Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables: Use of Interactive Videoconferencing and the World Wide Web for Teaching a Multidisciplinary Course

ABSTRACT: An evaluation of interactive video conferencing and Web-assisted instruction to deliver a multidisciplinary course entitled Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Human Health was conducted during the spring semesters of 1999 and 2001. This course was taught by 20 instructors from 11 institutions to 49 students during spring 2001, which was an increase of 53% over spring 1999. Weekly 3-h lectures were delivered by the Trans-Texas Videoconference Network integrated with PowerPoint® or HTML slides available on the course Web site ( http://phytochemicals.tamu.edu ). Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through formative and summative methods. Participants expressed their satisfaction with course format and the need for technical support for interactive videoconferencing.     

Facilitation skills: the catalyst for increased effectiveness in consultant practice and clinical systems leadership

Consultant practitioner is the pinnacle of the clinical career ladder for all health care disciplines in the United Kingdom. Consultant nurse, midwife and health visitor roles build on the clinical credibility and expertise characteristic of advanced level practice, but also possess expertise in: clinical systems leadership and the facilitation of culture change, learning and development; advanced consultancy approaches, and research and evaluation to prioritise person-centred, safe and effective care across patient pathways.

This project aimed to help new and emerging consultants to become more effective in their role through a programme of support to develop their expertise.

Emancipatory action research, supported by claims, concerns and issues tool, derived from Stakeholder Evaluation, and other methods (active learning, action learning, collaborative workshops and individual tools e.g. qualitative 360 degree feedback and reflective reviews) comprised the supportive intervention which enabled participants to research their own practice.

The programme’s methodology and methods helped participants to: research their own practice; theorise from practice; grow the facilitation skills needed to develop and demonstrate their own effectiveness; foster the effectiveness of others and; transform practice culture. Greater effectiveness in their multiple roles was demonstrated, as was the impact of this on others, services and organisations.

The study concludes that the support programme augmented by the methodology, facilitation skills and the 10 principles derived from a concept analysis of work-based learning is central to achieving improved effectiveness and transformation of others, services and organisations. Theoretical insights at collective/community levels also resulted. Key recommendations are identified for commissioners, higher education and research.     

Understanding the graphical challenges faced by vision-impaired students in Australian universities

Information graphics such as plots, maps, plans, charts, tables and diagrams form an integral part of the student learning experience in many disciplines. However, for a vision impaired student accessing such graphical materials can be problematic. This research seeks to understand the current state of accessible graphics provision in Australian higher education. We conducted an online survey of 71 vision-impaired university students and semi-structured interviews with 44 key stakeholders (students, academics, disability liaison officers and accessible graphics providers). We found that difficulty in accessing graphical materials was a barrier to many vision-impaired students and that there were systemic problems with current processes for accessible graphics provision. Recommendations are made on ways to address these concerns in order to provide a more equitable higher education experience.     

Using the Distractor Categories of Multiple-Choice Items to Improve IRT Linking

Simulation and real data studies are used to investigate the value of modeling multiple-choice distractors on item response theory linking. Using the characteristic curve linking procedure for Bock's (1972) nominal response model presented by Kim and Hanson (2002) , all-category linking (i.e., a linking based on all category characteristic curves of the linking items) is compared against correct-only (CO) linking (i.e., linking based on the correct category characteristic curves only) using a common-item nonequivalent groups design. The CO linking is shown to represent an approximation to what occurs when using a traditional correct/incorrect item response model for linking. Results suggest that the number of linking items needed to achieve an equivalent level of linking precision declines substantially when incorporating the distractor categories.     

Examining Word Factors and Child Factors for Acquisition of Conditional Sound-Spelling Consistencies: A Longitudinal Study

It has been suggested that children acquire spelling by picking up conditional sound-spelling consistencies. To examine this hypothesis, we investigated how variation in word characteristics (words that vary systematically in terms of phoneme-grapheme correspondences) and child factors (individual differences in the ability to extract phonological, morphological, and orthographic information) simultaneously relates to spelling accuracy. A total of 143 Korean-speaking children were assessed on spelling 4 times from prekindergarten to kindergarten. Words in the spelling task systematically varied in orthographic transparency stemming from phonological shifts. At Time 1 they were also assessed on emergent literacy or linguistic awareness skills (e.g., phonological awareness, morphological awareness, letter-name knowledge). Explanatory item response model revealed that (a) growth trajectories of spelling differed as a function of orthographic transparency, and (b) the effect of emergent literacy skills on words of varying transparency differed as a function of children’s emergent literacy skill levels and time.     

Entering and exiting a teacher preparation program: What happens in between?

In determining whether graduates of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program at Southern Oregon University were developing the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to teach, faculty members found themselves examining their own practice. This is just what Goodlad (1988) suggested we do: clarify our own beliefs in order to better understand our teacher preparation program. We discovered that the development of the MAT program is primarily shaped by the people who teach within the program. Who we are as people, influences who we are as teachers and, who we are as teachers influences the nature of the teacher preparation program. This discovery underscored the importance of our efforts to steward the development of our students’ personhood as well as their knowledge and skills.     

Learning to compose digitally: the effect of prior computer use and keyboard activity on NAEP writing

Writing is critical for college and career readiness, yet secondary students in America are not good writers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Unfortunately, researchers know relatively little about secondary students’ writing skills, and even less about their digital writing. In this study, we explored prior computer use, keyboard activity during writing, and their relations to writing achievement using the 8th grade 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress writing assessment, the first national computer-based writing assessment for U.S. secondary students. We found that prior computer use predicted students’ writing skills directly (0.08) and indirectly (e.g., keypresses, 0.14) via keyboard activity during the test. We found differential effects for certain groups including current English learners and disadvantaged students. We also found a small positive interaction effect of prior use and keypresses on writing. That is, the benefits of prior computer use for school writing and the value of students’ additional keypresses on writing achievement were amplified when both were present.

     

Co‐Design Education Based on the Changing Designer's Role and Changing Creativity

The field of fashion design relies on the originality of fashion designers and information on design trends, and design education also focuses on the creative ideas of designers; in this field, design through co‐design is a very limited area. However, with the proliferation of participatory culture, the need to diversify fashion design education methods has also emerged. The purpose of this study is to present an educational framework and an instructional strategy for co‐design based on the changing role of the designer and to obtain educational insight through the implementation of an actual education prototype. To do this, we developed an educational prototype and implemented it with six undergraduate students. Through this study, the participants engaged in the process of design development with the consumer and analysed the instructional insight. As a result, this study redefines the roles and design methods of designers for co‐design and identifies creativity characteristics through the co‐design process. The results of this study can be used as basic data for co‐design education and can contribute to the expansion of fashion design educational methods.