Using desktop publishing in an editing class—the lessons learned and students' assessments

This article—based on personal observations, a survey, and modified Nominal Group Techniques—reports students' perceptions of learning desktop publishing systems (DTP). Students learned the foundations of DTP in less than 60 hours of hands‐on experience; the incremental introduction of DTP functions and practice sessions before the assignments were more effective than alternative teaching strategies tried; and the use of DTP encouraged non‐artistic students to use artwork to enhance their publications.     

Effects of Talking on Exercise Tolerance

Abstract

Two studies determined the effects of responding to questions on heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and time to voluntary exhaustion on a graded treadmill walking/running test in naive college students. The first study used 16 (8 female and 8 male) volunteers; each subject was tested both without talking and while responding to 3 questions during each exercise stage. The second study had independent groups (n = 10 females each): (1) no talking during the early exercise stages (two walking stages), but answering questions during the later (running) stages until exhaustion, and (2) answering questions during the walking stages, but not talking during the running stages. Differences between groups (.10 level) were determined by two-way ANOVA (talking/no talking; gender) and t test for independent groups, respectively. There were no gender/treatment interactions. Exercise tolerance, HR, and RPE were generally not affected by the tester asking subjects questions about subjects' physical activity habits, with the following exceptions: the first study found a lower HR response to light work when the subjects were responding to questions. In the second study, the subjects perceived the work to be harder with no talking during the second (walking) stage, and while talking during the third (running) stage. For subjects unaccustomed to exercise testing and not well known to the tester, it appears that the best test results occur when the tester talks to the subject during early stages of exercise, but not during moderate and heavy work.     

Facilitating reflection in theological education: some reflections

Over time my teaching role has evolved into one of facilitating adult learning. Recent studies that I have undertaken in higher education have met a felt need for further critical reflection on this approach. The discovery, through discussion and reading, of a language that enables me to conceptualise and investigate issues in teaching and learning has been a major part of this process, as has peer supervision. Engaging in this process in turn has encouraged continuing reflection in and on my practice.

My teaching area is theology, which involves critical reflection on experience and practice, and this has deeply influenced the way in which my teaching role has developed. Shared reflection in class interrelates with personal reflection, and has the potential to promote ongoing or lifelong learning. The facilitator's role in this setting combines caring and challenge, with the possibility of conflict management as well. It is hoped that aspects of my experience and practice in facilitating reflection in theology will be seen to have relevance to other areas of teaching.     

Negative Stereotypes Underlying Other-Person Perceptions of the Elderly

When assessing effects of advertisements on themselves and on people in their mid-40s and 70s, more than 30% of respondents drew upon negative stereotypes when making estimates about effects of advertising messages on the elderly. There was no difference between first-year university students and seniors majoring in advertising in the rate of stereotyping. Results of earlier studies have suggested that greater levels of education and more in-depth knowledge of advertising might account for differences between them. Those not using stereotyping were more apt to have cited an exemplar.     

Teaching the introductory communication theory course to undergraduates

This essay explores the introduction to communication theory course for undergraduates. The authors discuss several key notions for making the course valuable to the undergraduate: the attitude of the instructor, the attitude of the students, course requirements, and evaluation techniques.     

Toward a holistic approach to communication: The effect of “pure” hemispheric reception on message acceptance

This study examined the relationship between hemispheric processing of complex messages and message acceptance. In particular the research sought to answer several questions regarding the processing and interpretation of persuasive messages and message sources. Based on the results of this research it was concluded that (1) the brain's right and left hemispheres, when isolated from one another, process information according to a particular “style,” (2) that semantic properties of language influence hemispheric processing, and (3) that message sources are perceived differently by the right and left hemispheres. Potential implications for the study of communication in terms of message style and acceptability, language intensity, perceptions of source, and perceptions of threat conclude this analysis.     

William Wales and the 1769 transit of Venus: puzzle solving and the determination of the astronomical unit

According to Thomas Kuhn, a significant part of “normal science” is the fact gathering, empirical work which is intended to illustrate an existing paradigm. Some of this effort focuses on the determination of physical constants such as the astronomical unit (AU). For Kuhn, normal science is also what prepares students for membership in a particular scientific community and is embodied in some form in our science textbooks. However, neither Kuhn nor the textbook says much about the individuals who practice normal science, especially those who had been relegated to the “hack” duties of long and arduous measurement and calculation. In this paper, to provide a context for students of astronomy, I will outline the story of the determination of the AU and in particular the contribution of William Wales, an obscure British astronomer. Wales, toiling in the shadow of Halley (of Halley’s comet fame), Mason and Dixon (of Mason and Dixon line fame) and the infamous Captain Cook endured a brutal winter in northern Canada for a brief glimpse of the 1769 transit of Venus. In the end, Wales supplied one small piece of the puzzle in the determination of the AU and he exemplified the human spirit and persistence of a Kuhnian “puzzle solver”.

Using 9-1-1 call data and the space–time permutation scan statistic for emergency event detection

During medium to large-scale emergency events such as fires or earthquakes, emergency response teams must be deployed to the location of the event in a timely fashion. Information gathered from 9-1-1 call makers is useful for this, but is not always accurate. In this paper, we show how the space–time permutation scan statistic can be used to detect the presence and location of such events by monitoring the overall spatiotemporal pattern of 9-1-1 emergency calls instead. In an analysis of collected 9-1-1 call data, top detected clusters were found to correlate with emergency events as reported on the news, showing the algorithm's usefulness for automatically estimating their location and temporal extent. We show how the detection procedure works in cases where the emergency event generates a small but statistically significant increase in the number of 9-1-1 calls, as well as cases where events must be detected against a large background activity of 9-1-1 calls. We discuss the possible adoption of the proposed algorithm within the next generation digital government framework.