Electronic Discussion Groups Research Articles

Utilidade e facilidade no uso de recursos tecnológicos pelos enfermeiros gestores

Introduction: In the health area, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a crucial element for the management of services, as they allow storing and sharing of information, being intrinsic to most activities of nurse managers. Objectives: Identify the strategies that nurse managers use in the management process using ICTs; to analyze the usefulness and ease of use of ICTs by nurse managers in the management process. Material and Methods: Descriptive study constituted of 74 nurse managers. A self-completed questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument and descriptive statistics to describe the variables under study. Results: Electronic mail (98.6%), intranet (95.9%), and discussion groups (94.6%) were considered the technological resources that can be used in nursing management. The technologies that are most frequently available in health institutions are electronic mail (97.3%), intranet (87.,8%) and S-Clínico (74.3%). In the exercise of nursing management, video conferencing (63.5%) and electronic mail (56.8%) are the most technological resources used. Technologies such as electronic mail and S-Clínico are useful in Clínico practice and information management, while video conferencing is useful in information management and formation. On the other hand, electronic mail and intranet are the easiest technologies to use in human resources management. Conclusion: ICTs allow nurse managers to have updated information at the right time, which allows them to guide Clínico practice, maximizing productivity through the proper use of available resources.

Orientation and Mobility Practitioners: A Comparison Study of Changes in Demographics

Introduction: Three early studies from 1974 to 2000 provided information on demographics and salient characteristics of the profession of orientation and mobility (O&M). The current study compared demographic information from those studies with data from a survey instrument administered in 2019. The purpose of this article is to examine changes in demographics that have emerged in the ensuing years. Method: The questionnaire was disseminated using Qualtrics. It was distributed to practitioners in the profession via all available professional electronic discussion groups and was advertised on the websites of the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) and Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Findings: The number of O&M practitioners who responded to the survey was 628. Data indicate that the O&M profession is still predominantly Caucasian, and females continue to be in the majority and have expanded within the profession. The percentage of O&M practitioners working in school settings increased by 14% from earlier studies, and respondents had a median age of 41–50 years. Discussion: The results of this study show that the profession remains primarily female, mostly Caucasian, and 65% of practitioners are 41 year of age or older. O&M practitioners continue serving school-age students, thereby supporting results from previous studies. Finally, salaries of O&M practitioners have positively increased over time after accounting for inflation. Implications for Practitioners: Current characteristics of O&M practitioners have implications for recruitment of more diverse young professionals to serve the diversity of those they teach. It is evident the field should try to increase diversity within its ranks to mirror the diverse population they serve. Moreover, O&M salaries have kept pace or exceeded inflation, and thus the profession continues to be attractive in recruiting qualified and diverse professionals.

Questioning the questions: Methods used by medical schools to review internal assessment items.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Objective: Review of assessment questions to ensure quality is critical to properly assess student performance. The purpose of this study was to identify processes used by medical schools to review questions used in internal assessments. Methods: The authors recruited professionals involved with the writing and/or review of questions for their medical school's internal assessments to participate in this study. The survey was administered electronically via an anonymous link, and participation was solicited through the DR-ED listserv, an electronic discussion group for medical educators. Responses were collected over a two-week period, and one reminder was sent to increase the response rate. The instrument was comprised of one demographic question, two closed-ended questions, and two open-ended questions. Results: Thirty-nine respondents completed the survey in which 22 provided the name of their institution/medical school. Of those who self-identified, no two respondents appeared to be from the same institution, and participants represented institutions from across the United States with two from other countries. The majority (n=32, 82%) of respondents indicated they had a process to review student assessment questions. Most participants reported that faculty and course/block directors had responsibility for review of assessment questions, while some indicated they had a committee or group of faculty who was responsible for review. Most focused equally on content/accuracy, formatting, and grammar as reported. Over 81% (n=22) of respondents indicated they used NBME resources to guide review, and less than 19% (n=5) utilized internally developed writing guides. Conclusions: Results of this study identified that medical schools are using a wide range of item review strategies and use a variety of tools to guide their review. These results will give insight to other medical schools who do not have processes in place to review assessment questions or who are looking to expand upon current procedures.

