Technology for social work education

The intention of this paper is to examine aspects of the role of information technology in social work education in relation to existing developments within an international context, conceptual issues concerning the application of CAL to the teaching of social work, and the implication of these issues for the development of integrated teaching modules in Interpersonal Skills and Research Methods, together with some of the practical issues encountered and solutions being adopted The context for the paper is joint work by the authors as members of the ProCare Project, a partnership between Southampton and Bournemouth Universities, and part of the UK Government‐funded Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP) in Higher Education. ProCare is developing courseware on Interpersonal Skills and on Research Methods for use in qualifying‐level Social Work and Nursing education. While the emphasis is on the social work version of the Interpersonal Skills module, limited reference is made to the nursing component and the differential approaches that proved necessary within the subject areas under development

Contextual Teaching with Computer-Assisted Instruction

Computer technology has made substantial contributions to education and educators are now confronted with determining how to best incorporate it as a teaching tool. Educators have also long struggled with how to make what is learned in school more useful in other contexts. This review of recent literature was undertaken in an attempt to determine if computer-assisted instruction is compatible with contextual teaching and learning approaches. The four computer-assisted assets of flexibility, format, interactivity and navigational methods were examined because they yield the most interpretive evidence of compatibility with contextual teaching and learning approaches and their characteristics. It was concluded that all four of the assets identified were compatible and should be included within contextual approaches

Multimedia effectiveness in the learning environment : A review of literature

Multimedia Effectiveness in the Learning Environment: A Review of Literature examines some of the research and academic literature related to the use of computer-assisted instruction, hypertext, hypermedia and multimedia in the learning environment. Contemporary views of media psychology and learning styles are also discussed, as well as the impact of multimedia on teachers, students and learning. The author concludes by suggesting that the progressive teacher knows the importance of quality instructional design and will look for every opportunity to integrate appropriate multimedia into the learning environment

Applying e-learning for Multicultural Healthcare Education

In healthcare settings, interactive multimedia education using web technology is very beneficial area of education. With the rapid globalization of healthcare market, multicultural healthcare is one of the major issues that the healthcare industry is facing at this moment. The purpose of this study was to describe a research that the aim is to develop an interactive multimedia education program utilizing web interface to enhance cultural competency of the healthcare professionals. The system is being developed using the following five processes: 1) Analysis stage 2) Designing stage 3) Content framing and development stage 4) Program application stage 5) Evaluation stage. Interactive learning activities consisted of online lecture & interactive case scenario, quiz, video & audio, discussion, individual and team project, and Q&A to facilitate the cognitive and emotional interactive learning of the participants. The completed program was applied to nurses in the community hospitals and interactive web based multimedia education was found to be an effective e-learning media of healthcare professionals in the information age

Distance education at conventional universities in Germany

Germany’s educational system has undergone a series of transformations during the last 40 years. In recent years, marked increases in enrolment have occurred. In response, admission requirements have been relaxed and new universities have been established. Academic distance education in the former Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was ushered in by the educational radio broadcasts around the end of the 1960s. Aside from the formation of the FernUniversität (Open University) in West Germany in 1975, there were significant developments in distance education occurring at the major universities in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). After German reunification in 1990, the new unitary state launched programs to advance the development of distance education programs at conventional universities. Germany’s campus-based universities (Präsenzuniversitäten) created various entities, including central units and consortia of universities to design and market distance education programs. Hybridisation provides the necessary prerequisites for dual mode delivery, such as basic and continuing education programs, as well as for the combination of distance and campus-based education (Präsenzstudium). Hybridisation also has also opened the door for the creation of new programs. Following an initial phase in which distance education research is expected to centralize a trend towards decentralisation is likely to follow. The German Association for Distance Education (AG-F) offers a viable research network in distance education. Two dual mode case studies are also be surveyed: The Master of Arts degree, offered by the University of Koblenz-Landau, with Library Science as the second major, and the University of Kaiserslautern, where basic education will continue to be captured within the domain of the Präsenzstudium or campus-based education. The area in which distance education is flourishing most is within the field of academic continuing education, where external experts and authors are broadening the horizon of the campus. Multimedia networks will comprise the third generation of distance education

A delphi study to identify teaching competencies of teacher education faculty in 2015

