Interactive technology and authoring tools: A historical review and analysis

Computer systems, interactive technologies, and the software tools for authoring multimedia programs have evolved over the past several decades. The evolution of multimedia technology is discussed and current alternatives for authoring multimedia programs are described. Issues related to analyzing authoring tool requirements and selecting software are presented and trends in the evolution of authoring tools are identified. Many factors affecting the selection and use of authoring software are exogenous to the technology itself. Both technological trends and market forces must be considered.     

Constructing a Visual Rhetoric: Images of Craftsmen and Builders in the Umayyad Palace at Qusayr ‘Amra

This article treats a group of wall paintings depicting craftsmen and builders on the east vault of the large basilical hall in the Umayyad palace at Qusayr ‘Amra near Amman, Jordan.* *A series of craftsmen holding various tools of their trade – one with a frame saw, another with a chisel, a third with masonry hammer etc. – are depicted on a mosaic floor recently uncovered by Dr Uzi Leibner from the Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a Roman-era synagogue at Khirbet Wadi Hamam, in the Lower Galilee. The workers appear next to a very large building, which they seem to be constructing. More details are found on the Institute website: http://archaeology.huji.ac.il/depart/classical/uzil/Kh_Hamam.pdf View all notes The figures appear within 32 linked framed squares covering the whole ceiling. The significance of the paintings, their iconographical sources, style and the question of patronage are examined. Depictions of workers are a unique phenomenon in early Islamic art. However, they form part of the complex of themes present in Qusayr ‘Amra (as well as in other Umayyad palaces) under the heading of the “princely cycle”. I argue that the images of the builders, the act of building and the location of the paintings on the ceiling are all expressions of royal visual rhetoric which presents the Caliph as a great and glorious builder thus forging a self-glorifying image of the Umayyad dynasty in the eyes of their Muslim and Christian subjects alike. This visual rhetoric was adopted by the Umayyad patrons from the art traditions of Late Antiquity which offer both models for presenting rulers as builders as well as images of buildings and the act of building.     

Reversible atransferrinemia in a patient with chronic enteropathy: is transferrin mandatory for iron transport?

Herein, we report the case of a 42-year-old woman, hospitalized in a French tertiary hospital for a relapse of a chronic enteropathy, who was found on admission to have no detectable serum transferrin. Surprisingly, she only exhibited mild anaemia. This atransferrinemia persisted for two months throughout her hospitalization, during which her haemoglobin concentration remained broadly stable. Based on her clinical history and evolution, we concluded to an acquired atransferrinemia secondary to chronic undernutrition, inflammation and liver failure. We discuss the investigations performed in this patient, and hypotheses regarding the relative stability of her haemoglobin concentration despite the absence of detectable transferrin.     

The Assessment of Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the instruments awardees used to gather data on mathematics and science teacher quality, and the main characteristics of teachers examined by awardees. Results showed that awardees most frequently used surveys or questionnaires to assess characteristics of mathematics and science teacher quality. The most common teacher characteristics examined by awardees' included teacher behaviors, practices, and beliefs, followed by the assessment of subject and pedagogical knowledge, and the documentation of mathematics and science teachers' certification. A few new instruments were under development and in use to assess characteristics of teacher quality. Detailed information on the development and psychometric properties of the instruments used for these examinations was not available from the reports. Because awardees were at different stages in their funded activities and data collection efforts were ongoing at the time of this analysis, this study offers a preliminary and formative review of the use of assessments to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics among these awards.     

A multidimensional study of special education students' attitudes towards people with disabilities: a focus on deafness

This study explores the attitudes of future professionals working with students with disabilities towards four exceptionality groups: persons with deafness, with paralysis, with mental retardation (MR) and with delinquent behaviour, and specifically examines how deafness is perceived in comparison with the three other groups. Undergraduate students' (N=177) attitudes towards the four groups were tapped using a semantic differential scale referring to the cognitive, emotional and behavioural components of attitudes. Participants' degree of contact with people with disabilities was also reported. Results indicated that attitudes towards people with deafness were more positive than those towards the other three groups. Attitudes towards persons with paralysis were more positive than towards persons with MR and with delinquent behaviour, except when personality was considered. Emotional reactions and behavioural tendencies towards persons with delinquent behaviour were the most negative. Contact with people with disabilities had significant but low correlations with some aspects of the attitudes towards people with MR and paralysis. In general, the results of this study suggested that deafness was perceived as a physical disability and not as a social phenomenon. They also demonstrated that attitudes towards people with disabilities are a function of the particular disability condition and are multidimensional.     

Preschool Children’s Perceptions of Fairness

Most studies on fairness behavior in preschool focus on fair resource allocation and on children’s behavior when faced with fairness dilemmas. The purpose of this study is to understand preschoolers’ point of view: what do they think when presented with various scenarios that call for fairness behavior? We interviewed 66 children aged 3.5–6 years, half of them girls, asking them about four social events in preschool life. We found that the children included three aspects in their answers that constituted the foundation of their perception of fairness and construal of social events: an explanation, expression of empathy and offering a solution. The children did so spontaneously and consistently. Moreover, the results showed that the more personally committed to the scenario the children felt, the fairer the behavior they reported. The study underscores various aspects of fairness and suggests referring to them both in research and in educational practice.     

PhD first-generation and continuing generation students’ academic experience and strengths

Higher Education - This study identifies the factors that help doctoral students cope with difficulties in their studies, based on social reproduction theory and the anti-deficit approach. A...