Using Workflow for Projects in Higher Education

The WWW is increasingly used as a medium to support education and training. A course at the University of Twente in which groups of students collaborate in the design and production of multimedia instructional materials has now been supported by a website since 1995. Workflow was integrated with other components in the website to investigate whether workflow can help instructors and students to have a better overview of group progress. Our evaluation shows that the introduction of workflow does provide added value. Another outcome of the experiment is that the transfer of a business application (workflow) into the educational domain has highlighted some differences and similarities between educational and business processes. This article explores some of these issues as highlighted by the application of workflow in education.     

Emotional eavesdropping: infants selectively respond to indirect emotional signals

Two experiments examined whether 18-month-olds learn from emotions directed to a third party. Infants watched an adult perform actions on objects, and an Emoter expressed Anger or Neutral affect toward the adult in response to her actions. The Emoter then became neutral and infants were given access to the objects. Infants' actions were influenced by their memory of the Emoter's affect. Moreover, infants' actions varied as a function of whether they were currently in the Emoter's visual field. If the previously angry Emoter was absent (Experiment 1) or turned her back (Experiment 2), infants did not use the prior emotion to regulate their behavior. Infants learn from emotional eavesdropping, and their subsequent behavior depends on the Emoter's orientation toward them.     

On‐line professional staff development: An evaluation study

This paper reports the design, implementation, and evaluation of a teleseminar on instructional design (ID) and computer‐mediated communication (CMC) for the purposes of staff development at The University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia. Participation was open to any staff with an involvement or interest in distance education. This study was motivated by the following research questions: Is CMC a viable medium for the professional development of staff in distance education? Does the nature of moderation of CMC‐based discussions influence the nature of contributions from subscribers? Do participants use different strategies (interactive, cognitive, and metacognitive) in CMC‐based discussions? To address these questions a teleseminar was instituted with a focus on the issues of ID and CMC. CMC‐based moderation techniques were used to manage the discussion. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools were used to measure the outcomes of the teleseminar. Results of these evaluation data show that CMC proved to be a viable medium for the professional development of staff, that the moderation strategies influenced the nature of contributions from the subscribers, and that participants used a range of strategies to manage the discussion and their participation in it.     

'The Kids are Doing All Right': Differences in parental satisfaction,expectation and attribution in St Petersburg,Sunderland and

Comparative studies of attitudes in different countries have resulted in the claim that parents in the USA and England tend to have unrealistically positive views of their children's schools and academic performance. Low expectations, together with a belief in the importance of natural ability, it has been argued, lead to low standards and reduce striving to succeed. The present study builds upon earlier investigations of children's attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in Sunderland, Eastern Kentucky and St Petersburg by surveying parental perspectives. Findings from these three regions reinforce earlier findings about English and American complacency and the more demanding nature of the Russian context. In line with our earlier studies, and contrary to the suggestion of a number of writers, an emphasis upon effort, rather than ability, was a strong feature of the English and American responses, although it is pointed out that such beliefs may not actually result in high work rates. The paper concludes by suggesting that the important role of parents in instilling important attitudes and behaviours in their children is undermined by the current emphasis upon schools as fundamentally responsible for ensuring high levels of achievement.     

Experimental analysis of proximity as a social stimulus: Increasing on‐task behavior of an adolescent with autism

Experimental analysis of social stimuli has typically been restricted to the presence or absence of verbal attention. In the present study, an ABAB design was used to assess the influence of proximity as a social stimulus. Close and distant proximity of a familiar adult was systematically manipulated to evaluate the effect of proximity on the on‐task behavior of a 15‐year‐old male with autism. Baseline, experimental analysis, and intervention phases were conducted within a self‐contained classroom. Pronounced effects of distant educator proximity to the participant were evident during both the experimental analysis and intervention, with increased on‐task behavior occurring in the distant condition. Future recommendations for the investigation of proximity as a relevant social stimulus are forwarded. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 189–196, 2005.     

Laboratory versus field testing in cricket bowling: A review of current and past practice in modelling techniques

In cricket bowling, the reconstruction of elbow angle data is of utmost importance to the bowling versus throwing argument. This paper reviews system and modelling errors inherent in three-dimensional reconstruction processes with respect to the elbow extension tolerance set by the International Cricket Council. An understanding of these factors will enable more informed decisions about the choice of in-field versus laboratory testing in the calculation of elbow extension during bowling in cricket. Although there is a paucity of objective data related to in-field and laboratory testing, biomechanists must be guided by the greater accuracy of opto-reflective than video-based systems and so testing, at least for the present, should be conducted in a laboratory setting.