The Criterion of the Least Dangerous Assumption

1984 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Donnellan
Keyword(s):  
Parent Involvement ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Educational Decisions ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Conclusive Data

Currently, educators lack longitudinal data measuring both the qualitative and quantitative outcomes of various educational interventions used with handicapped students. As a result, there is no reliable standard to use when designing instructional programs which meet the “criterion of ultimate functioning ” (Brown, Nietupski, & Hamre-Nietupski, 1976). The criterion of the least dangerous assumption is presented as an interim standard to use until such data are available. The criterion of the least dangerous assumption holds that in the absence of conclusive data educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions which, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the likelihood that students will be able to function independently as adults. The use of the criterion of the least dangerous assumption in instructional program design, parent involvement, and student evaluation of students with autism is illustrated.

Effects of Instruction in Methodological Reasoning on Information Evaluation

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Leshowitz ◽  
Kristen Eignor DiCerbo ◽  
Morris A. Okun
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Persuasive Communications ◽  
Attitude Polarization ◽  
Interactive Classroom

In this article we describe an instructional program that focuses on applying causal reasoning and related principles of the scientific method to problems faced in daily life. In a highly interactive classroom setting, the instructor gives students repeated opportunities to apply methodological reasoning to real-world scenarios for the purpose of making informed decisions. In addition to describing the program, we report the findings of a capstone exercise that examined changes in students' beliefs toward legalization of marijuana after reading persuasive communications. Students who experienced the instructional program exhibited less bias in evaluating information and less attitude polarization than students in a comparison group. We discuss the implications of these findings for developing and evaluating instructional programs in methodological reasoning in psychology.

Evaluating the Learning Effectiveness of Using Web-Based Instruction

2011 ◽  
pp. 1740-1751
Author(s):  
Sherry Y. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Program ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Master's Students ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Web Based Instruction ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
The Web

The use of Web-based instruction is becoming widespread in higher education; however, much remains to be learned about how different learners react to such instructional programs. The study presented in this article evaluates students’ learning performance and their perceptions in a Web-based instructional program, which was applied to teach students how to use HTML in Brunel University’s Department of Information Systems and Computing. Sixty-one master’s students participated in this study. A number of interesting interactions were found. Students’ task achievements were affected by the levels of their previous system experience. On the other hand, the post-test and gain scores were positively influenced by their perceptions and attitudes toward the Web-based instructional program. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The Use of Single-subject Time-series Designs in Adapted Physical Activity

1984 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Watkinson ◽  
D.L. Wasson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Adapted Physical Activity ◽  
Mentally Handicapped ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Reversal Design ◽  
The University

The individualized nature of instructional programs for the mentally handicapped often makes group designs inappropriate in adapted physical activity research. Single-subject time-series designs are suitable for use in investigating the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of motor skills when the research involves small numbers of subjects. These designs require the collection of data before, and during or after treatment. Three single-subject time-series designs are described and illustrated with data from studies in the PREP Play Program, an instructional program for young mentally handicapped children at the University of Alberta. The simple time-series design has severe limitations for use as a research tool, but is appropriate for use by teachers or practitioners who are monitoring previously tested treatments in physical activity programs. The repeated time-series or reversal design can be used to investigate the maintenance or generalization of effects after treatments are withdrawn. The multiplebaseline design is recommended for researchers or practitioners who wish to assess the effects of instructional programs on different subjects or different dependent variables.

Navigational Aids and Learner Control in Hypermedia Instructional Programs

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Burke ◽  
Jennifer L. Etnier ◽  
Howard J. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Learner Control ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Linear Path ◽  
Navigational Aids

This study examined the effects of learner control and navigational aids on performance in a hypermedia instructional program. Results indicated that students who were permitted to move freely within the program and had access to navigational aids, interacted more with the program and this was associated with higher performance on the posttest. The findings revealed that students who had control over the sequence of their instruction deviated from a linear path significantly more often when provided with navigational aids such as those used in this study. Navigational aids may provide a structure that promotes more explanatory behavior or interaction for students under learner control conditions.

Babbling Development of Hearing-Impaired and Normally Hearing Subjects

1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Stoel-Gammon ◽  
Kiyoshi Otomo
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Hearing Impaired Children

Phonetic transcriptions of babbling samples from 11 normally hearing subjects, age 4–18 months, were compared with samples from 11 hearing-impaired subjects, age 4–28 months. Longitudinal data were available for all hearing babies and for 8 of the 11 hearing-impaired subjects. The analysis focused on two measures: (a) size of consonantal repertoire over time and (b) proportional occurrence of multisyllabic consonant-vowel utterances. On average, the normally hearing subjects evidenced an increase in size of their consonantal repertoires with age; in contrast, the hearing-impaired subjects in the same age range had smaller repertoires that decreased over time. Comparison of multisyllabic utterances revealed a general tendency for the hearing-impaired subjects to produce fewer multisyllabic utterances containing true consonants and for some of the hearing-impaired children to produce a high proportion of vocalizations with glides or glottal stops. These findings suggest both qualitative and quantitative differences in the babbling of the two groups.

