Evaluating College Teaching

Subtle forms of prejudice called microaggressions occur in college classrooms, but the effective methods of managing such prejudice are not clear. This study explored teachers’ (N = 222) and students’ (N = 166) perceptions of vignettes describing classroom microaggressions and the effectiveness of various teacher responses to the microaggressions. Teachers of courses focused on diversity perceived microaggressions more negatively and were more likely to respond to the microaggressions than teachers of nondiversity courses. Students believed that teacher responses to microaggressions were effective and ignoring microaggressions was ineffective. The results suggest that teachers should in some way respond to classroom microaggressions. They also suggest that diversity awareness may be a factor in the ability of teachers to recognize subtle prejudice in the classroom.     

Personal Backgrounds of Effective Teaching

Planning time for giving students effective feedback is an important and challenging aspect of the teaching and learning process. In our article we describe and analyze how we engage students as partners in providing formative feedback in time for students to modify their own thinking or behavior to improve learning. We have found ways to provide formative feedback more frequently and to involve students in providing effective formative feedback to each other. The four techniques we describe are the following: a) three-color group quiz with feedback on product, process, and progress; b) midterm student conferencing; c) shared revision of student generated questions and statements; and d) timely feedback using collaborative assignment blogs. These techniques give feedback in time for revisions to occur, provide scaffolding for learners, inform instruction, and most importantly, involve students as partners in assessment. These pedagogical strategies show that the resulting benefits of improved instruction, enhanced student learning, and better student products are worth the time and effort and contribute to a productive classroom climate where the focus is on learning more than on grading. Formative feedback involving students as partners is a key strategy to enhance the teaching and learning process.     

Students' Views of Teaching

Abstract

Much To Do About Writing: Teaching and Assessing Writing By Edward M. White San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985, 304 pages, $19.95. Reviewed by David Taylor

A Poignant, Colorful Portrait: Refugee Scholars in America: Their Impact and Their Experiences By Lewis A. Coser New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1984, xviii + 351 pages, $25.00. Reviewed by R. W. Franklin     

Library project management in a collaborative web-based working environment

This paper discusses the emerging paradigm of project management performed in a web-based working environment. It highlights how project management and its associated features are strongly linked to fulfilling quality and value criteria for customers, and it examines how collaborative working environments can greatly reduce the administrative burden of managing large projects, especially and almost paradoxically, when resources are limited. Specifically, the paper examines the application of a project management methodology (PRINCE2) together with the use of a collaborative web-based working environment over a number of pilot projects at Leeds University Library. It describes the pilot phase of a library management decision to run a series of major Library projects using project management methodology, while continuing to run other projects through the existing locally developed planning mechanisms and describes the pitfalls of these latter alternatives, less sophisticated project management tools, and describes the main issues that this change in practice has brought to light. It draws preliminary conclusions about the effectiveness of this change in practice in one of the UK's largest academic libraries.     

EARLY MULTI-PLATFORMING

Early examples of the re-purposing of material from one medium to one or several others are examined through various cases of television cooking programmes and associated print materials. The presenter was the key property uniting the materials and the first television cook to be examined here is Philip Harben, who started on the BBC in 1946 and whose first spin-off book appeared in 1951. A small discussion of Julia Child's American work precedes the main focus, which is on the British-born Graham Kerr, from his first television work in New Zealand in 1961, through his period in Australia from 1965, to his move to Canada in 1969. During this period the serious hardcover publications were not directly associated with television, while those which stressed the televisual relationship had lower production values and needed to justify their existence with explicit commentary on the service they were providing to viewers. It is these latter however which provide valuable information about the early everyday experiences of watching television.     

Two empirical tests of a videotape designed to reduce public speaking anxiety

These studies were designed to determine: 1) if a videotape could be used to help people cope with public speaking anxiety; 2) how this videotape compared with other interventions; 3) whether the video could be used on a self‐help basis; and 4) whether the video would be effective over time. These issues were addressed in two separate studies. These studies indicated that the videotape reduced self‐reported levels of trait CA, state CA, and negative thinking. The first study linked the videotape to reduced rigidity while the second linked the videotape to reduced agitation. The second study also found trait CA to be reduced over time. Meta‐analysis was used to compare these data with other interventions. That analysis revealed this videotape was generally more effective than other interventions in reducing trait CA in study one. The videotape was found to reduce state CA and negative thinking more than other interventions in study two. These and other results are discussed at the conclusion of these studies.     

Web-Based Citation Management Compared to EndNote: Options for Medical Sciences

ABSTRACT

The authors of this article analyzed the differences in output when searching MEDLINE direct and MEDLINE via citation management software, EndNote X1®, EndNote Web®, and RefWorks^©. Several searches were performed on Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed directly. These searches were compared against the same searches conducted in Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed using the search features in EndNote X1, EndNote Web, and RefWorks. Findings indicated that for in-depth research users, should search the databases directly rather than through the citation management software interface. The search results indicated it would be appropriate to search databases via citation management software for citation verification tasks and for cursory keyword searching.