Student and Teacher Perspectives in Computer-Mediated Learning Environments in Teacher Education

Rapid advances in technology, particularly with the Internet, have led to the availability of numerous tools to support teaching and learning. This study involved the use of an Internet application, Connecting Communities of Learners (CCL), in courses for prospective teachers. Unlike earlier studies involving the use of the CCL, the context of this study related to full-time graduate students who used the CCL to augment weekly face-to-face instruction. An interpretive study was undertaken to ascertain student and teacher perceptions of the learning environments associated with the use of the CCL. Through the use of the CCL, students were able to be autonomous in regard to their own learning, co-participate with their peers and the instructor, and establish and maintain a community of learners in which participants could interact with others as co-teachers and co-learners. The CCL was perceived as a useful tool for building learning environments in which all participants can contribute written texts as evidence of what is known and as objects from which others can learn. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Replacing lectures with multimedia CBL: Student attitudes and reactions

The lectures for two modules which together comprise an introductory course on textiles and textile manufacturing comprising some 70 hours of lectures were replaced by computer-based multimedia learning material requiring a similar amount of study time. In a student project the reactions and attitudes of students to taking the computer-based course were elicited through two questionnaires. The results of the student project indicated that the data was worthy of further study, in particular, the responses to the second questionnaire. In this paper these data are analysed in detail. The attitudes and reactions of the students are linked to features of the material and its use, and to possible more general attitudes of the students. Consideration is given to the study behaviour of the students and ways in which the courseware might be improved are proposed.     

Part-Time Faculty in Colleges and Universities: Trends and Challenges in a Turbulent Environment

The fastest-growing group in postsecondary education is part-time faculty. The authors examine why the number of part-time faculty has increased so rapidly and then discuss some of the problems that part-timers face. Part-timers are increasing in academe, and administrators need to treat and evaluate them effectively and fairly. The authors recommend mentoring, job security, compensation, and self-worth as ways to improve performance.     

African American college students excelling in the sciences: College and postcollege outcomes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program

This paper describes and assesses the effectiveness of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The Program is designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue graduate and professional degrees in science and engineering. Until 1996 the program admitted African American students exclusively, and the current study focuses only on students from that group. The Meyerhoff students have achieved higher grade point averages, graduated in science and engineering at higher rates, and gained admittance to graduate schools at higher rates than multiple current and historical comparison samples. Student survey and interview data revealed that a number of program components were viewed as being especially important contributors to students' academic success: Program Community, Study Groups, Summer Bridge Program, Financial Support, Program Staff, and Research Internships and Mentors. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 629–654, 2000     

A Comparative Study or Western and Japanese Practices Geared Towards Improved Learning and New Product Performance

Increasingly, the long‐term success of a company resides in its ability to develop and market successful new products in a cost‐and time‐effective manner. In general, Japanese companies have outperformed their Western counterparts in bringing new products to market over the last 10 to 20 years. This has given them a substantial advantage in long‐term economic development. The authors hypothesize that the differences between the dominant models of corporate culture in Japan and the U.S. account for the Japanese advantage. In comparison to U.S. companies, Japanese companies tend to emphasize long‐term leadership, decentralized decision making, a flatter work structure using cross‐functional work teams, and rewarding teams for the ability to learn from mistakes. As a result of these differences, Western companies are more likely to utilize “single, loop” learning, where new products are developed using established (and unquestioned) procedures. Conversely, Japanese companies rely on “double‐loop” or “deutero” learning styles, which encourage employees to leverage their past experiences when proposing new product innovations. The authors conclude by outlining a research program for testing their as‐gumptions about the relations among nationality, corporate culture, learning styles, and new product success.     

Internalizing symptoms and affect of children with emotional and behavioral disorders: A comparative study with an urban African American sample

Self‐reported internalizing symptoms of seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) and regular education students in grades 4–6 were compared using the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children. All participants were African American and from an urban public school district in the Southeastern United States. Each of the two study groups consisted of 50 participants (35 boys, 15 girls) who were matched by gender and socioeconomic status. The SED group reported significantly higher levels of internalizing distress than the regular education group. In contrast to previous findings, there was no significant gender difference in self‐reported internalizing symptomatology in the present study. A discriminant function analysis found that the ISSC scores were able to correctly classify 91% of the participants into their respective educational group. Results of this study provide additional evidence of the construct validity of the ISSC, a recently developed and unique self‐report measure. Results are discussed in terms of future research needs and educational/clinical practice with students who have emotional and behavioral disorders. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.