Watch Out for Relatives

In pedagogical literature, asynchronous, computer-mediated courses have been promoted as an interactive mode of course delivery. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different teaching strategies in this medium. In this paper, I describe the development of my asynchronous course and outline the fundamental dilemmas in attempting to achieve interactivity in this medium of course delivery. I discuss issues of pacing the course, grading, monitoring discussions, and incorporating Internet-based material into the course. Each of these considerations should be addressed in future research on asynchronous courses.     

Infant Neurosensory Development: Considerations for Infant Child Care

Infant brain development is a dynamic process dependent upon endogenous and exogenous stimulation and a supportive environment. A critical period of brain and neurosensory development occurs during the third trimester and into the “fourth” trimester (first three months of life). Disruption, damage, or deprivation in the infant’s social and physical environment can create permanent deficits in the developing neurosensory systems. Implications for infant child care environments are discussed, and a review of quality and standards in infant child care environments leads to a call for improvements to optimize child development.     

The International Education Index: A global approach to education policy analysis,performance and sustainable development

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world struggled to address growing educational inequalities and fulfil the commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities and changed how education functions, moving to online and hybrid methods. The challenges in global education highlighted and worsened by the pandemic make it necessary to re-evaluate education systems and the policies in place to support access, quality and equal opportunity. This article focuses on analysing education policies at a national level. It tests a pilot policy analysis tool, the International Education Index (IEI), developed as a starting point to begin this reconsideration and create an accessible and comprehensive way to evaluate national education systems to inform decision-making and policies in the new context. This research uses Ireland and Northern Ireland to test the IEI pilot tool. The IEI consists of 54 questions across nine indicators, including institutional frameworks, education strategies, digital skills and infrastructure, twenty-first century skills, access to basic social services, adherence to international standards, legal frameworks, data gathering and availability and international partnerships. Countries can score 108 points to be categorised as having developed, emerging or nascent national education systems. Ireland scored 94 and Northern Ireland 81, indicating that they have developed national education systems.     

Alternative education programmes and middle school dropout in Honduras

Honduras has made steady progress in expanding post-primary school coverage in recent years, but many rural communities still do not provide a middle (lower secondary) school. As a result, Honduras has implemented a number of middle school alternative programmes designed to meet the needs of at-risk populations throughout the country. This article analyses dropout in three of the four main alternative lower secondary school programmes in Honduras over a three-year period for a cohort of roughly 5,500 students. The results show that these programmes are indeed reaching a vulnerable population in the country, but dropout rates are generally very high – upwards of 50 per cent in some cases – between Grades 7 and 9. Furthermore, even in the control school comparison samples made up of formal lower secondary schools, about 25 per cent of children leave school between Grades 7 and 9. The authors’ analysis includes propensity score matching (PSM) methods that make more focused comparisons between students in alternative programmes and control samples. These results show that dropout rates in alternative programmes are not much different than in control schools, and only significant in one programme comparison, when taking into account family background characteristics like socioeconomic status (SES). Multivariate analysis within alternative programme samples finds that attrition is lower in those learning centres which have adopted key features of formal schools, such as university-educated teachers. The results highlight the tremendous variation in the alternative middle school sector in terms of programme features, school quality and student outcomes, as well as the challenges of expanding this sector to meet the growing demand for lower secondary schooling in Honduras.     

Biomechanical risk factors and mechanisms of knee injury in golfers

Knee injuries in golf comprise approximately 8% of all injuries, and are considered to result from overuse, technical faults or a combination of those factors. This review examines factors involved in injury, including the structure of the knee joint, kinematics and kinetics of the golf swing, forces sustained by knee joint structures and the potential for joint injury as well as injury prevention strategies. The golf swing generates forces and torques which tend to cause internal or external rotation of the tibia on the femur, and these are resisted by the knee ligaments and menisci. Research has shown that both maximum muscle forces and the forces sustained during a golf swing are less than that required to cause damage to the ligaments. However, the complex motion of the golf swing, involving both substantial forces and ranges of rotational movement, demands good technique if the player is to avoid injuring their knee joint. Most knee injury in golf is likely related to joint laxity, previous injuries or arthritis, and such damage may be exacerbated by problems in technique or overuse. In addition to appropriate coaching, strategies to remedy discomfort include specific exercise programmes, external bracing, orthotics and equipment choices.     

Long-axis rotation: The missing link in proximal-to-distal segmental sequencing

Most assessments of segmental sequencing in throwing, striking or kicking have indicated a proximal-to-distal sequencing of end-point linear speeds, joint angular velocities, segment angular velocities and resultant joint moments. However, the role of long-axis rotations has not been adequately quantified and located in the proximal-to-distal sequence. The timing and importance of pronation-supination in the development of racquet head speed have been examined in the tennis serve and squash forehand drive and considered in relation to conventional concepts of proximal-to-distal sequencing. Both long-axis rotations reached their peak angular speeds late in both strokes, typically after shoulder flexion-extension, shoulder abduction-adduction and elbow extension. These results clarify and confirm the importance of upper limb long-axis rotations in the production of racquet head speed. It appears that traditional proximal-to-distal sequencing concepts are inadequate to describe accurately the complexity of the tennis serve or squash forehand drive. It is essential to consider upper arm and forearm longitudinal axis rotations in explaining the mechanics of these movements and in developing coaching emphases, strength training schedules and injury prevention programmes.     

Online course selection: using course dashboards to inform student enrollment decisions

This article explores the potential of course dashboards as a front-end strategy for decreasing online course dropout rates. Scholarship has addressed course attrition once students are enrolled in online courses. However, supporting academic success by assisting students in the making of effective decisions about which online courses to take has received relatively little attention. Students in undergraduate-level online courses from varied disciplines rated the utility of course information types and three course dashboard prototypes. Qualitative feedback was also collected. Various types of information related to the time investment necessary to successfully complete the course were given priority. With regard to information displays, students preferred moderate-to-high amounts of well-organised information, presented with a careful balance of text and visual images. Comments from past students also favoured course dashboard elements.     

The C3 Framework: Evaluating Classroom Response System Interactions in University Classrooms

The larger the classroom, the more likely is it that communications consist of a one-way flow from the instructor to students. Classroom Response Systems (CRSs) are frequently hailed as technologies capable of improving communications by opening the space for dialogic engagement; yet, a causal relationship is not documented in the literature. The data reported on here stem from a mixed methodology study and provide insights into motivations for CRS use and enacted CRS use across disciplines, as well as student and instructor perceptions of the tool’s effects on teaching and learning. From these data emerged a framework of interaction (the C³ Framework) that situates CRS use from both the instructors’ and learners’ perspectives. The framework consists of an interdependent relationship between Concerns, Centeredness, and Control of discourse. Although this study took place in university classrooms, the C³ Framework presented here applies across educational settings.