A Collaborative Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program Gives a Community College a Jump-Start in Teacher Preparation

The Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT), funded by a grant from the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation, implemented the VCEPT Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program a couple of years into the grant. Groups of colleges within the Collaborative were to work together to set up an experience for pre-service teachers at their colleges which emphasized mathematics, science, and technology and which gave the pre-service teachers some in-field experience observing instruction in the local schools with lead teachers in these disciplines. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Union University (VUU), and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) formed a collaboration of colleges with the City of Richmond. The carefully planned program of seminars and in-field observations in Richmond Public Schools provided a model program for identifying pre-service teachers and giving them the opportunity to decide if teaching was a career for them. All evaluations of the Program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College indicate that it was educational for the pre-service teachers and assisted them in forming their own philosophies of education. Once the VCEPT grant was complete, JSRCC institutionalized the Program by developing a course, Introduction to Teaching as a Profession, modeled after the Program, included teacher preparation as part of the Strategic Plan of the College, and created a Center for Teacher Education

Circuit protection devices for transient suppression

The Electromer Corporation has developed a series of transient voltage suppression components based on a patented, specially formulated PolyClamp (trademark) material. PolyClamp components are a new class of transient voltage surge suppressors that extend the range of protection offered by transients protectors. The PolyClamp transient surge suppressors provide low capacitance, high energy capability, and packaging flexibility. A wide variety of applications can be protected. A tube and ferrule configuration was designed to be used with MIL/Aerospace style connectors and is designed to meet the applicable environmental, mechanical, and electrical requirements as defined by the United States and European defence standards performance requirements. Here, PolyClamp is compared with current transient surge suppressors. Typical performance and design are discussed

Mapping class groups

No abstract available

POINT-OF-PURCHASE SIGNS, IMPULSE PURCHASES, AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE "DESIRE TO TOUCH"

What is the role of touch in consumer behavior? Consumers are especially motivated to touch some products before buying them, and for some people, those high in "desire to touch", touching before buying is especially important. In addition, some situations encourage consumers to touch goods before purchasing them. How do these relate to impulse purchases? People high in their "desire to touch" are more likely to make impulse purchases. Point-of-purchase signs that encourage touching a product stimulate impulse purchases in consumers who notice the sign, whether they are high or low in "desire to touch." High "desire to touch" are much more likely than other consumers to notice the sign. Signs that praise a product, but stress vision rather than touch, do nothing to increase impulse purchases by either type of shopper. These results grow out of a study of shopper in front of the peaches and nectarines in a supermarket produce department. The characterization of consumers as high or low "desire to touch" was based on a 2 page questionnaire administered to 340 shoppers who had already placed peaches or nectarines in their shopping carts. How and how much they touched the fruit was previously recorded, and matched up with the characterization based on the questionnaire as a way of validating the classifications.Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,