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This article reports a theory-driven experimental study that evaluates the effects of an annotation functionality on online social interaction and individual learning outcomes. The central hypothesis of this study is that directly addressing a part of a text by annotating it and then connecting each annotation with its related discussion can decrease coordinative interaction costs and result in a higher-quality discussion that favors greater gains in individual learning outcomes. To reach our objective, we carried out a theory-driven experimental study that compares two versions of an anchored discussion system: one with annotation functionality and one without it, both displaying the learning material side by side with its associated discussion in one window. Participants were 106 students enrolled in two sections of a blended-format course in health education. We assigned each section to a software condition. The examination of students' online social interaction centered on a fine-grained content analysis of coordination and knowledge construction activities as well as sequential analysis of knowledge construction activities. The results indicate that annotation functionality decreased coordinative interaction costs and stimulated more elaborated discussions that favored greater gains in individual learning outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's long and deep immersion in Ohio education policy, particularly in the charter-school realm, includes a half decade of direct experience as "authorizer" of several charters. Initially, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) was chief authorizer of charter schools in the Buckeye State. After the state auditor released a scathing review of ODE's handling of its role, the legislature "fired" the agency and in early 2003 invited a host of other entities to undertake the challenges of school sponsorship. Along with state universities, and district and county school systems, the list of potential authorizers included nonprofit organizations that met certain criteria. If too few new authorizers were willing to step up to the plate, however, the legislature's move would orphan more than 100 extant charter schools, forcing them to close. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation had long been active on the Ohio charter scene as critic, policy analyst, facilitator of new schools, and source of assistance (both financial and technical) to promising charter operators. After fruitlessly seeking new sponsors to take on the potential "orphans"--eligible organizations feared the political, financial, and legal-liability risks--and after much internal soul-searching and debate, Fordham decided in 2004 to apply to become a school authorizer and by June 2005 was occupying that hot seat. In this article, the authors recount and draw lessons from that experience. (Contains 1 figure.)

This study attempts to reconcile viewpoints on the role of errors in the design of computer-based training (CBT) systems. From one perspective, errors are detrimental to learning; from another, they can be beneficial. The results of an experiment are presented and discussed. When a CBT system is designed to allow learners to correct their own errors, they learn significantly more than when errors are prevented. When learners are allowed only to correct errors that others have made, they do not learn significantly more than when errors are prevented. Implications for the design of CBT systems and possibilities for future research are considered. (Contains 5 tables and 6 figures.)

The dynamic assembly of filamentous (F) actin plays essential roles in the assembly of presynaptic boutons, the fusion, mobilization and recycling of synaptic vesicles (SVs), and presynaptic forms of plasticity. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the temporal and spatial assembly of presynaptic F-actin remain largely unknown. Similar to other F-actin rich membrane specializations, presynaptic boutons contain a set of molecules that respond to cellular cues and trans-synaptic signals to facilitate activity-dependent assembly of F-actin. The presynaptic active zone (AZ) protein Piccolo has recently been identified as a key regulator of neurotransmitter release during SV cycling. It does so by coordinating the activity-dependent assembly of F-Actin and the dynamics of key plasticity molecules including Synapsin1, Profilin and CaMKII. The multidomain structure of Piccolo, its exquisite association with the AZ, and its ability to interact with a number of actin-associated proteins suggest that Piccolo may function as a platform to coordinate the spatial assembly of F-actin. Here we have identified Daam1, a Formin that functions with Profilin to drive F-actin assembly, as a novel Piccolo binding partner. We also found that within cells Daam1 activation promotes Piccolo binding, an interaction that can spatially direct the polymerization of F-Actin. Moreover, similar to Piccolo and Profilin, Daam1 loss of function impairs presynaptic-F-actin assembly in neurons. These data suggest a model in which Piccolo directs the assembly of presynaptic F-Actin from the AZ by scaffolding key actin regulatory proteins including Daam1.

