Learner control in full and lean CAI programs

This study investigated the effects of two types of control over instruction (learner and program) and two modes of instructional programs (lean and full) on the achievement, option use, and time-in-program of 274 high-ability and low-ability students from grades 9 and 10. The basic instructional program in geometry was delivered by computer. Subjects under learner control scored significantly higher on the program posttest than those under program control, spent significantly more time in the program, and liked it better. Learner-control subjects appeared to “trust” their given version of the program, viewing many more optional screens in the full version than those in the lean one. High-ability learners adapted their study behavior to the lean version under learner control by choosing significantly more optional screens than their low-ability counterparts. This research was conducted while he was a graduate student at Arizona State University where Howard J. Sullivan is a professor in Learning and Instructional Technology.     

Learner preferences and prior knowledge in learner-controlled computer-based instruction

This study examined the effects of prior knowledge, learner preference for control, and type of control (learner or program) on the achievement of middle-school students in a computer-based instructional program on adding and subtracting integers. Students were blocked by preference-for-control scores and randomly assigned to either a learner-control or program-control version of instruction. A significant three-way interaction (prior knowledge × preference scores × type of control) revealed that students with high prior knowledge achieved better on the posttest when their preference for control was matched with the type of control they received, whereas students with low prior knowledge achieved better when their preference was mismatched. A significant three-way interaction on attitude reflected the same pattern found in the interaction for achievement scores. The overall results indicate that matching learner preference to the type of program they receive is an effective strategy for high-prior-knowledge students but not for those with low prior knowledge.

The evaluation of faculty development programs

This article reviews literature pertinent to the evaluation of faculty development programs and presents data from several studies conducted at two institutions. These data were consistent with those previously reported in that faculty participants consistently expressed satisfaction with development services. In addition, one study found that most faculty members voluntarily took some action to improve their instructional effectiveness, though only a minority pursued these efforts in depth. Volunteers who worked intensively with a faculty development consultant improved more on objective measures of effectiveness than did those who were only superficially involved in improvement efforts; those who received no consultative assistance failed to improve significantly. Evidence from a final study provided a control for faculty motivation and led to the conclusion that improvement was contingent both on faculty desire to improve and on the availability of professional assistance.     

Flavor- vs. tone-cued shock avoidance

In a direct comparison, flavor-cued rats learned to avoid shock in a two-way shuttlebox as well as, or better than, tone-cued rats. These results stand in contrast to the prevalent view that rats encounter difficulty in forming flavor-shock, but not tone-shock, associations. In attempting to account for this contrast, we note that experiments revealing cue-modality specificity employ an aversion paradigm and record ingestive behavior. It is argued that both the paradigm and the dependent variable are inappropriate for assessing shock-avoidance learning, and that cue-modality specificity in such a setting reflects paradigm and response choice rather than a general characteristic of rats.     

Teachers' Interpretations of Effective Whole-class Interactive Teaching in Secondary Mathematics Classrooms

Prompted by ongoing concerns over standards of numeracy, eight mathematics teachers from four secondary schools in south Wales formed a teacher inquiry group to research the impact of introducing whole-class interactive teaching strategies into their own practice. Possible teaching approaches and activities were developed and agreed during group meetings. These were trialled by the teachers during their normal mathematics lessons. Lesson observations, interviews with teachers and discussions at the group meetings, however, indicated that the implementation of the approaches varied significantly across teachers. This paper analyses the variation in interpretations and teaching styles, and discusses their impact on the quality of the classroom discourse. The determining features discerned within the classroom dialogue included the extent to which pupils were encouraged to reflect on their mathematical knowledge, and the ways in which teachers were able to scaffold pupils' learning.     

Gardnerella vaginalis infection and sexual contact in female children

Gardnerella vaginalis (GV) infection has been reported as being acquired via sexual contact in adults and as an indicator of sexual contact in female children (DeJong, 1985). The purpose of this study was to determine if GV infection was more commonly found in 191 female children who gave a history of sexual contact and/or were infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) (Group 1), compared with 144 female children evaluated for possible sexual abuse and found to have no such history or infection with GC or CT (Group 2), or 31 female children (friends of the authors) without such a history or GC or CT infection (Group 3). Vaginal GV was found in 5.3% of Group 1, 4.9% of Group 2 and 6.4% of Group 3 (p > .05). Also, vaginal GV infection was not related to the type of sexual contact or race, but did increase with age in white female children. Because vaginal GV infection is not more commonly found in children with a history of sexual contact than those without such a history, the finding of GV in a vaginal culture in an individual case would not be a reliable marker of sexual contact. Routine culturing for GV is not recommended as part of a sexual abuse workup.     

A Bayesian Method for Evaluating Passing Scores: The PPoP Curve

In this note, we demonstrate an interesting use of the posterior distributions (and corresponding posterior samples of proficiency) that are yielded by fitting a fully Bayesian test scoring model to a complex assessment. Specifically, we examine the efficacy of the test in combination with the specific passing score that was chosen through expert judgment, or, in general, any external a priori criterion. In addition, we study the robustness of the test's efficacy with respect to choice of the passing score.     

Exploring Engineering instructors’ views about writing and online tools to support communication in Engineering

To be fully prepared for the professional workplace, Engineering students need to be able to effectively communicate. However, there has been a growing concern in the field about students’ preparedness for this aspect of their future work. It is argued that online writing tools, to engage numbers of students in the writing process, can support feedback on and development of writing in engineering on a larger scale. Through interviews and questionnaires, this study explores engineering academics’ perceptions of writing to better understand how online writing tools may be integrated into their teaching. Results suggest that writing is viewed positively in the discipline, but it is not believed to be essential to success in engineering. Online writing tools were believed to support a larger number of students, but low knowledge of the tools limited academics’ understanding of their usefulness in teaching and learning. Implications for innovation in undergraduate teaching are discussed.     

Ureaplasma urealyticum and large colony mycoplasma colonization in female children and its relationship to sexual contact, age, and race.

In order to determine if Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu) or large colony mycoplasma (LCM) colonization was related to a history of sexual abuse, the type of sexual contact, an enlarged vaginal introitus transverse diameter (greater than 4 mm), age or race, 452 female children, ages 1-12 years, were evaluated by the Child Sexual Abuse Team at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, NC. Thirty-six girls were deleted because of inadequate cultures. When controlled for race and age, Uu throat (T), vaginal (V), and rectal (R) colonization and LCM vaginal and rectal colonization were not related to any of the other variables listed above. The enlarged vaginal introital diameter was related to a history of sexual abuse (p less than .001). Uu and LCM vaginal colonization rates were increased in black girls as compared to white girls (p less than .05). Uu V, Uu R, LCM V, and LCM R colonization increased with age. In our study population, Uu and LCM colonization was not a useful marker of sexual contact.