Publishing issues raised by CD-ROM technology

Many practical issues face information specialists engaged in the preparation of documentation for CD-ROM publication. This article discusses the technologies involved in the production and use of CD-ROM documents and their bearing on issues of document design, preparation, storage, and revision. Mark R. Buckley manages a software development group in Bellcore’s Information Management Services division. He also participates in the Information Products Interchange work group of the Telecommunications Industry Forum where he chairs a subgroup on SGML (the Standard Generalized Markup Language). Address for correspondence     

Survey on Teaching Contemporary British Fiction

The teaching of contemporary British fiction in English departments in the United Kingdom is reviewed. The study primarily focuses upon evaluative engagement with current teaching. The literary and theoretical texts taught on courses are considered, as are the use and availability of different kinds of supplementary literary‐critical materials. Data collection was through semi‐structured interviews and a survey of online material. The periodisation and focus of general contemporary British fiction teaching is emerging from a more diffuse field where postmodern, gendered and post‐colonial readings still tend to shape courses and modules. A new post‐1970s idea of the contemporary is rapidly emerging.     

Childhood‐onset schizophrenia: An overview

Childhood‐onset schizophrenia (COS), particularly when diagnosed prior to the age of 13, is considered to be especially rare and severe. This article provides an in‐depth look into its symptomatology, general course, long‐term functioning, diagnostic criteria, and methods of assessing the disorder. It also includes discussions of the various treatments used with patients having COS, including psychopharmalogical treatments, cognitive therapy, family interventions, educational interventions, and environmental manipulations. Particular attention is paid to the educational implications of the disorder and the role of school psychologists in working with this population. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 803–811, 2004.     

The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: Perceptions of and Performance on Open-Note Exams

Undergraduate biology education is often viewed as being focused on memorization rather than development of students’ critical-thinking abilities. We speculated that open-note testing would be an easily implemented change that would emphasize higher-order thinking. As open-note testing is not commonly used in the biological sciences and the literature on its effects in biology education is sparse, we performed a comprehensive analysis of this intervention on a primary literature–based exam across three large-enrollment laboratory courses. Although students believed open-note testing would impact exam scores, we found no effect on performance, either overall or on questions of nearly all Bloom’s levels. Open-note testing also produced no advantage when examined under a variety of parameters, including research experience, grade point average, course grade, prior exposure to primary literature–focused laboratory courses, or gender. Interestingly, we did observe small differences in open- and closed-note exam performance and perception for students who experienced open-note exams for an entire quarter. This implies that student preparation or in-test behavior can be altered by exposure to open-note testing conditions in a single course and that ­increased experience may be necessary to truly understand the impact of this intervention.     

Augmenting performance feedback does not affect 4 km cycling time-trials in the heat

We compared the effects of (1) accurate and (2) surreptitiously augmented performance feedback on power output and physiological responses to a 4000 m time-trial in the heat. Nine cyclists completed a baseline (BaseL) 4000 m time-trial in ambient temperatures of 30°C, followed by two further 4000 m time-trials at the same temperature, randomly assigning the participants to an accurate (ACC; accurate feedback of baseline) or deceived (DEC; 2% increase above baseline) feedback group. The total power output (PO) and aerobic (P_aer) and anaerobic (P_an) contributions were determined at 0.4 km stages during the time-trials, alongside measurements of rectal (T_rec) and skin (T_skin) temperatures. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in any of the variables between BaseL, ACC and DEC, despite increases (P < 0.05) in T_rec and T_skin. Typical pacing profiles were demonstrated; however, there was no interaction (P > 0.05) between feedback condition and time-trial stage. Providing surreptitiously augmented performance feedback to well-trained cyclists did not alter their performance or physiological responses to a 4000 m time-trial in a hot environment. The assumed influence of augmented performance feedback was nullified in the heat, perhaps reflecting a central down-regulation of exercise intensity in response to an increased body temperature.