The international geophysical year in Antarctica: Uncommon collaborations, unprecedented results

When 1 July 1957 “dawned” in the dark of the south polar night, Americans at seven scientific stations scattered across Antarctica officially began systematic, synoptic observations of the air above and ice below. Joining scientists from 11 other countries on the polar continent, they were part of the International Geophysical Year, an 18-month worldwide effort to understand the earth and its environment. The Navy and other military services provided the transportation, construction, and maintenance to make life and work possible on the ice. The scientific success and value of the IGY inspired a mechanism—the Antarctic Treaty of 1959—for a peaceful future focused on the cooperative pursuit of scientific knowledge. While imperfect and fragile, the treaty is still in force and, with continuing military and civilian support, scientific research in Antarctica prospers. All this was achieved in a remarkably short time, by disparate, thinly acquainted, mutually wary cultures—military, scientific, and diplomatic. All the more astonishing is that it happened within the tense context of the Cold War, as statesmen and warriors were wise enough to allow “apolitical” scientists to lead where they could not.     

First‐Generation Undergraduate Students' Social Support,Depression, and Life Satisfaction

First‐generation undergraduate students face challenging cross‐socioeconomic cultural transitions into college life. The authors compared first‐ and non‐first‐generation undergraduate students’ social support, posttraumatic stress, depression symptoms, and life satisfaction. First‐generation participants reported less social support from family and friends, more single‐event traumatic stress, less life satisfaction, and marginally more depression symptomatology than non‐first‐generation participants, but significant generation–gender interactions showed first‐generation women doing worse and first‐generation men doing better than others.     

The Critical Thinking Analytic Rubric (CTAR): Investigating intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of a scoring mechanism for critical thinking performance assessments

The purpose of this study was to investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Critical Thinking Analytic Rubric (CTAR). The CTAR is composed of 6 rubric categories: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and disposition. To investigate inter-rater reliability, two trained raters scored four sets of performance-based student work samples derived from a pilot study and subsequent larger study. The two raters also blindly scored a subset of student work samples a second time to investigate intra-rater reliability. Participants in this study were high school seniors enrolled in a college preparation course. Both raters showed acceptable levels of intra-rater reliability (α ≥ 0.70) in five of the six rubric categories. One rater showed poor consistency (α = 0.56) for the analysis category of the rubric, while the other rater showed excellent consistency (α = 0.91) for the same category suggesting the need for further training of the former rater. The results of the inter-rater reliability investigation demonstrate acceptable levels of consistency (α ≥ 0.70) in all rubric categories. This investigation demonstrated that the CTAR can be used by raters to score student work samples in a consistent manner.     

Referring and Reporting Research Participants at Risk: Views from Urban Adolescents

Researching developmental risks of urban youth raises ethical concerns when an investigator discovers a participant is in jeopardy. This study collected data on 147 seventh, ninth, and eleventh graders' views of 3 investigator options: (1) taking no action and maintaining confidentiality, (2) reporting the problem to a concerned parent or adult, and (3) facilitating adolescent self-referrals. Participants judged these options within the context of 5 risk domains: substance abuse, child maltreatment, life-threatening behaviors, delinquency, and shyness. Judgments of reporting options were related to grade and ratings of risk severity, but not to moral reasoning. Confidentiality was viewed favorably for risk behaviors of low perceived severity or for which the consequences of adult discovery might introduce greater risk. Confidentiality was viewed unfavorably and reporting to adults favorably for child maltreatment and threats of suicide. Self-referral was viewed favorably across all grades and risk behaviors. Implications of adolescent perspectives for research ethics are discussed.     

Using Affinity Chromatography to Investigate Novel Protein–Protein Interactions in an Undergraduate Cell and Molecular Biology Lab Course

Inquiry-driven lab exercises require students to think carefully about a question, carry out an investigation of that question, and critically analyze the results of their investigation. Here, we describe the implementation and assessment of an inquiry-based laboratory exercise in which students obtain and analyze novel data that contribute to our understanding of macromolecular trafficking between the nucleus and cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. Although many of the proteins involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport are known, the physical interactions between some of these polypeptides remain uncharacterized. In this cell and molecular biology lab exercise, students investigate novel protein–protein interactions between factors involved in nuclear RNA export. Using recombinant protein expression, protein extraction, affinity chromatography, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting, undergraduates in a sophomore-level lab course identified a previously unreported association between the soluble mRNA transport factor Mex67 and the C-terminal region of the yeast nuclear pore complex protein Nup1. This exercise immersed students in the process of investigative science, from proposing and performing experiments through analyzing data and reporting outcomes. On completion of this investigative lab sequence, students reported enhanced understanding of the scientific process, increased proficiency with cellular and molecular methods and content, greater understanding of data analysis and the importance of appropriate controls, an enhanced ability to communicate science effectively, and an increased enthusiasm for scientific research and for the lab component of the course. The modular nature of this exercise and its focus on asking novel questions about protein–protein interactions make it easily transferable to undergraduate lab courses performed in a wide variety of contexts.     

