One library's experience with review and selection of chat software for reference

When Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries decided to make the foray into virtual reference, the first thing that needed to be done was to decide on the software to use. This article discusses the process used including the items considered essential (deal-breakers) for software to make the first cut, what other features needed to be included, and what features would be useful but were not critical. A literature review of some useful current articles on virtual reference is included. The vendor and software ultimately selected was not one of the original vendors; how MSU Libraries was able to evaluate and select Docutek is presented. A matrix for software comparison is included in the appendix.     

Best and worst dressed web courses: Strutting into the 21st century in comfort and style

Web courses are constructed as the answer to fiscal crises evoked by neo‐liberal restructuring. They are also touted as an anarchist exemplar of ‘de‐schooling’ as envisaged by Ivan IIlich. The trouble is, some courses are vastly under‐dressed and merely attempt to display a face‐to‐face course on‐line. At the other extreme are those laced with links, animation and more than enough glitter and glam to make Liberace wince. In this study the authors employed a 43‐item coding schedule to examine the accessibility, opportunities for interaction and attractiveness of 127 courses on the web. Interrelationships between the 43 variables and issues pertaining to accessibility, interaction and attractiveness were identified with the aid of SPSS. Exemplary web courses were then distinguished from mediocre web courses. In our view, Madonna exemplifies qualities that should be incorporated into web courses. After examining 127 sites the Madonna award for the ‘best‐dressed’ site went to a University of Wisconsin History course. The ‘worst‐dressed’ award went to a Social Foundations of Education course at a USA State University which exuded glitter but lacked substance. Reasons for these decisions are elaborated. (The word, course, used here, describes what some systems call a unit of study.)     

A comparison of sex differences in career and achievement motivation in Iran and the U.S.

Differences in career and achievement motivation of U.S. and Iranian male and female college and high school students were compared, employing recently developed cross-cultural methodology. Of particular interest was the differential shift in achievement orientation at different age levels in the two cultural samples. Whereas achieving and career orientations were found to be higher in the U.S. college than in U.S. high school samples, the reverse was true in the Iranian samples. Compatible with observations made elsewhere, this suggests that age-related waxing and waning of achieving orientations occur in different cycles in different cultures. Also of interest was that the culture main effect was not significant but that the culture × sex interaction was. Thus, overall, achieving orientations between the culture samples were not different but Iranian males and females exhibited greater differences in achieving orientations than did U.S. subjects, as was predicted.     

The Effect of Patient Self-Advocacy on Patient Satisfaction: Exploring Self-Compassion as a Mediator

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self-compassion as a predictor and mediator of the relationship between patient self-advocacy and patient satisfaction in health care. A sample of 522 patients completed a questionnaire that asked for their perceptions of their own self-compassion, patient self-advocacy behaviors, including illness education, assertiveness, and mindful nonadherence, and patient satisfaction. This study found that both patient self-advocacy and self-compassion were positive predictors of patient satisfaction. More specifically, patients’ illness education and assertiveness positively influenced patients’ satisfaction with their physician. Self-compassion was also shown to be a mediator between patient self-advocacy and patient satisfaction. The implications of these findings and future directions are also discussed.     

Borders to cross: Identifying sources of tension in mentor–intern relationships

We used border crossing as a theoretical framework to explore the tensions that developed between two mentor–intern pairs during the course of a yearlong internship in high schools in the United States. Interviews with mentors and interns, and observations of planning sessions, teaching episodes, and follow-up conferences indicated that differing conceptions of mentoring, expectations related to communication, and beliefs about teaching formed the primary borders that the pairs had to navigate. Findings from the study suggest that the university must take a greater role in fostering communication between mentors and interns, and in providing on-going support to mentors engaged in teacher education.