<p> The increased availability of technology in Western culture has resulted in an increased use of technology among adolescents in both academic and personal settings. In the U.S., adolescents use technology to communicate, access information, create and distribute products on a daily basis. More importantly, this increase in technology has resulted in many more reasons and opportunities to read. It is unclear, however if increased reading in these new digital modes are related to increased scores on traditional academic assessments. This study used an archival data set to investigate relationships that existed among self-reported reading frequencies in different modes and contexts and scores on a high-stakes assessment for students in an urban, high-needs district in the Northeast (N = 232). The relationship of frequencies of reading in four settings; Academic Print, Academic Digital, Recreation Print and Recreation Digital, to student scores on high-stakes, eighth grade ELA assessment was investigated using hierarchical regression analyses. In addition, alternate methods of quantifying survey responses were studied. The study found that student frequency of reading in Recreation Print and Recreation Digital modes were predictive of high-stakes ELA scores; however, frequency of reading in the modes and settings of Academic Print and Academic Digital were not predictive. Gender differences were found; two different predictive models were required when looking at the predictive value of reading frequencies on ELA outcomes males and females. Suggestions are given for developing or adapting alternative survey values in order to analyze archival data. In addition, further research into the nature of engagement in different modes of reading and consideration for individual differences in reading, specifically by gender is discussed. Suggestions also address the need for research on digital modes of reading and academic outcomes as the availability of digital material increases.</p>

<p>Instructors are being challenged to evaluate their courses and the manner in which course materials are distributed. Lecture capture technology has enabled nursing instructors to deliver classroom lectures even when class is not in session. This form of technology allows instructors to record lectures as they are being presented or instructors may choose to pre-record lectures prior to class. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to determine how lecture capture technology has been integrated into associate degree nursing programs in Alabama. Nursing instructors were recruited from two-year colleges in the state of Alabama. Instructors selected were asked to complete a demographic survey and participate in detailed interviews that helped determine what factors influenced them to incorporate lecture capture technology into their courses. A purposive sample of nursing instructors, who had utilized lecture capture technology in their courses, was sought. The findings from this study may be used to help other nursing instructors navigate through the process of implementing lecture capture or other technology into their courses. The data collected may serve as a resource to help instructors and institutions overcome barriers and to effectively use time and resources in educating future nurses. This study has implications for nursing practice and policy related to establishing procedures that can assist instructors in adopting technology tools that will be beneficial in presenting course materials. In addition, instructors can determine which method of implementation is best for their work environment.

<p> This study analyzed Putnam County School System's (PCSS) implementation of an online academic credit recovery tool. The online application was intended to allow students to recover credits required to graduate on time. The focus of the research was to determine if the implementation of Compass Learning by Putnam County School System has improved graduation rates across the four high schools within the district and to assess the consistency and fidelity of the implementation among the facilitators of the program. Online academic credit recovery allowed students the opportunity to reclaim credits needed to graduate from high school on time that they were unable to earn in a traditional classroom setting. The researchers gathered data from the four high schools located in the district. They included Cookeville, Monterey, Upperman, and White Plains. The data were gathered through observations of Compass Learning classes in each of the high schools; responses to surveys from faculty, facilitators, and students; graduation statistics from both the State of Tennessee and PCSS; and Compass Learning metrics provided by the central office staff. The study revealed that graduation rates improved after the implementation of Compass Learning for credit recovery. The study also showed that facilitators, students, and teachers had similar views of the implementation practices across the district, and that facilitator availability was a strong factor in assisting students to success.</p>

This thesis examines the potential of using virtual reality (VR) to implement virtual environments for training in suitable tasks, and demonstrates that this potential can be fulfilled. The Virtual Reality Welding Intelligent Tutoring System VR-WITS incorporates advanced features such as 3D video display, sophisticated navigation and object manipulation interfaces, human representation and an expert system to validate operations. All these human-computer interaction techniques are brought together, they offer the opportunity of learning with a virtual training environment rather than the usual classroom-like experience. VR-WITS is a VR-based "learn-by-doing" system developed for the training of maintenance workers in performing grounding welds of various equipment. In particular, this thesis describes the design and implementation of a synthetic human model to be incorporated in virtual environments (VE) for training purposes. The human puppet represents the trainee in the virtual world. This puppet is capable of performing task simulations and mimicking the trainee movements in real-time. Interaction mechanisms are analyzed and described and then experimental results are presented and discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Technology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3813. Adviser: Thomas Brush. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 30, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3812. Adviser: Thomas A. Brush. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 8, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3810. Adviser: Thomas Schwen. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 8, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3811. Adviser: Thomas M. Duffy. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 8, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and the Educational Psychology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2816. Advisers: Daniel T. Hickey; Sasha A. Barab. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 14, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Drexel University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-157).