A theoretical framework and model towards media-rich social presence design practices

Educators are seeing rapid developments in online instruction with regard to not only available technologies, but also in design and teaching practices. Developing and maintaining social presence in an online environment is paramount to the success of a learning environment. This article touches upon some historical perspectives of social presence and proposes a theoretical framework and design guide towards media-rich social presence practices for future research. The design guide in this article adds to the historically text-based social presence applications by posing media-rich, higher-level thinking questions based upon a grounded theoretical framework.     

Measuring characteristics of teacher professional development

The primary purpose of the study was to create and psychometrically test an instrument which measured teachers’ perceptions of characteristics of professional development. The sample consisted of elementary teachers from five school districts in Washington State participating in a district improvement initiative. Results of exploratory factor analysis resulted in a five-component solution which provided evidence of construct validity. All components/subscales had moderate to strong internal consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The secondary purpose was to determine if characteristics of professional development predicted teachers’ use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes, thus contributing to the predictive validity of the instrument. There was a slight, but significant, correlation between Active Learning in Classroom and teachers’ use of new knowledge and skills, as measured by classroom observation scores. A small negative correlation emerged between Collective Participation and student learning, as measured by student scores on the state’s mathematics assessment. Potential uses of the instrument, called Characteristics of Teacher Professional Development (CTPD), are discussed.     

Usability testing of a multimedia e‐learning resource for electrolyte and acid‐base disorders

The usability of computer interfaces may have a major influence on learning. Design approaches that optimize usability are commonplace in the software development industry but are seldom used in the development of e‐learning resources, especially in medical education. We conducted a usability evaluation of a multimedia resource for teaching electrolyte and acid‐base disorders by studying the interaction of 15 medical doctors with the application. Most of the usability problems occurred in an interactive treatment simulation, which was completed successfully by only 20% of participants. A total of 27 distinct usability problems were detected, with 15 categorized as serious. No differences were observed with respect to usability problems detected by junior doctors as compared with more experienced colleagues. Problems were related to user information and feedback, the visual layout, match with the real world, error prevention and management, and consistency and standards. The resource was therefore unusable for many participants; this is in contrast to good scores previously reported for subjective user satisfaction. The findings suggest that the development of e‐learning materials should follow an iterative design‐and‐test process that includes routine usability evaluation. User testing should include the study of objective measures and not rely only on self‐reported measures of satisfaction.     

HLM Behind the Curtain: Unveiling Decisions Behind the Use and Interpretation of HLM in Higher Education Research

Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) has become increasingly popular in the higher education literature, but there is significant variability in the current approaches to the conducting and reporting of HLM. The field currently lacks a general consensus around important issues such as the number of levels of analysis that are important to include and how much variance should be accounted for at each level in order for the HLM analysis to have practical significance (Dedrick et al., Rev Educ Res 79:69–102, 2009). The purpose of this research is to explore the use of a 3-level HLM model, appropriate contextualizing of results of HLM, and the interpretation of HLM results that resonates with practice. We used an example of a 3-level model from the National Study of Living Learning Programs to highlight the practical issues that arise in the interpretation of HLM within a higher education context.     

Supporting Australian Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal nursing students using mentoring circles: an action research study

Attempts to recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into nursing degrees have made minimal impact on the number of registered nurses working in Australia's healthcare sector. Yet increasing the number of Indigenous nurses remains one of the most important objectives in strategies to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Poor retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree offered in far north Queensland, Australia, indicates the need for a different approach to support and retain Indigenous students. This action research study used a decolonizing methodology and was conducted at a satellite university campus in a remote Torres Strait Island community. Researchers trialled the use of a mentoring circle to support and retain nursing students and interviewed mentors and mentees about their experiences. Grounded theory methods were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated a growth in participant students’ emotional intelligence as a result of participating in a mentoring circle. Students developed confidence, formed a group identity, better-negotiated the university environment, became more effective communicators and supported one another through difficulties. The mentoring circle model improved students' university experience and its use should be considered by tertiary educators working with Indigenous students.     

Journalism

Howard Simons and Joseph A. Califano, Jr. (eds.) The Media and the Law (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1976---$4.95, paper with hardbound edition available)

Oscar H. Gandy, et al. Media and Government: An Annotated Bibliography (Institute for Communisation Research, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. 94305--- apparently free on request, paper)

George S. Rage, et al. New Strategies for Public Affairs Reporting: Investigation, Interpretation, and Research (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1976---price not given)

William A. Lucas and Karen B. Possner's Television News and Local Awareness: A Retrospective Look (Santa Monica, Calif.: Rand Corp. R-1858-MF, 1975---$5.00, paper)

Judith S. Gelfman's Women in Television News (New York: Columbia University Press, 1976---$7.95)     

Two Losses in the American Slavic Book World,Irena Szwede and Charles Gribble

ABSTRACT

The piece is a brief obituary for two American Slavic book people, Irena Szwede and Charles Gribble. Irena Szwede co-founded and managed Szwede Slavic Books, a bookstore that was also a library vendor. Charles Gribble founded and directed Slavica Publishers, a major publisher of scholarly monographs and journals in Slavic studies.