Search

This article presents an interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of older adults at risk of social isolation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. An intergenerational service-learning program developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging was offered to several universities across the state of Pennsylvania. The authors share their experience and lessons learned from pairing older adults with graduate students studying in the fields of Gerontology, Public Health, and Social Work.

This paper explores the ways ESOL writing instructors implement and assess participatory writing practices in the classroom using digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participatory writing practices are largely sociocultural in nature and thereby resist the notion of standardized and individualized practices to focus on co-creating a shared culture around writing (Jenkins et al., 2016). In other words, they require that students voluntarily enculturate themselves into broader, co-created discourse communities (Johns, 1997). Participatory writing practices and any subsequent assessment of them are complicated by inequitable access to and varying levels of comfort with educational and other digital technologies--a fact which is particularly salient considering that a substantial majority of ESOL courses in California shifted to remote instruction in early 2020. Using several remotely taught post-secondary ESOL writing courses in California as critical entry points for this work, we examine our collective understanding of participation in light of the shift to remote teaching and learning while also pushing back against traditional western notions of participatory writing implementation and assessment to offer a more expansive and inclusive model in which remote students are encouraged to go beyond "pseudotransactional" forms of collaboration (Wardle & Downs, 2020). With these remote ESOL writing courses as examples, we argue that there are innate challenges to supporting students in gaining a new language through participatory writing practices while simultaneously grappling with new technologies and remote learning, but we also suggest that it can be accomplished given appropriate training, tools, and attention to power dynamics.

The benefits of informal mentorship have been robustly documented. This article makes an argument for formalizing mentorship as professional development in the adult education space so as to capture the advantages of informal mentorship for the success of classrooms, programs, organizations, or institutions. It offers examples of two types of mentorship programming that could prove especially beneficial in the adult education space--integration focused mentoring and trajectory-focused mentoring, with the former best suited to new instructor orientation and development and the latter best suited to emerging and/or prospective leaders. In the first case, the focus is on a new instructor mentoring program; in the second case, the focus falls on a job shadow program. In both cases, formalized mentorship in adult education proves exceedingly valuable; it offers opportunities for connection and mutually beneficial relationships, assists institutions in the integration and support of new educators, and helps both educators and administrators build and maintain more diverse leadership pipelines. Finally, potential challenges and barriers in the implementation of formalized mentorship programming are addressed, and key takeaways-- including how mentorship might be used strategically for inclusivity and leadership capacity building--are offered.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) allows for the transformation of written text into artistic images of varying styles. Scholars and researchers are beginning to explore the benefits of this technology to improve reflective practices and critical analyses in education. The extent to which AI-generated images can be used in nursing education (e.g., to explore cultural stereotypes or visual representations of the nursing profession) has not yet been studied. This article describes a case study of using generative-AI images created by "Midjourney" with undergraduate nursing students to examine their perceptions and fears of the nursing profession. The research explored how students experienced the process of using AIgenerated art as a teaching and learning tool to increase their reflections and discussions on professional nursing topics. Images were used to encourage introspection, collaborative reflection, and discussion on nursing topics. Results of this qualitative, exploratory study point to pedagogical and technological outcomes of using AI image-generation as a strategy to encourage reflection and discussion on student's perceptions and fears of the nursing profession. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic required a shift to online learning that posed particular challenges for the education of dental students. Basic science courses were presented in an online, asynchronous format to facilitate small group rotations through preclinical work. The success of active learning was previously examined in a Dental Physiology course, and it was desired to reassess those methods in an online environment. Students were provided with prerecorded lectures containing learning activities, and the effectiveness was compared with traditional lecture recordings. On surveys, dental students had more positive perceptions of online recordings that incorporated active learning strategies, with higher perceived effectiveness of the lecturer, ability to pay attention, motivation to study, and confidence with the material. This was similar to the previous study, in which face-2-face (F2F) active learning was more positively reviewed than traditional lectures. Compared with these past sections, the online cohort expressed similarly positive perceptions of the active learning sections, but the online traditional lectures were perceived to be less effective than F2F lectures. Despite the differences in student perceptions, unit exam scores were similar for didactic lectures in both online and F2F settings. Unit exam scores were significantly higher when active learning strategies were employed, with the highest performance levels in the F2F cohort. While active learning strategies continue to be effective, further research is needed to optimize these methods and engage students in online coursework. The results suggest the importance of active and collaborative learning opportunities in the education of students in physiology coursework.

