Adapting the delivery of learning materials to student preferences: Two studies with a course model based on ‘cases’

Current printed courses of the Open universiteit (Ou) have been designed according to a variety of course models; for example the ‘learning unit model’ or the ‘textbook‐workbook model’ (van den Boom & Schlusmans 1991). Considering the potential of the ILCE approach (Valcke & Martens, this issue), one can imagine new and innovative course models that build on the interactivity and flexibility possibilities of such an environment An essential feature of the ILCE approach is that developers can consider student differences when designing and producing learning materials.

In this article we will explore the problem of adapting the delivery of learning materials to student characteristics in relation to a course based on ‘cases’ in the law domain. Two different study modes are researched: a study mode that starts with the theory and next moves to practical work with the cases versus a study mode that starts with the practical work and next moves to the theoretical base.

Two studies are presented. Within the exploratory study, the research questions focus on the potential interrelations between student characteristics and the preference/choice for one of the two study modes. From the results can be concluded that almost all students from the Open universiteit prefer a theory‐based study mode, because they have a relatively large amount of experience with this study mode and because they find it a successful study mode.

In the second study, an experimental design is adopted with students studying in one of four different conditions: two study modes of printed learning materials and two study modes of interactive learning materials. In contrast with the exploratory study students clearly indicate a more diverse preference for certain study modes. Students also differ in their preference for the delivery mode. However the more traditional study and delivery mode (theory‐based and printed learning material) remains more popular. Again this might again be due to the greater experience students have with this approach. Only two student characteristics are significantly related to opting for the practice‐based study mode: the experience level with a study mode and one's prior knowledge with the subject matter. Comparable results were detected regarding the preferred delivery mode: students with little prior knowledge more readily prefer a printed book, probably because they have a better overview.     

Das MINERVA-Projekt: Datenbankselektion für Peer-to-Peer-Websuche

Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel wird MINERVA pr?sentiert, eine prototypische Implementierung einer verteilten Suchmaschine basierend auf einer Peer-to-Peer (P2P)-Architektur. MINERVA setzt auf die in der P2P-Welt verbreitete Technik verteilter Hash-Tabellen auf und benutzt diese zum Aufbau eines verteilten Verzeichnisses. Peers in unserem Ansatz entsprechen v?llig autonomen Benutzern mit ihren lokalen Suchm"oglichkeiten, die bereit sind, ihr lokales Wissen und ihre lokalen Suchm?glichkeiten im Rahmen einer Kollaboration zur Verfügung zu stellen. Wir formalisieren unsere Systemarchitektur und beschreiben das zentrale Problem einer effizienten Suche nach vielversprechenden Peers für eine konkrete Anfrage innerhalb des Verbundes. Wir greifen dabei auf existierende Methoden zurück and passen diese an unseren Systemkontext an. Wir pr?sentieren Experimente auf realen Daten, die verschiedene dieser Ans?tze vergleichen. Diese Experimente zeigen, dass die Qualit?t der Ans?tze variiert und untermauern damit die Wichtigkeit und den Einfluss einer leistungsstarken Methode zur Auswahl guter Datenbanken. Unsere Experimente deuten an, dass eine geringe Anzahl sorgf?ltig ausgew?hlter Datenbanken typischerweise bereits einen Gro?teil aller relevanten Ergebnisse des Gesamtsystems liefert.

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This paper presents the MINERVA project that protoypes a distributed search engine based on P2P techniques. MINERVA is layered on top of a Chord-style overlay network and uses a powerful crawling, indexing, and search engine on every autonomous peer. We formalize our system model and identify the problem of efficiently selecting promising peers for a query as a pivotal issue. We revisit existing approaches to the database selection problem and adapt them to our system environment. Measurements are performed to compare different selection strategies using real-world data. The experiments show significant performance differences between the strategies and prove the importance of a judicious peer selection strategy. The experiments also present first evidence that a small number of carefully selected peers already provide the vast majority of all relevant results.

CR Subject Classification H.4,H.3.3,H3.4     

Das MINERVA-Projekt: Datenbankselektion für Peer-to-Peer-Websuche

In diesem Artikel wird MINERVA pr?sentiert, eine prototypische Implementierung einer verteilten Suchmaschine basierend auf einer Peer-to-Peer (P2P)-Architektur. MINERVA setzt auf die in der P2P-Welt verbreitete Technik verteilter Hash-Tabellen auf und benutzt diese zum Aufbau eines verteilten Verzeichnisses. Peers in unserem Ansatz entsprechen v?llig autonomen Benutzern mit ihren lokalen Suchm"oglichkeiten, die bereit sind, ihr lokales Wissen und ihre lokalen Suchm?glichkeiten im Rahmen einer Kollaboration zur Verfügung zu stellen. Wir formalisieren unsere Systemarchitektur und beschreiben das zentrale Problem einer effizienten Suche nach vielversprechenden Peers für eine konkrete Anfrage innerhalb des Verbundes. Wir greifen dabei auf existierende Methoden zurück and passen diese an unseren Systemkontext an. Wir pr?sentieren Experimente auf realen Daten, die verschiedene dieser Ans?tze vergleichen. Diese Experimente zeigen, dass die Qualit?t der Ans?tze variiert und untermauern damit die Wichtigkeit und den Einfluss einer leistungsstarken Methode zur Auswahl guter Datenbanken. Unsere Experimente deuten an, dass eine geringe Anzahl sorgf?ltig ausgew?hlter Datenbanken typischerweise bereits einen Gro?teil aller relevanten Ergebnisse des Gesamtsystems liefert.     

