Decker F. Walker

Will computers dehumanize education? A grounded approach to values at risk

Abstract In this paper we examine the concern that computers will dehumanize education, one aspect of the general concern over possible threats to social and ethical values resulting from the computerization of schools. Concern over computerization of schools has become a battleground for ideological debates. Our paper does not enter this fray. Rather, we devise an alternative approach, called a grounded analysis, which addresses core concerns of practicing educators and administrators in their own terms. First we examine what people seem to mean when they worry that computers may dehumanize education. We identify four versions of this concern: that children may withdraw from people and society; that the teacher-student relationship may break down; that the teaching of important values may be jeopardized; and that education may become overly standardized. We systematically evaluate each of these concerns. Reaching no simple conclusion, we find that although dehumanization is not an inevitable consequence of using computers in education, it does pose some genuine risks serious enough to justify caution. Importantly, our analysis suggests that the actions of educators and policy makers may significantly raise or lower these risks.

A Study of Deliberation in Three Curriculum Projects

This paper reports the results of a study of the deliberations of three university-based, subject-matter-oriented curriculum development projects. The primary reason for making the study was to explicate the procedures by which such groups determine the form and substance of the curriculum plans and materials they create. The study consisted basically in the designing of a content analysis system and in the application of it to transcriptions of discourse recorded in actual project meetings.

Orthopaedic surgery core curriculum: the spine.

Objective: To develop a core curriculum for orthopaedic surgery and to conduct a national survey to assess the importance of 281 items in the curriculum. Attention was focused specifically on 24 items pertaining to the curriculum that are pertinent to the spine. Study design: A cross-sectional survey of a random sample of orthopaedic surgeons whose primary affiliation was non-academic, representing the provinces and territories of Canada Methods: A questionnaire containing 281 items was developed. A random group of 131 (out of 156) orthopaedic surgeons whose primary affiliation is non-academic completed the questionnaire. The data were analysed quantitatively using average mean scores, histograms, the modified Hotelling’s T2 test and the Benjimini–Hochberg procedure. Results: 131 of 156 (84%) orthopaedic surgeons participated, in this study. 14 of 24 items were ranked at no less than 3 out of 4 thus suggesting that 58% of the items are important or probably important to know by the end of residency (SD⩽0.07). Residents need to learn the diagnosis and principles of managing patients with common conditions of the spine. Conclusions: The study shows, with reliable statistical evidence, that orthopaedic residents are no longer expected to be able to perform spinal fusions with proficiency on completion of residency. Is the exposure to surgical spine problems and the ability to be comfortable with operating expectations specific to the fellowship level? If so, the focus during residency or increasing accredited spine fellowships needs to be addressed to ensure that enough spine surgeons are educated to meet the future healthcare demands projected for Canada.

From Virtual Frog to Frog Island: Design Studies in a Development Project.

We describe the efforts of a curriculum development team to create computerized virtual creatures for biology education. The original purpose was to create a virtual frog that biology students could dissect on computer. As the project developed, the vision changed radically. Instead of a virtual creature, the team created a virtual world, Frog Island, that contained a wealth of resources in various media for learning about the biology of frogs. The impetus for the shift from Virtual Frog to Frog Island came from a series of design studies in which the team discovered that the original vision did not match the needs of students and teachers. On the basis of this experience, we make a case for the value of early design studies in the development of educational innovations.

Orthopaedic Surgery Core Curriculum: Foot and Ankle Reconstruction

Background The purpose of this study was to develop a core curriculum for orthopaedic surgery and to conduct a national survey to assess the importance of 281 curriculum items. Attention was focused on 45 items pertaining to the foot and ankle. Methods A 281-item curriculum was developed. A content review and cross-sectional survey of a random selection of orthopaedic surgeons with primary nonacademic affiliations was completed. Data were analyzed descriptively and quantitatively using histograms, modified Hotellings T2-statistic, and the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. Our analyses assumed that each respondent answered questions independently of the answers of any other respondent but that the answers to different questions by the same respondent might be dependent. Results Of the 156 orthopaedic surgeons contacted, 131 (86%) participated in this study. Eighty-two percent (37 of 45) of the items were ranked by respondents with an average mean score higher than 3.5/4.0 and 42 higher than 3.0/40, thus suggesting that 93% of the items are important or probably important to know by the end of residency (p = 0.07). Conclusion This study demonstrated agreement on the importance of 93% of the items that pertain to foot and ankle reconstruction to be included in a core curriculum for orthopaedic surgery. The ability to make diagnoses and to manage common fractures, soft-tissue conditions, and arthritic conditions of the foot and ankle are very important for residents to know upon graduation from their residency programs. The exceptions to these are the ability to perform primary and revision arthroplasty of the ankle.