Applied studies: A model for experiential education

For a number of years the University of Lethbridge has been working to develop a model for experiential education which is appropriate for liberal arts students. To this end, a four-year experimental project was initiated in 1973 to develop such a model, adapting already established principles of Cooperative Education. The result of this experiment—that traditional Coop was not the appropriate vehicle—led to a more inclusive experiential educational model, which allows for both employment and volunteer experiences, involves the awarding of academic credit, and places the onus on the student to demonstrate through various forms of documentation the relationship between his or her field experience and academic program. While there always will be difficulties in assessing the credit value of learning gained from a practical experience, the University of Lethbridge has, through an approach that involves the realization of specific learning objectives, developed a program that fits well into the liberal arts framework.     

Working Memory and Reading Difficulties: What We Know and What We Don’t Know About the Relationship

This paper examines the role of Working Memory (WM) in developmental reading problems, considering: 1) The operationalization of WM; 2) The unique contribution of WM to reading; 3) Domain-general or -specific explanations of decoding and reading comprehension deficits; and 4) The capacity of WM constructs to distinguish between reading disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is concluded that: 1) Significant problems operationalizing working memory measures remain; 2) No clear unique role for WM is evident in longitudinal studies of reading acquisition; 3) Existing evidence concerning the domain-specificity or generality of WM problems is hard to interpret given problems in identification and sampling of poor readers and operationalization of WM constructs; 4) Further work is required to specify the nature of WM problems in samples of poor readers, as distinct from other co-occurring problems such as ADHD. Additional research is suggested to address these issues more fully.