Facilitating dialogic discussions in English classrooms is a key component of fostering student learning and working toward educational equity. Orchestrating high quality text-based discussions requires attending to the unique situations that arise when particular students grapple with complex ideas in rich texts. It also requires making quick and efficient decisions based on familiar situations that commonly arise during discussions. Preparing teachers for such sophisticated practice is challenging. This study explores a practice-based approach to learning to facilitate dialogically oriented text-based discussions. Through an exploration of rehearsals of discussion facilitation in a summer professional development, we identify two types of framing for coaching moments -- ones that attend to generalities of discussion and ones that attend to novelty in discussion. We find that attention to generalities helps develop teachers' efficiency in facilitation, while attention to novelty helps develop an ability to innovate in response to students' contributions. Together these two aspects build toward adaptive expertise (Hatano & Inagaki, 1986) in the facilitation of discussions. We consider how English teacher educators might balance a focus on efficiency with a focus on innovation in light of the value of adaptive expertise supporting teachers' implementation of dialogic discussions.

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a collaborative teaching method in which students utilize course content to solve challenging problems. A modified version of TBL is used at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Students complete questions on the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT) then gather in pre-assigned groups to retake the quiz, given time to utilize their learning resources and discuss each of the questions (Team Readiness Assurance Test-tRAT). Following this discussion, students take an Individual Summative Assessment Test (iSAT) with new questions at a similar cognitive level and content focus. While educational gains of TBL have been shown, student evaluations negatively assessed the teaching method with complaints regarding question difficulty and stress levels. Thus, during implementation of TBL in the School of Dentistry, three main changes were made: (1) The contribution of TBL to the overall grade was reduced (2) TBL questions were cognitively aligned with unit exam questions, and (3) Scratch-off, lottery response cards were used to create a fun, game-like environment. This revised TBL format, compared to the original format, resulted in similar student performance during iRAT and tRAT sessions. However, the revised, low-stress format had significantly higher scores on the iSAT (n = 119-161, p <.05). Furthermore, students participating in the revised TBL format reported higher effectiveness of the learning format, higher levels of perceived fairness, and lower stress levels. These results suggest that the qualitative experience of students may be an important consideration that should be carefully evaluated during implementation of a new teaching technique.

As practice-based teacher education (PBTE) has become more prevalent, debates about its contribution have emerged. Critics of PBTE question whether emphasizing practice will support a technocratic approach to teacher education rather than promoting instruction that is responsive to students' ideas. This qualitative case study was motivated by an interest in understanding whether and in what ways practice-based approaches to teacher learning can support teachers in practicing responsiveness as opposed to practicing decontextualized moves. To this end, we investigated how early-career teachers in a practice-based professional development program were supported to approximate teaching practices. We focused on the extent to which approximations of practice supported teachers to hone their skill at being responsive to students' ideas. Findings revealed characteristics of approximations of practice that support teachers in developing their capacity to enact responsive instruction. These findings have implications for program design, teacher educator pedagogy, and future research.

Although previous research has demonstrated that guided testing (i.e., self-testing) and question generation effectively increase retention compared to control methods, no work has simultaneously implemented both strategies in the classroom. In a semester-long study designed to maximize experimental control in a naturalistic setting, we adapted both review strategies for an introduction-level psychology course. We found that guided testing produced better student performance on exams than generating one's own practice questions. Additionally, students evaluated guided testing more positively than question generation. These findings build upon previous guided testing and question generation work by showing that, in the context of an introductory classroom, guided testing is more effective and efficient than generating questions.

