The mission of Innovative Higher Education: An update using the Delphi Method

Summary Use of the Delphi Method for this study proved a valuable tool in two respects. First, it provided for a dialogue and eventual meeting of the minds among members of the Editorial Review Board without the board traveling several times to meet in a central location. In other words, the panel, scattered across the country, was able to complete an important project for the journal through written correspondence. Second, the Delphi Method eliminated the possibility of strong personalities or confrontation influencing the future mission of the journal.The results of the Delphi survey confirmed the earlier decision of this journal to broaden its scope. The journal was founded with a narrow mission-to disseminate information in the emerging and rapidly growing field of nontraditional studies, experimental learning, continuing education, multi-media instruction, lifelong learning and outreach programs (see Table 3). The title of the journal,Alternative Higher Education, indicated that, as former editor D. Keith Lupton explained, through the late seventies and early eighties, much was being developed that could be considered as alternative (Lupton, 1983, p. 3).     

Validating teaching competencies for graduate teaching assistants: A national study using the Delphi method

In this study the Delphi Method was used to validate teaching competencies of graduate teaching assistants (TAs). Through the use of expert opinion, a panel of national leaders in teaching assistant support and training validated twenty six competencies as important in the preparation of teaching assistants. Feedback from panelists suggested that some instructional competencies depend on the specific responsibilities that are assigned to an individual TA.Ronald D. Simpson is Director of the Office of Instructional Development at The University of Georgia, where he also is professor of Higher Education and Science Education. He holds degrees from The University of Tennessee and The University of Georgia. Kathleen S. Smith is Coordinator of Teaching Assistant Support at The University of Georgia, Office of Instructional Development. She holds graduate degrees from The University of Georgia and has served as Administrative Coordinator and Acting Head of The University of Georgia's intensive English program. Her research and teaching focuses on the development and administrative support of teaching assistants with emphasis on International Teaching Assistants.     

The Gender War in U.S. Sport: Winners and Losers in News Coverage of Title IX

Title IX, the 1972 federal law that guarantees girls and young women access to scholastic sporting opportunities, has been the catalyst for explosive growth in female athletics. Despite evidence that Title IX has opened doors for female athletes without closing them to boys, the law continues to be a source of controversy. This research explores the ways stories in U.S. regional and national newspapers framed Title IX issues between 2002 and 2005, critical years for the civil-rights legislation because of political and legal activity at the national level. Content analysis found that although most stories avoided negative framing devices, stories about the Title IX Commission during 2002 and 2003 more often used negative framing that could perpetuate misunderstanding about the law. Further, paper size, placement of stories and reporter gender were factors in the way stories framed and sourced Title IX coverage. This study points to the need of journalists for a better understanding of the law and its impact on high school and collegiate athletics. Journalists also need to better understand Title IX's relationship with the fiscal hierarchy of collegiate athletics in U.S. universities so “blame the victim” mythology is not reinforced. Journalists should reject patriarchal frames and report about Title IX in ways that benefit public discourse.     

The importance of duration and magnitude of force application to sprint performance during the initial acceleration,transition and maximal velocity phases

ABSTRACT

Successful sprinting depends on covering a specific distance in the shortest time possible. Although external forces are key to sprinting, less consideration is given to the duration of force application, which influences the impulse generated. This study explored relationships between sprint performance measures and external kinetic and kinematic performance indicators. Data were collected from the initial acceleration, transition and maximal velocity phases of a sprint. Relationships were analysed between sprint performance measures and kinetic and kinematic variables. A commonality regression analysis was used to explore how independent variables contributed to multiple-regression models for the sprint phases. Propulsive forces play a key role in sprint performance during the initial acceleration (r = 0.95 ± 0.03) and transition phases (r = 0.74 ± 0.19), while braking duration plays an important role during the transition phase (r = ?0.72 ± 0.20). Contact time, vertical force and peak propulsive forces represented key determinants (r = ?0.64 ± 0.31, r = 0.57 ± 0.35 and r = 0.66 ± 0.30, respectively) of maximal velocity phase performance, with peak propulsive force providing the largest unique contribution to the regression model for step velocity. These results clarified the role of force and time variables on sprinting performance.     

Why search committees must be wary of ex-cavalry officers,Condorcet's paradox,and dictators

Given the current emphasis placed on affirmative action, it should come as a shock to many participants on selection committees to find that the most used balloting rule employed to determine the will of the committee is seriously flawed. The procedure, whereby candidates are assigned points based upon each voter's ranking, can frequently lead to a winner who is not the choice of the majority—a violation of the most central democratic concept. More surprising is the fact that the unsuitability of such weighted balloting has been known for over 200 years and that a Nobel Prize was awarded as recently as 1972 for research closely related to this problem. This paper traces the history of the research for a perfect, logical, democratic balloting rule, taking the reader through the paradox discovered by the Marquis Condorcet and Arrow's dictator theorem. A detailed exposition of approval voting explains why this new approach is gaining in popularity as perhaps the most reasonable replacement for the various voting rules now in effect.     

探索支持学习者获得成功的途径

远程教育学习者获得成功的关键是能够在学习的困惑中获取包括院校、教师、家庭、雇主、朋友等多方面的支持,赢得自主学习的动力和学习的能力.本文提供了支持者的策略研究,从学习者的需求出发,在教学与非教学领域进行有益的探索,阐释远程教育支持服务的内涵.     

Youth’s Engagement as Scientists and Engineers in an Afterschool Making and Tinkering Program

Research in Science Education - Making and tinkering is currently gaining traction as an interdisciplinary approach to education. However, little is known about how these activities and...     

Attitudes of introductory college biology students toward evolution

Introductory college biology students were surveyed to investigate their attitudes toward evolution. Thurstone's Scale No. 30, Form A, Attitudes Toward Evolution was used to survey the sample. Results indicate that the majority of introductory biology students believe in the theory of evolution. Two demographic variables, sex and influence of the church, produced a significant correlation with the attitude scores. There were significant interactions between sex and influence of high school biology teacher and between sex and major. Self rating by the individual students and attitude scores also produced a significant correlation. Construct validity of the attitude scale was supported by the significant correlation between student self rating and scale scores. ANOVA produced a F value significant at the 0.01 probability level, and Spearman's correlation coefficient between the two measures was 0.73. Although the Thurstone Scale No. 30, Form A, is over 45 years old, the results of this study suggest that it is a reliable instrument for use today with modifications in item construction, scaling or adaptation to other scoring methods.