There are a number of examination boards offering public examinations in England which lead to th... more There are a number of examination boards offering public examinations in England which lead to the same qualifications, for example GCSE and GCE A level. Although each examination syllabus must conform to general qualifications criteria approved by the examination regulator1, and also to a common core of subject content, the syllabuses may differ between boards in other respects. A crucial question of whether it is easier to obtain a given grade in a particular examination with one board than with another arises. In fact, this issue is not limited to England alone, but extends to overseas countries where candidates sit for examinations which are claimed to be equivalent qualifications to the GCSE and GCE A level. To ensure the equivalence of standards of similar qualifications across different examination boards, several research programmes have been conducted, most of which only compare examination standards qualitatively between examination boards by reporting, say, ‘Board X is ha...
An optically addressed spatial light modulator using the twisted smectic-liquid crystal effect in... more An optically addressed spatial light modulator using the twisted smectic-liquid crystal effect in the light-modulating layer and an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon in the photosensitive layer is fabricated. The device incorporates a layer of pixelated aluminum mirrors, ...
School science textbooks, theory examination papers and recent Cambridge Assessment biology pract... more School science textbooks, theory examination papers and recent Cambridge Assessment biology practical papers often contain photomicrographs. The use of variable quality microscopes in practical examinations could be unfair. The use of photomicrographs in examination papers may provide a standardised and fairer assessment environment, promoting acquisition of key observational and calibration microscopy skills. This study compares results of a trial biology practical assessment using a photomicrograph approach with those using a conventional microscope approach in Mauritius. It concludes that photomicrography provides assessment of similar skill sets to that of conventional microscopy and provides a solution to equipment disparity issues. Photomicrographs are photographs taken by a camera mounted on and focused through a microscope. The production of photomicrographs is well documented (Judson, 1979; Davidson, 2003). Photomicrographs have been widely used in biological and medical research and to illustrate textbooks, scientific journals and examination papers. As technology evolves, the demarcation between photomicrographs and microscopes with slides or video-capture blurs, as exemplified by the Cambridge Hitachi Bioscope (see website), in which photomicrographic images are used with a digital simulated microscope. Within the current environment, it appears appropriate for students to use a range of traditional microscopy, simulated digital microscopy and photomicrographs to learn and develop the observational skills appropriate to a pre-university course such as A-level biology. As the level of candidates' performance in a practical assessment can be affected by the optical and mechanical quality of microscope equipment and inevitable variations in the quality of microscope slides (especially in schools in the developing world with low budgets or limited facilities), the application of photomicrographs within practical assessment should provide standardised and fair assessment environments for candidates (Earl, 1972). This study compares the trial results of a biology practical assessment conducted using a photomicrograph approach with one using a conventional microscope approach. The trial took place in schools in Mauritius, a developing small-island state in the Indian Ocean, to verify whether the two approaches are comparable. Statistical results are reported and their interpretations are discussed.
This paper investigates the possible use of the twisted smectic C* liquid crystal effect (TS) in ... more This paper investigates the possible use of the twisted smectic C* liquid crystal effect (TS) in OASLMs. An averaging uniaxial model of the TS using the Jones Calculus is described, which can qualitatively and, to a certain extent, quantitatively simulate and account for the optical throughput in the transmission and reflection modes of such grey scale liquid crystal modulators. Three
There are a number of examination boards offering public examinations in England which lead to th... more There are a number of examination boards offering public examinations in England which lead to the same qualifications, for example GCSE and GCE A level. Although each examination syllabus must conform to general qualifications criteria approved by the examination regulator1, and also to a common core of subject content, the syllabuses may differ between boards in other respects. A crucial question of whether it is easier to obtain a given grade in a particular examination with one board than with another arises. In fact, this issue is not limited to England alone, but extends to overseas countries where candidates sit for examinations which are claimed to be equivalent qualifications to the GCSE and GCE A level. To ensure the equivalence of standards of similar qualifications across different examination boards, several research programmes have been conducted, most of which only compare examination standards qualitatively between examination boards by reporting, say, ‘Board X is ha...
An optically addressed spatial light modulator using the twisted smectic-liquid crystal effect in... more An optically addressed spatial light modulator using the twisted smectic-liquid crystal effect in the light-modulating layer and an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon in the photosensitive layer is fabricated. The device incorporates a layer of pixelated aluminum mirrors, ...
School science textbooks, theory examination papers and recent Cambridge Assessment biology pract... more School science textbooks, theory examination papers and recent Cambridge Assessment biology practical papers often contain photomicrographs. The use of variable quality microscopes in practical examinations could be unfair. The use of photomicrographs in examination papers may provide a standardised and fairer assessment environment, promoting acquisition of key observational and calibration microscopy skills. This study compares results of a trial biology practical assessment using a photomicrograph approach with those using a conventional microscope approach in Mauritius. It concludes that photomicrography provides assessment of similar skill sets to that of conventional microscopy and provides a solution to equipment disparity issues. Photomicrographs are photographs taken by a camera mounted on and focused through a microscope. The production of photomicrographs is well documented (Judson, 1979; Davidson, 2003). Photomicrographs have been widely used in biological and medical research and to illustrate textbooks, scientific journals and examination papers. As technology evolves, the demarcation between photomicrographs and microscopes with slides or video-capture blurs, as exemplified by the Cambridge Hitachi Bioscope (see website), in which photomicrographic images are used with a digital simulated microscope. Within the current environment, it appears appropriate for students to use a range of traditional microscopy, simulated digital microscopy and photomicrographs to learn and develop the observational skills appropriate to a pre-university course such as A-level biology. As the level of candidates' performance in a practical assessment can be affected by the optical and mechanical quality of microscope equipment and inevitable variations in the quality of microscope slides (especially in schools in the developing world with low budgets or limited facilities), the application of photomicrographs within practical assessment should provide standardised and fair assessment environments for candidates (Earl, 1972). This study compares the trial results of a biology practical assessment conducted using a photomicrograph approach with one using a conventional microscope approach. The trial took place in schools in Mauritius, a developing small-island state in the Indian Ocean, to verify whether the two approaches are comparable. Statistical results are reported and their interpretations are discussed.
This paper investigates the possible use of the twisted smectic C* liquid crystal effect (TS) in ... more This paper investigates the possible use of the twisted smectic C* liquid crystal effect (TS) in OASLMs. An averaging uniaxial model of the TS using the Jones Calculus is described, which can qualitatively and, to a certain extent, quantitatively simulate and account for the optical throughput in the transmission and reflection modes of such grey scale liquid crystal modulators. Three
Uploads
Papers by Louis Yim