READINESS AND ATTITUDES AS INDICATORS FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE CALCULUS

This study examined student indicators for success in entry-level college calculus. An attitude toward mathematics inventory, course performance, readiness assessment, and student interviews were used to determine characteristics and behaviors of students who succeeded in the course. In addition to student indicators, difficult topics and suggestions for improvement in the course structure were identified. While the focus of this study was on student indicators, the analyses of instructor interviews were included in order to compare their views with those of the students. The quantitative analyses showed that high school grade point average and the Calculus Readiness Assessment had positive significant correlations with course performance. The strongest positive significant correlation, however, was between attitude (Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory overall and confidence subscale) and course performance.     

The Effect of Goal-Line Presentation and Goal Selection on First-Grader Subtraction Fluency

Math proficiency is related to math calculation fluency. Explicit timing provides repeated practice for math fluency. It is enhanced through goal setting, graphic feedback, and rewards. Self-selected goals have potential to increase performance for math fluency. This study compared the effect of goal lines, and researcher goals versus self-selected goals. The authors compared three groups: (a) researcher-selected goals only, (b) researcher-selected goals with goal lines, and (c) self-selected goals with goal lines. First-grade students completed subtraction probes and colored in a bar graph with their performance. When participants met or exceeded their goals, participants received rewards twice per week. Results indicated that the researcher-selected goals with goal lines procedures with explicit timing had the greatest effect on subtraction fluency for first-grade students. The researcher-selected goals with goal lines and self-selected goals with goal lines groups outperformed the researcher-selected goals-only group.     

利用数据网格技术建立保存环境

如果数字记录环境能将数据记录与它们所依赖的原始创建架构相分离,数据保存环境将是成功的.数据网格技术支持管理位于多存储系统的数据,数据网格技术如何支持记录保存过程,基于数据网格的现有保存环境如何,本文做出了说明.     

The South’s torturous search for the good books

The story of the book in Southern history is the story of the perception of dangers associated with reading, of the problems in establishing the communications system essential for making books available, of the differing meanings of books to different groups in Southern culture. This article traces that story from the colonial era through the present, paying special attention to friction between North and South, the role of religious orthodoxy, the dominance of oral culture, deficiencies in the library system, and the rural nature of the region. It ends with a discussion of Southern writers and their role in the development of a book culture. Charles Reagan Wilson received his bachelor of arts (1970) and master of arts (1972) in history at the University of Texas at El Paso and his doctorate in history at the University of Texas at Austin (1977). He has taught at the University of Mississippi, where he is professor of History and Southern Studies, since 1981. He is the author ofBaptized in Blood: The Religion of the Lost Cause, 1865–1920 (1980) and coeditor of theEncyclopedia of Southern Culture (1989).     

Impact of narrative and badging on learning and engagement in a psychology learning game

The literature reflects a shortage of empirical research on educational game design. This paper presents the results from a randomized controlled study on the impact of narrative and digital badging on learning and engagement in an educational game that teaches basic brain structure and function to undergraduate psychology students. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, and correspondingly played a base version of the game, the base version plus fantasy-based narrative, the base version plus digital badges or the base version and both fantasy-based narrative and digital badges. Eighty students completed a subject matter pretest, played the game in its entirety and then completed a posttest. Quantitative analyses revealed that the manipulations did not significantly impact learning or engagement. While the manipulations were ineffective in this study, future research should examine how professional writing affects narrative impact and how difficulty level can be better assessed in digital badging in order to see if the results remain consistent.     

Development of an instrument to measure Faculty’s information and communication technology access (FICTA)

The phenomenon of “digital divide” is complex and multidimensional, extending beyond issues of physical access. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure a range of factors related to digital divide among higher education faculty and to evaluate its reliability and validity. Faculty’s Information and Communication Technology Access (FICTA) scale was tested and validated with 322 faculty teaching in public and private sector universities. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation confirmed an 8-factor solution corresponding to various dimensions of ICT access. The 57-item FICTA scale demonstrated good psychometric properties and offers researchers a tool to examine faculty’s access to ICT at four levels – motivational, physical, skills, and usage access.     

Leveraging Technology and Staffing in Developing a New Liaison Program

With nearly all library resources and services delivered digitally, librarians working for the New York University Health Sciences Library struggled with maintaining awareness of changing user needs, understanding barriers faced in using library resources and services, and determining knowledge management challenges across the organization. A liaison program was created to provide opportunities for librarians to meaningfully engage with users. The program was directed toward a subset of high-priority user groups to provide focused engagement with these users. Responsibility for providing routine reference service was reduced for liaison librarians to provide maximum time to engage with their assigned user communities.     

Differentiating telephone surveys from telemarketing to increase response rates

The purpose of this study is to test whether including “I'm not selling anything” in telephone survey introductions reduces refusals and increases response rates. Experiences with and attitudes toward telemarketing also are assessed. Based on telephone interviews with an RDD sample of 655 in the Seattle metropolitan area, including the statement “I'm not selling anything” in the introduction does not significantly affect response rates. Only an introduction with a university reference significantly increases response rates. Also, respondents in the condition with no survey legitimization have a significantly more favorable attitude toward telemarketing than respondents in the condition with survey legitimization.