Action learning: developing critical competencies for knowledge era workers

For most of the twentieth century, the goal in education was the generation and dissemination of information. With the rise of technology and unlimited access to information, it is the ability to apply knowledge and learn from experience that is the new priority for employee development. Action learning, with its emphasis on action and reflection, provides an effective means to develop the learning competencies our new world requires. This article describes the action learning process used in a Fortune 500 company and highlights the findings of a learning competencies evaluation survey.     

Latent Variable Analysis: A New Approach to University Ranking

This study applies a Bayesian latent variable analysis to the task of determining rankings of universities in the UK and US, on the basis of a set of quality‐related measures. It estimates the degree of uncertainty in the rankings and permits the assessment of statistically significant differences across universities. It also provides a methodology for determining the weighting of various measures that is based on the patterns embedded in the data and compares the latent variable rankings with traditional weight‐and‐sum rankings. Overall, the methodology contributes to a better understanding of ranking efforts and illustrates the need for caution in interpreting distinctions published in traditional ranking systems.     

Using Concept Maps to Aid Analysis of Concept Presentation in High School Computer Textbooks

In this study we use concept maps as the tool for examining concepts presented in three high school computer textbooks. All three textbooks were endorsed by Taiwan's Ministry of Education (MOE). The concepts relating to CPU was selected as a sample for analysis. Two high school computer teachers first worked independently and then together to draw concept maps for each of the textbooks. Our analysis revealed that the textbooks did not cover the important concepts appropriately and failed to address the connections between the concepts. While all three textbooks elaborated on some concepts using examples, only a few analogies were used. The study also showed that concept maps can be an effective tool for analyzing the conceptual framework of important concepts within a textbook.     

Use of Computer-Mediated Communication in a Teaching Practicum Course

This study investigates how Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) can be effectively used in a teaching practicum course to enhance preservice teachers learning. We constructed a web-based CMC system and used it in a Teaching Practicum course. Computer science preservice teachers and experienced secondary school computer teachers, who served as mentors, participated in the study. The research findings indicate that the preservice teachers considered the CMC system helpful for supporting their learning. The findings also indicate that some initiating/follow-up discussion styles of the mentors were more effective than others in promoting interactions in the discussion forum. It was also found that a teaching-video-enhanced CMC environment is valuable in improving quality of mentoring and in increasing preservice teachers reflection on teaching.     

Expressions of the Attachment Relationship Outside of the Strange Situation

41 preterm infants and 38 full-term infants and their mothers were observed at home at 8 and 12 months of age and in the Strange Situation at 18 months in order to compare expressions of attachment relationships in these 2 settings. There was 84% concordance in the distinctions between secure and nonsecure classifications of the mother-infant relationship made at home at 12 months and in the Strange Situation. Classifications of avoidant relationships also displayed high concordance, but only 6 of the 15 dyads classified at home as ambivalent were classified in the same way in the Strange Situation. Mothers in secure relationships as assessed in the Strange Situation were rated as more sensitive at both 8 and 12 months than mothers in either avoidant or ambivalent relationships, whereas the sensitivity of mothers in these two nonsecure relationships did not differ significantly. Infants in secure relationships in the Strange Situation were characterized by more effective secure base behavior and more affective sharing and enjoyment of physical contact, and they were less fussy or difficult during the 12-month home observations.     

An Examination of the Outcomes of a Brief and Innovative Partnership: SJSU and Udacity

In an examination of a brief and innovative partnership, we compared outcomes for two disciplines, Elementary Statistics and General Psychology, across three formats: online as part of the San José State University-Udacity partnership (termed SJSU Plus), face-to-face (FTF), and online in a redesigned course offering. We also examine predictors of student performance in the SJSU Plus courses. The first offerings of the SJSU Plus courses showed poorer performance compared to their FTF and redesigned online equivalents. Redesigned online courses and FTF courses had similar pass rates. SJSU Plus course performance was significantly improved in the second offering of the Elementary Statistics course. More completed assignments in the SJSU Plus courses were associated with higher exam scores and final grades. We conclude that mode of delivery did not contribute significantly to variations in pass rates.     

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Frequency of Part-Time Enrollment and the Persistence of Students Who Enroll Part Time

Longitudinal data from the 1990/94 Beginning Post-Secondary Survey is used to evaluate the frequency of part-time enrollment and the persistence of students who ever enroll part time. We find that part-time enrollment is twice as common as cross-sectional estimates indicate, with between 40% 50% of the student population attending part time during at least one nonsummer term within 5 years of their initial enrollment. In total, between 52% 62% of the sample either stops out for a term or enrolls part time. The persistence of this nonstereotypical population is surprisingly high, with between 40% 60% still enrolled or graduated within a 5-year period. By comparison, 60% of those who always attend full time and never stop-out persist. These figures suggest that policymakers should direct more attention to those enrolled part time.