Frauen,Bildung und Entwicklung

Zusammenfassung Die Verfasserin stellt Ansätze eines entwicklungsorientierten Konzeptes für Frauenbildung in Industrieländern vor. Elemente dieses Konzeptes sind: (1) Denken und Handeln in weltgesellschaftlichen Zusammenhängen, (2) die lokale/regionale Verankerung von Bildung, (3) die Förderung eines interkulturellen Blickwinkels und (4) der Abbau von Unterdrückung reproduzierenden Machtstrukturen. Ihren Ausführungen liegen u.a. folgende Thesen zugrunde: Die Entwicklung der Industrieländer hat katastrophale weltweite Auswirkungen, die es notwendig machen, daß auch Frauen ihre Rolle in diesem Zerstörungsprozeß überdenken. Denn sie sind Teil des Systems und tragen, ihrer geschlechtsspezifischen Sozialisation entsprechend, zur Reproduktion derzeitiger Verhältnisse bei. In dem Anliegen, die blinden Flecken im Selbstverständnis von Frauen zu erhellen, werden Bezüge zwischen Umwelt- und Innenweltzerstörung, Opfer und Täter sowie Rassimus und Sexismus hergestellt. Des weiteren wird die Rolle von europäischen Frauen im Kolonialismus, der derzeitige Umgang europäischer Frauen mit Frauen aus fremden Kulturen und schließlich die Ausübung von Macht und Gewalt in Familie und Gesellschaft thematisiert.

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The author presents first steps towards a development-based concept of women's education in the industrialized countries. Some elements of this concept are: (1) planning and action in a global context, (2) the local or regional bias given to education, (3) promotion of an intercultural perspective, (4) reducing the power of structures that encourage oppression. The author's observations are based on the following propositions: the development process in the industrialized countries has had terrible effects all over the world and it is necessary that women also consider their roles in what the author considers to be a process of destruction. This is because women are part of the overall system and contribute to its perpetuation in the measure of their own socialization. Connections are established between the destruction of the environment and the individual, as also between the victims and assailants of racism and sexism with a view to clarifying unidentified parts of the female consciousness. Beyond this, the role of European women in the context of colonialism and the present contact between European women and their counterparts from other cultures are examined with particular attention being paid to the exercise of power and force in the family and society.

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Résumé L'auteur présente tout d'abord les étapes menant vers un concept d'éducation des femmes basé sur le développement dans les pays industrialisés. Quelquesuns des éléments de ce concept sont: (1) la planification et l'action dans un contexte global, (2) la direction locale ou régionale donnée à l'éducation, (3) la promotion d'une perspective interculturelle, (4) la réducation ou pouvoir des structures qui encouragent l'oppression. Les observations de l'auteur se basent sur les propositions suivantes: le processus de développement des pays industrialisés a eu des effets négatifs dans le monde entier et il est nécessaire que les femmes également analysent leurs rôles dans ce que l'auteur appelle un processus de destruction, car les femmes font partie du système global et contribuent à sa perpétuation dans la mesure de leur propre socialisation. Des rapports sont établis entre la destruction de l'environnement et l'individu, comme entre les victimes et les assaillants du racisme et du sexisme en vue de faire la lumière sur les domaines non-identifiés de la conscience de la femme. L'auteur examine ensuite le rôle des femmes européennes dans le contexte du colonialisme et le contact qui existe actuellement entre elles et leurs homologues des autres cultures, une attention particulière est accordée ici à l'exercice du pouvoir et de la force au sein de la famille et de la société.

     

Cultural and linguistic diversity in early childhood teacher preparation: The impact of contextual characteristics on coursework and practica

The population of children in early childhood settings is becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, and these changes in demographics have warranted teachers becoming more culturally responsive and better prepared to work with diverse young children and families. Teacher preparation programs across the nation have responded differently to this critical issue, in part because of the different contexts in which they exist. Analyses were conducted using data from the National Prekindergarten Center’s (NPC) National Study of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs and the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Integrated Post-Secondary Education Dataset (IPEDS). Geographical, program, and institutional characteristics were analyzed from a sample of 416 Bachelor’s degree programs to determine how these variables were associated with the amount of diversity content and experience required in teacher preparation programs. Results indicated that the presence of non-White full-time faculty was positively related to more required coursework focused on working with children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds, while degree of urbanization, governance of institutions, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accreditation were associated with required coursework focused on working with bilingual children and English language learners. The percentage of the non-Hispanic White population in a state and geographic region were both associated with practica requirements focused on working with bilingual children and English language learners. Implications and recommendations for policy, future research, and early childhood teacher preparation are discussed.     

A coaches’ perspective on the contribution of anthropometry,physical performance,and motor coordination in racquet sports

ABSTRACT

Differences and similarities between table tennis and other racquet sports exist, but are not well documented in the literature, in spite of the relevance for talent identification. In this study we aimed at identifying the key characteristics of table tennis in comparison with tennis and badminton based upon a survey in coaches. A total of 177 licensed coaches from all across the world and with diverse professional backgrounds completed a survey on anthropometric measures, physical performance, and motor coordination skills. On a scale from 1 to 10, coaches indicated to what extent a talent characteristic was important for their sport. MANOVA identified key differences as well as similarities between all three racquet sports and a subsequent discriminant analysis allocated coaches correctly for table tennis, tennis, and badminton 81.01%, 55.6%, and 71.4% respectively. Our results show that table tennis and other racquet sport coaches are well aware of differences between the racquet sports and also the importance and value of testing and assortment of skill components. These findings can assist coaches in future talent orientation and transfer in racquet sports.