Are interpersonal relationships necessary for developing trust in online group projects?

Trust between group members has been suggested as an important part of small group work in online classrooms. Developing interpersonal relationships with group members may promote a sense of trust among them; however, research shows mixed results. The current study explored how students’ perceptions of the importance of interpersonal relationships in online groups affected their perceptions of trust and experiences within the group. Students enrolled in online classes that incorporated a group project were surveyed about their experiences with online group projects. Participants did not find interpersonal relationships as necessary in trust development. However, student gender and type (i.e., distance versus on-campus) were important factors in determining the type of experiences students had within their online groups. Males reported more negative experiences than females, and distance education students desired relationships with group members more than on-campus students.     

Analysis of reference transactions to inform library applications (apps)

Content analysis of questions asked at multiple reference service points are used to inform library application (app) development. Reduced library budgets create service gaps, and library apps present one potential solution to help users with simple wayfinding and library attribute questions. Content analysis of three years of questions asked at fifteen face-to-face service points on the campus of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, as well as questions received via telephone, e-mail, and chat demonstrate that library location-based questions comprise 77.6% of the total questions asked. This approach shows the potential that the study of library location-based questions has for informing library apps.     

Service-Learning for Social Justice in the Elementary Classroom: Can We Get There from Here?

This article focuses on 40 elementary school teachers' efforts to involve their students in social justice-oriented service-learning experiences and the struggles and support they encounter in doing so. The service-learning activities described here begin with student interest and initiative and focus on advocacy and concerted efforts to right unjust situations. With teacher support and guidance, students consider multiple perspectives and challenge the status quo. At times they accomplish their aims; in other cases, success is found in students learning valuable life lessons about the skills and long-term effort needed to effect change. Struggles with state mandates, required curriculum, colleagues, and parents are discussed, as well as the creative and subversive measures teachers use to address these challenges.     

Physiological responses to 1000-m ergometer time-trial performance in outrigger canoeing

Abstract

Graded exercise tests are commonly used to assess peak physiological capacities of athletes. However, unlike time trials, these tests do not provide performance information. The aim of this study was to examine the peak physiological responses of female outrigger canoeists to a 1000-m ergometer time trial and compare the time-trial performance to two graded exercise tests performed at increments of 7.5 W each minute and 15 W each two minutes respectively. 17 trained female outrigger canoeists completed the time trial on an outrigger canoe ergometer with heart rate (HR), stroke rate, power output, and oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O₂) determined every 15 s. The mean (± s) time-trial time was 359 ± 33 s, with a mean power output of 65 ± 16 W and mean stroke rate of 56 ± 4 strokes · min^?1. Mean values for peak [Vdot]O₂, peak heart rate, and mean heart rate were 3.17 ± 0.67 litres · min^?1, 177 ± 11 beats · min^?1, and 164 ± 12 beats · min^?1 respectively. Compared with the graded exercise tests, the time-trial elicited similar values for peak heart rate, peak power output, peak blood lactate concentration, and peak [Vdot]O₂. As a time trial is sport-specific and can simultaneously quantify sprint performance and peak physiological responses in outrigger canoeing, it is suggested that a time trial be used by coaches for crew selection as it doubles as a reliable performance measure and a protocol for monitoring peak aerobic capacity of female outrigger canoeists.     

Research on Importance and Interest: Implications for Curriculum Development and Future Research

Research has found that interest is related to attention, deeper processing, the use of effortful strategies, feelings of enjoyment, and learning. However, some strategies for creating interest in text materials may interfere with the learning of important information. In this paper, I describe results of a study that used qualitative verbal report measures to identify text characteristics that are most positively and most negatively associated with interest, as well as quantitative measures to investigate how those characteristics are related to learning. Results have implications for curriculum development by contributing to our understanding of how writers of informational text can make important information interesting. The paper concludes with suggestions for pedagogical practice and for future research that may further our understanding of interest and how it might be enhanced in classrooms.