Improving Quality and Efficiency of Postpartum Hospital Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of an evidence-based, streamlined, education process (comprehensive education booklet, individualized education plan, and integration of education into the clinical pathway) and nurse education to improve the quality and efficiency of postpartum education during hospitalization. A one-group pretest–posttest design was used to measure the quality of discharge teaching for new mothers and efficiency of the education process for registered nurses before and after implementation of an intervention. Results indicated that a comprehensive educational booklet and enhanced documentation can improve efficiency in the patient education process for nurses.     

Diversifying the Teaching Force: An Examination of Major Arguments

Over the past two decades, the short supply of teachers of color in elementary and secondary public schools has drawn the attention of policymakers and educators alike. To address the widening cultural chasm between teachers and their students, a variety of initiatives that aim to recruit people of color into teaching have been launched. Little attention has been paid, however, to articulating a research-based rationale for increasing the diversity in the ranks of teachers. This gap in the professional literature renders ongoing teacher diversity efforts vulnerable given the emphasis placed these days on research-based evidence in making decisions regarding the proper use of limited public resources, including funding for education. The purpose of this article is to address the noted gap in the literature. From an extensive review of the literature, we identified three major arguments for diversifying the teaching force and assessed the extent to which they are validated by empirical research. The results are reported, and implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.     

e‐Assessment for learning? The potential of short‐answer free‐text questions with tailored feedback

A natural language based system has been used to author and mark short-answer free-text assessment tasks. Students attempt the questions online and are given tailored and relatively detailed feedback on incorrect and incomplete responses, and have the opportunity to repeat the task immediately so as to learn from the feedback provided. The answer matching has been developed in the light of student responses to the questions. A small number of the questions are now in low-stakes summative use, alongside other e-assessment tasks and tutor-marked assignments, to give students instantaneous feedback on constructed response items, to help them to monitor their progress and to encourage dialogue with their tutor. The answer matching has been demonstrated to be of similar or greater accuracy than specialist human markers. Students have been observed attempting the questions and have been seen to respond in differing ways to both the questions themselves and the feedback provided. We discuss features of appropriate items for assessment of this type.     

An investigation of knowledge‐building activities in an online community of practice at Subaru of America

Current approaches to workplace learning emphasize designing communities of practice that are intended to support both formal and informal knowledge acquisition. This article presents the design and research of a knowledge‐based community of practice for Subaru, based on principles outlined by Scardamalia (2002) and Zhang, Scardamalia, Lamon, Messina, and Reeve (2007). The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which participants' interactions in the online community showed evidence of individual and collective knowledge building. We found evidence of knowledge building within online discussions in these areas: interactions around improvement of ideas, connection to workplace knowledge and practices, and building on or adopting the ideas of others. We also found significant gains in scores on an assessment of workplace customer service after participation in the online community of practice.     

A Comparison of Training and Competition Demands in Semiprofessional Male Basketball Players

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare training and competition demands in basketball. Methods: Fifteen semiprofessional male basketball players wore microsensors during physical conditioning training (PCT), games-based training (GBT), and competition to measure absolute and relative (·min^?1) PlayerLoad^TM (PL) and estimated equivalent distance (EED). Internal responses were calculated using absolute and relative session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and summated heart rate zones (SHRZ). Integrated measures were calculated as sRPE:PL and SHRZ:PL ratios. Results: PlayerLoad (arbitrary units [AU]) and EED (m) were statistically significantly (p < .05) higher during PCT (632 ± 139 AU, d = 1.36; 5,964 ± 1,312 m, d = 1.36; 6.50 ± 0.81 AU·min^?1, d = 2.44; 61.88 ± 7.22 m·min^?1, d = 2.60) and GBT (624 ± 113 AU, d = 1.54; 5,892 ± 1,080 m, d = 1.53; 6.10 ± 0.77 AU·min^?1, d = 2.14; 56.76 ± 6.49 m·min^?1, d = 2.22) than they were during competition (449 ± 118 AU; 3,722 ± 1474 m; 4.35 ± 1.09 AU·min^?1; 41.01 ± 10.29 m·min^?1). Summated heart rate zones were statistically significantly (p < .05) higher during PCT (314 ± 86 AU, d = 1.05; 3.22 ± 0.50 AU·min^?1, d = 1.94) and GBT (334 ± 79 AU, d = 1.38; 3.19 ± 0.54 AU·min^?1, d = 1.83) than they were during competition (225 ± 77 AU; 2.17 ± 0.69 AU·min^?1). The ratio of sRPE:PL was statistically significantly (p < .05) higher during competition (1.58 ± 0.85) than during PCT (0.98 ± 0.22, d = 1.44) and GBT (0.91 ± 0.24, d = 1.90). Conclusion: Training demands exceeded competition demands.     

Sustainability,virtue ethics,and the virtue of harmony with nature

This article argues that the dominant sustainable development approach fails to acknowledge the interconnectedness and interrelatedness of social and environmental issues, and that sustainability requires a ‘transformational’ approach, involving a fundamental change in how humans relate to each other and to nature. The authors propose that virtue ethics, grounded in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, provides a framework with which to tackle such a transformation; to redress the human-nature relationship and help foster a more ecological perspective; to facilitate a more holistic and integrative view of sustainability; and to explore questions of how to live and flourish within a more sustainable world. Beginning with an overview of virtue ethics and critique of current approaches in environmental virtue ethics, this article proposes a new virtue, ‘harmony with nature’, that addresses the interconnectedness of our relationship with nature. This is followed by a proposal for the re-visioning of human flourishing as being necessarily situated within nature. The article concludes with some of the implications of a virtue ethics approach to sustainability, and the new virtue, for both sustainability education and moral education.     

THE DETERMINATION OF THE ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS TO THEIR UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

It is shown that it is as necessary to gauge a student's interest in and respect for what he is learning as it is to examine his skills and knowledge. Definitions of beliefs, attitudes, disposition and motivation are given in an attempt to determine what it is that should be measured, and finally two measurement methods are proposed ‐‐ systematic observation and the Consequences Questionnaire. The uses of each are discussed and it is argued that the latter, while not yet a refined instrument, is worthy of further development.     

Teachers,Families, and Communities Supporting English Language Learners in Inclusive Pre-Kindergartens: An Evaluation of a Professional Development Model

The purpose of the Teachers, Families, and Communities Supporting English Language Learners (TFC) project was to implement and evaluate a sustainable model of high-quality professional development focused on improving inclusive pre-kindergarten services for English Language Learners (ELL) and their families. The professional development program consisted of three interactive training sessions and on-site classroom coaching visits. The project evaluation consisted of an assessment of the professional development program (i.e., the training sessions and coaching) and teachers' self-assessments of their beliefs and practices. Results indicate that the professional development program supported pre-kindergarten teachers in their efforts to be responsive to ELL children in their classrooms and with their families. Results also indicate that pre-kindergarten teachers are in need of continued support as they work with linguistically and culturally diverse children and their families. Implications for future professional development focused on English Language Learners are discussed.