Developing an Indoor Navigation Application: Identifying the Needs and Preferences of Users Who Are Visually Impaired

Introduction: This study identified users’ indoor navigation concerns, prototype feature preferences, and perceptions of the relative importance and difficulty of certain building types in order to guide the development of an accurate and user-friendly indoor navigation application. Methods: Six-hundred fourteen adult volunteers who are legally blind from the 7,000-member Sendero global positioning system (GPS) electronic discussion group completed a 27-item survey instrument using Survey Monkey Pro online. Data were analyzed using chi-square and cross tabulation statistics. Results: Participants felt points of interest were the most important type of indoor information, that ability to know their location at any time the most important application feature, and verbal output with auditory and vibrational cues, the best output mode. Airports and bus or rail transit facilities scored highest as important buildings for navigation systems, and sports arenas and airports scored highest as difficult buildings to navigate. Chi-square analyses demonstrated that gender and GPS use were related to travel confidence. In addition, GPS use was related to user age, degree of reading vision, and employment. Discussion: The findings demonstrate user preferences for an indoor wayfinding application and high-priority building types. Regardless of stated preferences, it is important to allow the user to customize the application settings. The judgments on building importance of participants provide data on which to prioritize future site development. The chi-square analyses were exploratory in nature and designed to discover possible relationships. Implications for practitioners: Vision education and rehabilitation professionals can use the findings to understand the process of accessible indoor navigation and structure lessons accordingly. Developers can improve their products. Both groups can know and understand the indoor wayfinding perceptions and opinions of more than 600 individuals who are legally blind.

The Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Braille: Point–Counter Point Arguments for and Against the Need for the Knowledge of Braille

Introduction: Few academic discussions are more contentious in the field of orientation and mobility than the notion of whether or not O&M specialists need to know braille. To help answer this question, we developed a survey. Methods: An online survey instrument was distributed through O&M electronic discussion groups. The survey included a demographic section, a section concerning the use of braille for instructional purposes, questions about the importance of braille in the training and certification of O&M specialists, the level of knowledge of braille required, and whether or not respondents considered braille an essential job function. Results: Most participants ( n = 108) believed or strongly believed that braille should be a separate course in personnel preparation programs and should be required for O&M personnel preparation programs accredited by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Slightly less than half (42%) of respondents believed or strongly believed that braille should be required for Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) certification in O&M ( n = 80; 22 respondents were undecided). Discussion: The field of visual impairment (i.e., blindness or low vision) needs to examine closely the amount of time, number of personnel required, and financial cost of pursuing braille as a competency for O&M specialists. Personnel costs may include additional resources to assist ACVREP in changing its requirements to include braille and the revision of the examination to reflect this new requirement, universities in hiring faculty to develop new programs of study to include coursework involving braille, and AER’s Higher Education Accreditation Commission in changing the AER University Review Accreditation Curricular Standards: Orientation and Mobility Specialists. Implications for practitioners: This study provided a snapshot of what a group ( N = 189) of vision professionals believe regarding the importance of braille in O&M—141 of that group were certified in O&M; the remainder identified themselves as having multiple certifications. Further research is needed, especially including more representation of rehabilitation professionals, to obtain more input concerning this controversial topic.

Results of an Online Refresher Course to Build Braille Transcription Skills in Professionals

Certified transcribers, non-certified transcribers, volunteers, paraeducators, and teachers of students with visual impairments transcribe braille materials for K-12 students (those in kindergarten through 12th grade), and their training and level of preparedness varies greatly (Corn & Wall, 2002; Herzberg & Stough, 2007; Rosenblum & Herzberg, 2011). With the exception of conference sessions, courses offered by the Hadley School for the Blind, and university courses, there is not a national vehicle for individuals to easily and inexpensively refresh their knowledge of braille formatting, tactile graphics production, and braille codes, including the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation (hereafter referred to as Nemeth code). In 1999, Allman and Holbrook advocated for refresher braille courses based on the analysis of pretest and posttest data from their successful regional braille refresher workshops (Allman & Holbrook, 1999). Amato's 2002 study of teacher preparation programs in the United States and Canada also supported the use of refresher courses (Amato, 2002). Forty-two of the 45 respondents in that study reported that refresher courses should be required at regular intervals or when a teacher thought it was necessary to update skills. Distance education provides access to learning without requiring one to simultaneously be with the instructor. Distance education avenues have been used as a part of braille instruction over the last two decades. In 1997, Kapperman and others developed a computer-based Nemeth Braille Code Tutorial, which is still used by individuals to refresh their knowledge (Kapperman, Henry, Cortesi, Heinze, & Sticken, 1997). Wormsley (2001) reported on a successful literary braille refresher course that incorporated video teleconferencing. Given the increase of distance education options, there was a need to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of online braille courses, including those that focus on Nemeth code, formatting, and tactile graphics. It has been anecdotally hypothesized that K-12 students who read braille receive materials that are not equal in quality to materials received by sighted peers (Corn & Wall, 2002). This hypothesis was supported by a direct examination of braille transcriptions of mathematics materials. More than half of the transcriptions contained errors (Herzberg & Rosenblum, 2014). In addition, in a recent study of 12 students in grades 6-12, 11 of the youths reported that there were times when they were not provided materials in braille at the same time sighted peers received print materials (Rosenblum & Herzberg, 2015). The data from the Herzberg and Rosenblum (2014) study regarding frequently occurring Nemeth code and formatting errors as well as variability in the production of tactile graphics were used in the development of an online refresher course. This article reports the results of a follow-up survey (referred to as the survey) of individuals who completed all course requirements. The University of South Carolina Upstate and the U.S. Department of Education (H235E090010) funded the development of the course. The following research questions were explored: 1. What knowledge about the Nemeth code, formatting of mathematics materials, and producing tactile graphics was gained through the completion of the online course? 2. What, if any, impact did the completion of the online course have on the way in which participants prepared mathematics materials in braille? 3. What course features were helpful? METHODS Participants The project was approved by the Institutional Review Committee at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Recruitment for the refresher course occurred through postings on electronic discussion groups in the field of visual impairment in early 2014. The course ran from March 1 to April 15, 2014, at no cost to individuals who were currently preparing mathematics materials for K-12 students and wanted to refresh their knowledge of some aspects of the Nemeth code, formatting, and tactile graphics production. …

