The culture of the kitchen: Recipes for transformative education within the African American cultural experience

Toby S. Jenkins uses the cultural space of the African American kitchen as a guide for creating academic spaces of liberation and inclusion.     

Charting the development of technology-enhanced learning developments across the UK higher education sector: a longitudinal perspective (2001–2012)

This article reviews key findings from six surveys of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) across the UK higher education (HE) sector, conducted by Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association in association with Jisc. Updating the findings presented by Jenkins, Browne, Walker, and Hewitt [2010. The development of technology enhanced learning: Findings from a 2008 survey of UK higher education institutions, Interactive Learning Environments. First published on: 22 January 2010 (iFirst)], the article reports on the emerging and planned patterns of TEL across the UK HE sector over the last decade. Our analysis shows that against the backdrop of Higher Education Funding Council for England capital funding, institutions have made considerable investments in technology and infrastructure to support learning and teaching – specifically in the domain of learning management and assessment systems. While the drivers for TEL development have consistently focused on enhancing teaching and learning over the years, the subject of this investment has been directed to the implementation of enterprise-wide systems to manage and control learning processes, delivering efficiencies of scale and standardised learning experiences through centrally managed solutions, rather than support for student-controlled tools. In contrast, the diffusion of technologies supporting collaborative learning and knowledge sharing has been more a feature of local TEL provision, as evidenced through the informal learning practice of students and departmental projects. The evolution of course delivery models and pedagogic developments supported through the use of technology have been noticeably much slower to realise; growth in “web-dependent” rather than “supplementary” course design models has been quite limited across the sector and we have observed negligible growth in distance learning provision over this period. The evidence suggests that challenges remain in developing course delivery models which focus on active student learning, maximising the opportunities that web and mobile technologies now offer for interactive student-centred learning design. We speculate that the recent upsurge of interest in Massive Open Online Courses may act as a catalyst in this respect, in driving campus-based courses to embrace new learning models supported by TEL tools.     

Who Upgrades to Higher Level Qualifications in Midlife?

This paper investigates why people return to study in their 30s and beyond and upgrade to a higher level qualifications. Some previous research has argued that attitudes formed in childhood, via family background and schooling, continue to shape a person’s engagement in learning throughout the adult lifecourse. Psychologists distinguish extrinsic motivation, determination to progress in a career, from intrinsic motivation, love of learning and suggest that both may be relevant to participation in adult education. A well-established education literature focuses on barriers to adult learning, such as lack of time or lack of funds.

The research focuses on people who did not enter higher education at the conventional ages of late teens or early twenties but who did subsequently obtain degree-level or equivalent qualifications in midlife, defined here as from their early 30s through to age 50. The research uses data from the 1958 British birth cohort, a large-scale longitudinal survey. In the paper, a comparison group methodology and binary logistic regression models are used to isolate the key factors which explain why cgertain individuals progress to higher level qualifications in midlife while others do not.     

Students' preferences for service delivery: pull-out, in-class, or integrated models

This study assessed students' preferences about where and by whom they receive instruction for learning difficulties. Subjects were 686 special, remedial, and regular education students in grades 2, 4, and 5, from classrooms that used a pull-out, in-class, or integrated model for specialized instruction. Results of student interviews indicated that children's preferences for in-class and pull-out services were affected by the service delivery model used in their classroom and their grade level. The majority of children preferred to receive additional help from their classroom teacher rather than from a specialist.     

Some trends in distance education in Africa: An examination of the past and future role of distance education as a tool for national development

Distance education figures prominently among strategies recently proposed to assist African countries escape from educational crisis. Africa has already made considerable use of distance education to extend access to formal education, although most public institutions have often been severely constrained by lack of finance and manpower. Case studies of Zambia, Kenya and Zimbabwe suggest that critical factors for the effectiveness of distance education are the provision of adequate resources and firm political backing. It is probable that distance education will continue to be used to strengthen formal education by training primary teachers, extending access to secondary education and by providing tertiary education although, so far, few African countries have attempted degree level studies at a distance. In order for all these programmes to be effective, more resources must be forthcoming and integration of distance education with the formal system is desirable. Otherwise distance education may remain at the periphery, its potential under‐used.     

Motion Pictures and Photograph

Reese V. Jenkins' Images & Enterprise: Technology and the American Photographic Industry, 1839 to 1925 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975—$20.00)

R. C. Smith's Antique Cameras (North Pomfret, Vt.: David & Charles, 1976—$12.95)

Gerald Mast's A Short History Movies (Indianapolis: Bobbs- Merrill, 1976—$7.50, paper)

Lix-Anne Bawden's The Oxford Companion to Film (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976—$24.95)

John Brosnan's Marie Manic: The Story of Special Effects in the Cinema (New York: New American Library Plume Books, 1976—$3.95, paper)

Ronald Gottesman and Harry Geduld (eds.) The Girl in the Hairi Paw:King Kong as Mtyh, Magic, and Monster (New York: Avon Books, 1976—$5.95)

Guy Phelps' Film Censorship (London: Victor Gollancz, 1975—about $10.00)

James Robert Parish, et al. Film Directors Guide: Western Europe (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1976—$11.00)

James Robert Parish and Don E. Stanke's The Swashbucklers (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1976—$19.95)

Andrew Sarris' The John Ford Movie Mystery (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1976—$8.95)

Laurence Goldstein and Jay Kaufman's Into Film (New York: Dutton, 1976—$19.95/12.95)

Daniel Arijon's Grammar of the Film Language (New York: Hastings House, 1976—$27.50)     

Sweat lactate response during cycling at 30°C and 18°C WBGT

Sweat lactate reflects eccrine gland metabolism. However, the metabolic tendencies of eccrine glands in a hot versus thermoneutral environment are not well understood. Sixteen male volunteers completed a maximal cycling trial and two 60-min cycling trials [30°C?=?30±1°C and 18°C?=?18±1°C wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)]. The participants were requested to maintain a cadence of 60 rev?·?min^?1 with the intensity individualized at ～ 90% of the ventilatory threshold. Sweat samples at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60?min were analysed for lactate concentration. Sweat rate at 30°C (1380±325?ml?·?h^?1) was significantly greater (P<0.05) than at 18°C (632±311?ml?·?h^?1). Sweat lactate concentration was significantly greater (P<0.05) at each time point during the 18°C trial, with values between trials tending to converge across time. During the 30°C trial, both heart rate (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60?min) and rectal temperature (30, 40, 50 and 60?min) were significantly higher than in the 18°C trial. Higher sweat lactate concentrations coupled with lower sweat rates may indicate a greater relative contribution of oxygen-independent metabolism within eccrine glands during exercise at 18°C. Decreases in sweat lactate concentration across time suggest either greater dilution due to greater sweat volume or increased reliance on aerobic metabolism within eccrine glands. The convergence of lactate concentrations between trials may indicate that time-dependent modifications in sweat gland metabolism occur at different rates contingent partially on environmental conditions.