Dianna L. Newman

Adopting Educational Technology: Implications for Designing Interventions

This in-depth case study tracks the development of a districts adoption of an educational technology plan over the course of a three-year time span. The site consisted of an urban city school district implementing a technology-supported curriculum involving support from administration, teachers, students, and parents. Key activities included technology planning, professional development training, development of technology supported curriculum, and technology implementation in the classroom. Analysis of the process allowed identification of a six-stage cycle of intervention: planning, applications training and learning styles, product development, implementation, assessment, and redesign. Further review indicated that the model was cyclical in nature, allowing for “loops” or cycles within and across stages. The model, as developed, is believed to be generalizable to other settings, being bounded only by the time frame and resources available for implementation.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND EVALUATION STANDARDS

This study asked three questions: (a) What ethical principles are available to guide program evaluators? (b) how do the standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards match up with ethical principles? and (c) what are the implications for refinement of the standards, training evaluators, and practicing evaluation? Kitcheners five ethical principles: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity appear to have relevance for evaluation practice. Although consumers and novices were less likely to reach consensus than were experts, professional evaluators reached consensus in matching the standards to the ethical principles. The results also indicate not all of the Kitcheners principles are fully represented in the standards.

School Board Member Role Expectations in Making Decisions about Educational Programs: Do Size of School and Region of Country Make a Difference?.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the role expectations of school board members when confronted with decisions about curriculum and social programs and to gain insights into how they make these decisions. A national sample of 293 school board members responded to a survey asking what role they might expect to play in program decisions, the role of community members in decision making, the status of superintendent recommendations, and who board members would consult in making decisions. Of major interest was whether the size of the school district and the region of the country were related to role expectations and decision processes. Results indicated that region and size interacted to affect perceptions of community involvement, that size of school affected status of superintendent recommendations, and that region of the country was related to responses on all variables.

Stakeholder Information Needs Implications for Evaluation Practice and Policy Development in Early Childhood Special Education

This study examined the effect of variations of program evaluation purpose and methodology on decision-making information needs of various stakeholders. Respondents provided one of three levels of service in the context of early childhood special education. The results generally supported the hypothesis that program evaluation purpose (formative or summative) and methodological approach (quantitative or qualitative) differentially affect the decision-making information needs of individuals responsible for different levels of service provision (adminis trative, direct service, or parental). These results have clear implications for evaluation practice and policy development in early childhood special education.

Multimedia tools for use in materials handling classes

Materials handling is a vital function in a manufacturing or distribution system. Efficient handling of material allows such systems to operate at high levels of productivity. US companies invest over US

Reaching beyond the invisible barriers: serving a community of users with multiple needs

60 billion annually in materials handling technology. It is therefore extremely important for universities to prepare materials handling engineers who understand the principles of materials handling, as well as the design, implementation, operation and control of materials handling systems so that they can ensure the cost-effectiveness of this investment. This paper pertains to development of an interactive, multimedia-based system for use in materials handling classes. Modules in the system introduce students to: the 10 principles of materials handling; and two major equipment categories—conveyors and automated storage and retrieval systems. They illustrate industrial applications of material handling equipment and teach the problem-solving process through a case study and an extensive series of models, algorithms, problems and solutions. The modules have been formally evaluated and results are summarized. They are being distributed at a nominal cost to US and international universities. The module described in this paper on the ‘10 principles of materials handling’ was selected as a finalist for the 2002 PREMIER Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware.

Models of adoption and best practices for mobile hands-on learning in electrical engineering

This paper discusses a four-phase model for evaluating multimedia learning materials that emphasizes the diversity of learners and variations in instructional needs and user characteristics. The authors begin with an overview of the model, supporting evidence for its use, and key characteristics of users supported by each of the phases. They then focus on results of a current use that emphasized stage four, real-time usability, and show how they were able to document that the models under review met the needs of diverse learners and varied instructional strategies.

Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation

Pedagogical practices in electrical engineering education have been shifting away from teacher-centered learning during the past decade. An innovation that has enabled the adoption of inquiry-based and problem-based learning into the curriculum using experimentation coupled with simulation and analysis has been the development of portable oscilloscopes and other instruments that rely on tablet or laptop computers to perform some of the data processing and to act as the display. Faculty members at six institutions of higher learning have incorporated hands-on experimental activities into existing courses and/or developed new courses that take advantage of these new tools. Assessment data collected by these faculty members have demonstrated that the change towards student-centered learning facilitated by portable electronics increased student interest in electrical engineering, built student confidence in their ability to design circuits and systems, and supported the development of a deeper understanding of the theories that the students investigate or apply in the hands-on activities. A summary of the challenges that are faced in the different implementation models and a discussion of best practices are presented.