Successful Distance Learning Graduate Education in Human Services

SUMMARY

There is a critical learning process unique to graduate human services education. This process needs to be applied in the distance-learning environment. The planning and designing of course material, along with instructional strategies, need to incorporate the five phases of this learning process. Faculty who use this process to develop and deliver their distance programs will utilize the technology and educational environment of distance learning to the fullest. This paper gives readers the framework for designing human services courses so that graduate students benefit from the structure and presentation of course material in the unique environment of distance learning.     

MERGE

Computer simulations of social welfare policy processes allow us to exploit the power of learning by doing and, at the same time, avoid the ethical and practical limitations of applying the theoretical "experiments" in the field. This paper describes the application of a package of simulations, called MERGE, which simulates four different theoretical explanations of process in a scenario at the local level. MERGE is based upon a general simulation system, called EXPER SIM, available from CONDUIT, a non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution of computer-assisted instructional materials.     

Hypermedia Computer-Based Education in Social Work Education

Abstract

Hypermedia computer-based education (CBE) is an emerging information technology that makes possible user-directed, nonsequential exploration of, and interaction with, information presented through a variety of media including text, animation, graphics, sound, and video. This article describes hypermedia CBE and briefly reviews the research on its instructional efficacy. A synopsis of the theoretical foundation covers cognitive theory concepts of information networks and associative learning, web teaching principles, andragogical theory as it relates to social work education, and hypermedia CBE structure. Examples of current and potential applications in social work education demonstrate that hypermedia CBE can emulate the dynamic, iterative learning process of knowledge acquisition, knowledge testing, and content integration through practice simulation.     

Instructional Design: Bridge to Competence

Competency-based education emphasizes precision and rigor in instructional development. Social work educators surveyed reported differential success in implementing key instructional development elements. They reported success in specifying instructional objectives and developing related assessment procedures. They faced frequent obstacles in the systematic design of instruction; that is, in building bridges to competence for the learner. A theoretical framework is proposed to guide instructional design strategies. Three interrelated constructs are developed: learning task characteristics, learning environment characteristics, and learner characteristics. Approaches for operationalizing each construct are identified. Design strategies emerge from matching learner and learning environment characteristics to optimize performance on differentiated learning tasks.     

First Things First: a framework for successful secondary school reform

If youth development initiatives are going to focus on outcomes that we know are important in settings that we know can change these outcomes, the first outcomes should be educational, and the first setting should be school. School reform presents the most feasible, defensible, and informed opportunity for public policy to improve the life chances of children and youth in disadvantaged communities. This chapter introduces First Things First (FTF), a school reform framework grounded in research about how young people develop and how schools promote students' engagement and learning. The chapter explores four critical features of FTF that focus on students: (1) continuity of care; (2) increased instructional time; (3) high, clear, and fair standards; and (4) enriched opportunities for students. The critical features of FTF are implemented through three strategies: small learning communities, a family advocate system, and instructional improvement.     

The Collective Mediation of a High-Stakes Accountability Program: Communities and Networks of Practice

This article describes an analytic approach for situating teachers' instructional practices within the institutional settings of the schools and school districts in which they work. The approach treats instructional leadership and teaching as distributed activities and involves first delineating the communities of practice within a school or district whose enterprises are concerned with teaching and learning and then analyzing three types of interconnections between them: boundary encounters, brokers, and boundary objects. We illustrate the analytic approach by focusing on one urban school district in which we have conducted an ongoing collaboration with a group of middle school teachers. In doing so, we clarify the critical role that school and district-level leaders can play in mediating state and federal high-stakes accountability policies. We conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis for the process of upscaling and the diffusion of instructional innovations.     

Achieving Objectives in the Social Studies

To promote content literacy, students have to be actively involved. This article focuses on strategies that stimulate student interest by involving them with the content during pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading activities. these processes provide students with optimal opportunities for comprehension. The authors recommend the use of a variety of materials to supplement the social studies text, recoginizing, however, that the text, because of its breadth of knowledge will always play an important role.

The three instructional activities delineated reinforce the idea that social studies learning is promoted through literacy, just as language acts learning is developed through the social studies. All of the strategies include a form of graphic organizer. They are examples of ways teaches can adapt instruction to promote student interest in social studies. Social studies doesn't have to be boring!     

Using Computer Aided Interactive Video Technology to Provide Experiential Learning for Mediation Trainees

Participation in experiential learning activities enhances new mediator competence. There are numerous ways to provide such activities in higher education and private training settings. None of the existing modes of experiential learning (e.g., roleplay, case study analysis, or supervise practicum) is without limitation, however. And, no single way mode appeals to every learner or is compatible with his/her learning style. By using a variety of experiential teaching approaches, mediation educators and trainers may maximize the benefit of instruction, thereby improving the performance quality of new practitioners. This article attempts to heighten the readers' awareness of computer aided interactive video (CAIV) technology and its suitability for providing experiential learning opportunities for divorce mediation students and trainees. The process of designing and developing a CAIV instructional program for such use is described. The procedures for, and positive results of, field testing the program are high- lighted.     

