Edmonds Community College

About: Edmonds Community College is a education organization based out in Lynnwood, Washington, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Curriculum & Laser. The organization has 36 authors who have published 84 publications receiving 782 citations.

A physiologist's view of homeostasis

Abstract: Homeostasis is a core concept necessary for understanding the many regulatory mechanisms in physiology. Claude Bernard originally proposed the concept of the constancy of the “milieu interieur,” bu...

The “core principles” of physiology: what should students understand?

Abstract: The explosion of knowledge in all of the biological sciences, and specifically in physiology, has created a growing problem for educators. There is more to know than students can possibly learn. Th...

Nitrogen cycling and metabolism in the thalweg of a prairie river

Abstract: [1] Nutrient dynamics in rivers are central to global biogeochemistry. We measured ammonium (NH4+) uptake, metabolism, nitrification, and denitrification in the thalweg, the river region of greatest flow, of the Kansas River (discharge = 14,360 L/s). We estimated gross and net uptake with a depleted 15N-NH4+ release, metabolism with diel O2 measurements, and denitrification with dissolved N2 measurements. Net ecosystem production was negative. Net NH4+ uptake length was 2.1 km when concentrations were elevated, and gross uptake length was 1.9 km at ambient concentrations. Gross uptake rate measurements were comparable to estimates made using extrapolations from data obtained from streams (systems with 1/10th or less the discharge). Calculated lengths were maximal because the isotope pulse was primarily confined to the thalweg and not the shallow side channels or backwaters. Denitrification and nitrification rates were below detection. In the Kansas River, rates of N cycling are driven by heterotrophic processes, and considerable processing of N, particularly NH4+ uptake, occurred over a few kilometers of river length, with net uptake rates of NH4+ increasing with greater NH4+ concentrations.

The core principles (“big ideas”) of physiology: results of faculty surveys

Abstract: Physiology faculty members at a wide range of institutions (2-yr colleges to medical schools) were surveyed to determine what core principles of physiology they want their students to understand. F...

Checking Equity: Why Differential Item Functioning Analysis Should Be a Routine Part of Developing Conceptual Assessments.

Abstract: We provide a tutorial on differential item functioning (DIF) analysis, an analytic method useful for identifying potentially biased items in assessments After explaining a number of methodological approaches, we test for gender bias in two scenarios that demonstrate why DIF analysis is crucial for developing assessments, particularly because simply comparing two groups' total scores can lead to incorrect conclusions about test fairness First, a significant difference between groups on total scores can exist even when items are not biased, as we illustrate with data collected during the validation of the Homeostasis Concept Inventory Second, item bias can exist even when the two groups have exactly the same distribution of total scores, as we illustrate with a simulated data set We also present a brief overview of how DIF analysis has been used in the biology education literature to illustrate the way DIF items need to be reevaluated by content experts to determine whether they should be revised or removed from the assessment Finally, we conclude by arguing that DIF analysis should be used routinely to evaluate items in developing conceptual assessments These steps will ensure more equitable-and therefore more valid-scores from conceptual assessments