s):
|EFTSL value:
|Unit chair:
Paul Collins
Must have completed 12 credit points of study in S% units
|Incompatible with:
|Contact hours:
1 x 2 hour seminar per week
The unit consists of an individual project of suitable standard to enable students to develop skills in experimental research and/or the application of product, sports and medical engineering design principles.
Project proposal (including planning and safety documentation) 20%, oral presentation 20%, final year project 60%. To be eligible to obtain a pass in this unit students must achieve a minimum of 50% in the final year project report.
Unit Fee Information
All Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), fee paying undergraduate and pre-2016 commencing students
Unit fee information available soon
2016 commencing International and full fee paying postgraduate domestic students
Your units are priced based on the course you are enrolled in. Please refer to the current year's course entry to estimate the unit cost.
You can calculate the cost of each unit by using the following calculation:
Course fee x unit EFTSL value = unit price


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Just one month after Fox News' Bill O'Reilly brazenly threatened a New York Times reporter, warning her he'd go after her "with everything" he had if he didn't like the article she was writing about him, Times reporter Jo Becker happily cooperated with Fox News for its 60-minute special, The Tangled Clinton Web, which aired April 24.
Based on the pending book Clinton Cash, which is being published by Rupert Murdoch's HarperCollins and heavily promoted by Murdoch's Fox News, Murdoch's Wall Street Journal and Murdoch's New York Post, The Tangled Clinton Web represented a mishmash of half-baked Clinton conspiracies that had Hillary and Bill Clinton at the center of a supposed vast web of international bribes and payoffs.
And yet there, featured amidst the waves of misinformation, was a New York Times reporter. Becker's Fox News' appearance was noteworthy, not only because of O'Reilly's stated contempt for the newspaper. But because Times journalists don't make a habit of regularly appearing on openly partisan Fox News, a cable channel that has embraced claims of Obama birtherism and has depicted the president of the United States as a racist, communist sympathizer who apologizes for America. (According to the Times' newsroom guidelines, when appearing on television programs staffers are supposed to avoid forums "that emphasize punditry and reckless opinion-mongering.")
Why the Becker appearance? In part, because she wrote a controversial piece last week that was inspired by Clinton Cash. Part of the Times' unusual "exclusive" arrangement with the book's author, Becker's article tried, and failed, to show how donations to the Clinton Foundation influenced Clinton's State Department when it signed off on the sale of Uranium One, a Canadian company with uranium mining claims in the U.S., to the Russian atomic energy agency, Rosatom.
By cooperating with the Fox News Clinton special, a program that was drowning in misinformation, Becker and the Times lent the Fox effort a desperately needed sheen of legitimacy. (i.e. 'Even the liberal New York Times....') And that's likely why prior to The Tangled Clinton Web airing, when Fox released to the media a clip of the special, the clip featured Becker's interview--Fox was proudly brandishing its Times alliance.
What would be the only topic that could create such a strange partnership where The New York Times, the world's most famous news organization, was working hand-in-a-hand with a media outlet that during the last presidential campaign abandoned all pretense of independent journalism and produced and aired its own four-minute political attack ad?
The endless pursuit of the Clintons, of course.
Three of Rupert Murdoch's largest and most powerful news outlets promoted baseless conspiracy theories that Google is using its alleged "close ties" with the Obama administration to receive favorable treatment and to push its policy agenda. Murdoch has a long history of attacking Google.
On March 24, News Corp's Wall Street Journal reported on the purportedly close ties between the Obama administration and Google after discovering that Google employees have visited the White House multiple times since President Obama took office. The piece went on to allege that Google used its ties with the White House to get favorable action from a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust probe into the company.
The New York Post (News Corp) went further on March 28 in an article titled "Google controls what we buy, the news we read - and Obama's policies." The article speculated that Google has used its influence and financial contributions to the Obama administration to receive favors including net neutrality regulation, favorable FTC action, and contracts to fix the Affordable Care Act's website. The piece speculated on "what's coming next: politically filtered information."
21st Century Fox's Fox News echoed the New York Post during the March 30 edition of Fox & Friends, with co-host Clayton Morris claiming "the same search engine that controls our news also controls the White House." During the show, Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo claimed that Google was "being investigated, the president dropped it -- net neutrality -- Google wanted the president to go that way." Bartiromo also speculated on whether Google was "editing" the news "to make it more favorable for the president."
But the Wall Street Journal admitted that the "FTC closed its investigation after Google agreed to make voluntary changes to its business practices." And the FTC pushed back critically to the Journal's piece, writing:
The article suggests that a series of disparate and unrelated meetings involving FTC officials and executive branch officials or Google representatives somehow affected the Commission's decision to close the search investigation in early 2013. Not a single fact is offered to substantiate this misleading narrative.
Rupert Murdoch, head of both News Corp and Twenty-First Century Fox, has a history of attacking Google. Murdoch has accused Google of being "piracy leaders," and in 2009 found himself in a war of words against Google and threatened to block his content from the search engine.
Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-OK) embarrassing attempt to disprove global warming with a single snowball was rightfully dismissed by the mainstream media -- but it was applauded on Fox News.
The February 28 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends Saturday featured a clip of Sen. Inhofe's recent speech in which he brought a snowball onto the Senate floor to dispute the scientific finding that 2014 was the hottest year on record. The clip preceded an interview with Inhofe, in which co-host Tucker Carlson asked why some people are "trying to shut down debate" on the causes of climate change. Inhofe responded that "there are so many people out there in the extreme community, the far left ... and they're trying to revive this as an issue," adding that "it's become a religion." The only other questions Inhofe received during his interview were whether the U.S. should be "nixing" all climate change-related funding, and how he was able put together such a "nicely packed, well-constructed" snowball:
Other media outlets had a different take on the issue.
New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait called Inhofe's argument "breathtakingly devoid of a factual or logical grasp of its subject matter."
On the March 2 edition of The View, conservative co-host Nicole Wallace described Inhofe's action on the Senate floor as "moronic," adding: "if we want to get people younger than him to join our party I think it's time to stop denying and just say let's debate the solutions."
The Washington Post editorial board wrote that the stunt shows how Inhofe's position as chair for the Environment and Public Works Committee is a "national embarrassment," adding: "The Republican Party should be mortified by the face of their environmental leadership."
Fox News and owner Rupert Murdoch's newspapers The New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal have all fallen silent as more questions emerge about Bill O'Reilly's claims about his reporting career.
The New York Post has never reported on any of the recent revelations that O'Reilly has inflated tales of his journalism career, while the Wall Street Journal provided just one article right as the controversy began, and Fox News' scant coverage has disappeared as they now ignore all new developments, according to a Media Matters review.
O'Reilly has come under heavy criticism for multiple lies and exaggerations, after a Mother Jones report first noted the Fox host has a history of misleadingly claiming to have been "in the Falklands" and in "combat" during the Falklands War. Media Matters has also identified serious discrepancies in O'Reilly's stories about witnessing nuns being shot in El Salvador, and overhearing the suicide of a figure linked to President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
When the original Mother Jones piece broke, Murdoch's Fox News went to war with the magazine. O'Reilly immediately gave a series of interviews to other news outlets, denying the allegations by saying he had never said he was on the Falkland Islands themselves, and launching personal attacks.
On Fox News itself, O'Reilly first lashed out at critics during his February 20 show and dismissed the Mother Jones report as "garbage," and later used his February 24 show to try to shift the focus away from the scrutiny. Fox's MediaBuzz also covered the story, giving O'Reilly another platform to attack his critics. No other Fox News program covered the story, according to a search of the Nexis and Snaptream databases.
The Wall Street Journal, which is also owned by Murdoch, similarly reported on O'Reilly's initial denials.
When Media Matters further reported on February 25 that O'Reilly had fabricated the claim that he personally "saw nuns get shot in the back of the head" in El Salvador, O'Reilly also offered a statement to Mediaite claiming that when he said "I was in El Salvador and I saw nuns get shot in the back of the head" he was referring to seeing "horrendous images" of nuns murdered, not personally witnessing their deaths.
He did not, however, mention the El Salvador controversy that night on his show, and Fox's PR department released a statement the same day suggesting they would not continue to respond to the "accusation du jour." Additionally, neither Fox nor O'Reilly have directly addressed Media Matters' report on the substantial evidence undermining O'Reilly's claim that he "heard" a shotgun blast when a figure linked to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy committed suicide.