At Montana State University's Master of Fine Arts program in Science and Natural History Filmmaking, our goal is to re-invent these areas of documentary by admitting students with undergraduate science degrees and teaching them both production and film studies in an intensive three-year curriculum. In the course I teach, "Criticism and Theory: Science Studies for Filmmakers," I apply critical theory simultaneously to the study of science and film. There are two significant results: 1) teaching filmmakers using the tools of academic film studies can provide a conduit for the re-invention of a moribund practice such as the "blue chip" nature film; and 2) the disciplines of science studies and film theory, because they draw from the same critical theory substrate, have much more in common than has previously been written about in either the film or science studies literature.

This study investigates the role of the e-tutor within an Open Distance Learning Higher Education institution in terms of perceptions of their work roles and the assessment of the competencies of the e-tutor. In the universities' strategic plan the importance of providing excellent service to learners is strongly emphasised. E-tutors are the learner's first and foremost contact with the university; they invariably become the "face of the ODL university" to the geographically distant learner. E-tutors are therefore strategically important for the perceived quality and attractiveness of the university; however they can also be a vulnerable link in the university's educational chain. The process of online tutoring therefore becomes a critical success factor in learners' acceptance of e-learning. The first phase of the research focuses on the e-tutor perspective, investigating the competencies required by e-tutors to function effectively in an online environment, as well as their perceived role. A survey was administered to e-tutors in the College of Economic and Management Sciences of the University to assess their perceived roles and competencies. Understanding the importance of these roles and identifying necessary tutoring skills is paramount for the success of e-learning solutions.

Active learning is an instructional method in which students become engaged participants in the classroom through the use of in-class written exercises, games, problem sets, audience-response systems, debates, class discussions, etc. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning strategies, minimal adoption of the technique has occurred in many professional programs. The goal of this study was to compare the perceptions of active learning between students who were exposed to active learning in the classroom (n = 116) and professional-level physiology faculty members (n = 9). Faculty members reported a heavy reliance on lectures and minimal use of educational games and activities, whereas students indicated that they learned best via the activities. A majority of faculty members (89%) had observed active learning in the classroom and predicted favorable effects of the method on student performance and motivation. The main reported barriers by faculty members to the adoption of active learning were a lack of necessary class time, a high comfort level with traditional lectures, and insufficient time to develop materials. Students hypothesized similar obstacles for faculty members but also associated many negative qualities with the traditional lecturers. Despite these barriers, a majority of faculty members (78%) were interested in learning more about the alternative teaching strategy. Both faculty members and students indicated that active learning should occupy portions (29% vs. 40%) of face-to-face class time.

In engaging lectures, also referred to as broken or interactive lectures, students are given short periods of lecture followed by "breaks" that can consist of 1-min papers, problem sets, brainstorming sessions, or open discussion. While many studies have shown positive effects when engaging lectures are used in undergraduate settings, the literature surrounding use of the learning technique for professional students is inconclusive. The novelty of this study design allowed a direct comparison of engaging physiology lectures versus didactic lecture formats in the same cohort of 120 first-year School of Dentistry DMD students. All students were taught five physiological systems using traditional lecture methods and six physiological systems using engaging lecture methods. The use of engaging lectures led to a statistically significant higher average on unit exams compared with traditional didactic lectures (8.6% higher, "P" less than 0.05). Furthermore, students demonstrated an improved long-term retention of information via higher scores on the comprehensive final exam (22.9% higher in engaging lecture sections, "P" less than 0.05). Many qualitative improvements were also indicated via student surveys and evaluations, including an increased perceived effectiveness of lectures, decrease in distractions during lecture, and increased confidence with the material. The development of engaging lecture activities requires a significant amount of instructor preparation and limits the time available to provide traditional lectures. However, the positive results of this study suggest the need for a restructuring of the physiology curriculum to incorporate more engaging lectures to improve both the qualitative experiences and performance levels of professional students.

