Planning the quality of education: Different information for different levels of decision-making

Formerly member of the staff of the Australian Council for Educational Research. Current interests in sampling theory and practice for education surveys and experiments. Several publications in these and related fields.     

Using Microsoft Office to Generate Individualized Tasks for Students

This article describes how the mail merge facility within Microsoft Word can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Excel to generate personalized assignments for students at all levels.     

The Role of Fitness Professionals in Public Health: A Review of the Literature

Kinesiology researchers have long had an interest in physical activity, fitness, and health issues and in the professional education and work practices of teachers and coaches. The professional development needs and practices of “fitness professionals,” however, have not been a major concern for researchers in the field. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the evidence on fitness professionals, their role in physical activity for health agendas, and the professional education and training that is available to support them. The analysis indicates that there is a mismatch between the expectations placed upon fitness professionals and the training and professional education that is available to them. It is argued that pedagogy researchers in kinesiology could usefully turn their attentions to this occupational group.     

Generalizability of Multidimensional Student Ratings of University Instruction Across Courses and Teachers

Course quality is multifaceted, being determined by instructor, students, and external conditions. Consequently, any attempt at measurement should reflect this diversity, so that stable evaluations can be made that reflect both personal (instructor) and situational (student and external conditions) variables. This study extends previous research by examining the stability of both dimensions across different courses, student populations, and universities. In addition, the sample (N = 692 courses) was drawn from 6 traditional and technical German universities that have a different ethos of student interaction with academic staff than those in many other Western countries. Using the Heidelberg Inventory, it was found that instructor variables were reliable across courses given by the same instructor, but student scales or background variables were less consistent across courses in which the content was identical. It was concluded that the instrument was both reliable and valid for student evaluations of both teaching performance and course quality within a European context.     

Charts in Excel – A Series Matter

The Chart Wizard in Microsoft Excel is supposed to make chart drawing so easy that a child can do it, yet many intelligent adults fail to use it successfully. This article suggests some simple principles that resolve many of the difficulties.     

Setting Personalized Homework Exercises Using ISCUS

This article describes how a spreadsheet‐based tool can be used to provide personalized statistics homework exercises for each student in a class.     

纸条检测法对第85窟壁画空鼓灌浆脱盐效果的评估

实验得出不损伤壁画的纸条检测法与壁画表面盐分含量的关系,并以此为根据,采用纸条法测定壁画表面盐分的含量状态,评价壁画空鼓灌浆后脱盐的效果.结果表明壁画空鼓灌浆所带人的水分激活了地仗中的盐分,使盐分运移并大量地富集到壁画的表面.保护笔的脱盐效果十分显著,纸条法测得保护笔脱盐后Cl-浓度降低约10个ppm,相当于保护笔脱盐可以减少了壁画表面地仗中所含1.6%的Cl-的量,即可以去除掉未灌浆区域壁画表面盐分的80%.实验证明纸条法可以应用于壁画脱盐效果的检验.     

The impact of values education on school ambience and academic diligence

The article will focus on demonstrating the effects of values education on enhancing students’ academic diligence through the more positive ambience it creates in the school. Evidence will be drawn from international studies but principally from the Australian Government's Values Education Program and, especially from the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project Reports (2006, 2008) and the Project to Test and Measure the Impact of Values Education on Student Effects and School Ambience (2009).     

Translating Training in the NYU Caregiver Intervention in Australia: Maintaining Fidelity and Meeting Graduate Standards in an Online Continuing Professional Education Setting

The aim of this study was to develop an Internet-based self-directed training program for Australian healthcare workers to facilitate learning and competence in delivery of a proven intervention for caregivers of people with dementia: The New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI). The NYUCI is a nonpharmacological, multicomponent intervention for spousal caregivers. It is aimed at maintaining well-being by increasing social support and decreasing family discord, thereby delaying or avoiding nursing home placement of the person with dementia. Training in the NYUCI in the United States has, until now, been conducted in person to trainee practitioners. The Internet-based intervention was developed simultaneously for trainees in the U.S. and Australia. In Australia, due to population geography, community healthcare workers, who provide support to older adult caregivers of people with dementia, live and work in many regional and rural areas. Therefore, it was especially important to have online training available to make it possible to realize the health and economic benefits of using an existing evidence-based intervention. This study aimed to transfer knowledge of training in, and delivery of, the NYUCI for an Australian context and consumers. This article details the considerations given to contextual differences and to learners’ skillset differences in translating the NYUCI for Australia.