Outside of O'Reilly's own program, no Fox News show has even hinted at these developments, according to a search of the Nexis and Snaptream databases.
Similarly, other Rupert Murdoch-owned media properties have fallen silent or failed to mention the controversies entirely.
Though the Wall Street Journal reported on February 20 on O'Reilly's initial denials of the Falklands story, the paper hasn't mentioned O'Reilly since. According to a search of the newspaper's website and Factiva, the paper has not reported any of the new developments.
And The New York Post hasn't published any stories about O'Reilly this month, except for a brief mention in an Inside Edition anniversary special piece.
The evidence of O'Reilly fabricating and exaggerating past experiences has sparked national news coverage in other non-Murdoch outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Politico, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and more.
Previously, Murdoch-owned properties have not shied away from reporting on O'Reilly controversies. For example, the New York Post published multiple reports in 2004 on the alleged $60 million dollar settlement over an O'Reilly a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Andrea Makris, a former O'Reilly producer.
At least twenty civil rights organizations and faith leaders, including Muslim Advocates, the NAACP, Amnesty International USA, and the Arab American Institute penned an open letter expressing concern about the media's sensationalist coverage following the recent tragedies in Paris.
In the letter obtained by Media Matters, faith leaders and civil rights advocates admonished media outlets like Fox News for promoting "divisive rhetoric" that misrepresents the Islamic faith and Muslims. Advocates criticized media outlets who falsely suggested that Muslim leaders failed to condemn the violence in Paris, promoted the profiling of Muslims, and parroted misinformation harmful to civic debate:
We are civil rights advocates and faith leaders writing to express deep concern about recent media coverage that exploits the tragic acts of terror in Paris to misrepresent Islam and call for more profiling of Muslims. This sensationalist coverage and commentary, if continued, will harmfully divide Americans on false pretenses at a time when we need to be united. Furthermore, we believe such divisive rhetoric impedes our ability to have a much-needed fact-driven debate about responding to terrorism on all fronts.
The problematic coverage has been pervasive: one Fox News host and program after another has falsely suggested that Muslim leaders and organizations have not taken a stand against the violence in Paris. News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch tweeted, "Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible." Radio hosts followed suit, claiming that similar terror attacks wouldn't occur if "most Muslims were against what was happening." Real Time host Bill Maher alleged that "hundreds of millions" of Muslims support the massacre and even a CNN anchor asked his guest, a Muslim human rights lawyer, whether or not he supports ISIS.
For Mr. Murdoch, Fox News, and others to suggest that 1.6 billion Muslims, or nearly a fourth of the world's population, does not condemn, and may even support, the violence in Paris is not only blatant misinformation, it disregards the hundreds of millions of Muslims who fight for the cause of freedom and democracy every day.
Read the full letter, signed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the American Center for Outreach, the American Muslim Advisory Council, Amnesty International USA, the Arab American Institute, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Center for New Community, Color of Change, Muslim Advocates, the Michigan Muslim Community Council, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, NAACP, the National Network for Arab American Communities, the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the South Asian Americans Leading Together, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, The Interfaith Center of New York, and UNITED SIKHS, here:
Civil Rights Orgs Write Open Letter to Media on Anti-Muslim Hate by MediaMatters4America
From the February 1 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:
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The race for Rupert Murdoch's endorsement is on as potential presidential candidates line up to seek political support from the owner of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.
Murdoch has long been a major political player whose media companies play a substantial role shaping the debate. Last year he declared that Fox News had "absolutely saved" the Republican Party by giving "voice and hope to people who didn't like all that liberal championing thrown at them on CNN." Prominent politicians on the national and international stage regularly seek out Murdoch's opinion and approval.
The New York Times reported on how potential presidential candidates are engaged in a "delicate and unseen campaign underway for Mr. Murdoch's affections" in a January 27 article. Here are the details about where the would-be presidents stand.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may be the candidate most likely to find support from Murdoch in the 2016 cycle, according to the Times, which provides several anecdotes suggesting that the mogul favors Bush for his position on immigration and that their "ties have deepened over the years."
The paper highlights a Washington, D.C. conference at which Murdoch responded to a boilerplate speech by Jeb Bush on "the economic benefits of overhauling the nation's immigration system" by "swoon[ing] in his seat," "gush[ing] over its content and tone," and declaring that Bush had "said all the right things on the fraught issue." According to the Times, Bush was seated next to Murdoch at the conference at Murdoch's request. The article closes with Murdoch saying of Bush "I like Jeb Bush very much... He's moving very cleverly, very well."
Murdoch reportedly "remains fond" of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but last year "expressed doubts about the New Jersey governor, saying he expected more damaging stories to emerge about Mr. Christie's aides in the aftermath of the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge." They reportedly speak by phone on a near-monthly basis.
Murdoch reportedly "joined a group of wealthy and influential Republican leaders who encouraged Mr. Christie to enter the presidential race" in 2011. He publicly and privately criticized Christie for praising President Obama's response to Hurricane Sandy in the waning days of the 2012 race.
Murdoch reportedly "remains intrigued" by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), "extolling his appeal to younger voters and his plans for a flat tax. The two meet often in New York and Washington. But Mr. Murdoch worries that Mr. Paul may face an uphill battle in a general election, said a person who has spoken with Mr. Murdoch."
Murdoch and Fox News chief Roger Ailes reportedly sat down with Paul in November 2013 as part of his effort to "smooth concerns among Republicans and influencers about whether he shares his famous libertarian father's views on issues like national security."
According to the Times, Murdoch has privately described 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney as "vacuous," in large part due to his call during the last election for undocumented immigrants to "self-deport." The Times reports on a private 2012 meeting between the two in which Murdoch demanded Romney recant his "foolhardy" immigration position, with Romney refusing to do so because "he would look like a flip-flopper." "Those close to Mr. Romney said he had all but given up on trying to win over Mr. Murdoch" as he moves toward a third presidential run.
What happened to the extended victory lap?
Convinced that last year's midterm losses for Democrats signaled the effective end of Barack Obama's presidency and a resounding victory for all-things conservative and Republican ("On Fox News, there were smiles all around"), just three weeks into the new year Fox News is left wondering what happened to the "lamest" of the lame duck presidents. The one Fox News was going to mock for two more years while trying to tarnish his legacy.
Rebounding to approval ratings not seen since 2013, Obama, instead of floundering, is riding a crest of post-midterm successes, while Americans reward him for the country's rebounding economy. The result: Obama's the one quietly circling the victory track.
"You can hardly tell from our NBC/WSJ poll that the Republican Party was the big winner from the midterm elections just two months ago," noted NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Carrie Dann this week. "Somehow, Obama and the Democrats stole the Republicans' post-election honeymoon."
If that didn't sting badly enough, Fox at the same time continues to wrestle with the unfolding crisis over the network's demonstrably false and stunning claim that some parts of Europe, including in France as well as Britain's second largest city, Birmingham, have become Islamic and are "no-go zones" for non-Muslims, including for British law enforcement.
The misstep became an international punch line, with observers in Europe guffawing at Fox News' trademark ignorance. "When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fool's Day," British Prime Minister David Cameron told ITV News. "This guy is clearly a complete idiot," he said, referring to Steve Emerson, who Fox had hosted to discuss recent terror attacks in Paris.
In a rare move for Fox, it apologized repeatedly for its colossal "no-go zone" blunder. Yet the story continues to haunt the network: Paris' mayor, Anne Hidalgo, announced on Tuesday that the city might sue Fox News over the bogus claim that portions of Paris remain cordoned off from non-Muslims. "The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honor of Paris has been prejudiced," Hidalgo told CNN.
Bottom line: It's not even February and Fox News is already having a really bad year.
Following a firestorm of media criticism, News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch backtracked on controversial tweets he made following terrorist attacks in Paris, France that all Muslims should be held accountable for terrorism.
In January, terrorist attacks in France killed 17 people, including an attack on the satirical weekly newspaper, Charlie Hebdo. Rupert Murdoch responded to the attack by tweeting that "Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible." The tweet was roundly criticized and condemned as "incredibly irresponsible."
On January 14, Murdoch walked back his controversial comments on twitter writing that he "did not mean all Muslims responsible for Paris attack" but that the "Muslim community must debate and confront extremism":
Certainly did not mean all Muslims responsible for Paris attack. But Muslim community must debate and confront extremism.
-- Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 14, 2015
Tens of thousands of jihadi victims are Muslims and millions fighting back. But important for people of all faiths to address the threat.
-- Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 14, 2015
But Murdoch's response ignored Muslims who are speaking out against extremism. Following the Paris attacks, Muslim organizations as well as leaders of Arab states denounced the attacks as "brutal and cowardly." And as Media Matters' Karen Finney explained, Murdoch's rhetoric "alienates rather than engages Muslims who both regularly denounce and are often the victims of Islamic terrorism."
From the January 12 edition of CNN's CNN Tonight:
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Prominent media figures including News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch criticized Muslims following the Paris terror attacks, claiming that Muslims have not been outspoken against extremist violence, despite prominent Muslim organizations immediately denouncing the attack.
On January 11, millions of people rallied in Paris against violence after extremist attacks in France left 17 people dead earlier in the week. World leaders including leaders from predominantly Muslim countries Mali and Jordan, and Palestinian territory President Mahmoud Abbas marched with French President François Hollande to denounce the violence.
Prominent Muslims and Muslim organizations also denounced the attacks. As religious studies scholar Reza Aslan pointed out on the January 11 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, anyone who wonders whether Muslim organizations and individuals are denouncing extremist attacks "doesn't own Google," because "every single organization, major organization, Muslim organization throughout the world ... has condemned, not just this attack, but every attack that occurs in the name of Islam."
The French and British Muslim Councils and the Arab League denounced the attacks Charlie Hebdo. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the attack "brutal and cowardly."
In 2014, many Muslim organizations condemned the terror group the Islamic State as "nothing to do with Islam" and "morally repugnant," with the Muslim Public Affairs Council calling on "all people of conscience" to "stand against extremism."
But prominent media figures ignored the condemnations, instead criticizing Muslims for supposedly not being outspoken enough.
On January 9, Murdoch, who chairs Fox News' parent company, tweeted that Muslims should be "held responsible" for radical Islam "until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer":
Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.
-- Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 10, 2015
Fox News hosts and guests also accused Muslims of not condemning extremist violence. Fox guest Monica Crowley said that Muslims "should be condemning" the violence. Bill O'Reilly went further, repeatedly shouting over his Muslim guests who tried to explain that Muslims are not only denouncing terrorism, but actually dying in the fight against it.
In another offensive display of the media's willingness to conflate Muslims with violent extremists, CNN's Don Lemon asked an American civil rights attorney who is Muslim, "Do you support ISIS?"
Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox announced today that it had withdrawn its bid to acquire the Time Warner entertainment conglomerate.
In a statement, Murdoch said, "Time Warner management and its Board refused to engage with us to explore an offer which was highly compelling. Additionally, the reaction in our share price since our proposal was made undervalues our stock and makes the transaction unattractive to Fox shareholders."
Time Warner had initially rejected the $80 billion offer from Murdoch, but he initially announced intentions to continue pursuing the acquisition.
21st Century Fox is the parent company of Fox Television, Fox News Channel, 20th Century Fox film studios, and several cable and satellite television networks.
Media Matters urged Time Warner shareholders and its Board of Directors to oppose the sale, arguing that the combined company, which would have created the world's second-largest media conglomerate, would reduce the viable options and opinions available for consumers.
News Corp., Murdoch's print-focused company (parent of the Wall Street Journal and Murdoch's U.K.-based newspapers), has recently had executives convicted for their role in the widespread phone hacking scandal, and has had to issue millions in payouts for privacy violations. As Murdoch's bid to buy Time Warner was revealed, two more News Corp. editors were charged with phone hacking.
UPDATE: In a statement, Media Matters Vice President Angelo Carusone said, "The prospect of Rupert Murdoch buying Time Warner presented real harms to the U.S. and global media landscape. It would have given him control of 40% of the cable market and 30% of the movie market. No one should hold that much influence but Murdoch, in particular, has demonstrated that he is far too irresponsible for that amount of power. Today's decision was a victory for the thousands of people who signed our petition urging shareholders to oppose the sale as well as media consumers across the country."
Just as News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch was attempting to put scandal behind him and acquire a major media corporation, two more of his former editors were charged with phone hacking while working at his now-shuttered tabloid News of the World.
According to Reuters, former deputy editor Neil Wallis and former features editor Jules Stenson have been charged with "conspiracy to intercept voicemails on mobile phones of well-known figures or people close to them." The tabloid's widespread hacking of the voicemails and phones of crime victims, celebrities, politicians, and British royalty in order to find fodder for stories became major international news after it was reported that News of the World had accessed the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a murdered teenager.
Murdoch was forced to shutter News of the World in 2011 when the scandal broke, and his company News Corp. has admitted that they have paid out millions in legal fees relating to the scandal. In June, former editor Andy Coulson was found guilty of conspiring to intercept communications at the end of a lengthy trial, though his fellow News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Stuart Kuttner were acquitted at the time.
Meanwhile, Murdoch's other company, 21st Century Fox (which owns Fox TV and Fox News), is trying to take over Time Warner, which would make it one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. However, his initial offer of $80 billion was rejected, and voices in media have suggested that putting the phone-hacking scandal behind him is key to his ability to expand and maintain his empire.
Now that more charges have emerged reminding the media of his past ethical blunders, whether such a risky merger could go forward remains to be seen.
From the July 25 edition of CNBC's Squawk on the Street:
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Australia last week became "the world's first developed nation to repeal carbon laws that put a price on greenhouse-gas emissions." The country's carbon tax, which has been a passionate political topic there for more almost a decade, was finally instituted in 2012. But after a new conservative prime minister, Tony Abbott, was elected in September 2013, the carbon tax was aggressively targeted and then successfully repealed by Australia's Senate on July 17.
The retreat represents a win for climate deniers in Australia who dismiss the looming dangers of climate change and the science behind it. (It's "absolute crap," claimed Abbott, echoing Tea Party-type rhetoric in the United States.) It's a win for energy and mining interests who claimed the Australian tax was too burdensome
The retreat also signals a victory for Rupert Murdoch, the Australian native whose media empire, News Corp., did everything in its power to elect Abbott last fall and to attack the tax. Days before the repeal vote, Murdoch spoke out again against climate change science, telling an Australian interviewer it should be treated with great skepticism. Murdoch's dismissal stands in stark contrast to his 2007 proclamation that "climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats."
Murdoch's anti-climate change crusade in Australia certainly mirrors his company's commitment to misinformation in America, and highlights the dangers of having news media moguls who are dedicated to propaganda efforts regarding pressing public policy issues. (Murdoch is currently eyeing a bid to buy media giant Time Warner.) Indeed, Murdoch's media properties in Australia have been shown repeatedly to be wildly unfair and unbalanced when it comes to the topic of climate change.
Australia's carbon emissions repeal represents a dramatic U-turn for a country that just a few years ago was seen as a leader on the global issue under the guidance of previous Labor Party prime minsters, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. "The Brookings Institution has previously described Australia as an "important laboratory and learning opportunity" for U.S. thinking about climate change and energy policy, as it was one of the first major countries outside Europe to adopt a carbon price," The Wall Street Journal recently noted.


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Kias aren't what they used to be. They're now stylish, well built, good to drive and pricier than you might imagine.
We've already been impressed by the spacious, if slightly dull-looking, new Cee'd Sportswagon with its 1.6-litre diesel engine. Yet the larger, more powerful of the two diesels starts from a sizeable £17,695. Sit down for this, but you can actually pay closer to £25,000 for the top-spec 4 Tech model.
Kia's heartland has been in models that were cheaper than equivalents from Ford, Renault, Vauxhall et al. Not any more – they're priced pretty much nose-on with rivals these days.
If you want the cheapest way into Cee'd Sportswagon ownership, you'll have to go for the 89bhp 1.4-litre diesel, sold only in the lowest 1 trim.
But while it has plastic wheel trims, you still get kit like air-con, Bluetooth and an iPod connection. And the quality inside is really good, as is the style – the dash is great to look at and great to use.
The 528-litre boot (1,642 litres with the seats down) is similarly useful and slightly bigger than most other small estate cars'. The load bay is nice and square, the opening wide and the floor level with the bumper. But to extend the boot, you have to flip up the seatbases then fold the backrests.
Can that 1.4 diesel cope with a full load? Put it this way, you won't get anywhere in a hurry, whether the car's loaded up or not. So it's a good job the dynamics err more on the side of comfort than fun.