The literature on the pedagogical aspects of the photoelectric effect as used in the undergraduate student laboratory shows that little research has been done in this area. Our current study is an analysis of the instructions in 38, electronically published laboratory manuals for the photoelectric effect. The analyses were based on history and philosophy of science criteria that we had developed for evaluating the presentation of the photoelectric effect in introductory, university-physics textbooks. The results show that writers of laboratory instructions do not pay sufficient attention to the relevant background for the photoelectric effect. In our study, none of the instructions achieved a score of excellent, only 5% were scored as satisfactory, and only 7% mentioned the various aspects contained in our criteria. These results for our analysis of laboratory instructions are significantly less favorable than those achieved for physics textbooks in our previous study. Based on our work, we recommend that several historical aspects be included in all laboratory instructions for the photoelectric effect.

Circulation data from the Virginia Tech Libraries were analyzed to determine the extent of continuity or change between the author's study of the use of subject collections in 1982 and the present. Book circulation has declined, largely due to much less use by undergraduates. The overall profile of subject use has changed in ways traceable to changes in the population of active library users. Disciplinary groups who still rely on library monographs do so in ways strikingly similar to their behavior in 1982, and the findings strongly replicate the earlier findings that were most suggestive for library practice and the sociology of knowledge.

Concomitant with the rise of rationalizing accountability in higher education has been an increase in theoretical reflection about the forms accountability has taken and the ones it should take. The literature is now peppered by a wide array of distinctions (e.g. internal/external, inward/outward, vertical/horizontal, upward/downward, professional/public, political/economic, soft/hard, positive/negative), to the point that when people speak of "accountability" they risk speaking past one another, having some of these distinctions in mind and not others. Furthermore, often these distinctions are vague and cross-cut each other in ways that are as yet unclear. The field could benefit from having a comprehensive framework in which to place these distinctions and to view their relations. My aim in this article is to provide an analytical tool by which to classify important debate about what accountability in higher education has been and ought to be. Beyond organizing such debate, this schema will serve the purposes of revealing ambiguities in terms, conflations of ideas, assumptions that warrant questioning, and gaps in present research agendas. (Contains 13 notes.)

There is a continuing need for engaging inquiry-based laboratory experiences for advanced high school and undergraduate biology courses. The authors describe a guided-inquiry exercise investigating the pH-dependence of lactase enzyme that uses an inexpensive, wide-range buffering system, lactase dietary supplement, over-the-counter glucose test strips. Learning-outcome assessments indicate the laboratory effectively teaches biology content as well as experimental assay design, and that students appreciate learning new skills as well as the challenge and rewards of designing their own experiment. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)

The authors used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the use of Turnitin originality detection software in a graduate social work course. Qualitative analysis of student responses revealed positive and negative spent completing assignments, and the tone of the class. Quantitative analysis of students' originality scores indicated a short-term reduction in student plagiarism, although the full level of decline was not maintained in the long term. Implications for originality issues in social work education and social work practice are presented. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

The goal of the Deconstructing Engineering Education Programmes project is to revise the mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculum to make the discipline more able to attract and retain a diverse community of students. The project seeks to reduce and reorder the prerequisite structure linking courses to offer greater flexibility for students. This paper describes the methods used to study the prerequisites and the resulting proposed curriculum revision. The process involved dissecting each course into topics at roughly the level of a line in a syllabus, editing the list of topics, associating prerequisites and successors to each topic and then using a genetic algorithm to produce clusters of topics. The new curriculum, which consists of 12 clusters, each of which could be a full year course, is quite different from the traditional curriculum. (Contains 1 note, 3 tables, and 2 figures.)

While college art instructors strive to respond to the current generation of students, educational psychologists stress the importance of teachers' focusing on students' cognitive-affective makeup in addition to conveying course content. Attribution theory--and more specifically, student perceptions of control over academic outcomes--can serve to enhance teaching effectiveness and raise instructor empathy for students' diverse educational competencies. This study examines the impact of academic control-enhancing teaching methods on first-year college art student success and defines best-practice recommendations based on quantitative and qualitative findings. Results suggest that understanding perceived academic control and incorporating that insight into classroom instruction can help college art faculty to more effectively support first-year students' adaptation to college, academic performance, mid-year retention, and matriculation to a second year. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)

