Examination of the Relationship of Community College Opticianry Student Outcomes with Instructional Delivery Methods and Student Age

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine whether student outcomes are a function of participation in different modes of delivery and student age in an Opticianry program at the community college level. The three instructional delivery methods were traditional face-to-face instruction, online delivery, and a hybrid format where students take theory courses online and attend face-to-face laboratories on campus. Student age when entering the Opticianry program was classified in three categories: Young Adults (18–24), Middle Age (25–33), and Older Adults (34 & >). A nonexperimental explanatory research design relying on survey data collection strategies were used in the study. Data collection was conducted using an online survey. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the relationship between independent variables (delivery method and age) and a dependent variable (GPA [grade point average], national certification score, workplace preparation score, and quality of instruction score). A total of 112 graduates completed the survey, representing a response rate of 39%. The results indicated no significant differences in student outcomes, suggesting that students in the Opticianry program should achieve similar outcomes whether they complete the program online, on campus, or in a hybrid format. The results of the study provide support for the idea that it is possible to provide equivalent technician preparation using a variety of instructional delivery methods.     

Professional Development: An LEA Adviser's Perspective

This paper represents a summary and discussion of the findings of a single site case study which investigated the causes, reactions, and coping strategies relating to teacher stress in a comprehensive high school. Data analysis suggested that the problem of stress was multi‐dimensional in nature; levels of stress depended upon the interaction of any number of stressors which may be modified by experience, status, and the individual coping process. Coping strategies were found to be complex patterns of actions which were palliative or direct‐action, used in sequence or simultaneously to combat stress. The findings suggest pointers for the multi‐level management of stress which may need to extend beyond self‐management strategies.     

Copyright and Contract Issues in the Preparation of Resource Material

Abstract

The production of resource material, whether print based, in audio visual form or as computer software, raises a number of questions of copyright and performer's protection. These include not only the inclusion of existing material but also the ownership to the copyright in the finished product and the contractual arrangements regulating the exploitation of the product. Such issues are already complicated when both production and exploitation is confined to one country but they become even more so where production is a cooperative effort between different countries. This article will identify the copyright issues and explore how they may vary from one country to another but using the copyright law of the United Kingdom as an illustration of what may, or may not, be found in other legislations. Since the production of material as a cooperative venture will involve the preparation of contracts between the parties, the article will also examine the issues which may form part of the agreement and identify some of the dangers to be avoided.     

A REEXAMINATION OF THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE AGING SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL USING A GENERALIZED SOCIAL OBJECT

During the past thirty years, gerontologists and educational professionals have attempted to determine the effects of teaching courses in gerontology and aging on the attitudes of students. The results of studies of attitude toward the elderly before and after such courses have been mixed. This study discusses some of the problems in assessing attitudes toward the elderly and reexamines the Aging Semantic Differential, an instrument developed in an attempt to clarify the factors accounting for attitudes toward the elderly and to provide a viable instrument for attitude measurement. The instrument was reported to consist of three underlying factors. It was reported that factor scales could be used to do profile analyses to determine variations in attitude toward different age groups. The original instrument was developed utilizing a social object of young, middle‐aged, and old men. In many of the studies conducted with the instrument, a more generalized social object such as old person has been used. The current study attempts to determine if three factors are appropriate, as originally reported, and whether the items reported to load on the original three factors are the same if a more generalized social object is used. Suggestions for appropriate use of the Aging Semantic Differential by educational professionals who wish to do a profile analysis of attitude and attitude change as a result of educational intervention are included.