Lee Stadtlander

Virtual Instruction: Teaching an Online Graduate Seminar

Many colleges and universities are augmenting their distance-learning programs with telecommunications media. However, there is little guidance available on the mechanics of instructing in a virtual classroom. The objectives of this article are to briefly discuss the history and central issues of distance education, to describe my own experience in teaching an online virtual seminar, and to offer recommendations for future courses.

Virtual Instruction: A Qualitative Research Laboratory Course.

Online graduate programs in psychology are becoming common; however, a concern has been whether instructors in the programs provide adequate research mentoring. One issue surrounding research mentoring is the absence of research laboratories in the virtual university. Students attending online universities often do research without peer or lab support and without previous experience in supervised research projects. This article describes a virtual qualitative research lab course at an online university that both mentored students and collected data through a virtual qualitative lab on a national scale. The authors also address logistics, problems and issues that arose, and suggestions for future courses.

Independent Living Oldest Old and Their Primary Health Provider: A Mixed Method Examination of the Influence of Patient Personality Characteristics.

This convergent mixed methods study examined 35 healthy, independent living individuals’ (above 85 years) perceptions of their relationship with their primary health provider (PHP) and health practices. The relationship between PHP relationship perceptions and locus of control (LOC), resilience, and self-efficacy was explored through surveys and interviews. The majority indicated they visited their PHP just for preventative care; the number of PHP visits per year was significantly lower than reported for individuals above 85 by the CDC, possible reasons for this finding are provided. A positive relationship between LOC, resiliency, and self-efficacy for the oldest old was found. Few participants indicated their PHP had discussed normal changes with aging. This study has deepened understanding of the complexity inherent to the healthy oldest olds’ relationship with their PHP. The findings suggest this relationship relates to the PHP’s personal characteristics, the older adult patients’ personality, and the influence of the accompanying patient escort.