Looks a lot like a mix of For Focus and Astra Touring version. Which results in an weird, but not bad overall design. About the car it should have good quality and reliability as always from Kia and Hyunday in the latest years.
Interestingly your now looking at a pretty high spec Skoda Rapid for the same money. Kia is looking very expensive now.


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|Número de publicación
|Tipo de publicación
|Número de solicitud
|Fecha de publicación
|17 Feb 2005
|Fecha de presentación
|23 Sep 2004
|Fecha de prioridad
|23 Ene 2002
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|David Kuntz, Preston Cody, Georgi Ivanov, John Perlow
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|Kuntz David L., Preston Cody, Ivanov Georgi Stefanov, Perlow John E.
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|Citas de patentes (17), Citada por (8), Clasificaciones (7), Eventos legales (4)
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet
The invention relates generally to systems and methods for assessment of constructed responses to test questions. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for providing a highly scaleable and customizable consolidated framework for the intake, processing, annotation, benchmarking and scoring of media-rich candidate produced constructed responses to assessment prompts or other stimuli.
Computer systems have been developed for the assessment of open-ended test responses such as essay responses. These open-ended responses are often referred to as constructed responses (CRs). CRs are not limited to handwritten or typewritten text but may also include graphics, videotape performances, audio responses, and/or other forms of responses in accordance with the type of testing being conducted. Systems are known for use in assisting human graders in scoring such CRs generated during the administration of examinations such as the SAT®, the LSAT®, the GMAT®, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®), and the like. For example, the closest known such prior art system to the present invention is the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,595, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The contents of that application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,595 describes an online scoring network (OSN) for scoring constructed responses and also provides methods for training, monitoring, and evaluating human rater's scoring of such constructed responses. The OSN system described therein is characterized in part by the use of workfolders that are used to transmit a number of CRs at one time to a reader or rater for evaluation and for receiving scores from the reader for the number of CRs at one time. A processing unit organizes a number of associated CRs into an electronic work folder for distribution to raters located at a number of local or remote rater stations. The raters assess the CRs in the work folder in any order and return the work folder upon completion. Each rater may be assigned to various test sections based on the rater's qualification status, and the work folders with the appropriate categories of CRs for that rater are distributed to that rater based on the rater's qualification status.
Conventional prior art systems typically store and utilize data associated with a candidate or the candidate's CR, such as the response itself, the prompt, topic, or question to which the candidate or test-taker responded, the training materials used for that topic, the scoring procedures for the response, the score data, and other information, based on a characterization of the state or status of that data. For certain kinds of assessments or assessment related activities, particularly those involving complex content domain characterizations and media-rich candidate CRs, which require more flexible management and distribution of material, there exists a need to employ a different conceptualization of how this disparate information is stored, combined and utilized.
Prior art systems have also been designed to support an explicit categorization of constructed responses by their intended use (e.g., calibration, monitoring, training, production scoring, etc.). As a consequence, prior art systems have been designed such that the Constructed Responses so categorized must be physically moved from one database to another, or from one table structure to another as their disposition or use changes (see, e.g.,
In most prior art scoring systems, the test-taker-contributed material (the CR) is implicitly treated as the fundamental unit of work, the "thing-to-be-scored." In the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,595, the CR is still the fundamental unit of work, even though those units are bundled into workfolders (collections of CRs) for distribution purposes. In conventional prior art systems there is no distinction made (nor mechanism to enable such a distinction) between the kind of CR something is, and the way that particular unit of work should be treated. Further, there is no distinction made (nor mechanism to enable such a distinction) between the CR as test-taker-contributed content and the CR as the carrier of state or status information—the status of a particular piece of test-taker-contributed material is inferred by the system from other information. A system is desired that can distinguish between the CR as test-taker-contributed content and the CR as the carrier of state or status information.
The present invention is designed to address these needs in the art.
The present invention meets the afore-mentioned and other needs in the art by providing a web-based Java Servlet Application/Applet system designed to support the evaluation of complex performance assessments of various types. The unified system dramatically reduces the number of touch points and handoffs between systems compared to prior art scoring systems and dramatically increases the administrator's ability to track candidates and their responses from test center appointment through benchmarking and scoring.
As stated above, prior art systems treat the disparate data elements associated with the scoring activity as separate and separable functional components, usually linked through traditional flat relational database structures. Because these linkages are codified in this manner, a significant level of flexibility is sacrificed, both in terms of the ease with which data elements can be combined and recombined based on changing business needs, and the ease with which new kinds of relationships can be established. The Consolidated Online Assessment System (COLA System) of the present invention overcomes these limitations through the creation, manipulation, and distribution of an objected-oriented paradigm that represents the scoring and related activities as a unified and integrated family of loosely coupled objects, most notably the Case (referred to herein as the "COLA Case") which represents a state-machine that replaces the "CR"-test-taker contributed content—as the unit of work, the Scoring Model and associated properties which encapsulates the business rules associated with what actions are appropriate or required for a unit of work, the Responses to the unit of work which represent the test-taker-contributed content (e.g., essays or other text-based responses, audio responses, digitized video responses, scanned images, diagrams, lessons plans, etc., and ties that content to its creator), and the Distinct Scorable Unit (DSU) which represents a tree-based mechanism that connects and provides inheritability for the other primary system objects.
The present invention is designed to distinguish between the thing-to-be-scored as a unit of work and the content of the thing, between the unit of work and the rules for determining the disposition of that piece of work, and between the status or state of a piece of work and the content (or scores) associated with that work. Distinguishing these elements in the manner of the present invention makes it such that it simply does not matter any longer what the particular content of a particular piece of work is to the rest of the system. For example, the design of the present invention makes it unnecessary to specify that *this* content received *this* score. Instead, what matters is that a particular Case is in a "SCORED" state, that it represents "this" content, associated with "this" DSU, which in turn indicates that it was scored using "these" rules. By re-conceptualizing the basic unit of work and by creating and connecting to this work the other entities described above, the end result is a system and methods that is extraordinarily flexible and scaleable in its support for many and varied content or knowledge domains, many and varied models for scoring, evaluating, or manipulating units of work, and many and varied kinds of test-taker-contributed material.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the COLA System of the invention does not suffer from the same limitations of the prior art that were addressed by the OSN System of U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,595—that is, wasted rater time and the potential business need to revise scores. The COLA System backend is highly efficient, and the COLA System front-to-back-to-front communication protocol is lightweight, which overcomes stated limitations of non-workfolder-based prior art systems. The business need for revising scores is addressed in the present invention through a COLA Case state change and the application of scoring model properties appropriate to that state.
The COLA system design further provides, among other features, integrated messaging, the capability for online assessor timesheets; improved management of handwritten candidate responses; automated identification and distribution of cases requiring more than one score; online benchmark case, training case, and recalibration case selection; web-based reporting on a variety of information important to the scoring process, including the pace of scoring and the status of every eligible candidate; and vastly improved system administration support. The development of new interfaces to connect the COLA with a main repository for candidate responses, as well as new interfaces for data transfer between the test administrator organization and other organizations also increases the overall reliability and utility of the COLA system.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the COLA framework is not limited to essay scoring, although that is the currently preferred embodiment. The framework of the COLA System provides a more general means to provide evaluative functions for users. The core functions in the COLA System can be redeployed, e.g., to provide for formative assessment, mentoring, or employee/teacher/student performance evaluation.
These and other features of the invention are further apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
System Overview
The COLA System stands for Consolidated On-Line Assessment System, in short, a single system that combines all the functionality required to score essay based tests. When describing an assessment system such as the COLA System, it is necessary to describe the process from two different points of view: testing and scoring. A test taker (referred to as a candidate) sits for a test or certificate. In a familiar scenario, a high school junior sweats through the SATs, a confident consultant gains her MCSE, or a teacher gains a teaching certificate by taking the NBPTS. The candidates are presented with a series of questions or prompts to which they generate a series of responses. Sometimes this is a series of multiple choice selections, or free essay responses. In a preferred embodiment, the COLA System will be concerned with scoring the latter. The output of such a testing process becomes the input of a scoring process (scantrons are fed into readers, essays distributed to scorers, and the like).
