John V. Samuel

Understanding the Nature of Science and Attitudes toward Science and Science Teaching of Preservice Elementary Teachers in Three Preparation Sequences.

This study examined differences among three elementary school science preservice teacher preparation course sequences with respect to three variables: understanding of the nature of science; attitudes toward science; and attitudes toward science teaching. Also, this study sought to ascertain whether correlations were present among these variables within each of the three course sequences: (1) Science-Process-Content/Methods-Field Sequence; (2) Science Process-Methods Sequence; and (3) Methods Sequence. Significant differences were found among the groups of preservice teachers in the three course sequences in terms of an understanding of the nature of science. Teachers completing the Science Process-Methods Sequence and Methods Sequence groups possessed a significantly greater understanding of the nature of science than teachers in the Science Process-Content/Methods-Field Sequence group. No significant differences were found among the three groups with respect to either attitudes toward science or attitudes toward science teaching. No significant correlations were found between understanding the nature of science and attitudes toward science or between attitudes toward science teaching within each of the two groups. Significant correlations were found between attitudes toward science and attitudes toward science teaching for all three groups. Suggestions for future research and implications for science content/process integration and preservice teacher preparation programs have also been discussed.

High performance computing: delivering valuable and valued services at colleges and universities

Supercomputers were once regarded as being of very limited use - of interest to a very few national centers and used by a small fraction of researchers at any given university. As scientific research becomes more and more dependent upon management and analysis of massive amounts of data, advances in human knowledge will become increasingly dependent upon use of high performance computers and parallel programming techniques. Indiana University has undergone a transformation over the past four years, during which the capacity, use, and number of users of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems has dramatically increased. HPC systems are widely viewed as valuable to the scholarly community of Indiana University - even by those researchers who do not use parallel programming techniques. Economies of scale and vendor partnerships have enabled Indiana University to amass significant HPC systems. Carefully implemented strategies in delivery of consulting support have expanded the use of parallel programming techniques. Such techniques are of critical value to advancement of human knowledge in many disciplines, and it is now possible for any institution of higher education to provide some sort of parallel computing resource for education and research.

Higher quality for less: IT user surveys over the web

Even in tough fiscal times, competitive educational institutions must quickly assess the changing technology needs of the academic community and deliver appropriate services. As funds prioritize their services. A Web-based user survey is an economical tool to determine what existing services are most important to and most used in the academic community, as well as to determine potential services of interest to users. A Web survey also facilitates a quick exchange of information, giving IT administrators more data on which to base time-sensitive decisions. The presenters will discuss how a multi-campus Universitys annual user survey has evolved from a costly, time-consuming paper questionnaire to a more efficient, less expensive Web-based format. The Web survey provides higher quality results, due to less opportunity for human error, and an equal or better return rate than a traditional paper survey. With input from all service units in the Universitys IT department, the survey asks the most important, relevant questions. The answers provide a broad base of information on which the Universitys IT administrators can base their strategic decisions. This presentation is geared toward information technology administrators and managers who are interested in a cost- and time-saving method for determining an academic communitys vital information technology needs.