Opening the Wrong Gate? The Academic Spring and Scholarly Publishing in the Humanities and Social Sciences

In this paper, I explore the ways in which the 2012 Elsevier boycott and resultant call for open access scholarship known as the ??academic spring?? have been taken up by scholars in the humanities and social sciences. I begin by reviewing the current state of affairs with regards to publishing and the academy, explicating the movement??s reasons for demanding change. From this, I identify two moral principles which emerge from its critique, and then I show how implementing the recommendations which have been circulated as alternatives to the status quo do not necessarily support the academic spring??s foundational principles. I conclude by suggesting a possible alternative direction of productive action and sounding a final word of caution.     

Meditation in Higher Education: Does it Enhance Cognition?

We predicted that students in a sociology course that included contemplative practices (i.e., mindfulness meditation) would show an increase in performance on higher level cognitive abilities (executive functions) over the semester compared to a control group of students. Change in executive functions performance was not significantly different between the two groups. However, when looking within the meditation group, the time spent meditating predicted the amount of executive function improvement, suggesting that the amount of time spent meditating is strongly related to the level of improvement. This finding provides preliminary support for benefits of meditation for students’ higher level cognitive abilities.     

Using Blogs and New Media in Academic Practice: Potential Roles in Research, Teaching, Learning, and Extension

Compiling a referenced article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal is traditionally the most respected means of contributing to a body of knowledge. However, we argue that publication of evidence-based information via new media – especially blogging – can also be a valid form of academic scholarship. Blogs allow for rapid sharing of research methods, results, and conclusions in an open, transparent manner. With proper references, blogs and other new media can position academic research in the public sphere and provide rapid, reliable information in response to emerging issues. They can also support other traditional goals of higher education institutions, serving as tools for teaching, learning and outreach.     

Crisis in the Curriculum? New Counselors' Crisis Preparation,Experiences, and Self‐Efficacy

Professional counselors are responsible for providing crisis assessment, referral, and intervention ( Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2009 ); however, little is known about their preparation and experiences in these areas. This study examined new professional counselors' (N= 193) crisis intervention preparation, crisis intervention self‐efficacy, and crisis intervention experiences. Although participants had limited crisis preparation during their master's programs, most engaged in crisis intervention during their field experiences. Implications for continuing education and counselor education are explored.     

Counseling Programs' Informed Consent Practices: A Survey of Student Preferences

This study examined 115 master's‐level counseling students' preferences for content, timing, and method of programmatic informed consent. Students rated the majority of items as moderately or extremely important to receive, and they indicated a desire for the informed consent to be facilitated through a combination of both oral and written methods throughout their programs of study. Results reinforce and go beyond the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2009) and American Counseling Association (2005) expectations for informed consent. Implications for counselor education are discussed.