A Teaching Framework for Transformative Multicultural Social Work Education

Abstract

A major challenge in multicultural social work education is fostering meaningful learning experiences for students by matching educational methods and content to students' individual learning needs and characteristics. Building upon transformative learning theory developed by Jack Mezirow, this paper proposes a teaching framework for transformative multicultural social work education that addresses students' individual learning needs and characteristics. This framework uses the dimensions of cultural knowledge and cultural sensitivity to represent four potential stances of cross-cultural learning in students. The paper provides a detail discussion regarding the learning needs and learning foci of students at each stance, and useful teaching strategies and activities that enhance students' transformative learning process so that they develop integrative knowledge about self and others in a dynamic multicultural society from multiple perspectives.     

研究性学习模式在本科审计教学中的应用

审计学是一门操作性很强的应用型课程。传统审计教学模式很难实现教学目标,而开展研究性教学可以很好地切合课程的特点,激发学生的学习积极性,提升课堂教学的有效性。文中分析了本科审计学教学采用研究性教学的重要意义,提出了采用研究性教学来整合教学内容、创新教学方法、构建新型动态开放的评价体系的思路以及研究性教学实施过程中应该注意的问题。     

Motivating Social Work Students in Statistics Courses

Statistical literacy provides an advantage to social work practitioners in promoting client interests. The social work literature has provided some suggestions for improving instruction in statistics courses, but the goal of motivating students in statistics courses has remained elusive. The ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) is a model for instructional design developed to enhance learner motivation. The ARCS model can be utilized to increase interest in, and learning of, any social work course content. This article applies the ARCS model to social work statistics courses, integrating current literature, providing concrete examples, and illustrating how learner motivation can be enhanced to improve social work education.     

Instructional Demonstrations are More Efficient Than Consequences Alone for Children with Naming

Prior research found that without the naming cusp, children did not learn from instructional demonstrations presented before learn units (IDLUs) (i.e., modeling an expected response twice for a learner prior to delivering an instructional antecedent), however, following the establishment of naming, they could. The present study was designed to compare the rate of learning reading and mathematics objectives in children who showed naming using IDLUs compared to standard learn units (SLUs) alone (comparable to three-term contingency trials). In Phase 1, a pre-screening phase, we demonstrated that four typically developing males, 3 to 4 years of age, had naming within their repertoire, meaning they were able to master the names of novel 2-D stimuli as both a listener and a speaker without explicit instruction. Using the same participants in Phase 2, we compared rates of learning under two instructional methods using a series of repeated AB designs where conditions (IDLUs versus SLUs) were counterbalanced across dyads and replicated across participants. The participants learned more than twice as fast under IDLU conditions and showed between 30% and 50% accuracy on the first presentation of a stimulus following a model. The IDLU condition was more efficient (fewer trials to criterion) than the SLU condition. These findings, together with prior findings, suggest that the onset of naming allows children to learn faster when instructional demonstrations are incorporated into lessons.

     

Moving Toward Technology-Supported Instruction in Human Service Practice: The “Virtual Classroom”

SUMMARY

With the challenge for human services faculty to better integrate classroom materials to the realities of today's practice and the advent of several new communication technologies and technology-mediated instructional software, the use of Web-base instruction and the “Virtual Classroom” as a pedagogical strategy may be a viable added dimension to the learning process for human services practice courses with the potential to improve learning efficacy. Possible teaching strategies are discussed as well as implications for research.     

Learning Style Characteristics of Adult Dependent Decision Makers: Counseling and Instructional Implications

Dependent decision makers form a significant population of students and adults who seek help from career counselors. This study investigated the learning style characteristics of dependent decision makers in an urban community college setting. The results suggest that the dependent decision makers as a group may have reduced motivation for learning, show limited persistence, and take less responsibility for their learning. Because of these learning style characteristics, we recommend that these characteristics be considered when making counseling interventions and instructional modifications when working with dependent decision makers.     

Implementing Web-Based Learning: Evaluation Results from a Mental Health Course

SUMMARY

This paper reports on the evaluation results of a web-enhanced mental health course. The instructional design of the course was based on the principles of constructivist and collaborative learning environments. Students strongly supported the use of web-based learning in this course and found that the online environment enhanced their learning. The benefits and disadvantages of web-based learning and the implications for future course development are discussed. Issues in implementing web-based learning in social work education are also identified.     

小议歌曲在法语教学中的运用

音乐能够调节情绪、激发兴趣,促进理解、增强记忆。法语歌曲较好地融合了语音、语言和文化知识,如果选择恰当、教学设计合理,在遵循法语语言知识的学习和各项语言技能训练的前提下,将法语歌曲作为语言学习的辅助材料,既可增加教学内容的趣味性,又可提高教学方式的灵活性。