COURSE DROP PRACTICES IN TWO‐YEAR COLLEGES

Course drop practices among two‐year colleges were surveyed. Examined were deadlines by which courses were dropped, grades received when classes were dropped, who initiates drop procedures, and the extent to which policies related to the above stated practices have been recently changed. One fourth of the institutions reported a drop deadline of between four and six weeks from the end of the term. Almost that many (21.98 percent) used 10 days prior to the final exam as a deadline. More than two‐thirds of the colleges allowed students to drop prior to the deadline with a non‐punitive “W” grade. In the majority of instances, the official drop procedures may be initiated by either the student or the instructor. Community college administrators need to examine course drop policies in light of institutional statements of mission, philosophy, and objectives. Based upon dialogue among the staff, appropriate policy revisions should be developed in order to coordinate the rhetoric and the regulations of the college.     

Social Media,Higher Education,and Community Colleges: A Research Synthesis and Implications for the Study of Two-Year Institutions

This research project used a large database to examine factors associated with full-time faculty at 2-year institutions who have secured or not secured external funds. Specifically, the research examined demographic characteristics and other variables of faculty at 2-year institutions.     

Explaining Method Effects Associated With Negatively Worded Items in Trait and State Global and Domain-Specific Self-Esteem Scales

Several investigators have interpreted method effects associated with negatively worded items in a substantive way. This research extends those studies in different ways: (a) it establishes the presence of methods effects in further populations and particular scales, and (b) it examines the possible relations between a method factor associated with negatively worded items and several covariates. Two samples were assessed: 592 high school students from Valencia (Spain), and 285 batterers from the same city. The self-esteem scales used were Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, the State Self-Esteem Scale, and Self-Esteem 17. Anxiety was also assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and gender and educational level were taken into account. The models were conducted using a multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) model framework. The evidence in this research pointed out that method effects were present across the different measures of self-esteem. Moreover, a significant and negative effect of anxiety on method effects was present across scales and samples, whereas no effects of age or educational level where found.     

“Thinking About Thinking: It's not Just for Philosophers:” Using Metacognitive Journals to Teach and Learn About Constructivism

This article describes how Metacognitive Journals were used to teach prospective early childhood educators about constructivism. We emphasize the importance of modeling constructivist pedagogy and cultivating students' metacognitive potential. We share the effects on our students' learning and on our teaching. We also offer recommendations for teacher educators to incorporate Metacognitive Journals in their practice     

Treatment Fidelity Challenges in a Five-State Consultation Study

Consultation is a promising approach to creating change in early childhood programs, from innovations in instructional strategies to the enhancement of global program quality. Studies of consultation effectiveness have been hampered by limited reports of implementation fidelity related to consultation procedures. This article describes the challenges of supporting and measuring implementation fidelity in a 5-state study in which community consultants followed a collaborative consultation model to enhance global quality in childcare programs. The authors consider the limitations of using a randomized experimental design to study the effectiveness of consultation and share lessons learned in their efforts to enhance treatment fidelity without compromising the basic tenets of the model or the rigorous design.     

Public health practitioners' information access and use patterns in the Maryland (USA) public health departments of Anne Arundel and Wicomico Counties

PURPOSE: To increase understanding of the information needs and use of public health practitioners. SETTING: From June 2005 to May 2006, the library offered a course in public health information resources to eighteen practitioners in two counties, access to the library's licensed electronic resources through a tailored web portal, and consulting services. EVALUATION METHOD: We combined usage statistics from the web portal, self-report and observational data collected during training and shadowing of participants. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this project indicate that usage of licensed information resources and services is infrequent but broad ranging. A few users register at the high end of the usage range, but one use of one high quality article can have a significant impact on policy decisions. Time and competing responsibilities often constrain the retrieval and use of resources for evidence-based decision making and an informationist or power-user model may be more appropriate than training all practitioners to integrate searching into their workflow. This study indicates (i) that evidence-based public health practice requires seamless and broadly based information access; and (ii) that the currently existing patchwork does not support the level of use or take into account the time constraints of information needs for public health practice.     

The formative and summative uses of a Professional Development Portfolio: a Maltese case study

The paper examines the rationale and the uses of portfolios in initial teacher education. This rationale is then applied to explore the development and implementation of the Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) as an integral part of the initial teacher education programme offered by the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. The paper considers the responses of students and lecturers to this mode of assessment; in particular, how the tensions between the formative and summative functions of portfolios were experienced and responded to at institutional level. The paper is the result of the debates and discussions among the three authors. Deborah Chetcuti and Grace Grima were directly involved in the development of the assessment innovation, Patricia Murphy was a visiting academic and external examiner during the period.