عیدی
جب لوگ آسمان کی وسعتوں میں
ایک خم دار دھندلی سی لکیر تلاش کر رہے تھے
جو سب کے لیے باعث ِ مسرت تھی
مگر کسے خبر تھی
وہ شام میرے لیے غموں کے طوفان لانے والی ہے
اس لکیر کو دیکھتے ہوئے
میرے تصور میں بھی ایک نقطہ سا پھیلنے لگا
جو ایک مانوس صورت کا روپ دھار رہا تھا
چند قیمتی اذیت دہ لمحات میں ڈھلتی صورت
This article reports the wash-back of formative assessment on what students learn, how they learn and the depth of their learning in Saudi higher education context. Previous research indicates that assessment methods affect different aspects of learning either positively or negatively depending on the nature of assessment tasks. Observations indicate a clear association between Saudi students’ learning and how their learning is assessed; so this research was needed to determine how exactly the correlation looked like—positive or negative. The data in this study were collected from Saudi undergraduates by employing a student survey and semi-structured interviews. The survey included Likert scale items of agreement regarding research assignments, quizzes and midterm examinations administered to 250 English-major students. To validate the survey results, sixteen students from different levels with GPA 3 and above were interviewed. The results showed that formative assessment narrowed down the scope of learning materials. The students mostly adopted surface level learning strategies to prepare for formative assessment tasks. Higher order thinking skills were not tested in any of the formative assessment methods. Therefore, it is suggested that assessments tasks should be subjected to thorough validation and moderation. Sound assessment practices should be put in place and practiced judiciously. To achieve these objectives, sustained institutional and departmental professional backing is a prerequisite.
This dissertation is concerned with mathematical modeling and optimal control of a vector borne disease. We derive and rigorously analyze mathematical models to better understand the transmission and spread of vector borne diseases. First, a mathematical model is formulated to evaluate the impact of biological control of a vector borne disease "malaria" by considering larvivorous fish as a sustainable larval control method. To evaluate the potential impacts of this biological control measure on malaria transmission, we investigate the model describing the linked dynamics between the predator-prey interaction and the host-vector interaction. The dynamical behavior with all possible equilibria of the model is presented. The model also exhibits backward bifurcation phenomenon which give rise to the exis- tence of multiple endemic equilibria. The backward bifurcation phenomenon sug- gests that the reproductive number R 0 < 1 is not enough to eliminate the disease from the population under consideration. So an accurate estimation of parameters and level of control measures is important to reduce the infection prevalence of malaria in an endemic region. Our control techniques for elimination of malaria in a community suggest that the introduction of larvivorous fish can in principle have important consequence for the control of malaria but also indicate that it would require a strong predator on larval mosquitoes. Then, a new epidemic model of a vector-borne disease which has both direct and the vector mediated transmissions is considered. The model incorporates bilinear contact rates between the mosquitoes vector and the humans host populations. Using Lyapunov function theory some sufficient conditions for global stability of both the disease-free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium are obtained. We derive the basic reproduction number R 0 iiiii and establish that the global dynamics are completely determined by the values of R 0 . For the basic reproductive number R 0 < 1, the disease free equilibrium is glob- ally asymptotically stable, while for R 0 > 1, a unique endemic equilibrium exists and is globally asymptotically stable. The model is extended to assess the impact of some control measures, by using an optimal control theory. In order to do this, first we show the existence of the control problem and then use both analytical and numerical techniques to investigate that there are cost effective control efforts for prevention of direct and indirect transmission of disease. Finally, we present complete characterization and numerical simulations of the optimal control prob- lem. In order to illustrate the overall picture of the epidemic, individuals under the optimal control and without control are shown in figures. Our theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulations and suggest a promising way for the control of a vector borne disease.