A Comparison of Computer-Based Training and Traditional Classroom Training for the SAD Corporation Job Placement Team

Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to compare the effectiveness of computer-based training with traditional classroom training; both instructional delivery methods utilized the traditional classroom curriculum as a means of delivery for an on-the-job company-sponsored program. The JAW-SAD Human Resource Center (HRC) is a training facility for the SAD Corporation, a major international manufacturing company. The HRC is responsible for conducting continuous training and certification of SAD employees. Historically, training has been provided through conference workshops with a traditional classroom training format. The motivation and importance for this study was influenced by an administrative requirement to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of utilizing computer technology for all HRC training programs. The sample group for this research study was adult learners all over 25 years of age, an active employee of the corporation, and a job placement team member. Each Job Placement Team consists of a management, a union worker, and a medical representative. These teams are responsible for the job placements of medically restricted employees throughout the company. It is a company requirement that each team member take specific training for professional development and certification. Method: The research was guided by four questions. First, is there a significant difference in the understanding of the participants who took the computer-based training and the participants who took traditional classroom training? Second, is there a significant difference in the overall student satisfaction levels between participants in the computer-based training and participants in the classroom? Third, is there a significant difference in the course completion times for participants in the computer-based training and participants in the classroom training? Lastly, is there a significant difference in the company job placement rate post-Job Placement Team training? The data were collected and evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A company-designed pretest and posttest to measure learning and a company-required Participant Reaction Questionnaire to determine the overall effectiveness and participant satisfaction relative to the training class were utilized. A total of 83 participants completed all instruments and were included in the sample population. Additionally, course completion times were measured by recording the start and stop times for the classroom and the computer-based training, and data were collected from company quarterly reports to determine the job placement rate. Results: Analysis of the test score data revealed no significant difference in the understanding of the Job Placement Process at the end of the study between the participants who took the computer-based and the traditional training. However, student satisfaction yielded slightly higher scores from the participants in the traditional classroom training but, not statistically significant. Additionally, the summed scores for satisfaction with training were compared by demographic characteristics, including gender, race/ethnicity, employment status, and educational level. The data revealed that no statistically significant difference was found for the main effect of gender; it appeared that male and female participants in the two groups experienced similar levels of satisfaction with the training. An analysis was conducted to determine if satisfaction with training differed by group membership and race/ethnicity. The results of the analysis indicated satisfaction with training did not differ among African Americans and Caucasian participants. Further, satisfaction with training between participants in the two types of training programs and employment status, hourly/salaried, was compared. The difference in satisfaction with training by employment status was statistically significant. The computer-based training program mean score for the hourly participants was found to be lower than the mean score for those in the traditional training program. However, members of the computer-based group who were salaried had levels of satisfaction that were similar to both hourly and salaried members in the traditional class. Reviews of the results comparing satisfaction with training among participants with four different levels of education were not statistically significant. Based on this finding, it did not appear that satisfaction with training was related to the level of education. Additional findings did not support the null hypothesis that there was no significant difference in the course completion times. However, the findings did support that computer-based training has the potential to significantly impact the duration of time spent on company training courses. Lastly, the improved job placement data, as indicated through post-training company administrative reports, provide support that the training appeared to be effective in placing employees in jobs. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate no significant differences in test scores, participant satisfaction, or overall program effectiveness between the instructional methods. Based on the results of this study I recommend that a set of instructional activities utilizing computer-based technology modeled on an adult learning style design replace the current traditional classroom delivery method for the corporation Job Placement Teams. Further research should be conducted on the effect of computer-based technology as an instructional method to increase job performance in the areas of Health and Safety, Ergonomics, and Diversity certification programs. I also recommend research be conducted to determine if social networking for class participants has any long-term beneficial value to the company. Finally, research should be conducted to determine the actual training time for the traditional classroom delivery method excluding class breaks

The Difference in Attitudes of Regular and Special Education Teachers Toward Inclusion

Inclusion has been introduced throughout the educational community as a method to increase math and reading scores of underachieving schools on standardized tests. The problem was that teachers were not effectively implementing inclusion. Guided by Bandura\u27s (1994) self-efficacy theory, which hypothesizes that a person\u27s sense of efficacy provides information of their capability and the ability to assess their performance, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in attitudes on inclusion between regular and special education teachers using the 4 subsections of the Scale of Teachers: Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms through an online survey program. A t test was used to examine the attitudes of 50 regular and 50 special education teachers on inclusion in an elementary charter school after the special education subgroup failed to show progress on standardized tests over a 5 year period. Overall, the data indicated significant differences between regular and special education teachers\u27 attitudes on inclusion. Both regular and special education teachers did not agree on Factor 1: advantages and disadvantages of inclusion and Factor 2: teacher feelings on inclusion. However, the teachers did agree on Factor 3: philosophical beliefs on inclusion and Factor 4: administrative issues on inclusion. This study\u27s implications for social change included evidence to incorporate a unified vision for best practices for professional development as well as the importance of collaborative teaching at the undergraduate level, and a working knowledge of various learning disabilities, which may be used by school principals, teachers, parents, and policy makers to create an effective inclusion program

Super Nutrition Activity Program

Children\u27s health, especially related to nutrition, food safety, and lack of physical activity, has become a national priority. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Super Nutrition Activity Program (SNAP) was designed to increase knowledge and application of proper nutrition, food safety, and physical activity behaviors among children, grades 3-5. The SNAP program was effective in improving school-age children, grades 3-5, total SNAP Check scores and individual question scores

The Henry’s Fork: Finding Mutual Interest in the Watershed

9 pages. Contains references

The challenges of medically complex breastfed children and their families: A systematic review

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and then alongside solid food for the first 2 years and beyond is the gold standard in young child nutrition. There is an abundance of literature relating to the preventative nature of breastmilk and breastfeeding against many infectious diseases and chronic conditions. However, despite medically complex infants and children being a group that could benefit most from continued breastfeeding, breastfeeding duration and exclusivity are lower among more complex paediatric populations. The reasons for this are not well known, and there is a paucity of data relating to supporting infants who have acute or chronic illness, disability or congenital anomaly to breastfeed. This systematic review aimed to understand the challenges of breast/chestfeeding the medically complex child and to establish the gaps in healthcare provision that act as barriers to optimal infant and young child feeding. The search was limited to studies published in English, focused on breastfed sick infants in hospital, with no date limits as there is no previous systematic review. Of 786 papers retrieved, 11 studies were included for review, and seven themes identified. Themes included practical and psychological challenges of continuing to breastfeed in a hospital setting, complications of the condition making breastfeeding difficult, lack of specialist breastfeeding support from hospital staff and a lack of availability of specialist equipment to support complex breastfeeding. The findings affirm the lack of consistent high-quality care for lactation support in paediatric settings and reinforce the need for further focused research in this area

The LILAC Project: Learning Information Literacy across the Curriculum

This panel discusses what teachers can learn from the data gathered for the LILAC Project and how they can use this knowledge in their pedagogy. The LILAC Project is a multi-institutional research project seeking to look at students\u27 information-seeking behaviors. In addition to survey research, and asking students about what they have been taught and what (they think) they know, the project attempts to capture what students are actually doing-and thinking- as they search for information by comparing survey results with video captures that use a Research Aloud Protocol (or RAP). The RAP sessions provide insights into what students are doing and what they say about the choices they are makin