The real difference between testing and scoring is subtle and has a dramatic impact on how prompts and responses are organized between testing and scoring. A candidate responds to prompts across a certificate, and as the pool of candidates generates responses, one could imagine the responses populating rows in a table (one row per candidate, one column per response). Though a single candidate generates each row, this does not imply that a single scorer (referred to herein as an assessor) will score the entire row. It is often more efficient to assign assessors to a prompt (or small group of prompts) and have them score down a column rather than across the rows. In the COLA System, a prompt grouping is called a Distinct Scorable Unit (DSU) that can be used to group candidate responses into COLA Cases. Assessors are assigned to a DSU and score the COLA Cases for each candidate within that DSU.
To understand the concept of a DSU as used herein, consider the following analogy. Three history teachers at a high school decide to give their students the same test. It has three essay questions (one page each), one on Caesar, one on Napoleon, and one on Washington. The students take the test and answer each question. Rather than each teacher grading their students' tests, they decide to split up the workload by question. They separate the pages of the tests, and one teacher grades the Caesar essays, one grades the Napoleon essays, and one grades the Washington essays. If the students were able to take the test on a computer, the teachers could use the COLA System for grading, and each student's page (which includes the question itself) would be a COLA Case, and the stack of pages associated with each question would be a DSU.
The Lifecycle of a Response
The COLA System receives raw text essays generated by candidates in response to prompts. Currently, a Central Repository Data System (CRDS) used by the present assignee delivers the responses as marked up ASCII (CRDS) files, one essay per file. The COLA System picks up the process from this point, as illustrated in
Case Management (Essay Processing)
Since the CRDS does not deliver essays in a scorable state, the first responsibility of the COLA System is to process the CRDS files 202 and to prepare the essays for scoring. Case Management (also referred to as Essay management) begins with the simple parsing and importation of the response files into the database using import application 204. New response files are parsed each day and will populate the database as response records. Aside from the essay content, the response records will contain information that identifies which candidate the essay belongs to as well as which prompt the essay is in response to. The fundamental work of Essay Processing is manipulating the links within the COLA data model, especially those links establishing the content of a case. For instance, the links between responses and prompts can be manipulated at will to modify the resulting content of the cases, as dictated by business requirements. Other administrative functions manipulate the data model relationships to establish the different behaviors of the various elements (primarily the scoring model properties that dictate DSU behavior).
Many candidates elect to hand write their responses to some or all of the prompts rather than type their essays. They are given booklets at the test centers for this purpose, and even though these responses are created offline, they still must be tracked and scored online. In most cases, the COLA System of
The response information is populated into the database; however, resolving inconsistent data, missing information, and duplicate records cannot be done automatically. Many data issues must be investigated through extensive reporting capabilities and resolved by administrative procedures. Cleaning up the data is the responsibility of Essay Managers using tools of the COLA System.
The final step in preparing candidate responses for scoring is Case creation 208. COLA Cases are built from the responses based on DSU definitions, and in the COLA System this will result in the creation of Case records that are indirectly linked to corresponding response records. The Case record itself will primarily be used to manage workflow, and the response records used for essay presentation purposes. In other words, the Case is the unit of work acting as a state machine, and it is indirectly related (through its DSU) to the responses that contain the scorable content for the Case. Once the Case records are established, the COLA System is ready to conduct scoring activities. Some certificates are scored offline, which require printing COLA Cases en masse to be shipped to paper-based scoring sites. File Managers will require the COLA System to not only print the material, but also generate tracking sheets and other lists to be sent with the material.
The COLA System will support high stakes and large volume assessment programs. This requires many well-trained assessors to handle a large workload and ensure accurate and consistent scoring. A good way to ensure consistency between scores is to provide them with concrete examples of candidate material. These examples are called Benchmarks, which are presented to assessors as reference cases to measure other cases by at 210. In addition to Benchmarks, assessors are given training Cases to score initially. This allows trainers (experienced scorers who supervise the other assessors) to give their assessors practice and feedback before they begin scoring. Benchmark, Training and Recalibration (BTR) Cases are identified, scored, and annotated before scoring begins in Benchmarking sessions.
Benchmarkers begin their process by browsing through COLA Cases and assigning temporary scores to potential BTRs. The scores produced by this process (called Quick Sort) are not official, since official scores require justification. Benchmarkers can conduct Quick Sort activities at any time during the benchmarking process. Once a Benchmarker has read enough cases to get a general feel for the candidate responses, he or she goes back and identifies good examples for each score on the score scale (finding perfect examples of an 'A' response, 'B' response, etc.) These temporary scores are used to help the search, and when a good case is found an official score is produced. This requires writing justification, called ESR (Electronic Scoring Record) Notes, since the test scorer will be accountable for all scores generated through the COLA System. BTR Cases require Official ESRs, which are studied by assessors during the scoring sessions as examples of how to create their own ESRs.
Benchmarkers proceed to assign labels to the cases with Official ESRs. These labels identify the cases as particular Benchmarks or Training Cases. Validators, a special type of Benchmarker, confirm the labeling and Official ESRs. Benchmarkers have the option of annotating their Benchmark Cases. On paper, annotation could be done by writing in the margin, applying a post-it note, etc.; however, in the COLA System, annotations are more sophisticated. A Benchmarker will select text within the COLA Case and type an annotation, which is stored separately (the COLA System cannot legally allow the text of candidate responses to be modified). For future presentation to assessors, the annotations are displayed via drag-over text pop-ups in the client interface or as footnotes if printed to paper.
With essay processing and benchmarking complete, the groundwork is in place for scoring to begin at 212. From an assessor's point of view, this is a straightforward process. The assessor clicks a button to receive a COLA Case, reads it, submits an ESR, and repeats. From a Case's point of view; however, scoring is not so simple. Certain cases are pre-identified to receive two scores and ESRs. These PID Cases (or PIDs) must be distributed to two assessors. If the difference between the two scores is too high, the conflicting scores must be adjudicated. Adjudications may be performed by the trainers who supervise the assessors or by any other known adjudication method. Trainers receive the Cases requiring adjudication and first score them normally. Then they are presented with the two conflicting ESRs and can edit their own ESR if need be. Once submitted, the trainer ESR will resolve the conflict, which sometimes results in canceling one of the original ESRs. Additionally, Trainers have a special function called Read Behind, which allows them to browse Cases and ESRs to follow up on the assessor's work. If they catch an ESR that they strongly disagree with, they can cancel the existing ESR and submit their own.
The paragraph above gives a brief sketch of routine scoring, but in reality it is not so straightforward. A great deal of effort is required to support the scoring process. The COLA System aids these efforts including training, distribution and retrieval of handwritten materials, and troubleshooting exceptions for individual cases. This requires extensive reporting and administrative functionality. The COLA System also includes automated message routing between the central administrative site and the remote scoring sites.
Once the ESRs are generated, a score exporting routine 214 exports the scores as a flat file 216. File 216 is used by reporting software to generate appropriate score reports.
Detailed System Description
The COLA client interface 306 comprises HTML pages and the COLA Client Applet 304. The COLA Client Applet 304 is a blank applet frame capable of visualizing, maintaining and manipulating client components and handling and dispatching events between them. The Applet 304 receives XML documents specifying the client user interface screen that needs to be presented to the user, defining all the visual and non-visual components, their initial properties and placement on the screen. Applet 304 will also define some events that are general for this client screen (for example "Submit Score" for the Assessor case scoring screen). The Applet 304 will load and present all the necessary client components. The request sending mechanism requires combining information from all of the client components. Accordingly, there is a mechanism (provided by the COLA Client Interface) for collecting of all the request properties/parameters from the components.
COLA Software/Data Model
Java Server Application 312 illustrated in
Because the scorable entity is distributed to assessors according to the scoring model at play, there must be a way to maintain its state. State information is included in the data model for the scorable entity, and therefore, the entity can be thought of as a state machine. As shown in
The COLA Case concept is the scorable, state machine entity for the COLA System. The COLA Case also acts as the object that is scored (as opposed to only maintaining state information of some other object, which would be distributed and scored). This combination of dual purpose (state machine+scorable unit of work) into one entity is nonrestrictive, since the object to be scored and the maintenance of its state have a singular relationship.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is not sufficient to distinguish scorable entities by state alone. At the very least, ownership must be established, or else it would be impossible to send the scoring results to the test takers. Therefore, a COLA Case identifies not only its state, but also identifies and is therefore related to the test taker to which the COLA Case belongs. Ownership must also be identified for the scores themselves so that it is known who provided the score.
