IMPROVING CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: EVALUATION OF THE CLASS PASS INTERVENTION

Off‐task and disruptive classroom behaviors have a negative impact on the learning environment and present a unique challenge for teachers to address. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Class Pass Intervention (CPI) as a behavior management strategy for secondary students with disruptive classroom behavior. The CPI consists of providing students with passes that they can either (1) use to appropriately request a break to engage in a preferred activity for a preset amount of time or (2) keep and later exchange for a preferred item or activity. Using an ABAB withdrawal design with replication through a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design, the CPI was shown to increase academic engagement, which is incompatible with disruptive behavior, in 4 students who engaged in high levels of disruptive behavior throughout the baseline condition. Results also demonstrated partial support for the durability of intervention effects over time and indicated that both teachers and students perceived the intervention to be socially feasible. Implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Impact of Satellite Telecommunications on the Infrastructure of a Provincial University System

Abstract

Modern communication technology is being applied increasingly by post‐secondary systems throughout the world to deliver a variety of learning experiences to people residing at a distance from the main campuses of institutions of higher education. The implications of this phenomenon for the future development of post‐secondary education have yet to be assessed. At present, distance education activities at many institutions are perceived by scholars, as well as administrators, to be of lesser importance and appendages of the primary functions of the academic community. Such a myopic vision of the future is inconsistent with the incremental changes in organizational structures, delivery systems and administrative procedures occurring in many post‐secondary systems to accommodate a more personalized form of higher education. This article examines the impact which experiments with satellite communication have had on the organizational structures of a Canadian provincial university system. The findings derived by this exploratory analysis suggest that co‐operation, collaboration and communication are going to be essential elements of resource management, programme planning and knowledge delivery in post‐secondary systems by the 21st century.     

I know my instructional technologies: It's these learners that perplex me!

Abstract

The role of technical support personnel in higher education and corporate training has traditionally been confined to the areas of hardware and software. Now technologists are often asked to serve as corporate trainers and advisors to faculty in the choice and integration of educational technology into teaching and learning. Based on her own training and personal experience, the author suggests and discusses three areas of study within adult education that can assist persons with a technical background to make this role transition. The areas of study include 1) introduction to adult education, 2) adult learners and learning, and 3) program planning. The combination of technology training and knowledge in these three areas will provide a solid foundation for the expanding role of technologists.     

“I'm A Teacher Not A Social Worker”—A case study in consultation and in‐set coursie design

Pastoral care of teachers is concerned with their personal, individual recognition, needs and welfare. The concept dates back to the 1970s and has been elaborated in the literature in succeeding decades. This article attempts to draw together various outlines on the subject, focusing on what they suggest about how pastoral care of teachers can be implemented. The resulting model is presented in the form of tables summarizing authors’ suggestions in five key areas of support: Induction, Curriculum, Procedural, Professional and Personal.     

Revisiting size effects in higher education research productivity

The potential occurrence of variable returns to size in research activity is a factor to be considered in choices about the size of research organizations and also in the planning of national research assessment exercises, so as to avoid favoring those organizations that would benefit from such occurrence. The aim of the current work is to improve on weaknesses in past inquiries concerning returns to size through application of a research productivity measurement methodology that is more accurate and robust. The method involves field-standardized measurements that are free of the typical distortions of aggregate measurement by discipline or organization. The analysis is conducted for 183 hard science fields in all 77 Italian universities (time period 2004–2008) and allows detection of potential differences by field.