The purpose of this study was to reach consensus on future course delivery modes and recommended teaching competencies that would be required for teacher education faculty in future course delivery environments. A three-round, online modified Delphi study was used to answer the following research questions (RQs): (a) RQ1: What course delivery modes will teacher education faculty of traditional colleges and universities be using in 2015?, and (b) RQ2: What competencies will teacher education faculty of traditional colleges and universities need to teach using these delivery modes? Course delivery modes and general teaching competencies were determined as a result of consensus reached by a panel of 17 educational experts drawn from institutions within the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and other educational organizations. The first round used an open-ended questionnaire format. The responses generated by the first round contributed to the development of the Round II instrument. In the second round, panelists were asked to rate the items identified in round one on a 7 point Likert-scale. The Round III questionnaire was designed using Round II results. Ratings by individual panel members were shown relative to the group response (median, mode, and IQR), followed by a request for the panelist to re-rate or confirm their original rating from Round II. Based on an analysis of data collected in Rounds I, II, and III, the following conclusions were drawn for each research question. Data collected to answer RQ1 found that teacher education faculty of traditional colleges and universities in 2015 will integrate more online technologies into their face-to-face classroom-based teaching environment. Blended course delivery modes integrating online components was strongly supported by the panel experts who participated in the study. Among the various future online approaches identified through this study, the asynchronous, or combination asynchronous and synchronous, mode will be preferred over the synchronous mode alone. Data analyzed to address RQ2 found that there will be a total of 77 general teaching competencies needed by higher education faculty in the coming decade. These competencies were logically grouped into the following five categories: planning and designing learning environment; teaching and learning; technology; assessment and evaluation; and cultural and ethical issues

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council -- Volume 2, no. 2 -- Complete Issue

CONTENTS Call for Papers Submissions Guidelines Dedication Editor’s Introduction, Rusty Rushton TEACHING THE CREATIVE ARTS An Architect’s Foray Into Honors, Betsy West “The Play’s the Thing”: Theater Arts and Liberal Learning, Margaret Franson Media Literacy and Liberation: Honors Students as Prophetic Artists and Critics Page R. Laws Bringing Imagination into the Community Through a Poetry-Writing Honors Course, Diann A. McCabe Seeing the World Anew: Creative Arts in the Honors Curriculum, Sara L. Sanders and Janet S. Files Honors Students in the Creative Writing Classroom: Sequence and Community Margaret C. Szumowski SPLICING THE CREATIVE ARTS INTO NON-ARTS COURSES Could Aristotle Teach the Honors Courses I Envision? Theory and Practice in the Arts, L. Luis Lopez Honors and the Creative Arts in Nursing: Music Therapy to Decrease Anxiety in Critical Care Patients, Ellen B. Buckner and Cynthia Leach-Fuller “Expressive Technology”: Multimedia Projects in Honors Courses, Patricia B. Worrall Jesters Freed from their Jack-in-the-Boxes: Or Springing Creativity Loose from Traditionally Entrenched Honors Students, Leslie A. Donovan The Evolution of Aesthetic Response in Honors Students, Tammy Ostrander A STUDENT PLAY When Austen’s Heroines Meet: a Play in One Act, Stephanie Fosnight Authors’ Bios NCHC Publications order form

Reviews

Danny Saunders and Nina Smalley (eds.), The International Simulation and Gaming Research Yearbook — Volume 8: Simulations and Games for Transition and Change, London: Kogan Page, 2000. ISBN: 0–7494–3397–3. Hardback, viii+271 pages, £40.00

Traditional versus hypertextual index in an on-line course on Oscillation and Wave Physics

An online course on Oscillation and Wave Physics (https://ocw.upc.edu/webs/42254/Acustica_EN/) was implemented. As the first objective, this article describes its main features, especially the two types of indexes for accessing the different items (a traditional linear index, and a hypertextual index based on a concept map). The second objective is to describe the students’ response to the one index in comparison to the other. As a qualitative response (perception), obtained from the students’ free comments, some advantages of the hypertextual index were found, for example, the ability to raise curiosity about physics contents, or the building of a convenient attitude for learning autonomously. Some drawbacks perceived, which are put into perspective, were the possible equivocal interpretation of the guiding questions, or the uncertainty about following the optimal order of items. As a quantitative response (performance in exams), a small but significant difference was found only for two subtopics related to cross-linked relationships between different conceptual aspects. This can be explained by a deeper internalization of these relationships through the concept map underlying the hypertextual index.Postprint (author's final draft

Web-based computer assisted laboratory instruction

The feasibility of computer-assisted instruction in a practical laboratory has been explored in this work. Computer assisted instruction (CAI), in which educational instruction is delivered through a computer, has been a popular area of research and development. Computer assisted laboratory instruction (CALI), on the other hand, has not been systematically studied in the past as literature reveals. In the work conducted in this research, the concept of CALI has been examined by developing a web-based multi-media CALI package for Control Systems laboratory that is used by around 100 students annually in the School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong. Some elements of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have been also incorporated to increase the flexibility of the instruction provided. A systematic approach has been employed to develop the specifications of the package and design its structure to ensure its effectiveness. The latest tools in Web development have been employed to achieve all the defined specifications efficiently and systematically. The outcome is a system that has proved very effective in its operation and instruction for the students in the laboratory. In addition to the specific results and benefits produced directly as the result of employing the package in Control Laboratory, the study has also generated outcomes that are generic and can be considered in the application of the approach in any practical laboratory