Information Literacy Successes Compared: Online vs. Face to Face

ABSTRACT

This paper compares the results of a comprehensive exam taken by undergraduates enrolled in face-to-face and online sections of a three–credit course in information literacy. Authors discuss choosing, adapting, and implementing the comprehensive exam. Questions are mapped to the ACRL Competency Standards for Information Literacy for Higher Education to assess the effectiveness of the course. Preliminary results indicate that online students performed slightly better than their face-to-face counterparts.     

Advocating for Sustainability: A Report on and Critique of the Undergraduate Capstone Course

ABSTRACT

The authors provide an overview of what capstone courses do by presenting information from across the field based on materials received from and interviews with technical and professional communication program administrators and faculty. The authors then point to opportunities to improve the course. Finally, the authors argue for sustainable program development as the theoretical framework to perform programmatic work.     

“The Changers and the Changed”: Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work With Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,and Transgender Families

The Census Bureau estimates that up to 14 million children under the age of 18 are being raised by lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) families. Just as heterosexual families require child care to enable work and want high-quality early childhood education to enhance their children's development, LGBT families experience the same needs and desires for their children. However, similar to other educational institutions, the early childhood field has either held negative beliefs regarding diverse family structures or ignored the unique needs of LGBT families. As part of an effort to address teachers' understandings of equity, faculty at a southeastern university sponsored a course designed to prepare early childhood teacher education students to offer welcoming, inclusive learning environments for LGBT families and their young children. The purpose of this article is to examine the learning process and transformation of students in this course. Findings from quantitative and qualitative data are presented, as is a discussion on how courses on family equity can and should be incorporated into teacher education programs.     

Type of Writing Task and College Students' Meaning Making Following a Romantic Breakup

In this study, the authors examined the potential effects of type of writing task (loss/gain vs. general prompt) on the narrative content offered by college students (N= 41) who experienced romantic breakup. Qualitative analyses indicated differences based on type of writing task. Students who received the loss/gain prompt exhibited more cognitive, balanced, and complex responses, whereas those who received the general prompt offered more emotional and factual accounts of their experience.     

Effect of cold water immersion on repeat cycling performance and thermoregulation in the heat

Abstract

To assess the effect of cold water immersion and active recovery on thermoregulation and repeat cycling performance in the heat, ten well-trained male cyclists completed five trials, each separated by one week. Each trial consisted of a 30-min exercise task, one of five 15-min recoveries (intermittent cold water immersion in 10°C, 15°C and 20°C water, continuous cold water immersion in 20°C water or active recovery), followed by 40 min passive recovery, before repeating the 30-min exercise task. Recovery strategy effectiveness was assessed via changes in total work in the second exercise task compared with that in the first. Following active recovery, a mean 4.1% (s = 1.8) less total work (P = 0.00) was completed in the second than in the first exercise task. However, no significant differences in total work were observed between any of the cold water immersion protocols. Core and skin temperature, blood lactate concentration, heart rate, rating of thermal sensation, and rating of perceived exertion were recorded. During both exercise tasks there were no significant differences in blood lactate concentration between interventions; however, following active recovery blood lactate concentration was significantly lower (P < 0.05; 2.0 ± 0.8 mmol · l^?1) compared with all cold water immersion protocols. All cold water immersion protocols were effective in reducing thermal strain and were more effective in maintaining subsequent high-intensity cycling performance than active recovery.     

Intensity of lifetime physical activity and breast cancer risk among Polish women

Abstract

Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, although research findings are inconsistent regarding the type, duration, intensity, and frequency of activities that are necessary to reduce the risk, as well as dependence on menopausal status. To address these issues, I examined the effect of physical activity on breast cancer risk among 858 Polish invasive breast cancer cases and 1085 controls. Data on components of lifetime household, occupational, and recreational activities were collected in 2003–2007, using a self-administered questionnaire. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using unconditional logistic regression analyses and a full assessment of confounding variables. For all types of physical activity, odds ratios were calculated for self-reported and compendium-based assigned levels of activity. Moderate- and vigorous-intensity total and recreational activities, as well as moderate- and long-lasting low-intensity household activities, lowered the risk by at least 44% for the highest versus lowest quartiles of activity in both menopausal groups. The associations were linear (P_trend≤ 0.009). There was a suggestion of a risk reduction for occupational activity among post-menopausal women. These findings show that a risk reduction can be achieved by vigorous-intensity activities or by longer-lasting activities of moderate-intensity.     

It takes a village: supporting inquiry- and equity-oriented computer science pedagogy through a professional learning community

This article describes the importance that high school computer science teachers place on a teachers’ professional learning community designed around an inquiry- and equity-oriented approach for broadening participation in computing. Using grounded theory to analyze four years of teacher surveys and interviews from the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program in the Los Angeles Unified School District, this article describes how participating in professional development activities purposefully aimed at fostering a teachers’ professional learning community helps ECS teachers make the transition to an inquiry-based classroom culture and break professional isolation. This professional learning community also provides experiences that challenge prevalent deficit notions and stereotypes about which students can or cannot excel in computer science.     

Intergenerational Transfers of Preferences for Science Careers in Comparative Perspective

Using data from 24 countries, which participated in the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), we examine the relationship between parental science employment and students' career expectations. In contrast to prior PISA-based studies, we find that the link between parental employment and adolescent plans to work in science is non-trivial and merits attention. In this context, we consider three versions of the gender socialisation hypothesis. The strong variant posits that girls' plans are shaped solely by their mothers' career pathways while boys model their expectations exclusively on fathers’ occupations. The weaker version of this hypothesis expects children to be influenced more by the same-sex than by the opposite-sex parent. Finally, the third possibility is that, as egalitarian ideologies prevail, parents inspire adolescent occupational plans regardless of gender. These hypotheses are assessed separately for student career plans related to biology, agriculture and health (BAH) in contrast to computing, engineering and mathematics (CEM), because the involvement in these fields of science is known to be segregated by gender. Using two-level multinomial logit modelling, we find some support for the weak version of the gender socialisation hypothesis. Although within-family transfers of preferences for science careers vary considerably across countries, we note certain regularities. In many nations, relevant paternal employment enhances sons' interest in science careers regardless of their field. In contrast, maternal employment inspires daughters in fewer countries and this influence tends to be limited to careers in BAH. We discuss the possible implications of these findings for science educators.