Using the College Outcome Measures Project to measure college outcomes

This article describes one institution's use of the College Outcome Measures Project (COMP) in comparing outcomes for graduates of traditional and non-traditional programs. The study was designed to answer three questions concerning the use of COMP in evaluating traditional and non-traditional programs. Results obtained in a study of 96 University of Minnesota graduating seniors suggest greater potential usefulness in distinguishing among institutions than in comparing outcomes of programs within an institution. The authors conclude that as new approaches and instruments for measuring college outcomes become available, criteria for instrument selection need to be shared among individuals charged with conducting outcome studies.     

CCS: An important step in meeting the needs of nontraditional students

In 1969 the University of Cincinnati established the College of Community Services as an alternative for students (particularly adults) who were primarily interested in careers in the human service professions. This article examines some of the tensions in the institutional development of the College, with particular attention to the question of how best to build a quality professional college in a major urban university.     

Inside information — A door to the future?

Information Technology has the potential to provide virtually any educational requirement which the human mind can imagine. Before ideas can become applications, however, there have to be a suitable infrastructure and detailed procedures, otherwise they merely become historical footnotes. Inside Information, a scheme developed by the B.B.C. and the City and Guilds of London Institute, uses Information Technology in some novel ways and in some new contexts. The linking of it to a short-course programme sponsored by the Department of Education and Science opens up a much wider range of possibilities. The article explains the background to the development of Inside Information and its linking to the Department's short-course programme. It shows how such linking is necessary to enable the potential of the scheme to be realised. Inside Information, as it is now being developed, makes distinctions between formal, nonformal and informal education meaningless for most purposes. Medium- and long-term scenarios are suggested. Exciting as they are, these scenarios cannot become reality until the necessary infrastructure and procedures have been created.     

Report on a Boston University Conference December 7–8, 2012 on How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary US Science Teaching?

This is an editorial report on the outcomes of an international conference sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (REESE-1205273) to the School of Education at Boston University and the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University for a conference titled: How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary US Science Teaching? The presentations of the conference speakers and the reports of the working groups are reviewed. Multiple themes emerged for K-16 education from the perspective of the history and philosophy of science. Key ones were that: students need to understand that central to science is argumentation, criticism, and analysis; students should be educated to appreciate science as part of our culture; students should be educated to be science literate; what is meant by the nature of science as discussed in much of the science education literature must be broadened to accommodate a science literacy that includes preparation for socioscientific issues; teaching for science literacy requires the development of new assessment tools; and, it is difficult to change what science teachers do in their classrooms. The principal conclusions drawn by the editors are that: to prepare students to be citizens in a participatory democracy, science education must be embedded in a liberal arts education; science teachers alone cannot be expected to prepare students to be scientifically literate; and, to educate students for scientific literacy will require a new curriculum that is coordinated across the humanities, history/social studies, and science classrooms.     

The PISA mathematics regime: knowledge structures and practices of the self

Within mathematics education research, the responses to the Programme for International Student Assessment’s (PISA’s) international testing regime tend to accept its framework and results as necessary points of reference, even when offering a critical reinterpretation or challenging national policy discourses based on PISA. In this article, we offer a different approach to the critique of PISA, drawing on theoretical tools provided by Bernstein and Foucault, to ask what the PISA regime achieves. Our understanding of this achievement encompasses both the production of knowledge structures and the production of students, teachers and other agents as subjects. We propose that the theoretical approach we offer provides a methodological entry point into analysis of the texts comprising the PISA mathematics regime. Analysis of a single PISA item is used to illustrate the insights that may be gained from such a theoretical lens. Such insights into the logic of PISA have the potential to allow us better to understand and hence contest the role that PISA and other large-scale assessment regimes may play in global and local policy discourses.     

Counseling and advisory service for adult learners: An Open University perspective

The nature of counselling and advisory services which the Open University offers its students and applicants is dictated by the fact that its students are learning at a distance, are adults, and are not engaged in full-time study. In addition, a policy of open entry means that while some students come from a background of higher education, others have few or no previous qualifications. These factors require the University to try to provide an individual service to its applicants and students whenever possible. In pursuit of this aim students are allocated to Tutor-Counsellors, part-time staff who are locally based and who have a continuing responsibility for the progress of individual students from their initial registration until graduation. These Tutor-Counsellors play a considerable part in determining the extent, nature, and timing of the resources with which the university can support an individual student. Tuition for higher level specialist courses is normally provided by tutors at a greater distance, with the Tutor-Counsellors continuing to provide local generalist support. The Open University has set up a regional infra-structure of full-time academic and administrative staff for the support, briefing, supervision, and organization of this local network of part-time staff.     

