A framework for incorporating orienting activities in computer-based interactive video

A good deal of research has been published concerning the effects of orienting activities on learning. Orienting activities include advance organizers, embedded pre-questions, behavioral objectives, as well as other strategies designed to prepare the learner for instruction. This paper focuses on the presumed functions of orienting activities and the implications of such functions for the design of computer-based interactive video. In addition, the application of empiricallyfounded principles in the design and production of computer-based interactive video is described.Grumman Aerospace Corporation     

Rural Libraries Services for Older Adults: A Nationwide Survey

The author examined the survey results from 721 rural libraries throughout the United States and Canada to learn more about how they are serving older adults (defined here as anyone 65 years and older). The following areas of library service in particular were studied: funding sources, collections, strategic planning, staffing, technology use, partnerships, outreach efforts, and building design and accessibility. Results of this study were compared to those found in recent studies of services provided to older adults in suburban and capital city public libraries.     

When Data Curation Isn't: A Redefinition for Liberal Arts Universities

ABSTRACT. Data curation is one way that libraries are extending traditional services to meet the changing needs of patrons. Requirements from research funders have placed increased pressure on grant recipients to create Data Management Plans and to securely store raw data. Research universities have stepped up to provide comprehensive data support services. Despite discrepancies in funding and staff, smaller institutions can similarly provide robust services by focusing on their strengths, such as interdepartmental collaboration, flexibility, and rapid turnaround time. This article details how librarians at Trinity University adapted the larger practice of curation to meet local data management needs.     

Hawk Roosting

I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet： Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.     

Trajectories of Ethnic‐Racial Discrimination Among Ethnically Diverse Early Adolescents: Associations With Psychological and Social Adjustment

Using longitudinal data, the authors assessed 585 Dominican, Chinese, and African American adolescents (Grades 6–8, M_age at W1 = 11.83) to determine patterns over time of perceived ethnic‐racial discrimination from adults and peers; if these patterns varied by gender, ethnicity, and immigrant status; and whether they are associated with psychological (self‐esteem, depressive symptoms) and social (friend and teacher relationship quality, school belonging) adjustment. Two longitudinal patterns for adult discrimination and three longitudinal patterns for peer discrimination were identified using a semiparametric mixture model. These trajectories were distinct with regard to the initial level, shape, and changes in discrimination. Trajectories varied by gender and ethnicity and were significantly linked to psychological and social adjustment. Directions for future research and practice are discussed.     

Participation in asynchronous online discussion forums does improve student learning of gross anatomy

Asynchronous online discussion forums are common in blended learning models and are popular with students. A previous report has suggested that participation in these forums may assist student learning in a gross anatomy subject but it was unclear as to whether more academically able students post more often or whether participation led to improved learning outcomes. This study used a path model to analyze the contribution of forum participation, previous academic ability, and student campus of enrolment to final marks in a multicampus gross anatomy course for physiotherapy students. The course has a substantial online learning management system (LMS) that incorporates asynchronous forums as a learning tool, particularly to answer learning objectives. Students were encouraged to post new threads and answer queries in threads started by others. The forums were moderated weekly by staff. Discussion forums were the most used feature of the LMS site with 31,920 hits. Forty‐eight percent of the students posted at least once with 186 threads initiated by students and a total of 608 posts. The total number of posts made a significant direct contribution to final mark (P = 0.008) as did previous academic ability (P = 0.002). Although campus did not contribute to final mark, there was a trend for students at the campus where the course coordinator was situated to post more often than those at the other campus (P = 0.073). These results indicate that asynchronous online discussion forums can be an effective tool for improving student learning outcomes as evidenced by final marks in gross anatomy teaching. Anat Sci Educ. 7: 71–76. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Brown Policy and the Moral Pillars of Democracy: Exploring Justice as the Organizing Principle of Educational Studies

The purpose of this article is to revisit Brown as a paradigmatic understanding of social justice and its barriers, by reconsidering Brown in light of the three moral pillars of democracy identified by Cornel West (2004). West maintains that authentic deep democracy is grounded in three fundamental capacities and dispositions, or pillars: (a) Socratic questioning, (b) a prophetic commitment to justice, and (c) tragicomic hope. West's articulation of these pillars constitutes 20 a philosophical framework for the exploration of the basic demands of justice in a democratic society. These moral pillars can also offer useful insights into this phase of living exploration of Brown and its central place in educational studies.