The authors developed and evaluated an expert system-based training system using Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT). First, an Expert System for Training (EST) was designed and implemented, and then a version of EST without expertise features, called IST, was also created. In order to evaluate which training system (if any) delivers better training, a three-group quasi-experiment was used. Each group was trained to use Statistical Process Control (SPC). One group was trained using the EST; outcomes for this group were significantly the highest among the three. A second group was trained using the IST; outcomes were not as high as the first group but significantly higher compared with the control group. The control group was trained with traditional means. Results show that the ISDT led to a useful purposely- developed application for enhancing the training of workers who have limited education but need to know about a very specific and complex field where the availability of trainers is limited. The authors call for further research that uses this ISDT to build purposely-developed software to support training of complex tasks. Keywords: Expert Systems, Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT), Information Systems Development, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Training, INTRODUCTION This paper reports the development of an information systems design theory (ISDT) for an expert system to support worker training. It describes design research that produced a system to [...]

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's long and deep immersion in Ohio education policy, particularly in the charter-school realm, includes a half decade of direct experience as 'authorizer' of several charters. [...]

Byline: Sorin Gudea, Terry Ryan Organisations have high expectations that the Information Systems (IS) projects they undertake will be successful. IS projects typically involve a variety of stakeholders who may have inherently different definitions of project success. It is perhaps due to the perceived engineering aspects of IS projects that a heightened sense of inescapable IS project success is omnipresent. The study relies on a grounded theory approach to advance a theory of and provide an explanation for, the expectations of IS project success within organisations. This study found that more often than not high expectations for IS project success stem from intrinsic personal factors.

Presents a tongue-in-cheek discussion of whether or not administrators should formally evaluate and provide feedback to substitute teachers, noting the potential legal problems that may occur if an administrator decides to terminate the employment of a substitute teacher on the basis of the evaluation process. (SM)

A practical class using clicker training of chickens to apply knowledge of how animals learn and practice skills in animal training was added to an undergraduate course. Since attitudes to animals are related to their perceived intelligence, surveys of student attitudes were completed pre-and post-the practical class, to determine if (1) the practical class changed students' attitudes to chickens and their ability to experience affective states, and (2) any changes were related to previous contact with chickens, training experience or gender. In the post-versus pre-surveys, students agreed more that chickens are easy to teach tricks to, are intelligent, and have individual personalities and disagreed more that they are difficult to train and are slow learners. Following the class, they were more likely to believe chickens experience boredom, frustration and happiness. Females rated the intelligence and ability to experience affective states in chickens more highly than males, although there were shifts in attitude in both genders. This study demonstrated shifts in attitudes following a practical class teaching clicker training in chickens. Similar practical classes may provide an effective method of teaching animal training skills and promoting more positive attitudes to animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors developed and evaluated an expert system-based training system using Information Systems Design Theory (1SDT). First, an Expert System for Training (EST) was designed and implemented, and then a version of EST without expertise features, called 1ST was also created. In order to evaluate which training system (if any) delivers better training, a three-group quasi-experiment was used. Each group was trained to use Statistical Process Control (SPC). One group was trained using the EST; outcomes for this group were significantly the highest among the three. A second group was trained using the 1ST outcomes were not as high as the first group but significantly higher compared with the control group. The control group was trained with traditional means. Results show that the ISDT led to a useful purposely-developed application for enhancing the training of workers who have limited education but need to know about a veiy specific and complex field where the availability of trainers is limited. The authors call for further research that uses this ISDT to build purposely-developed software to support training of complex tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation as school authorizer in Ohio, adapted from the book "Ohio's Education Reform Challenges: Lessons from the Front Lines," by Chester E. Finn Jr., Terry Ryan and Michael B. Lafferty.

Enterprise systems (ESs) are customizable, integrated software applications designed to support core business processes. This paper reports research contrasting the relative effectiveness of two strategies for ES end-user training that differentially reflect the Sein, Bostrom, and Olfman (1999) hierarchical knowledge-level model. One strategy- procedural-involves training that targets the three lowest knowledge levels of the model (command-based, tool-procedural, and business-procedural); the other-tool-conceptual-involves training that also includes a higher knowledge level (tool-conceptual). A non-equivalent quasi-experimental design was used for groups of senior business students being trained to use an authentic ES. Performance measures were administered during training and ten days after training concluded. Both experiments demonstrated that training involving the tool-conceptual knowledge level leads to superior mental models, compared with training oriented toward lower knowledge levels, as expressed in the recollection and communication of ES concepts. Tool-conceptual knowledge-level training can be used to promote understanding and communication, and should be incorporated into training strategies for ES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on action research that implements online learning community (OCL) software to foster conversation at a specific graduate school. It mentions that the design of the research is informed by theories of conversation, online learning, social networking, and by popular Web 2.0 technologies. It notes that the application is oriented towards and controlled by individuals rather than being centered on courses. It concludes that the stakeholders appreciated and found value in the online learning community.

