Academic performance,course completion rates,and student perception of the quality and frequency of interaction in a virtual high school

This study examined the relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher–student interaction and academic performance at an asynchronous, self-paced, statewide virtual high school. Academic performance was measured by grade awarded and course completion. There were 2269 students who responded to an 18-item survey designed to measure student perceptions on the quality and frequency of teacher–student interaction. Quality of interaction was subdivided into three constructs representing feedback, procedural, and social interaction. A confirmatory factor analysis helped to establish the fit of the statistical model for teacher–student interaction. Hierarchical logistical regression indicates that an increase in the quality and frequency of interaction resulted in an increased likelihood of course completion but had minimal influence on grade awarded. The estimated effect for quality and frequency composite items on completion was .83 and .56 respectively. Low practical significance of student–teacher interaction on grade awarded may be the result of mastery-based teaching approaches that skew grades for the completers toward the high end.     

A Glimpse into the Minds of Mothers: The Default Mode Network and Responsiveness to Infant Cries

SYNOPSIS

The authors comment on a paper reporting differences between mothers and non-mothers in neural responses to infant cries and other emotive sounds while engaging in self- or goal-oriented tasks. The value of examining deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) as a means of understanding differential attention patterns in both typical and atypical populations is discussed, as is the generalizability of the experimental paradigm to ecologically relevant contexts. The role of an individual’s age, parental status, and experience in shaping responses to infant crying is considered, and future avenues of research are suggested. An argument is made for coupling neuroimaging techniques with behavioral assays to better understand the determinants of maternal behavior.     

Changing classrooms bring new questions: environmental influences,self-efficacy,and academic achievement

Learning Environments Research - In recent years, considerable attention has been given to how the physical structure of active learning classrooms affects academic performance, but little is known...     

Programme evaluation toolbox: effective evaluation principles and considerations in career practice

In our ever-present age of accountability, career development professionals are increasingly called upon to document evidence-based outcomes and other metrics of programme effectiveness. In this article, we will review the key components of effective programme evaluation, including purposes and types of evaluation. Our review will span empirical and practical literature across disciplines and within guidance and counselling, specifically. We will review current evaluation models within an international context but focus predominantly on US based ones, along with articulating their shortfalls. Finally, we will present a potentially transformative advocacy-infused model of programme evaluation.     

Teachers' attitudes towards adolescent sexuality and life skills education in rural South Africa

This study investigated the attitudes of 43 teachers and school administrators towards sex education, young people's sexuality and their communities in 19 secondary schools in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and how these attitudes affect school-based HIV prevention and sex education. In interviews, teachers expressed judgemental attitudes towards young people's sexuality and pregnant students, and focused on girls' perceived irresponsible behaviour instead of strategies to minimise HIV risk. Despite general awareness of the HIV epidemic, few teachers perceived it as an immediate threat, and teachers' own HIV risk was infrequently acknowledged. Teachers perceived themselves to have higher personal standards and moral authority than members of the communities and schools they served. Male administrators' authority to determine school policies and teachers' attitudes towards sexuality fundamentally affect the content and delivery of school-based sexuality education and HIV prevention activities. Opportunities to create a supportive educational environment for students and for female teachers are frequently missed. Improving teachers' efficacy to deliver impartial, non-judgemental and accurate information about sex and HIV is essential, as are efforts to acknowledge and address their own HIV risks.     

Getting Buzzed In the Library: The Use of Restaurant-Style Pagers for Reserves Checkout in an Academic Library

In 2004, the Social Sciences and Humanities Library at the University of California–San Diego implemented restaurant-style pagers to notify waiting patrons that the reserve collection materials they needed were available. The authors describe the university libraries’ process for implementing the pagers and the success staff has had with pagers over the past four years, list other libraries that use pagers, suggest other library uses for pagers, and offer guidance to institutions that might consider this service enhancement.     

DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN INTEGRATED,PROBLEM-BASED ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM IN AN AMERICAN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM

The South Carolina Advanced Technological (SC ATE) Center of Excellence is establishing a model for postsecondary reform of mathematics, science, engineering technology, and communications education through its mission of increasing the quantity, quality, and diversity of engineering technology graduates from two-year technical colleges. An integrated, problem-based curriculum, collaborative teaching strategies, and extensive active learning techniques - together with faculty and student teams - form the cornerstone of the SC ATE approach. Two major instructional components have been developed: Technology Gateway, also known as pre-engineering technology, and the first-year engineering technology core (ET Core). Just-in-time delivery of mathematics concepts and other subject matter is an important component of the integrated curriculum. The SC ATE approach to technician education is greatly improving student retention in challenging engineering technology programs. Student confidence in mathematical ability is increasing, along with student capabilities in working in teams in an integrated curriculum setting. SC ATE is partially funded by the National Science Foundation and the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.     

Henry Dale's Nobel Prize Winning `Discovery'

A particular model of scientific achievement is embedded within the Nobel Prize, one that privileges the scientific `loner', whoachieves a distinct discovery at a particularmoment in time. A common criticism of this`individualistic' story of achievement is thatit obscures the social and cultural factors inscientific discovery. A collective story,highlighting the role of social relations andscientific milieux, may offer more explanatorypower in accounting for scientific discoveriesand inventions. This paper explores the processby which Henry Dale became recognized as thediscoverer of the chemical transmission ofnerve impulses. It compares the explanatorypower of the story of individual creativitywith a story that highlights the interactionbetween a scientist and his environment.