The Mirror Neuron System and Observational Learning: Implications for the Effectiveness of Dynamic Visualizations

Learning by observing and imitating others has long been recognized as constituting a powerful learning strategy for humans. Recent findings from neuroscience research, more specifically on the mirror neuron system, begin to provide insight into the neural bases of learning by observation and imitation. These findings are discussed here, along with their potential consequences for the design of instruction, focusing in particular on the effectiveness of dynamic vs. static visualizations.

The adjustment problems faced by international and overseas Chinese students studying in Taiwan universities: a comparison of student and faculty/staff perceptions

Over the last 15 years the number of international students studying at universities in Taiwan has increased dramatically; however, to date, there have been few studies that measured the cultural adjustment problems that this diverse group of students experience. To remedy this problem, this study gathered data from 1,174 international students and 189 faculty and staff members at 15 universities in Taiwan that described the extent of these problems in 12 different areas. Using independent sample t-tests and multiple regression analysis, this study found that the cultural adjustment problems experienced by international students were relatively minor, that faculty and staff consistently overstated these problems, and most importantly, problems with the English language explained more of the variation in both student and faculty and staff responses.     

Stability of repeated student evaluations of teaching in the second preclinical year of a medical curriculum

The second preclinical year of the medical curriculum at the Medical Faculty of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland includes nine multidisciplinary organ-system-oriented modules consisting of lectures and problem-based-learning tutorials. This study reports the experience accumulated with the evaluation of lectures during the academic years 1998–1999 and 1999–2000. The ratings of the different modules were highly variable, indicating the ability of students to have a critical view on the teaching and the teachers. There was a close to very close correlation between the ratings obtained during the two study years. The high discriminative capacity of students in evaluating the teaching and the teachers was also supported by their critical point of view expressed in free comments. Our observations stress therefore the reliability of teaching evaluations systematically performed by medical students.     

图书情报学中定性和定量研究方法的科学哲学基础及双重整合原理探析

在由本体论、认识论、价值论构成的哲学内核中,方法论连接本体论和认识论,认识论决定方法论并主导科学技术。在科学哲学的科学发展范式框架下,指出科学应符合逻辑性、可检验和定量化三性原则。图书情报学作为一门经验科学,在哲学上归属认识论主导,其发展特性应符合科学三性原则,研究程式适用2S2R模型。倡导在图书情报学研究中适取定性或定量方法,并提出以广义二重证据法思想实现定性方法和定量方法、实证检验与理论推演的双重整合。图2。表1。参考文献18。     

Briefly noted

THE ART OF RHETORIC IN THE ROMAN WORLD. By George Kennedy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1972; pp. xvi+658. $18.50; paper $9.75.     

Considering the Ordo as Pedagogical Context for Religious Education With Christian High School Youth

The Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation attempts to join Freirean educational theory on contextual pedagogies with ancient Christian practices of the ordo toward the formation and theological education of Protestant Christian high school students. This article describes and reflects on the character and ultimately the success of this odd coupling. While attempting to demonstrate how the ordo as pedagogy may be made inviting to adolescent contexts and to evoke and value the particularities of their experiences, including their experiences of difference, this article also asserts that the ordo provides the additional benefit (sometimes absent from contextual pedagogies utilized by religious educators) of offering ample resources for theological formation, reflection, and construction.