Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables: Use of Interactive Videoconferencing and the World Wide Web for Teaching a Multidisciplinary Course

ABSTRACT: An evaluation of interactive video conferencing and Web-assisted instruction to deliver a multidisciplinary course entitled Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Human Health was conducted during the spring semesters of 1999 and 2001. This course was taught by 20 instructors from 11 institutions to 49 students during spring 2001, which was an increase of 53% over spring 1999. Weekly 3-h lectures were delivered by the Trans-Texas Videoconference Network integrated with PowerPoint® or HTML slides available on the course Web site ( http://phytochemicals.tamu.edu ). Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through formative and summative methods. Participants expressed their satisfaction with course format and the need for technical support for interactive videoconferencing.     

Work models: Beyond instructional objectives

While instructional objectives have provided a cornerstone for the practice and science of instruction, they have also locked us into a lexically based conceptual system. In order to realize the interactive potential of computer-based instructional systems, we need a new way of representing performance. This paper presents the concept of a work model which is a unit of practice which allows replication of both information and interaction. In addition, the work model idea also addresses some of the fundamental problems with objectives such as their inability to capture the richness of terminal behavior or how to relate objectives to content.     

Delay in disclosure of childhood rape: results from a national survey

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to gather representative data regarding the length of time women who were raped before age 18 delayed prior to disclosing such rapes, whom they disclosed to, and variables that predicted disclosure within 1 month. METHOD: Data were gathered from 3,220 Wave II respondents from the National Women's Study (Resnick, Kilpatrick, Dansky, Saunders, & Best, 1993), a nationally representative telephone survey of women's experiences with trauma and mental health. Of these, 288 retrospectively reported at least one rape prior to their 18th birthday. Details of rape experiences were analyzed to identify predictors of disclosure within 1 month. RESULTS: Fully 28% of child rape victims reported that they had never told anyone about their child rape prior to the research interview; 47% did not disclose for over 5 years post-rape. Close friends were the most common confidants. Younger age at the time of rape, family relationship with the perpetrator, and experiencing a series of rapes were associated with disclosure latencies longer than 1 month; shorter delays were associated with stranger rapes. Logistic regression revealed that age at rape and knowing the perpetrator were independently predictive of delayed disclosure. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed disclosure of childhood rape was very common, and long delays were typical. Few variables were identified that successfully predicted disclosure behavior, but older age and rape by a stranger were associated with more rapid disclosure. This suggests that the likelihood of disclosure in a given case is difficult to estimate, and predictions based on single variables are unwarranted.     

Treatment outcome for a maltreated population: benefits, procedural decisions, and challenges

OBJECTIVE: To review the benefits, challenges, and procedural decisions to consider when implementing and managing a treatment outcome program for a maltreated population. METHOD: We reviewed the reasons to implement a treatment outcome program, decisions regarding procedures, and challenges likely to be encountered based on literature in the field and the authors' 6 years of experience in developing and maintaining an outcome program at a center specializing in the treatment of maltreated children. RESULTS: The development of an outcome programs requires careful measurement selection, early and ongoing staff-involvement, support from higher management, a well-developed data base and client tracking system, a coordinator and support staff, clinical utility, planning for fiscal impact, and flexibility to contend with challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, the plethora of clinically rich and administratively useful information derived from an outcome program far outweighs the challenges and costs of establishing and maintaining an outcome program.