Search

Purpose: To develop an evaluation instrument that assessed health literacy competencies, specific to the national health education standards, that would provide less variability in response interpretation and greater speed of scoring than available in existing instruments. Methodology: Content was developed by professional practitioners with specific topical expertise and/or modified from existing instructional materials, compiled and evaluated via blind review, for alignment with the broad national standards and their specific performance indicators. Results: The resulting health literacy "exit" competency assessment inventory comprised a 60 item questionnaire that addressed 11 topical areas that focused on documentable adolescent and young adult health needs. Conclusions: Internal blind reviews indicated that all performance areas of the Joint commission Report were addressed with the instrument's primary, though non-exclusive, assessment focus on lower taxonomic objectives. Recommendations: Though preliminary work suggests the inventory may be an effective assessment tool, a comprehensive statistical analysis of the validity and reliability of this instrument needs to be undertaken to define its merits. (Contains 3 tables.)

Researchers conducted a comparative evaluation of HIV/AIDS education to examine alterations in practice and outcomes occurring within secondary education between 1994 and 2000. The study investigated the impact of reduced public emphasis on HIV/AIDS knowledge. Participants were students enrolled in the general health curriculum at a Pennsylvania university. They completed a self-administered survey that assessed demographics, basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention, and the scope and magnitude of instruction received during secondary school. Data analysis indicated that the scope and efficiency of secondary level HIV/AIDS education resulted in a knowledgeable young adult population whose understanding of requisite information did not change significantly over 6 years. Most respondents received some type of HIV/AIDS education in secondary school. School-based instruction replaced television as the best source of information. Teaching responsibilities were consolidated more extensively with health educators, and information was presented more pervasively, in larger chronological units, and at an earlier grade level. (Contains 21 references.) (SM)

This study compared reasons college students gave for choosing either "distance learning" or "traditional" courses in wellness and physical education. Students at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, who were enrolled in either traditional (n=195) or distance learning (n=100) wellness and physical education curricula, anonymously completed a questionnaire designed to assess demographic variables and rank criteria considered in course selection. These criteria included two variables that addressed chronology; one variable that focused on curriculum concerns; three variables focusing on performance issues; six variables for instructional issues; and one variable that allowed identification of other considerations. Participants in traditional courses identified curriculum relatedness (class content) as the most important criterion, while subscribers to the distance learning format were primarily concerned with chronology (scheduling convenience). Among the younger traditional students, anecdotal responses suggested course selection was driven by a concern with expeditiously fulfilling university or curriculum requirements. Results suggest that courses available via distance learning are more attractive to older, nontraditional students. (DB)

First-year students (n=255) at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania completed a survey instrument concerning human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), during the initial meetings of a general health course. Ninety-four percent of respondents had received information about HIV/AIDS at the secondary school level. The most frequently allocated amount of instructional time devoted to HIV/AIDS was 0 to 6 hours. The three most common venues for presenting HIV/AIDS information were health class (83 percent of respondents), other gatherings such as assemblies, and physical education class. Multiple instructional strategies were employed, with lecture, use of pamphlets, and films/videos most frequent. The sample, as a whole, exhibited qualitative and quantitative characteristics that were consistent with or exceeded previously reported instructional data. HIV/AIDS knowledge was influenced by age, gender, place of residence, class rank, method of presentation, quantity of instructional time devoted to the topic, comprehensiveness of content, and other variables. Class rank and presentation of information in an instructional unit (series of lessons) appeared to be the best predictors of HIV/AIDS knowledge retention. (Contains 22 references.) (JDD)

Information flow is a critical element to intelligent and timely decision-making. At NASA's Johnson Space Center the flow of information is being automated through the use of a centralized backbone network. The theoretical basis of this network, its implications to the horizontal and vertical flow of information, and the technical challenges involved in its implementation are the focus of this paper. The importance of the use of common tools among programs and some future concerns related to file transfer, graphics transfer, and merging of voice and data are also discussed.

The experience gained in the design and development of Shuttle flight and ground support embedded software systems along with projections of increasing role and size of software in the proposed Space Station and other future NASA projects provides the basis for forecasting substantial changes in the tools and methodologies by which embedded software systems are developed and acquired. Similar changes in software architectures and operator interfaces will lead to substantial changes in the approach and techniques involved in software test and system integration. Increasing commonality among different flight systems and between flight and supporting ground systems is projected, along with a more distributed approach to software acquisition in highly complex projects such as Space Station.