Visual Tutorials for Point-of-Need Instruction in Online Courses

ABSTRACT

This paper will discuss a method of incorporating demonstrations into online information and technology literacy courses. The demonstrations are designed to increase the visual component and to address point-of-need questions and problems. Also discussed will be experimentations with this method in other library services, such as electronic reference services, one-shot course-related instruction, subject research guides, and outreach to faculty for their own professional development and as a way to incorporate information and technology literacy in their courses. Recent developments in tutorial software have made it possible to quickly create brief demonstration modules to visually illustrate information literacy concepts and research tools. The primary example presented here is the incorporation of short, task-oriented demonstrations into lesson modules, answers to student questions, and assignment instructions and feedback in an online information and technology literacy course. Initial comments from students and instructors indicate high satisfaction with this method.     

Internet search approaches: The influence of age, search goals, and experience

This study analyzed observations and interviews of 31 participants, who were divided into six age groups, to understand the influence of end-user goals and experience on Internet search approaches. Users who lacked experience approached the Internet similarly no matter what the age group. Children and older adults were more likely to lack online search experience than other users. In addition, children and older adults were more homogeneous than other users in that they had a narrow range of situational goals, whereas users in other groups had a wide range of situational goals. The study has implications for user services and research in end-user searching. An understanding of the influence of age, experience, and goals on Internet search patterns might guide how, how much, and in what format information should be presented in the future. Knowledge gained from this study can also form the basis of hypotheses for larger studies.     

Changes in coordination and its variability with an increase in running cadence

Alterations in joint mechanics have been associated with common overuse injuries. An increase in running cadence in healthy runners has been shown to improve several parameters that have been tied to injury, but the reorganisation of motion that produces these changes has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to determine if runners change their segment coordination and coordination variability with an acute increase in cadence. Data were collected as ten uninjured runners ran overground at their preferred cadence as well as a cadence 10% higher than preferred. Segment coordination and coordination variability were calculated for select thigh–shank and shank–foot couples and selected knee mechanics were also calculated. Paired t-tests were used to examine differences between the preferred and increased cadence conditions. With increased cadence, there was a decrease in peak knee flexion and a later occurrence of peak knee flexion and internal rotation and shank internal rotation. Segment coordination was altered with most changes occurring in mid-late stance. Coordination variability decreased with an increase in cadence across all couples and phases of gait. These results suggest examination of coordination and its variability could give insight into the risk of intervention-induced injury.     

An analysis of the discourses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in US special education textbooks,with implications for inclusive education

The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found in textbooks used in pre-service special education programmes in the USA. Five textbooks are examined with the intent of discovering how ADHD is portrayed to future teachers. A discourse analysis framework is utilised, revealing five categories that structure the discourses of textbooks: definition, causes, symptoms, characteristics, and treatment. Examples of each are provided, followed by a critical analysis of the underlying meanings and assumptions. The analysis reveals an overwhelmingly medicalised narrative in which children diagnosed with ADHD are presented as inherently dysfunctional and devoid of positive characteristics. Two implications of this analysis are suggested: (1) teachers are likely to limit their pedagogical responses to these children in favour of relying upon medical knowledge and (2) teachers are apt to construct policy that is inconsistent with the goal of inclusive education to embrace diversity in the classroom. Lastly, the importance of exposing pre-service teachers to an alternative discourse on ADHD is discussed.     

The Relations of Children's Emotion Regulation to Their Vicarious Emotional Responses and Comforting Behaviors

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relations of children's emotional and behavioral regulation (as indexed by heart rate variability and coping styles) to their emotional and prosocial responses to a crying infant. Kindergarten and second-grade children's vicarious emotional responses (e.g., facial reactions and heart rate slope) and comforting behaviors were recorded while children heard a crying infant. The mothers of these children completed a measure designed to assess their children's coping responses when exposed to others in distress. It was found that children who were able to regulate their arousal (as assessed with heart rate variance) and typically responded instrumentally when exposed to others' needy states and conditions were relatively unlikely to become distressed and relatively likely to talk to and comfort the crying infant. Compared to boys, girls were found to be more responsive to the crying infant and were reported to engage in more direct, active coping responses when exposed to others in distress. The results are discussed in relation to research on emotion regulation and coping in interpersonal contexts.     

The Relations of Maternal Practices and Characteristics to Children''s Vicarious Emotional Responsiveness

This study examined the relations of maternal vicarious emotional responding and child-rearing practices, as well as familial emotional environment, to 5-6 and 8-9-year-old children's vicarious emotional responding. There were some correspondences between mothers' and children's heart rate, facial, and self-reported reactions to a sympathy-inducing film. Maternal sympathy/perspective taking and reinforcement of sympathy/prosocial behavior, as well as negative subordinate emotion in the home, were associated with markers of girls' sympathy; mothers' personal distress (for girls), restrictiveness regarding displays of hurtful negative emotions (particularly for young girls), and negative dominant emotion in the home (for both sexes) were associated with markers of personal distress. Mothers' linking of the film character's experience to children's own experience was associated with children's responsiveness to the film, and mother's verbalizations during the film concerning her own emotional state and role taking were associated with boys' self-reported sympathy.     

Implementing Online Counselling in Australian Secondary Schools: What Principals Think

Today’s young people have integrated the online world into their everyday reality and schools have generally accepted the importance of technology in the education process. However, there has been limited use in schools of technology to counsel young people, although early indications suggest that school counsellors may be prepared to offer synchronous online counselling if they were supported by school principals. The aim of this study was to investigate Australian secondary school principals’ views about using an online format for counselling in schools. There were 33 principals who participated and they indicated technological competency and acknowledged the benefits of using technology in the counselling process. The principals were generally supportive of the provision of online school counselling, although their major concern was the need for more counsellors and the impact on the workload of current counselling staff. A few principals, however, were unconvinced about offering online counselling and had a fundamental preference for face-to-face communication experiences for students. Strategies for facilitating the acceptance of online counselling by principals and guiding implementation in schools are proposed.     

‘To be numerate is to be someone…’: Tracing the doings of students labelled ‘at risk’

Scores from the Australian National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) identify students ‘at risk’ of not meeting minimum standards deemed necessary for future success in school and employment. The NAPLAN tests include items related to numeracy but also mathematics content and skills. Research in the area of mathematics education examining the effectiveness of pedagogical interventions in improving student scores on NAPLAN and other international measures is not only shaped by the standardised testing regime, it also effectively corrals the problem within the school context. As such, it is unable to answer questions related to other factors implicated in the lives of those who continue to ‘fail’ in relation to numeracy outcomes. This paper critically examines the type of funded research being done in relation to numeracy and mathematics education, the ‘social’ turn and the disconnect between this research and the widening ‘gap’ in NAPLAN numeracy outcomes. It argues for a research approach informed by institutional ethnography that begins with the ‘doings’ of individual students labelled ‘at risk’.