Faculty Staffing Patterns: Breadth and Flexibility in Professional Physical Therapy Programs

Innovative Higher Education - Overall trends of academic staffing in the US have indicated declines in tenure, increased use of contingent faculty, and stratification of teaching and research...     

Is Response to Intervention Good Policy for Specific Learning Disability?

Abstract The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act ( IDEA ) established new provisions for specific learning disability (SLD) identification, including: (a) no longer requiring consideration of IQ–achievement discrepancy and (b) permitting response to intervention (RTI) as part of SLD evaluation procedures. We discuss several policy implications of these new regulations by considering the original construct of SLD, the still “experimental” status and implementation of RTI, the closer alignment of RTI objectives with No Child Left Behind than former IDEA regulations, and the shift in focus from serving as a special education identification procedure to a general education instructional procedure. We conclude by proposing several recommendations for the appropriate inclusion of both RTI and psychometric evaluation within the continuum of SLD identification procedures.     

Determining the academic and affective outcomes of dyad reading among third graders

Abstract

Dyad reading involves a lower level reader paired with a higher level reading partner who models proficient oral reading while providing access to challenging texts. Previous research has reported increased reading fluency and comprehension for participants of dyad reading; however, to date no research has investigated how dyad reading may influence student attitudes toward reading. Using mixed effects linear modeling, this quasi-experimental study of third graders investigated the academic and attitudinal outcomes for students who read in dyads for 15?minutes daily for 90 school days. Results indicated that dyad readers experienced mixed outcomes in improving reading proficiency and a pattern of decline in reading attitudes compared to students in the control group. While lower level dyad readers demonstrated significant gains on a measure of comprehension, there were no differences between groups on several other measures of reading. Recommendations target how to maximize the use of dyad reading to support students’ reading development without eroding their perceptions of themselves as readers.     

Building Your Licensing and Negotiation Skills Toolkit

The advent of electronic resources brought about the need for license agreements between libraries and publishers. Many librarians today are new to licensing and negotiating with publishers, or have received limited training and education. Based on her years of licensing and negotiation experience, Clair Dygert of the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) provided librarians with practical advice and tools for working with licenses and negotiating with publishers, as well as encouragement for entering into these new areas. She included examples taken directly from FLVC’s licensing guidelines and negotiation proposals and encouraged attendees to use those documents in creating their own local documents. She also drew on the book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury to describe principled bargaining as the most effective and constructive method of negotiation.     

Schools’ Computing Policy as State‐directed Innovation

The decade 1980‐90 was one of great importance for educational computing. The outstanding feature of the first half of the decade was the Micro‐electronics Education Programme (MEP) which ran from 1981 to 1986. This period may be described as one of relatively open‐ended exploration. In the second half of the decade, by contrast, there was a sharpening of policy goals and a move towards curriculum compulsion. This paper seeks to establish the key role of central government in promoting the use of computers in schools. It notes a shift throughout the decade away from a rationale based on industrial and vocational considerations towards a rationale based on considerations of effective teaching and learning. But it argues that there is still a need for greater clarification of objectives and more precise identification of the resources necessary to meet those objectives.     

“I’m a Computer Scientist!”: Virtual Reality Experience Influences Stereotype Threat and STEM Motivation Among Undergraduate Women

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Women are less likely to choose physical Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (pSTEM) majors, partly because a lack of role models makes it hard...     

Student evaluation using lists of descriptive statements

The development of an evaluation system is discussed that uses a list of statements describing particular aspects of the student's work in a course. The instructor marks those statements which are applicable to the student's performance. The statement lists are read by an optical scanner and stored in a computer. When required, the computer produces a listing of the statements chosen. The system is intended to be more precise than letter grades, to be easier to handle (for both instructor and registrar) than evaluative paragraphs, and to guide the instructor in making an evaluation. The system has been implemented on an experimental basis for two years, and reactions have been obtained from students, faculty, and graduate and professional school admission officers.     

“Like Dynamite Going Off In My Ears”: Using autobiographical accounts of autism with teaching professionals

There is a wealth of autobiographical material produced by people who describe themselves as experiencing autistic spectrum disorders. Increasingly, these writers and academics are suggesting that professionals should be using this material to help develop understanding. This paper describes a small‐scale, qualitative research project that explored ways in which video‐ and audio‐autobiographical material could be used by EPs with teaching professionals. It suggests that a collaborative, conversation‐based approach to the material can help develop understanding, empathy and lead to practical teaching and learning outcomes.