An examination of prior Web pages shows that the typical university will sometimes make a discontinuous change to its Web site (i.e., a sudden, major shift in a Web site between two points in time). This exploratory empirical study examines reasons for such discontinuous changes, surveying university Webmasters at a variety of institutions where discontinuous Web site changes had occurred. Universities varied by type (public, private), by level (Bachelors, Masters, PhD), and by nation (Canada, USA). Four reasons for discontinuous Web site change, identified in an earlier study of discontinuous Web site change in state governments, were compared: rational, marketing, political, and institutional. According to the university Webmasters surveyed, rational reasons for change were most important, followed by marketing, institutional, and political reasons, in that order. The ordering of reasons reflects statistically significant differences among types of reasons. Results did not vary by type, level, or nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to reconcile viewpoints on the role of errors in the design of computer-based training (CBT) systems. From one perspective, errors are detrimental to learning; from another, they can be beneficial. The results of an experiment are presented and discussed. When a CBT system is designed to allow learners to correct their own errors, they learn significantly more than when errors are prevented. When learners are allowed only to correct errors that others have made, they do not learn significantly more than when errors are prevented. Implications for the design of CBT systems and possibilities for future research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An examination of prior Web pages shows that the typical university will sometimes make a discontinuous change to its Web site (i.e., a sudden, major shift in a Web site between two points in time). This exploratory empirical study examines reasons for such discontinuous changes, surveying university Webmasters at a variety of institutions where discontinuous Web site changes had occurred. Universities varied by type (public, private), by level (Bachelors, Masters, PhD), and by nation (Canada, USA). Four reasons for discontinuous Web site change, identified in an earlier study of discontinuous Web site change in state governments, were compared: rational, marketing, political, and institutional. According to the university Webmasters surveyed, rational reasons for change were most important, followed by marketing, institutional, and political reasons, in that order. The ordering of reasons reflects statistically significant differences among types of reasons. Results did not vary by type, level, or nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Administration of an opioid antagonist, nalmefene, altered operant learning in laying hens. • Nalmefene suppressed both learning and performance of three tasks. • Opioid system likely plays a role in mediating rewarding experiences for laying hens during operant learning. There is limited research into mesolimbic function specific to birds and, specifically, how neurobiological reward mechanisms affect learning in domestic laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). A more thorough understanding of these mechanisms has implications for the improvement of welfare. Reward is proposed to involve two separate processes of 'wanting' regulated by dopamine and 'liking' regulated by opioids. This study examined the effect the opioid antagonist, nalmefene, on learning in domesticated hens. Eighteen Isa Brown hens were randomly assigned into either a saline or nalmefene treatment group. Hens in the saline group (N = 9) received 0.9 % saline (0.5 mL/kg pectoral muscle injection). Hens in the nalmefene treatment group (N = 9) were administered an opioid antagonist (0.4 mg/kg nalmefene in 0.9 % saline pectoral muscle injection) to disrupt the reward pathway. Prior to administration of treatments, hens were habituated to the training table, cup and trainer. Training occurred over three consecutive days on a series of three tasks using operant conditioning. Hens were dosed with either saline or nalmefene thirty minutes prior training. Hens were trained for one five minute session each day. Learning tasks included (1) pecking a target, (2) colour stimulus discrimination, and (3) pecking a target on cue presentation. All tasks were trained by the same trainer who was blind to treatment, using clicker training to shape responses. By the final day of training (Day 3), more saline hens had completed Task 1 and Task 2 than hens that received nalmefene (P < 0.0001). No hens in the nalmefene treatment group completed any training task. This study demonstrates that hens treated with an opioid antagonist failed to learn any tasks during operant training sessions, using a food reinforcer, over three days. We show that hens did not learn when the ability to experience reward is blocked, providing evidence that performing operant tasks is rewarding to hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the application of the BD ProbeTec ET direct tuberculosis system for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis in bovine and cervine lymph node tissues. Compared to traditional culture, the overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the BD ProbeTec were 87, 100, 100, and 87%, respectively.