Replicating the Use of a Cognitive Presence Measurement Tool

This paper is a report of the replication of a seminal study on cognitive presence in computer mediated conferencing (CMC) by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2001). A comparison of cognitive presence coding by three different researchers is also demonstrated. The study reignites debates about what constitutes the segment of CMC data to be coded and the objectivity of this type of data

What is the value of replicating other studies?

In response to a question on the value of replication in social science research, the author undertook a search of the literature for expert advise on the value of such an activity. Using the information gleaned and the personal experience of attempting to replicate the research of a colleague, the conclusion was drawn that replication has great value but little ‘real life’ application in the true sense. The activity itself, regardless of the degree of precision of the replication, can have great merit in extending understanding about a method or a concept

Graduate Students’ Perceptions of the Practice of Posting Scholarly Work to an Online Class Forum: Balancing the Rhetorical Triangle

In both healthcare and education, basing one’s practice upon research evidence, has become very important. This paper presents the findings from a descriptive analysis of graduate students’ perceptions of the practice of posting their scholarly work to a class discussion forum, where it can be read by their peers. The resulting themes are described and discussed in relation to the balance of a model of rhetorical stance or a rhetorical triangle. This will be of interest to instructors facilitating courses with online capacity

Relating nursing theory to students’ life experiences

Nursing is a dynamic field involving an interaction between scientific research and human need. Theoretical discussions often involve a complex of issues which are difficult to explore adequately in a typical lecture. This paper presents a teaching method which is highly interactive, moving students far beyond rote memorisation toward a deeper understanding of both the theory and practice of nursing. Numerous examples are given of the technique's application

New nursing graduates: A key factor in nursing supply

The Canadian nursing education system is the most significant contributor to the country's supply of registered nurses. This article provides current data on the numbers of nursing graduates produced in each province in 1994. The authors highlight some of the differences in the numbers produced and use the national average of new graduates as the percentage of the population of Canada as one method to arrive at the numbers of new graduates per year which each province could attempt to produce. This article provides a national perspective on current and future nursing human resources and will assist nursing administrators in their staffing plans related to registered nurses

Home Births and Hospital Deliveries: A Comparison of the Perceived Painfulness of Parturition

Cognitive assessments of the amount of pain associated with childbirth by parents electing either homebirth (n=282) or hospital delivery (n=191) were compared using Thurstone's univariate scaling method of paired comparisons. Subjects compared the pain of childbirth with 8 other painful events. The hospital birth group rated childbirth pain significanlly higher than the homebirth group. In the homebirth group, females considered the pain to be less than the males, and in the hospital birth group, the females rated pain higher than the males

Debate as a Teaching Strategy in Online Education: A Case Study

This reflective case study was based on our independent use of the debate as an online instructional approach and our shared interest in instructional techniques. Using narrative inquiry, we melded our data sources to analyze the findings, including our individual experiences with the technique. Our paper contributes to the field of research on instructional techniques (specifically debates), as well as online distance education. The findings suggest that the use of debates as instructional techniques in text-based paced and un-paced courses at the online undergraduate and graduate levels can contribute to improved learning outcomes and student satisfaction

“Breaking the rules”: A reflective processual analysis of multidisciplinary academic collaboration.

Three academics from different fields collaborated on a study in which we reflected on our group involvement. Although we originally worked together to provide our different perspectives on how to use debates in online courses, we found that our multidisciplinary collaboration evolved into self-study as we each wrote narratives about our own participation which we then discussed and interpreted from our unique perspectives. Despite the fact that our members consisted of someone from nursing, someone from business, and someone in psychology, we all agreed that we engaged in a successful collaboration, as assessed by our desire to work together again and by the joint publication of an article. This paper presents our individual and collective interpretations of our attempts to understand why we were successful in this project, even though we did not follow most of the principles of multidisciplinary collaboration, nor of the usual conventions of our respective disciplines