Investing in junior faculty: The teaching improvement program (TIPs)

One way in which institutions can assist junior faculty members is to facilitate appropriate nurturing through senior faculty. The Teaching Improvement Program (TIPs) at The University of Georgia was designed and implemented with this aspect in mind. This paper describes the philosophical base as well as the design, administration, and evaluation of this unique program that matches new junior faculty with senior faculty mentors. Despite some problems in scheduling, participants in the program received valuable suggestions on how to improve their classroom performance.He is a former Lilly Teaching Fellow.His office provides a wide range of instructional and professional services for faculty and academic administrators in the university's thirteen schools and colleges.The authors would like to thank Gina Dress for all her assistance in the TIPs program and three anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions.     

Perspectives on complexity: An essay on curricular reform

Curricular reform is a complex endeavor having many facets including (a) the development of teaching materials, (b) the identification of appropriate instructional approaches, (c) the implementation of processes by which these new materials and approaches will be introduced into practice and sustained, and (d) the appropriate attention to the social context in which it all occurs. Its full understanding requires that it be viewed from a multiplicity of perspectives including various psychological, socio-cultural, subject matter, philosophical, and economic perspectives. In this essay, the many facets of curricular reform are explored in terms of what scholarship from these many perspectives has to offer. Examples of research results are cited and promising research opportunities are identified.     

Contemporary practices in school psychology: A national survey of roles and referral problems

Eight hundred school psychologists who were members of the National Association of School Psychologists were mailed a survey designed to assess their roles, types of referrals, consultation practices, and crisis team involvement. Three hundred seventy (49%) completed surveys were analyzed. Assessment was the most common role followed distantly by consultation. Academic problems were the most frequent type of referral with reading being the most common concern. Of the behavioral referrals, externalizing problems were more frequent than internalizing concerns. Behavioral consultation was the most common model used but less than half of respondents follow all of the stages. Only forty percent use an evaluative component in consultation. A majority of the informants had some involvement with their schools' crisis team. Implications of these findings for training, professional development, and future roles are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

New Zealand management students’ perceptions of communication technologies in correspondence education

Nearly 1,000 management students enrolled in New Zealand's Technical Correspondence Institute during 1980‐1982 were mailed a questionnaire and followup letters from March ‐‐ July, 1983. Response rate was 76.9% (N=724). Did dropouts (3.43%) differ from persisters in their preferences for supplementary or alternative educational technologies? Dropouts were more receptive to telephone and audio taped communications and seminars. Audio tape and seminar variables were among surviving predictors of dropout after extensive multiple linear regression analyses. Distance education institutions should consider using multiple communication channels in order to cater to diverse student learning styles.     

The reliability of test scores for the pervasive developmental disorders rating scale

The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale (PDDRS; Eaves, 1993) is a screening instrument used in the assessment of autistic disorder. In this study, the reliability of test scores for the PDDRS was examined with three samples. The first sample consisted of 456 participants ranging in age from 1 to 12 years old and the second sample consisted of 111 participants in the 13 to 24 year‐old range. Additionally, the test‐retest reliability of scores for the PDDRS was examined with a sample of 40 participants. The results indicated that coefficient alpha for the PDDRS Total Score was adequate for screening purposes (r = .89) for both age groups. The results of the test‐retest study also suggested that PDDRS had adequate test‐retest reliability (r = .92) for the PDDRS Total Score. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 39: 605–611, 2002.     

Does creativity have a place in classroom discussions? Prospective teachers’ response preferences

The purpose of this study was to examine prospective middle and secondary teachers’ preferences for unique versus relevant student responses during classroom discussions. Results indicate that, on average, prospective teachers (N = 70) preferred relevance to uniqueness in student responses. In addition, results of regression analysis indicate that prospective teachers’ preference for unique responses varied as a function of grade level and academic subject area. Finally, analysis of written explanations revealed nuanced reasons for prospective teachers’ preferences ranging from viewing unique responses as potentially distracting to viewing any response as acceptable because of a desire to encourage student participation. Implications for future research and teacher education are discussed.     

Innovation in academic libraries: An analysis of university librarians' perspectives

Through a series of structured interviews, university librarians at six institutions provided their perspectives on innovation in academic libraries. The literature on leadership styles and organizational change provides insight into the roles of these leaders in the innovation process. Leadership was cited by many researchers as being a critical factor for organizations to innovate. University librarians revealed a commitment to innovation, some distinctively nontraditional innovations, and a concern for how to encourage risk-taking behavior. Further insight into the innovation process was sought by interpreting the interview data within a larger theoretical context. Although leadership and management can foster innovation in a library, researchers have reported other factors that can influence the ability to innovate, including organizational aspects – size and complexity – and environmental factors. Beyond the organizational aspects, the individual and the norms of the profession appear to create a framework with certain boundaries, some of which may impact the ability to innovate.     

一个关于工作场所学习的建议性概念框架:对人力资源开发理论建设与研究的启示

人力资源开发领域的学者和实践者都非常关注工作场所学习。关于正式培训和非正式学习,一直以来形成了大量的研究和讨论。本文从人力资源开发角度,结合已有的大量文献,提出了一个工作场所学习的概念性框架,框架包括三个互相作用的变量:学习的场所、在发展和传授学习经验时所制定的计划的程度和学习过程中培训者、推动者和其他人的角色。本文还讨论了这一框架对人力资源开发领域中理论建设和研究的启示。