Institutional Image and Retention

The image or `branding' issue hasbecome a strategic managerial decision forpostsecondary institutions because it impactsupon the desire of a student to persist andcomplete, or to drop out. This paper examinesthe relationship that exists between students'expectations and their lived experience asreported by students in an actual institutionalsetting. It is a case study which suggestsactionable outcomes for the particularinstitution. More importantly, the approachused here is easily replicable and may beemployed to provide useful information forimage enhancement in other university settings.     

Lifelong learning: The dialectics of “lifelong educations”

This article examines the emergence of different patterns of lifelong education and at the same time gives an overall view of how the various contributions to this special issue add to our understanding of the process of change that is taking place in the educational arena. The article is structured around three main themes. First, it addresses the changing relationship between initial education, adult education and the general learning environments. As the author shows, these three elements form a complex and interacting web of influences, which can be fully understood only as a totality. Secondly, under the heading of The Dialectics at work behind and in education, the article discusses such factors as the changing patterns of employment and non-working time and the disparity between social demand for education and the institutional response. Thirdly, the author deals with the economy of lifelong learning and the changing role of the state in education. Overall, the author presents a picture of profound and widespread transition, in which many different types of learning society are emerging.

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Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel untersucht das Auftreten unterschiedlicher Bildungsmuster im Bereich lebenslanger Bildung und gibt zugleich einen Gesamtüberblick darüber, wie verschiedene Beiträge zu diesem Thema unser Verständnis für den gegenwärtig im Erziehungsbereich stattfindenden Veränderungsprozess erhöhen. Dieser Artikel gliedert sich in drei Hauptthemen. Erstens geht er auf die sich ändernden Beziehungen zwischen einer Erstausbildung, Erwachsenenbildung und allgemeinen Lernumgebungen ein. Der Autor zeigt auf, daß diese drei Elemente ein komplexes und interagierendes Netz von Einflüssen bilden, das nur in seiner Gesamtheit vollständig erfaßt werden kann. Zweitens diskutiert der Artikel unter der Überschrift die angewandte Dialektik vor dem Hintergrund der Bildung und in der Bildung selbst Faktoren wie Veränderungen von Arbeitsplatz und arbeitsfreier Zeit und die Diskrepanz zwischen dem sozialem Bedarf an Bildung und der institutionellen Antwort darauf. Drittens behandelt der Autor die wirtschaftliche Seite des lebenslangen Lernens und die sich ändernde Rolle des Staates in der Bildung. Insgesamt präsentiert der Autor das Bild einer tiefgehenden und weitreichenden Übergangsphase, in deren Verlauf viele unterschiedliche Arten von Lerngesellschaften auftreten.

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Résumé Cet article examine l'apparition de différents modèles d'éducation permanente et explique également en quoi ce numéro spécial nous permet de comprendre les processus de transformation qui ont lieu sur la scène éducative. L'article est structuré autour de trois thèmes principaux. Il aborde en premier lieu l'evolution des liens existant entre éducation initiale, éducation des adultes et environments éducatifs. L'auteur démontre que ces trois éléments forment un édifice complexe d'interactions réciproques qui n'est vraiment compréhensible que considéré dans sa totalité. Il discute ensuite sous le titre Processus dialectiques en éducation divers facteurs tels que la mutation des modèles d'emploi et de temps hors travail, ainsi que la disparité entre la demande sociale en éducation et la réponse des institutions. Enfin, il se penche sur l'éducation permanente d'un point de vue économique et sur le nouveau rôle de l'Etat en matière d'éducation. L'auteur brosse avant tout le tableau d'une transformation profonde et générale qui donne naissance aux formes de société éducative les plus variées.

     

Converting a Face-To-Face Introductory Research Methods Course to an Online Format: Pedagogical Issues and Technological Tools

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a step-by-step conversion of a face-to-face (F2F) entry level social work research methods course to a computer-mediated format. An overview of teaching practices and the important pedagogical foundations associated with this curricular effort are discussed followed by an introduction to the electronic platform utilized in the course. Five new teaching practices that guide the F2F-to-online course conversion of this introductory research methods course are presented with corresponding teaching activities and technological tools. A conversion matrix aligns the teaching practices, classroom activities, and provides references for the identified tools.     

Institutional image and retention

Abstract

The image or ‘branding’ issue has become a strategic managerial decision for postsecondary institutions because it impacts upon the desire of a student to persist and complete, or to drop out. This paper examines the relationship that exists between students’ expectations and their lived experience as reported by students in an actual institutional setting. It is a case study which suggests actionable outcomes for the particular institution. More importantly, the approach used here is easily replicable and may be employed to provide useful information for image enhancement in other university settings.     

Introducing Work-Family Scholarship to Social Work Students: The Development and Assessment of an Online Reading Seminar

This three-part article first presents an overview of a Web-based reading-intensive course that introduces work-family scholarship to social work students so that they can integrate the historical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives of this rich body of knowledge into their practice. Second, the authors explore the compatibility of work-family scholarship, collaborative learning, and online course delivery. And third, a continual course assessment based on specific criteria associated with effective electronic discussion is used to illustrate how the teaching environment of this work-family online course is being modified and improved.