For a test taker to be evaluated, some form of scorable material must be submitted. In the COLA System, this material is referred to as Responses, and stored in its own table. This is one of the major liberating breakthroughs for flexibility and applicability of the COLA System, for COLA Cases do not directly contain the scorable content. In other words, though an assessor receives and works with a COLA Case, this unit of work itself does not contain the scorable material. It is stored separately in a Response table, which, like the COLA Cases, must at the least identify ownership (in other words, who submitted the content stored in any given row in that table).
Most forms of assessment are not wholly free form, where a test taker just submits a body of material to be scored. If this were the case, test takers would submit one giant response and have that material stored in a single record. No other form of distinguishing the responses from each other would be required. In reality, tests are designed to elicit a specific set of responses from a test taker. Test developers create sets of Prompts (also called items) for use in Constructed Response tests, which are delivered to test takers. Test takers create Responses 'in response' to the Prompts they receive. Therefore, a single test taker will have multiple responses, and in the ideal case, one for each Prompt they received. The COLA System has built-in functionality to deal with the "non-ideal" circumstances such as instances where the test taker skips prompts, submits a response for one prompt to the wrong prompt, or submits multiple responses for the same prompt. Thus, as shown in
Test takers do not respond to every Prompt in the system, simply a subset. Organizing the Prompts into these subsets is required, and the COLA System uses a free form hierarchy (tree) to do so. In the COLA System, this hierarchy is called the DSU Tree and is used to organize and distinguish the COLA Cases.
Because the COLA System is a scoring system (as opposed to a test delivery and response capture system), it is not important to organize the Prompts in the way that they are delivered to candidates. Instead, the Prompts are preferably organized by how they will be scored. The DSU structure is a tree since it is possible to categorize Prompts at several levels. The lowest level of distinction required from the DSU Tree is grouping items by how they will be scored. To allow records from other tables to freely associate themselves to any level within the DSU Tree hierarchy, the entire tree is preferably stored in a single, self-referential table.
The DSU row elements are indiscriminately referred to herein as 'nodes' (a tree is a set of unidirectional, hierarchical nodes), where each node relates to another node, called its 'parent.' A 'parent' node can have any number of nodes that claim it as their 'parent', and these nodes are referred to as 'children.' A node with no 'parent' is said to be the 'root' of the tree (all lineages must eventually collapse to a 'root' node). A node with no 'children' falls into a special set of nodes, usually called 'leaf' nodes. For the DSU Tree, 'leaf' nodes signify that no further distinction between related elements is required. A node with a 'parent' and 'children' is called a 'branch.' The 'lineage' or 'ancestry' of a node refers to its 'parent', its parent's 'parent', and on and on up to and including the 'root.' The set of nodes with the same 'parent' are called 'siblings.'
The DSU Tree structure of the invention supports two important concepts: inheritance and membership. A 'child' node inherits information from its 'parent'. For example, suppose that a DSU for a history test is called 'HISTORY', and it has two 'children' nodes, one called 'WWI' and one called 'WWII.' This indicates that this history test is made up of a set of questions on World War I and another set of questions on World War II. Further suppose that the test is essay based, such that each section has several Prompts to which the test takers must respond. This test has a special scoring model requirement that every essay must be assessed twice. Within the data model, this information need only be configured for the 'HISTORY' DSU node, because the fact that 'HISTORY' is double scored implies that 'WWI' question and 'WWII' questions are also double scored based on inheritance. The same example can be used for illustrating the membership concept. Suppose there is a need to identify all the questions of the 'HISTORY' test, but the set of questions are associated with 'WWI' and 'WWII.' Because of membership, the 'HISTORY' DSU automatically contains the questions associated with its 'children' nodes.
The above example required an association between questions (Prompts) and their DSUs. To organize the Prompts with the DSU tree, every Prompt is related to at least one DSU node. In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, Prompts are related directly to a single DSU node. However, this is a restriction of the implementation itself, not the data model in general, and the COLA System may be adapted to allow Prompts to relate to multiple DSUs.
DSUs are used herein only as an organizing principle, and are required to group things by how they are scored. The scoring model abstraction describes ways of scoring things (namely, COLA Cases). Many rules and parameters make up a scoring model, so the data abstraction must be able to capture both. The approach in the COLA System is to write the code separately for each rule, and to keep all the parameters outside of the code base. The scoring model data abstraction must provide this information, in the form of identifying which rules should be applied, and what values to use as the parameters. All of this information in general is referred to as Scoring Model Properties, and stored in two simple tables. As shown in
A simplified example of a Scoring Model Property and how it dictates behavior will illustrate this concept. Suppose a testing program requests that everything be double scored. In other words, all responses are reviewed by two separate assessors and receive two scores instead of one (assume that the scores are averaged for the final score). A tiny bit of extra functionality is coded, so that instead of the process flowing as SCORABLE->SCORING->SCORED, it flows as SCORABLE->SCORING->WAITING->SCORING->SCORED. The new state machine does not go directly into SCORED after SCORING in all instances. It will go into a WAITING status until another assessor receives it (SCORING) has submitted the second score (when it finally reaches SCORED). So the new code checks the number of scores when 'exiting' the SCORING state, sometimes going to WAITING (if there are not enough scores yet), and other times to SCORED (if it is the final score required). The Scoring Model Property would look like: Name:"ScoresRequired"=Value:2 (i.e. there are 2 Scores Required). As shown in
Because DSUs organize things by how they are scored, and Scoring Models describe ways to score things, DSUs relate to Scoring Models. A nicety of the DSU Tree is that because of inheritance, not all DSUs have to relate to a Scoring Model, since they can inherit the appropriate information from their 'ancestors.' For all of the Properties associated with how a DSU will be scored, some are specific to only that DSU, some shared with several of its 'siblings', and some apply to entire 'branches' of DSUs. The DSU Tree allows these Properties to be associated at any level, and so a good strategy (though not enforced by the data model), is to group the broadly shared Properties into a Scoring Model, and apply specific Properties to the DSU itself. The data model allows a DSU to associate itself with a Scoring Model, and attach specific Properties anywhere on the DSU Tree.
A DSU Property works exactly like a Scoring Model Property. Returning to the previous example of the new Double Scoring Model, suppose the program requested that all of their material receive two scores, except a special section in the test that needed three scores. A DSU Property just for that section would be created as: Name:"ScoresRequired"=Value:3, and the triple score behavior would override that single property which used to apply to every DSU of the program. Note also that in this case, the same code described above applies to both variations. A consistent implementation strategy like this one allows program to mix and match a whole series of parameters to create the exact behavior for how they want their material scored.
Inheritance also allows for overriding information at a lower level in the tree. This means that if a 'branch' of DSUs are scored exactly the same way, but one node has a special exception, the entire base of Properties can be applied to the entire 'branch.' To allow for the special case DSU, that Property can be overridden by associating the special information to only that DSU.
For the purposes of simplifying the diagrams and discussion below, it will be assumed for the time being that Prompts are related to a single, 'leaf' DSU, and that each DSU 'leaf' has only one related Prompt. In other words, one Prompt is provided per DSU, and no 'children' of those DSUs are provided. The data model allows for more complex relationships, some of which will be explored in a later section below.
All but one final major relationship of this data model has been described. A diagram of the relationships described so far (
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Scoring Model and Properties abstractions of the data model of the invention allow for massive flexibility. For example, an ESR created by an assessor in accordance with the invention may include, in addition to or in place of a conventional alphanumerical score, written commentary or text to justify the score given as well as feedback to the use. The ESR may also include other customizable scoring data such as slide bars or other graphics. This data may be input by the assessor through a portion of the scoring screen or through a special pop-up window.
Also, because the COLA Case concept is related through the DSU Tree to its content (as opposed to including the content in the COLA Case, or combining the state machine and unit of work concepts with the Responses themselves), flexibility is further available as it pertains to COLA Case construction (building the content of the COLA Case). Several major varieties, called Types, are possible and now will be described.
Type I and Type II Scoring
Not all prompts are created equal. Some exercises are designed for their prompts to be scored together (Type I), while it is more efficient for some exercises for their prompts to be scored separately (Type II). In this case, the lowest level of distinction required from the DSU Tree is grouping the items by how they will be scored.
Type II scoring, where every essay to each prompt is scored separately, requires the DSU tree to distinguish between these prompts. Therefore, as shown in
On the other hand, Type I scoring, where essays are scored together, requires the leaf node of the DSU tree to include all the Prompts that are scored together. Therefore, as shown in
Type I:
"All men are created equal"
Part A: Discuss the origin of this ideal
Part B: Discuss the problems of applying this ideal to constitutional governments
Type II:
Describe the process of photosynthesis.