Statistics education has become an increasingly important component of the mathematics education of today's citizens. In part to address the call for a more statistically literate citizenship, The "Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE)" were developed in 2005 by the American Statistical Association. These guidelines provide a framework for statistics education towards the end of enabling students to achieve statistical literacy, both for their personal lives and in their careers. In order to achieve statistical literacy by adulthood, statistics education must begin at the elementary school level. However, many elementary school teachers have not had the opportunity to become statistically literate themselves. In addition, they are not equipped pedagogically to provide effective instruction in statistics. This article will discuss statistical concepts that have been identified as necessary for statistical literacy and describe how an undergraduate course in Probability and Statistics for pre-service elementary and middle school teachers was revised and implemented using the "GAISE" framework, in conjunction with the NCTM Standards for Data Analysis and Probability. The aims of the revised course were to deepen pre-service elementary and middle school teachers' conceptual knowledge of statistics; to provide them with opportunities to engage in, design, and implement pedagogical strategies for teaching statistics concepts to children; and, to help them make connections between the statistical concepts they are learning and the statistical concepts they will someday teach to elementary and middle school students. (Contains 12 figures, 2 footnotes and 2 tables.)

I seek to answer the question of whether publicly funded higher education ought to aim intrinsically to promote certain kinds of "blue-sky" knowledge, knowledge that is unlikely to result in "tangible" or "concrete" social benefits such as health, wealth and liberty. I approach this question in light of an African moral theory, which contrasts with dominant Western philosophies and has not yet been applied to pedagogical issues. According to this communitarian theory, grounded on salient sub-Saharan beliefs and practices, actions are right insofar as they respect relationships in which people both share a way of life, or identify with one another, and care for others' quality of life, or are in solidarity with each other. I argue that while considerations of identity and solidarity each provide some reason for a state university to pursue blue-sky knowledge as a final end, they do not provide conclusive reason for it to do so. I abstain from drawing any further conclusion about whether this provides reason to reject the Afro-communitarian moral theory or the intuition that blue-sky knowledge is a proper final end of public higher education. I do point out, however, that the dominant Western moral theories on the face of it do no better than the African one at accounting for this intuition.

From the perspective of an African ethic, analytically interpreted as a philosophical principle of right action, what are the proper final ends of a publicly funded university and how should they be ranked? To answer this question, I first provide a brief but inclusive review of the literature on Africanising higher education from the past 50 years, and contend that the prominent final ends suggested in it can be reduced to five major categories. Then, I spell out an intuitively attractive African moral theory and apply it to these five final ends, arguing that three of them are appropriate but that two of them are not. After that, I maintain that the African moral theory prescribes two additional final ends for a public university that are not salient in the literature. Next, I argue that employing the African moral theory as I do enables one to rebut several criticisms of Africanising higher education that have recently been made from a liberal perspective. I conclude by posing questions suitable for future research.

Replicating previous research, this study examined differences in 677 diverse college students' career aspirations and expectations based on gender and ethnicity, and compared their career expectations to the U.S. workforce. This study extended the literature base by exploring discrepancies between occupational aspirations and expectations (aspiration-expectation discrepancy) in terms of Holland code congruence and complexity. Further, this study investigated how perceptions of career barriers, career decision self-efficacy, and differential status identity may be related to the aspiration-expectation discrepancy. Results revealed significant ethnic and gender differences in career aspirations and expectations. Furthermore, the careers college students expected to pursue were not entirely aligned with the current labor market. Discrepancies existed between the careers students aspired to and expected to pursue. Finally, our findings revealed that career barriers, career decision self-efficacy, and differential status identity are three factors that may be related to the aspiration-expectation discrepancy, which warrants more research. (Contains 4 tables.)

This research study examined the relationship of college athletes' levels of campus involvement and campus connection to their alcohol use. A survey measuring alcohol use, campus involvement and campus connection was administered to 720 athletes at nine institutions. Participants who reported having 5 or more drinks on one occasion in the past two weeks had higher levels of campus connection than those who did not report that level of alcohol consumption; but, conversely these college athletes also reported lower levels of campus involvement. It is suggested that increasing campus involvement of college athletes could be an effective strategy to reduce high-risk alcohol use by college athletes and possibly even college students as a whole. (Contains 5 tables.)

