The effectiveness of blended online learning courses at the community college level

Whether through the use of online-only or hybrid/blended formats, colleges and universities across the country are increasingly utilizing online platforms as a medium for the delivery of instruction. At the same time, we know little about how student learning outcomes are related to students’ engagement with online instructional formats. In particular, few studies have evaluated online learning in community colleges, and fewer yet have employed an experimental or quasi-experimental design to do so. In this research, we use propensity score matching to compare learning gains between community college students enrolled in blended courses, (courses that combine online instructional delivery with traditional classroom-based instruction) with gains experienced by students receiving only classroom-based instruction. Among students enrolled in blended courses, we also consider which aspects of student use of online instructional materials are most strongly associated with student learning. While some evidence has suggested significantly poorer outcomes for community college students enrolled in online-only courses, our results suggest that students enrolled in blended courses perform similarly, if not better, relative to students in a traditional instructional setting. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Citizens' educational values and their satisfaction with a state university

This study describes citizens' values regarding (1) the importance of various university goals and activities, (2) the importance of various academic fields or disciplines, and (3) the importance of various reasons for attending the University of Minnesota. The study examines the relationships between these categories of educational values and citizen satisfaction with the University of Minnesota. A stratified random sample of 722 Minnesota citizens received a questionnaire which had a series of items related to the purposes of the study; 56% returned completed questionnaires. Common factor analyses were used to identify categories of educational values. Citizens' values regarding important goals and activities of the university and their values regarding important reasons for attending the university were somewhat useful in explaining their satisfaction.     

Solving structured geometric tasks on the computer: The role of feedback in generating strategies

This paper describes a year-long study of the way a group of six 12-year-old children went about solving a special class of geometric problems, using a computer and a limited set of Logo programming tools. We examined children's solution strategies from the perspective of whether the strategies led to insights about the underlying mathematical relations. It was found that the feedback aspect of the computer graphics screen encouraged solution strategies that were qualitative and driven by visual data, rather than being based on explicit or implicit relations. These visually based strategies did not lead to the kind of mathematization of problem-situations that we as mathematics educators would like to see and, in fact, seemed to be a barrier to the development of higher levels of geometric thinking.     

Understanding cellular respiration: An analysis of conceptual change in college biology

This study explored and documented the frequencies of conceptual difficulties confronted by college students seeking to understand the basic processes of cellular respiration. Using concept maps, clinical interviews and an open-ended instrument, viewpoints were elicited from 100 (novice) introductory biology students before and after relevant instruction in cellular respiration and from 100 (experienced) students enrolled in advanced biology courses. Chi-square analyses revealed significant differences among groups in the frequencies of scientifically acceptable and alternative conceptions. The findings suggest that novices harbor a wide range of conceptual difficulties that constrain their understanding of cellular respiration. Furthermore, many of these difficulties persist after instruction and new ones arise. Often these conceptual problems remain intact among experienced students despite well-planned, repeated instruction at advanced levels.     

Parental responses to infant crying: the influence of child physical abuse risk and hostile priming

OBJECTIVE: Managing a crying infant is a challenge universally faced by new parents. This study examined whether parental interpretations, feelings, and behaviors following exposure to a 2-minute videotaped segment of a crying infant varied as a function of child physical abuse (CPA) risk and exposure to cues of hostility (i.e., hostile priming). METHOD: Participants included 84 general population parents (52 low and 32 high CPA risk) with valid and complete protocols. It was predicted that (1) negative trait ratings, (2) feelings of hostility, and (3) ability to modulate grip strength would differ across CPA risk groups (high vs. low) and priming conditions (hostile vs. neutral). RESULTS: As expected, high, compared to low, CPA risk parents rated the crying infant more negatively and reported higher levels of hostile feelings after watching the crying infant video. Hostile priming independently increased feelings of hostility, such that high CPA risk parents who were primed with hostile words reported higher levels of hostile feelings relative to all other conditions. Hostile priming also was modestly associated with increased use of excessive force when parents attempted to produce a half-strength grip; however this difference was apparent only among high CPA risk parents. CONCLUSIONS: High, compared to low, CPA risk parents rated the crying infant more negatively and reported higher levels of hostile feelings after watching the crying infant video. Hostile priming independently increased hostile feelings and was modestly associated with use of excessive force in the hand grip task among high CPA risk parents.     

千禧一代,“自恋狂”还是“新人王”?

我即将要做的事正是多少年来老一辈的人都曾经做过的:批评比我年轻的人懒惰、自私、浅薄、自以为是。以下是一些冰冷的硬数据:美国国家卫生研究院提供的数据显示,与目前达到65岁或以上的人相比,二十多岁的年轻人患自恋型人格障碍的几率是前者的将近三倍。这些人深信自己很了不起:"全国青年与宗教调查"报告发现,60%的千禧一代表示,他们在任何情况下遵守的道德是:他们觉得这是对的就行。