Describe the process of natural selection.
Type IA and Type IIA Scoring
The DSU Hierarchy concept of the invention supports at least two other simple types of scoring. Relaxing the assumption that Prompts are associated with leaf levels of the DSU tree allows for a Prompt to have multiple DSUs (the prompt is associated with a DSU that has a set of sub DSUs). Semantically it means: "Here is a Prompt (or group of Prompts), and it is scored several different ways." This somewhat describes analytical scoring where a response gets scored in several different categories. For example, an elementary school essay may receive a score for grammar, spelling, handwriting, etc. In the COLA System, these are separate DSUs, which create, for one response, a Grammar Case, a Spelling Case, and a Handwriting Case, each of which has its own score(s). Because having a Prompt scored several different ways resembles analytical scoring, the types are named Type IA and Type IIA and are illustrated in
Shared Type IA:
Theoretically, allowing Type IA and Type IIA scoring opens a subtle variation, here dubbed Shared Type IA (
To make sense of all these different types, an example is provided.
Imagine a scenario for the NBPTS where a teacher candidate must submit a lesson plan, a videotape of her giving the lesson, and written commentary (post mortem analysis of the effectiveness of the lesson). The Prompts are defined as 1: Submit a Lesson Plan, 2: Video tape the lesson and submit tape, 3: Write an analysis of the effectiveness of the lesson.
Type I—Assessor receives all three items at once, scores them together (one case for many prompts).
Type II—Assessors evaluate the three items separately (one case for one prompt).
Type IA—Assessors evaluate all three items at once, but analyze the material several different ways and give a score for each way (many cases for many prompts).
Type IIA—Assessors evaluate the three items separately, and for each item they analyze the material several different ways and give a score for each way (many cases for one prompt).
Shared Type IA—Assessors evaluate the lesson plan and commentary separately, but include the video as part of both of the separate evaluations. There are two DSUs (lesson plan+video AND commentary+video), and each DSU has combined Prompts (Type I), but they share the video prompt (Shared), and since the video is scored in more than one-way, it is technically analytical (A).
DSU Organization
As noted above, the DSU provides the organizational structure for a testing configuration in accordance with the invention. As shown in
In accordance with the invention, the DSU Tree allows for flexible hierarchies for organizing an assessment program in that the test configuration, scoring mode information, units of work (COLA Cases), and the like may be linked to the DSU for processing. The test configuration data may identify the tests or certificate, break down the test sections (exercises), and identify items presented to the test takers/candidates (questions/Prompts). The Scoring Model Information may assign tests or parts of tests to the various scoring models and specify specific exemplary cases required for each DSU. The DSU Property information may be used to track the DSU as it moves through the assessment life cycle from testing to benchmarking to scoring. The DSU is further used to separate COLA Cases for assignment to the Benchmarkers/Scorers/Assessors to work with a set of cases in that DSU.
The DSU structure illustrated in
So the three most important fields of a case are Cases DSU ID, Cases Candidate User Account ID, and Cases Status. All of the other fields on the COLA Case contain identifying information, or denormalized scoring data to simplify data access for the COLA code base. As important a central component as the COLA Case is in the COLA System, it is made up of almost entirely relational, identifying, or denormalized informational data that symbolize a unit of work (which flows through states, hence the Cases Status field).
When an assessor receives a unit of work to score (imagine the algorithm that searches through the assessor's DSU to find a case in the appropriate status), obviously the essays that are to be evaluated must be delivered. The Cases Candidate User Account ID points to whose essays will be scored. The COLA Case's DSU indicates to which Prompts the essays must have been written. In an ideal world, the essays themselves would indicate whose essays they were and to which Prompt they were written, and those essays would be delivered to the assessor who received the case. In the COLA System, the Response table (which includes the essay text in
Response Content) has two convenient fields: Response Prompt ID and Response Candidate User Account ID.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are several key innovations embodied in the COLA System of the invention. The COLA System includes a rich is DSU tree structure for data representation and storage that is highly flexible and easily managed and maintained once in place. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the DSU tree structure may be replaced by a linked list or a graph structure so that a given node may inherit and pass on properties from a plurality of different nodes or elements.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and adaptations of the invention may be made in the form and details of these embodiments without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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Owner name: EDUCATIONAL TESTIG SERVICE, NEW JERSEY
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2012 News Article List
Transplant Patient to Highlight Need for Organ Donation at Rose Parade
Patient Kevin Riepl will draw from his own experience with sudden heart failure in urging others to become organ donors
Los Angeles - Dec. 27, 2012 – Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.
Now the 38-year-old Winnetka man is preparing to represent
December 27, 2012 | Read Full Story
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Leon Morgenstern, MD, Senior Adviser, Center for Healthcare Ethics, Emeritus Director, Department of Surgery, 1919-2012
December 26, 2012 | Read Full Story
Prominent Bone Cancer Surgeons Join Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center
December 18, 2012 | Read Full Story
Ordinary Heart Cells Become "Biological Pacemakers" with Injection of a Single Gene
December 16, 2012 | Read Full Story
Cedars-Sinai Physician-Scientist Awarded $3 million to Study the Most Common Inherited Neurological Disorder
December 13, 2012 | Read Full Story
Cedars-Sinai Physician Nominated by President Obama to National Cancer Advisory Board
December 12, 2012 | Read Full Story
Cedars-Sinai Among First Hospitals in the United States to Earn Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification
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Famed Photographer Thrives After Strokes to Enjoy Holidays with 9-Month-Old Grandson
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The West Side Story presale password has just been published: Everyone with this presale info will have the opportunity to get tickets before anyone else. You don't want to miss West Side Story's show in Kennewick do you? Tickets will sell out when they go on sale: during the presale you can buy your tickets before they are all gone.
Here are the West Side Story hot show details:
West Side Story
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Kennewick, WA
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 07:30 PM
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text: Will Roberson | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Will Roberson Director Male Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsDamn Yankees[Musical, Comedy, Revival]Assistant Directed by Will Roberson Mar 03, 1994 - Aug 06, 1995 Find out where Will Roberson and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


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w00t! Haul days ahead!
Make the jump for the promo code!
Receive 30% Off your total purchase at Vincent Longo until April 2nd using promo code muadiscount
Sweet! I think I'll pick up the new cream shadows now!
Anyone hauling!?
Make the jump for the promo code!
Receive 30% Off your total purchase at Vincent Longo until April 2nd using promo code muadiscount
Sweet! I think I'll pick up the new cream shadows now!
Anyone hauling!?
FloridaSweety is back with a brand new video about the best way to return items at a store! I posted one of her videos previously and it got a great response as I think everyone enjoyed her as much as I did. She's always a great inspiration to get a good conversation flowing so this morning's Musings is all about returns!
I really never could understand why employees get so upset about returns. It's always a rather big deal whenever I return something and five different people have to come over and look at the item, the receipt, etc….
How about you?
Are you a "return queen"?
Do you avoid returning items?
Tell the Muse!
I'm kinda feeling the love for Beauty Crunch's Stila Lip Glaze Collection!
Colors included are Orange, Peach, Fruit Punch, Black Berry, Brown Sugar, Gingerbread, Berry, and Plum!
Wonder if they taste as good as they sound?
Beauty Crunch warns that I should buy it before I regret it and I imagine they are right as a deal like this can't last.
Go Steal it kids!
Why, oh, why did the entire line get flushed? I miss it so!
Available in some great popping shades Pout Beauty Rouge was truly a fab product. Pigmented, silky smooth with a satin finish it gave cheeks a healthy pop of color. It's one of my favorite blushes and I can't help but think what a terrible shame it was when Pout went under! The entire line was so fresh and girlish. The rouges came in large compacts with a full mirror and plenty of product for the price.
Baked..to go? Are we on the same wave length here?
Meet Laura Geller Baked To Go Balance N Brighten Foundation and no it's not that kind of baked but hey the name can't be beat. Thanks Laura I'm already breaking out my munchies!
The concept behind this intrigues me. What is it: A portable complexion compact of color-correcting powder that helps to create a smooth, flawless look.
Who is it for: All skin tones and types. It's a mineral oil, paraben-free formula meant to create a radiant glow on skin all while evening out skin tone, ruddiness, and brighten up dullness. Ohhhh likey! Let's get baked together!