scholarly journals Integrating Wikipedia editing into health professions education: A curricular inventory and review of the literature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Maggio ◽  
John M. Willinsky ◽  
Joseph A. Costello ◽  
Nadine A. Skinner ◽  
Paolo C. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Health Professions Education ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Assessment Of Student Learning

AbstractIntroductionWikipedia is an online encyclopedia read by millions seeking medical information. To provide health professions students with skills to critically assess, edit, and improve Wikipedia’s medical content, a skillset aligned with evidence-based medicine (EBM), Wikipedia courses have been integrated into health professions schools’ curriculum. This study describes a literature review and curricular inventory of Wikipedia educational initiatives to provide an overview of current approaches and identify directions for future initiatives and research.MethodsFive databases were searched for articles describing educational interventions to train health professional students to edit Wikipedia. Course dashboards, maintained by Wiki Education (WikiEdu), were searched for curricular materials. From these sources, key details were extracted and synthesized, including student and instructor type, course content, educational methods, and student outcomes.ResultsSix articles and 27 dashboards reported on courses offered between 2015-2019. Courses were predominantly offered to medical and nursing students. Instructors delivered content via videos, live lectures, and online interactive modules. Course content included logistics of Wikipedia editing, EBM skills, and health literacy. All courses included assignments requiring students to edit Wikipedia independently or in groups. Limited details of student evaluation were available.DiscussionA small but growing number of schools are training HPE students to improve Wikipedia’s medical content. Course details are available on WikiEdu dashboards and, to a lesser extent, in peer-reviewed publications. There is limited evidence of the initiatives’ impacts on student learning, however, integrating Wikipedia into health professions education has potential to facilitate learning of EBM and communication skills, improve Wikipedia’s online content, and engage students with an autonomous environment while learning. Future considerations should include a thorough assessment of student learning and practices, a final review of student edits to ensure they follow Wikipedia’s Guidelines and are written in clear language, and improved sharing of teaching resources by instructors.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Socio-Emotional Learning Intervention for Autism via Smartglasses: Qualitative School Teacher Descriptions of Practicality, Usability, and Efficacy in General and Special Education Classroom Settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Keshav ◽  
Arshya Vahabzadeh ◽  
Rafiq Abdus-Sabur ◽  
Krystal Huey ◽  
Joseph Salisbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
Software Modules ◽  
Students With Autism

There is considerable demand for special education services for the over half a million students with autism in the United States. While assistive technology may augment educational services, its implementation is often prevented by a number of practical and attitudinal barriers. These barriers are especially pertinent for the newest and thus least familiar digital systems, such as computerized smartglasses loaded with specialized software modules. Computerized smartglasses are a technology that has already been shown to have an ability to deliver educational interventions through augmented reality. With this in mind, we sought to understand how school educators received and assessed the practicality of a smartglasses-based educational intervention in a single-subject study. The intervention was designed to aid with attention and social educational learning in autism. The intervention was delivered twice a day during a two-week study on a 13-year-old student with autism who was attending a mainstream middle school in Massachusetts. Three different school educators delivered the intervention: the student’s general education teacher, special education teacher, and paraprofessional. Educators recorded their attitudes, the practicality of the technology, and its impact on the student and their classroom through the use of a digital log and a series of in-person interviews. Overall, the school educators experienced a positive view of the smartglasses. The smartglasses intervention was found to be logistically practical to implement, easily usable by both the educator and student, and not time-consuming to learn or implement. Educators also identified the experience as being fun for the student, and felt that the student demonstrated improvement in his verbal and non-verbal skills. There were no adverse effects on the other students or the classroom, and the technology did not result in a distraction. These findings suggest that social skills interventions delivered by smartglasses may be practical, useful, and may lead to improvements in social communication skills. Further research on smartglasses may help to clarify the future role for augmenting special education in students with autism.

Comparisons of Beginning Literacy Programs: Alternative Paths to the Same Learning Outcome

1997 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Traweek ◽  
Virginia W. Berninger
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Literacy Programs ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
Achievement Outcomes ◽  
Achievement Outcome ◽  
Whole Word ◽  
Relative Gains

University-based researchers consulted with first-grade teachers in a comparison of Integrated Reading-Writing (IR-W) and DISTAR programs in comparable urban schools with students “at risk” for literacy problems. Students in the two programs made comparable relative gains in achievement outcomes in word recognition from the beginning to the end of first grade. Level of orthographic and phonological awareness at the end of the first grade, but not instructional program, predicted level of reading achievement at the end of first grade. However, differences in processes underlying end-of-year achievement outcome were observed. Children in Integrated Reading-Writing tended to acquire orthographic-phonological connections at the whole word and subword levels, whereas children in DISTAR tended to acquire only subword connections. No differences were noted in developmental level of composition between the two instructional programs at the middle or end of first grade when coded compositions were available. The results are consistent with the notion that there is more than one way to learn to read and write.

scholarly journals A Review of Explicit and Systematic Scripted Instructional Programs for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua B. Plavnick ◽  
Nancy E. Marchand-Martella ◽  
Ronald C. Martella ◽  
Julie L. Thompson ◽  
A. Leah Wood
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Students With Autism
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