How do students really feel about interactive television?

Conclusion I continue to believe that distance education through interactive television has merit. All participating students felt moderately satisfied with the quality of their education regardless of the classroom type. We as educators cannot ignore the areas of lower satisfaction, however. To improve the quality of ITV educational opportunities we must look to enhancing the strengths of ITV and compensating for the perceived weaknesses remote classroom students face. The primary factor relies heavily upon the instructor. Students tell us that the physical presence of the faculty member is important because it greatly improves the level of communication both in and out of the class period. If we as professors can enhance and magnify that communication through such avenues as online chat rooms, virtual office hours, responsive e-mail, and remote site visits, even students at remote sites may find higher satisfaction through education at a distance     

Comparing print and online readership: matching perception to reality across media

Comparing the print and online readership is possible, and these comparisons can have dramatic effects on editorial and publishing perceptions. This article outlines the technique used at The New England Journal of Medicine, and discusses some of the ramifications.     

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN FACULTY EXPERIENCES OF INTERPERSONAL CLIMATE AND PROCESSES FOR ADVANCEMENT

Gender discrimination in academia was examined by means of a climate survey at a research university, which asked faculty about their experiences, observations, and satisfaction within their work environment. Overall, responses indicated that most faculty felt satisfied with key aspects of their environment, and many felt they had experienced, or observed, little or no discrimination. However, among those who did report personally experiencing discrimination, there were consistent gender differences across all areas. Specifically, women were more likely than men to report that they had experienced exclusion by colleagues, inappropriate sexual attention from colleagues or administrators, demeaning or intimidating behaviors from students, colleagues, or administrators, and unfair treatment in processes of hiring, reappointment, promotion, or tenure.     

Adaptation and Adjustment: A Theory of the Introduction of International Grading Schemes in Higher Education

This study deals with the introduction of an international grading scheme from the perspective of the educational providers, with the aim of creating a theory that accounts for their problems and actions. Interview data was collected from two institutions in a country participating in the Bologna Process. The results show that the educational providers are faced with a number of concerns and that they address these concerns by adaptation and adjustment. These two core processes are complemented by five additional processes: information seeking, trusting, safeguarding, problem‐solving, and evaluation.     

A Performance Evaluation of the Collaborative Efforts in an Online Group Research Project

This study investigated the performance of 13 graduate students' collaborative efforts toward a group research project in an Instructional Analysis, Design, and Evaluation online course. Gaps between course expectations from the instructor and student collaborative performance were identified through the review of the team agreement, the use of surveys, and focus group interviews. Performance gaps occurred in the areas of communication, assignment completion, and group cohesiveness. These performance gaps were caused by lack of knowledge and skills, motivation, and/or organizational support. Appropriate intervention strategies such as effective group interaction and communication, building relationships and establishing trust, periodic review of team agreements, mini‐training sessions on collaboration and supportive behaviors, and role differentiations and collaborative task designation are presented. Instructors who are interested in incorporating group research projects into their future online courses may consider implementing these interventions to facilitate the improvement of students' collaborative efforts.