Does academic apprenticeship increase networking ties among participants? A case study of an energy efficiency training program

In order to address the requirements of future education in different fields of academic professional activity, a model called Academic Apprenticeship Education was initiated in Finland in 2009. The aim of this article is to analyse the development of expert networks in the context of a 1-year Academic Apprenticeship Education model in the field of energy efficiency, which is a new and rapidly developing knowledge-intensive field. We examined the creation of networking ties among all course participants, the process of networking in small groups, and individual participants’ networking activity. Data was collected by administering a social networking questionnaire in the beginning and at the end of the training to all course participants (n = 87) and analysed using social network analysis and repeated measures ANOVA. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with organizers of the training to examine how the operational practices of the training supported networking. The results indicated that there was little change in the networking ties among all course participants. However, those small groups that were able to communicate appeared to create internal linkages. At the individual level, more new ties emerged for private sector actors than for public sector actors. In conclusion, we propose that a consolidated educational model should be created for the Academic Apprenticeship Education model in general. The quality of education might be better assured if the current ad hoc networks were not the only way to organise knowledge exchange among participants.     

Ensuring Effective Student Support in Higher Education Alleged Plagiarism Cases

Plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct are matters of great concern at all levels of study worldwide. This is especially so for students in higher education institutions, where higher degrees and publications are key focus activities. Ready access to internet based resources assist academic writing practices. However, the unintentional, or sometimes deliberate, lack of acknowledgment of intellectual property ownership by some students results in plagiarism allegations. In this article we explain how the Business School at Curtin University, Western Australia, currently handles plagiarism accusations; and we propose a model for making the University’s approach more transparent, supportive, and educative for students. We recommend this model to others.     

Essential foundations for establishing equivalence in cross-national higher education assessment

The global context of contemporary higher education demands international benchmarks. Quality assurance of teaching and learning would benefit from the insights gained from cross-cultural assessments. If cross-cultural assessments are used it is imperative that equivalence is assured, requiring attention to the technical standards used. In this paper we draw on our experiences implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) Feasibility Study across 17 countries. We consider the key standards required in a number of core technical areas to achieve equivalence. We discuss how different elements were achieved in the AHELO Feasibility Study. These include the development of assessment materials for use across languages; selection and engagement of students; delivery of assessment materials and analysis of assessment data.     

“The Scientific Method” as Myth and Ideal

“The Scientific Method” as it has been portrayed in popular and introductory contexts has been declared a myth. The variation that one finds in introductory presentations of “The Scientific Method” is explained by the fact that there is no canonical account among historians and philosophers of science. What, in particular, is wrong with “The Scientific Method”? This essay provides a fairly comprehensive survey of shortcomings of “The Scientific Method”. Included are corrections to several misconceptions that often accompany such presentations. Rather than treating “The Scientific Method” as a useful approximation or an ideal, the myth should be discarded. Lessons can be learned for introductory pedagogical contexts from considering the shortcomings of the myth.     

Symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and home learning environment (HLE): findings from a longitudinal study

The concept of “Home Learning Environment” (HLE) covers activities in a family providing intellectual stimulation for a child, such as reading to him or her or visiting libraries. Numerous studies have shown an association between HLE and children's cognitive development. In this longitudinal study, we focus on HLE as a predictor for children's behavioral development, namely, for later symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), controlling for relevant aspects like socioeconomic status (SES), or television viewing behavior. We analyzed the development of ADHD symptoms from kindergarten to the end of grade 2 and possible associations with HLE, SES, and television exposure, using a German community sample (N?=?924). Results indicated that ADHD symptoms were negatively and significantly correlated to HLE for all five measurement points as well as to SES (except T4) and to television exposure for T1 to T4. Observing later development, only early HLE but not SES or television exposure served as a significant predictor for ADHD symptoms at school, when age, sex, and ADHD symptoms in kindergarten were controlled for. A structural equation model showed that HLE acted as a mediator between SES and later ADHD symptoms. Our results highlight the importance of the concept of home learning environment also for children's behavioral development. As a consequence, parents should be supported in offering their children a more favorable learning environment.     