There is an increasing need for students in the biological sciences to build a strong foundation in quantitative approaches to data analyses. Although most science, engineering, and math field majors are required to take at least one statistics course, statistical analysis is poorly integrated into undergraduate biology course work, particularly at the lower-division level. Elements of statistics were incorporated into an introductory biology course, including a review of statistics concepts and opportunity for students to perform statistical analysis in a biological context. Learning gains were measured with an 11-item statistics learning survey instrument developed for the course. Students showed a statistically significant 25% (p less than 0.005) increase in statistics knowledge after completing introductory biology. Students improved their scores on the survey after completing introductory biology, even if they had previously completed an introductory statistics course (9%, improvement p less than 0.005). Students retested 1 yr after completing introductory biology showed no loss of their statistics knowledge as measured by this instrument, suggesting that the use of statistics in biology course work may aid long-term retention of statistics knowledge. No statistically significant differences in learning were detected between male and female students in the study. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

To better understand the dynamics of online student test taking, including the likelihood of cheating by large numbers of students, we examined test-taking patterns and outcomes of weekly online quizzes in two large undergraduate biology lecture courses. Students taking a quiz late in a 1-3-day quiz access period performed 10-15% worse on quizzes than the students who completed the quiz early. Quiz access time was also negatively correlated with performance in other course components and course grades. These patterns suggest that academic dishonesty was not a determinant in unsupervised online quiz performance. Students generally completed quizzes in late afternoon or evening hours, but students who completed quizzes between midnight and 8 a.m. had significantly lower quiz grades than their peers. In addition, upper-division students were more likely to characterize weekly online quizzes as more helpful for their learning than the lower-division students. (Contains 5 figures and 3 tables.)

VIVA (the Virtual Library of Virginia) was one of the first subscribers to R. R. Bowker's Ulrich's Serials Analysis System (USAS). Creating a database that combined a union report of current serial subscriptions within most academic libraries in the state with the data elements present in Ulrich's made possible a comprehensive analysis designed to inform collective decision-making about serials. The results of this analysis, especially as they pertain to possible efforts to preserve subscriptions within the state or to add subscriptions to targeted new titles, are presented. Problems with using the resource and anticipated product enhancements are also discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 2 notes.)

Although most students view science through a positive lens they often have difficulty connecting the science that they study in school with the practice of science in general, and their personal experience with science in their everyday lives. In an attempt to mediate "school science" with a more authentic view of science a contextual model is advanced as a framework for field based learning experiences. To model this perspective for prospective science teachers a unique collaboration between an education pre-service program and a local museum is described. During a normally closed period the museum opened their galleries for the pre-service student teachers. Prior to visiting the galleries, each student was assigned a role to play that matched an exhibit in a gallery walk. As the group proceeded through the gallery each student played their role and delivered a "hidden" science lesson. Entering into and experiencing the activities of real persons in such a historical context provided the students with a much more authentic learning experience. The pre-service teachers in the course reported that the experience was not only worthwhile as a learning strategy, but also that the role playing was beneficial in practicing their teacher presentation skills. (Contains 1 note.)

First-year seminar courses are used to provide students with a structured orientation to resources at a college or university. These courses almost invariably emphasize academic, social, and career development. Recently, first-year seminar courses have been adapted to meet the unique needs of students in different academic disciplines. Very little is currently known about the career development goals of first-year students in general or about the goals of students in specific disciplines. Such information is essential to developing career-related materials for use in first-year seminar courses. The present study was undertaken with business students in an effort to describe the career development status and short-range career goals of first-year students. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

In recent years, many higher education institutions, from liberal arts colleges to major research universities, have integrated their information technology (IT) and library organizations. Still more institutions are actively exploring the possibility of doing so. Their reasons for combining the separate organizations range from positioning the institution for the challenges of a digital future to resolving a serious service crisis in one of the existing organizations. In addition, merging library and IT operations into a single service organization simply makes sense from both the user's and the administrator's perspective. The users of these services and resources are often unable to distinguish clearly between tool and content, and they are increasingly confused about whom to consult for help in accomplishing their work. Some merged organizations have addressed these problems by blending the operations of the IT help desk and the library reference desk, by collocating IT and library functions in a single campus location, by undertaking integrated visioning and planning, by fostering joint instructional programs for students and faculty, and/or by designing new professional positions that combine the expertise of librarians and technologists. (Contains 3 notes.)

