Improving student learning in distance education: Theory,research and practice

The aim of this paper is to examine how project-based learning in distance education can be seen to make a distinctive contribution to “improving student learning”. How has this approach to course design and assessment been put into practice in an Open University (OU) course and what assumptions about teaching and learning are involved in this course development process. The paper also looks briefly at how this project component has been evaluated by describing students’ and tutors’ experiences of learning and teaching in the form of “action research” so to reflect critically on practice and so initiate change.     

Attitudes of School Psychologists Towards the Integration (Mainstreaming) of Children with Disabilities

SCHOOL psychologists serving primary and secondary schools in New South Wales were surveyed to ascertain their attitudes towards the main‐streaming of children with a wide range of disabilities. They were also asked to identify the resources required to meet the needs of these children in regular classrooms and to indicate their perceived role in the process of mainstreaming. Results indicated that school psychologists appeared to have a fairly optimistic perspective with regard to mainstreaming when compared with teachers. Comparisons of factor analyses of attitudes also suggested that school psychologists tended to group disability characteristics more in terms of traditional handicapping categories than with regard to the educational demands made upon teachers. While children with learning and behavioural difficulties represented psychologists’ largest case load, they did not always feel they had the skills to assist this group and were even less confident about other categories of disability. School psychologists also saw their roles with regard to mainstreaming as consultative rather than interventionist and attached little importance to knowledge of classroom techniques to facilitate the mainstreaming of children with disabilities. Implications of these data for the training and practice of school psychology were subsequently discussed.     

The rehabilitation of the disabled: A challenge for the 80's

With a view to identifying salient issues in the rehabilitation of the disabled over the next decade, this paper examines several aspects of this important social problem area. These include the massive numbers of those affected; it is estimated that between 500 and 600 millions of the world's population can be regarded as disabled ‐‐ the organization of rehabilitation services, particularly with reference to the core concept of integration which may be seen both as a methodology and a goal; the need for simple solutions capable of adaptation throughout the international community; adequate income levels; the effective management of resources, human and technical; programs for prevention, early identification; intervention; specialist support; vocational training and adult community support systems.

Among other issues of contemporary importance are the use of legislation to promote change; the role of community education; the need for more effective translation of research into practice; and staff training. It is concluded that, within the Australian context at least, there has been steady progress in many areas of rehabilitation and that this trend will continue despite current economic constraints.     

The effect of field dependence and outline condition on learning high- and low-structure information from a lecture

Sixty-eight college students participated in the current research investigating the effects of an outline on field-dependent and field-independent students' learning of structurally important and less important information from a lecture. The lecture involved a 20-minute videotaped presentation on bird migration. Learning was assessed using a free recall task 10 minutes after the lecture (immediate recall) and both free recall and probed recall tasks one week after the lecture (delayed recall). Data were analyzed using mixed factorial ANOVAs. Results indicated that the outline assisted the field-dependent students in recall of high structure information and field-independent students in recall of low structure information. Performance of field-dependent and field-independent students was equivalent on probed recall of low-structure information, but significant differences were found on the free recall of low-structure information. It is proposed that these differences are attributable to superior organizational abilities of the field-independent students and to use of the outline as a guide for retrieval.     

Remediation and Dismissal Policies in Counselor Education: Lessons Learned from a Challenge in Federal Court

Counselor educators today are faced with a difficult dilemma. They are mandated to dismiss students they judged to be unfit and irremediable, yet they risk legal action whenever executing a student dismissal decision. Their duty to protect the public must be weighed against the liabilities of costly litigation to institutions, programs, and themselves. This article describes 1 counselor education program's decision to dismiss a student and endure a lengthy, although unsuccessful, lawsuit and jury trial in federal court. The strengths and weaknesses of the program's remediation and dismissal protocol are examined as they emerged under court scrutiny.     

Uncharted territory: Speculations on some positive effects of desegregation on white students

Conclusions On the basis of analysis of the desegregation of one particular school, this paper has suggested some ways in which desegregation may be beneficial to white students. This analysis suggests that under certain circumstances desegregation can lead to beneficial changes in the school programs available, as well as to an increase in the utilization of outside resources which more than offsets additional costs linked to the desegregation process. Further, experiences in desegregated classrooms may also lead to some reduction in the almost automatic unreasoning fear many white children have of blacks, was well as helping whites develop the ability to work effectively with out-group members. The purpose of this analysis is not to argue that desegregation must go forwardbecause it helps whites or even that the benefits of desegregation always outweigh the costs for individual students, black or white. Rather, my aim has been to explore some previously uncharted territory and to suggest some hypothesis that further research can explore more fully.This paper was presented at the Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston, April 1980.The research on which this paper is based was funded by the National Institute of Education Contract 400-76-0011. Other expenses relating to its preparation were covered by grant 1R01 MH31 602-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health. However, all opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and no endorsement by NIE or NIMH is implied or intended.     

Faculty in Transition: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Role of Perceived Control and Type of Institution in Adjustment to Postsecondary Institutions

As postsecondary institutions undergo major changes in the coming years, they will be hardpressed to maintain the quality of their programs unless they can successfully attract and retain new faculty. Understanding something about the experiences of new faculty should enable postsecondary institutions to be more effective in the recruitment process. The present study examined the adjustment of newly hired faculty at the point of entry into their institutions and subsequently for a three-year period. It was expected that perceived personal control, teaching experience, gender, type of institution, and time would be particularly critical to the adjustment of new faculty. Three surveys were administered one year apart to newly hired, tenure-track faculty who responded to questions about their adjustment experiences. The results indicated that perceived control is a critical factor affecting new hires' emotional well-being, stress levels, job satisfaction, etc., either by itself or in combination with institution type and time. Overall, new hires who were identified as having greater control believed they had more control over their teaching and career in general, were more satisfied with their teaching and their career, had less teaching- and career-related job stress, and were less likely to consider quitting their job. The type of institution also affected new hires' adjustment, with the liberal arts colleges and a comprehensive I institution having the most negative impact compared with a community college and a research I institution. Finally, time had an unexpected negative effect on adjustment. These finding were discussed in relation to the career development of faculty.