Teaching and Research Quality Indicators and the Shaping of Higher Education

Two important sets of performance indicators have become established in the United Kingdom: research quality ratings and teaching quality ratings. The research quality ratings and, to a lesser extent, the teaching quality ratings, influence the level of government funding provided to higher education institutions. This paper considers the correlation between the two ratings and the possible consequences of policies that reshape the higher education sector by concentrating research resources in a limited number of institutions. Comparisons are made between quality assurance/assessment approaches in the United Kingdom and those in the United States.     

Energy Cost of Rebound-Running

Using Sonstroem, Harlow, and Josephs' (1994) expanded version of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model (EXSEM; Sonstroem &; Morgan, 1989), we explored how 9 older adults (6 women and 3 men, aged 65–72 years) involved in a resistance training program experienced and perceived changes in physical self-worth (i.e., improved strength, functional competency, physical condition, and body satisfaction). We conducted three in-depth interviews with each participant over the course of the program. In individual log books, participants recorded the weight lifted and the number of repetitions for each exercise. Our findings showed the course of changes in physical self-perceptions in these older adults and how actual individual changes in strength performance related to perceived changes in important psychological outcomes.     

A web-based breastfeeding education program

Two Web-based breastfeeding programs were developed to provide new parents with necessary information on proper breastfeeding techniques. One version was plain text and the other version combined text with graphics. The computer was viewed as a valuable learning tool. The breastfeeding program that contained graphics was preferred over the text-only program. Educators are encouraged to use Web-based graphic programs to provide breastfeeding education to new parents.     

Positive behavioral contrast,autoshaping, and omission responding in the goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Two experiments with goldfish were performed to investigate the role of stimulus-reinforcer vs. response-reinforcer relationships in omission training and the role of stimulus localizability in a positive behavioral contrast paradigm. The directed behavior of fish, like that of pigeons and rats in other studies, was greatly influenced by positive stimulus-reinforcer correlations, as evidenced by maintained contacts of a signal for food, even though such responses terminated the signal and cancelled reinforcement delivery. Goldfish exhibited positive behavioral contrast when the signals for reinforcement and nonreinforcement were displayed directly on the response key, but no contrast was observed when variations in a diffuse houselight stimulus were used as signals for reinforcement or nonreinforcement. Analysis of sequential-trial data yielded effects analogous to Pavlovian positive and negative induction. Theoretical and methodological problems were briefly considered.     

A study of the effect of HyperCard and pen-paper performance assessment methods on expert-novice chemistry problem solving

This study investigated HyperCard as a tool for assessment in science education and determined whether or not a HyperCard assessment instrument could differentiate between expert and novice student performance (balancing stoichiometric equations) in science education. Five chemical equations were presented by traditional pen-paper and by a HyperCard (Hyperequation) program. Thirty honors (expert) and 30 regular (novice) chemistry students were randomly divided into HyperCard and traditional pen-paper groups of 15 students each. Scoring was based on five dependent variables: performance scores, number of attempts, rate of attempts, time on task, and correctness. Correlation results indicated that students with high performance scores correctly balanced more equations, required fewer attempts to balance equations, and required less time per attempt than did students with low performance scores. MANOVA results showed that performance scores and correctness scores for both experts and novice were significantly higher on HyperCard compared to pen-paper assessment; the novice scores on HyperCard nearly equaled the expert pen-paper assessment scores. Significant interactions were found for time on task and for correctness. The results suggest that HyperCard can be a suitable tool for assessment in science education and that such an instrument can differentiate between expert and novice student performance.     

College attrition,student use of campus facilities,and a consideration of self-reported personal problems

Five groups of undergraduate students, Dropouts (academic dismissals), Low Stopouts (voluntary leavers with low GPA), Low Persisters (continuing students with low GPA), High Stopouts (voluntary leavers with high GPA), High Persisters (continuing students with high GPA), were compared in terms of their use of various campus facilities and their responses to a checklist of personal problems. The High Stopouts and High Persisters did not differ in use of facilities. However, among the low academic performance students, the Low Persisters made significantly greater use of facilities than the Low Stopouts, who, in turn, made significantly greater use of facilities than Dropouts. These findings, for the most part, did not appear to be related to the self-reported importance of personal problems. It was concluded that among low performance students, the broad use of campus services and facilities can be taken as a measure of student integration in the college community.