In an effort to demonstrate the complexities of accountability issues and institutional effectiveness, a 30-year review of persistence literature provides evidence of the numerous studies and emerging research on student persistence. Although Astin's (1975) groundbreaking research of access and persistence provides a framework for future researchers, Tinto is most often cited and associated with student persistence research. The origins of Tinto's student departure theory began with his collaboration with Cullen (1973) which produced a theoretical model of attrition and persistence. Through subsequent analyses and critiques by researchers, Tinto's work evolved to include persistence research at the two-year college level and the inclusion of minority groups and non-traditional students. A re-examination and revision to his research also included added to his theory that student involvement has distinct layers, in particular its relationship to institutional research and student development.

Background: As social-justice-focused teacher education programs continue to gain prominence, a wealth of research explores approaches for preparing teachers for social-justice-minded teaching. This study looks closely at a key aspect of teacher education programs frequently absent from the research--the teacher educators (TEs) themselves. Focus of Study: The study intentionally expands the consideration of TEs' identities beyond reductive demographic characteristics to explore how the personal histories and motivations of TEs impact teacher candidates' (TCs') opportunities to learn about teaching for social justice. Setting and Participants: The study follows two parallel sections of a single teacher education course taught by two different TEs. Because the TEs taught from the same syllabus, within the context of the same program, the impact of each TE's instructional choices is revealed. Research Design: Using a comparative case study design, data sources included field notes, audio recordings of class meetings, course readings and materials, and two interviews with each TE. Audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed following a micro-ethnographic discourse analysis approach. The second interview took place after initial analysis of the data, allowing the TEs to respond to initial findings. Findings: Although both TEs focused on social justice topics, in alignment with the program goals, their choices of what topics to focus on differed greatly. One TE used the course readings to open up discussions of gender and sexuality, critically examining heteronormative ideals and a dismissive attitude toward adolescent relationships and sexuality. The other TE used the same readings and assignments to create inquiry into complicated issues of racial and ethnic identity with implications for classroom teaching. In each case, the choices by the TEs in how they framed discussions and assignments and what ideas they took up and built on during class interactions shaped the curriculum in unique ways. These instructional choices corresponded to each TE's own personal experiences and motivations. Conclusions: The findings suggest that research on teacher education programs must look beyond course syllabi or the structural components of a program to understand the opportunities to learn provided to TCs. Decisions by TEs during classroom instruction shape very different opportunities to learn. These decisions are based, at least partially, on TEs' unique personal histories and motivations. When considering how teacher education programs address the issue of social justice, a TE's own history and motivations will impact the enacted curriculum as much as, if not more than, the written curriculum. As we continue to wrestle with how to prepare teachers for a diverse and inequitable society, teacher education programs and teacher education research would benefit from more nuanced consideration of the role TEs play in what gets taught in teacher preparation courses.

Describes a program developed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) libraries that moved librarians from the centralized main library to college departments that are not served by branch libraries. Topics include remote access capabilities; librarians' roles, including reference librarian, instructor, Web master, faculty colleague, and computer technician; and administrative benefits. (LRW)

Describes the Tufts University Health Sciences Database, which combines course delivery, digital library, knowledge management, and curriculum management systems. (EV)

Traces the development of qualitative methodology to the Chicago School of sociologists in the 1920s. Distinguishes between qualitative methods and qualitative methodology and between anthropological and sociological approaches. Expresses concern that some types of research may co-opt the qualitative label and replace ethnography. (Author/SK)

Discussion of library purchasing decisions regarding serials focuses on efforts at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to compile numerous measures into a comprehensive database for decision support. Discusses a faculty survey of serials needs and future implications. (Author/LRW)