The development and maintenance of odor-based double-alternation responding under conditions of Thorazine and Elavil injection

Two experiments investigating odor production and utilization in rats under the effects of Thorazine and Elavil injections, respectively, are reported. In Experiment 1, significantly slower speeds shown by the Thorazine-injected subjects indicated that this drug depressed performance. It is felt that depressed performance allowed these subjects to attend and respond to odor cues earlier in Phase 1 than did saline-injected control animals. Reversing the injection conditions (Phase 2) failed to disrupt already-established patterning. During the first phase of Experiment 2, Elavil-injected subjects failed to establish patterned responding, whereas such responding was readily established by saline-injected subjects. Reversing the injection conditions (Phase 2) resulted in the rapid development of double-alternation patterning by the subjects that were shifted from Elavil to saline and in the maintenance of such responding by the animals shifted from saline to Elavil.     

Analysing novices analysing Prolog: what stories do novices tell themselves about Prolog?

Informal observations of Prolog learners showed that, despite being presented with correct information and models, students still tended to construct their own idiosyncratic explanations of events, and, characteristically, they defended these ‘stories’ fiercely when tutorial intervention was attempted. Although the stories were often so flawed that the student's future progress was potentially hampered, it was nevertheless true that learning could not have proceeded at all without them. It seems that if we are to understand the novice Prolog programmer, we need to know about these stories, their source, and what, if anything, they have in common from one learner to another. Pain and Bundy (1987) posed the question “What stories should we tell novice Prolog programmers?” in order to teach them Prolog. In our research, we ask: “What stories do novices Prolog programmers tell themselves?” in order to learn Prolog. Observational studies undertaken showed that students used tacit knowledge of human discourse processes both to interpret the language used to communicate with the computer and to interpret the behaviour of the machine. Students did not appreciate the fundamental differences between natural discourse (as takes place amongst humans) and formal discourse (as takes place between humans and machines), and confused elements of the discourse levels. This can be an effective initial learning strategy, but unless its limitations are recognised, programs are inevitably incomplete at some level. Examples from these studies are reported here with illustrative protocol fragments.     

Design and use of hypermedia systems

Hypermedia makes it possible for learners to explore interactive multimedia-based instructional systems. To realize the potential of hypermedia to increase student involvement and learning, important design and use issues will have to be addressed. For example, how can we ensure that learners will be able to effectively regulate their own learning as they exercise the control inherent in hypermedia-based systems? How can motivation be stimulated and maintained, so that individuals will go beyond superficial browsing to really explore and learn? A theoretical and research-based foundation is summarized here which suggests answers to these questions, answers that revolve around learner control, self-regulated learning, and continuing motivation. Recommendations are offered for the effective design of hypermedia systems and the appropriate preparation of learners who will use them.     

School-age passwords: C.I.A.

CIA does not stand for what you ordinarily would think, The Central Intelligence Agency! These initials can be quite meaningful to caregivers and definitely beneficial to school-agers who are involved in before and after school care. CIA—Creativity, Imagination and Anticipation! These are key words and functions which can enhance a school-age program.     

Breaking the silence of exclusion: examining the complexities of teacher education for cultural diversity

This article is based on an in-depth case study that examined how a teacher education programme in New Zealand prepared pre-service teachers for cultural diversity (based on the author’s unpublished PhD thesis, Teacher Education for Cultural Diversity; conferred by Curtin University, June 2012). Framed within a critical constructivist inquiry paradigm, the primary research question explored how pre-service teachers were prepared to meet the learning needs of students in culturally diverse classrooms. The question was explored on four levels: curriculum, pedagogy, perceptions of effectiveness and diversity capacity. Empirical findings were reported thematically and highlighted the complexity of the issue. Key curriculum findings revealed variability in the depth of pre-service teacher preparation for cultural diversity and a conceptual development of sociocultural competence. Pedagogical findings reported three types of activity, namely dialogic activity, monologic activity and reflective activity and four types of social relationships, namely expert–novice, professional partnership, critical minority and silent minority. Findings on participant perceptions of effectiveness and diversity capacity are outlined, and limitations of the study are acknowledged. Three initial propositions on how to prepare the pre-service teachers for cultural diversity are proposed.