I've never been a big believer in the original formula of this as it just seemed a glorified foundation powder that was baked (I really like saying baked teehee!) but this version has captured my interest, must be my inner geek that's loving the gadgetry behind it all!


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Political Parties Launch Election Campaigns In Berlin
People walk past election campaign posters of the German Social... News PhotoBerlin,City,Democracy,Election,German Social Democratic Party,Germany,Horizontal,People,Politics,Poster,Reading,Social Democratic Party,WalkingPhotographer Sean GallupCollection: Getty Images News 2013 Getty ImagesBERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 05: People walk past election campaign posters of the German Social Democrats (SPD), including one (R) that reads: 'We, for the compulsory minimum wage,' in the city center on August 6, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. Germany is scheduled to hold federal elections on September 22 and so far current Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party, the German Christian Democrats (CDU), have a strong lead over the opposition. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)


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paul george
Top Ten Plays In The NBA In 2013 – VIDEO
Heat Pummel Pacers, Advance To 3rd Straight NBA Finals
Paul George Wins NBA's MIP, Monty Williams Upset Greivis Vasquez Finished 2nd
Hornets Fall To Pacers In Overtime
The New Orleans Hornets have displayed an alarming habit in this young NBA season...losing close games. After blowing a fourth quarter lead in Indiana, New Orleans fought back to force overtime, only to lose in the extra period to the Pacers by the score of 115-107. The loss marks...
Paul George Performs 360 Between The Legs Windmill Dunk [Video]
OH...MY...GOD. Pacers guard Paul George is an accomplished dunker. At 6'10, with an amazing array of athleticism, George has displayed his skills on numerous occasions. However, this one takes the cake. Check out his 360-degree, through-the-legs windmill dunk while playing ball at a festival in China.
Heat Dominate Pacers, Take 3-2 Series lead
Fresh off a 40 point game on Sunday, LeBron James put together a ridiculous stat line of 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block on Tuesday night to lead the Miami Heat to an authoritative 115-83 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Miami now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. Dwyane Wade was...
Pacers Manhandle Heat, Take 2-1 Series Lead
Without Chris Bosh, Heat Lose To Pacers
In their first game without All-Star power forward Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat could only muster 75 points, 52 of which came from Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. David West and the Indiana Pacers took advantage, scoring 78 to steal home court advantage from Miami and tie the playoff series at 1-1.


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Monday, November 21, 2011
Casual Compendium
*I totally forgot that since I was going I was going with my sister, it wouldn't be so rushed, as she runs on "Debbie Time." I hung a new organizer for our winter scarves/toques/mitts, tidied up our storage closet, caught up on the horrible games I plan on the iPad, and read a few blogs before she called to say she was on her way.
Sunday, we went to my niece's first birthday party. For a kid that doesn't like cake, she's pretty sweet, so it was a lot of fun. I made her a set of dress up clothes - tutus, aprons, animal ears, capes. I think her cousins were closer to the age to use them, but she'll always get older!
So that was my weekend! This week, I'm meeting with a hiring agency, having an all-day playdate with my niece, and maybe even having friends over this weekend. What are you up to?
6 comments:
Red is such a great accent color. All these outfits look nice. I love the red sweater.ReplyDelete
Glad to hear you're busy with life. I'm surprised to hear you have snow already. We're a month or two away from that.
Love both outfits! How cool that you made dress up clothes for your niece. Those are some of the best gifts to express imagination. I bet she will have a blast (when she gets older,lol).ReplyDelete
Great way to make the most out of 1 outfit - love the simple changes!ReplyDelete
I love the red - glad you had a great weekend.ReplyDelete
Both looks are so great! I love that skirt, and I'm sure it'll be a major remix piece. The red sweater also looks very snuggly.ReplyDelete
Students really do deserve teachers who are enthusiastic, not only about their subject, but just pure teaching as well. I've never had better teachers than those who truly wanted their students to learn and experience.
Also you're welcome to keep your snow. We're only having rain and more rain and it's miserable enough. I'm considering a sunlamp.
That sounds like such a nice family-filled weekend! My niece just had her first birthday too-such an adorable age! I love you in red-you look amazing!ReplyDelete


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Academic Calendar
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Click on the Groundhog below to view the UD Parent & Family Facebook Page. Even if you are not on Facebook you can view our page and stay updated.
Student and Parent Services Phone: 972.721.5113 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Denise Phillips was recently presented with the Lumen Gentium Distinguished Alumni Award. Read more...
Applications for both Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 will be available in early February 2013 and due March 1, 2013. Read more...
Career Services has answers to the questions you, as a parent, might have. Read more...
Senior biochemistry major Justin Samorajski showcased a 3-D printer he designed and built in a public presentation last month. Read more...


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Location:Planet Mars
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Featured work.
The Afterlife
Social data: 1.2K reads. 32 votes. 25 comments.
Description: Keira Coulthard is a 15 year old girl. She lives in a scary world full of hatred and war. But has she ever thought about what was causing this? After a tragedy strikes her life, she and her best friend Eric are forced to run away from their city. Bu...
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1968, B.S., University of Oregon; 1974, MPA, University of Colorado; 1983, J.D. University of Denver
Attorney, retired
Senior Attorney, Intel Corporation and Intel Foundation; Senior Attorney, Mobil Oil Corporation
Aspen Lakes Homeowners' Association – President; P.E.O., Chapter FS, Scholarship Committee – President; Graduate Resource Organization - Board Member (raises money for scholarships for Sisters High School graduates); ASPIRE volunteer (mentor to Junior and Senior High School students regarding college attendance); Oregon Tech Foundation - Board Member
Scholarship Committee
It is important to be involved in promoting and facilitating higher education because for my family, it paved the way to a better life. Better by developing a profession that afforded a desirable lifestyle, a challenging career that also provided advancement opportunities and worldwide travel, and a stimulating accumulation of friends with diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Because it worked for my family, I am convinced that it will also work for others who grow up with limited financial resources but are willing to work hard and behave wisely to achieve their goals. I believe the American Dream is still possible to achieve.


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As A People Who Forgive One Another
If we look at the Hebrew and Greek words for sin, they do not always focus on evil, or even on doing wrong. Sin includes "missing the mark." The God who created us, who breathed into us the breath of life, holds an absolute claim (Genesis 2:7). Part of this claim is how we treat other people, who also carry within them the breath of God.
In the Ten Commandments, the first four govern right-relationship with God, but the next six govern our relationships with each other. Ten, however, was not enough. The Bible gives 603 more commandments. Was this God's way of setting a concrete, but impossible standard which would daily remind the chosen people of the need of forgiveness?
For a decade, my life was engulfed in intermittent crises. I did not always respond in a Quakerly fashion. The need to forgive myself each night and go to sleep praying to do better the next day made me less judgmental and more forgiving of others. Plowing the ground of my own sin prepared the way for the seeds of forgiveness.
I have also learned about forgiveness through Baltimore Yearly Meeting's Intervisitation program. Intervisitation is the practice of visiting between communities to strengthen the bonds of relationship and learn and grow together with Divine guidance. Welcoming and visiting Friends of different practices has opened Baltimore Yearly Meeting to a bigger picture of God's work in the world. For me the program also opened a realization of our own part in the brokenness that now endangers Friends United Meeting. Perhaps the first step toward organizational healing is for each of us to recognize our own "missing the mark" as bearers of the very breath of God.
Georgia Fuller
Query for Reflection
Living Christ, how can Friends be a community gathered in forgiveness?
Action Step
Each week, search for one step toward reconciliation you can take with Friends near and far, seen and unseen.
Prayer Focus
Loving God, open to me my shortcomings and make me tender toward the shortcomings of others.


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Chicago Community Mourns Death Of 6-Month-Old Baby Shot In Gang Altercation
A mourner is overcome with grief after viewing the remains of... News PhotoBestof,Chicago - Illinois,Crime,Dead,Funeral,Grief,Horizontal,Human Interest,Illinois,Justice - Concept,Law,Looking,Mourner,People,Topics,Topix,USAPhotographer Scott OlsonCollection: Getty Images News 2013 Getty ImagesCHICAGO, IL - MARCH 19: A mourner is overcome with grief after viewing the remains of six-month-old Jonylah Watkins prior to her funeral service at New Beginnings Church on March 19, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Watkins was shot, along with her father, while sitting on her father's lap in the family's minivan March 11. Jonylah died the following day. Her father is recovering from his wounds. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)