Moving Forward with Unified English Braille in the United States

A quarter of a century ago, a white paper was submitted to the board of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). The paper--authored by braille pioneers Tim Cranmer, researcher and creator of the Cranmer Abacus, and Abraham Nemeth, inventor of the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation--described the need to streamline the braille codes being used in North America and outlined the concept of a unified code that could include symbols and rules for all contexts. What began as a BANA research project soon became an international effort as seven countries comprising the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) worked together to develop such a code. The ICEB committees, consisting primarily of braille readers, worked for over a decade to develop Unified English Braille (UEB), which by 2004 was deemed sufficiently complete for individual countries to adopt. Soon after, South Africa, Australia, Nigeria, and New Zealand adopted UEB; Canada adopted it in 2010, and the United Kingdom adopted it in 2011. Ireland has now joined ICEB, making it the eighth country to take part in the implementation of UEB. Since 2004, the United States has monitored the implementation of UEB around the world, and it remains an active member of ICEB. After a great deal of deliberation, in November 2012, the United States member organizations of BANA voted to adopt UEB in the United States. After additional consideration and discussion, the implementation date was set for January 4, 2016. At that time, the official braille codes for use in the United States will be UEB, Nemeth code, the music code, and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The BANA Board created a UEB transition task force to identify immediate, intermediate, and long-term tasks and to begin work on a large number of assignments. For example, the BANA website was updated to create a UEB page, UEB example documents were produced so more people could become familiar with the code, and outreach efforts were conducted to inform constituents about the transition to UEB. PHASES OF IMPLEMENTATION BANA has been working toward implementation of UEB in the United States in four phases: I. 2013: Information year--BANA developed and disseminated information about UEB and gathered input from constituents. II. 2014: Infrastructure year--BANA and other organizations planned for procurement and production of braille materials in UEB and developed training materials. III. 2015: Instructional year--Readers, producers, and educators become proficient in UEB. IV. 2016: Implementation year--All new transcriptions will be produced in UEB; educators will teach the code. Devices and software will fully and accurately incorporate UEB. The BANA Board consists of representatives of 18 member organizations, but there are others who are part of the national braille community. A UEB transition forum was established for national organizations outside of BANA to participate in planning the implementation efforts within their organizations. The forum consists of delegates selected by organizations such as the Association of Instructional Resource Centers for the Blind and Visually Impaired; the National Prison Braille Network; the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities; the Council for Exceptional Children; VisionServe Alliance; and many others. Delegates represent their organizations at face-to-face meetings that have been held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and through an electronic discussion group. Together with BANA, the transition forum helps disseminate information and shares resources. NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OFFER RESOURCES AND TRAINING At the time of this writing, four months before the implementation date, it is possible to look back at the great progress that has been made in a relatively short time. …

Evaluating Biology Achievement Scores in an ICT integrated PBL Environment

Students’ achievement in Biology is often looked up as a benchmark to evaluate the mode of teaching and learning in higher education. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an approach that focuses on students’ solving a problem through collaborative groups. There were eighty samples involved in this study. The samples were divided into three groups: ICT integrated with PBL group: a PBL group, and a lecture group. The PBL with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) group used a PBL module integrated with the following ICT elements: Microsoft Word template; Microsoft PowerPoint; electronic discussion group, and blog. Meanwhile the PBL group used the PBL module alongside log books and posters. The control group utilized the lecture method. All these groups went through four sessions of Biology. Before the beginning of session one and after the fourth session, an achievement test was given to all the students. Based on the analysis for MANOVA with repeated measure 3x2x2, the main effect for type of treatment, exam time and subscale was found significantly different. Additionally, the type of treatment interacts with exam time and subscale in contributing towards the achievement test scores. Overall, the findings suggested that the ICT integrated with PBL group was significant compared to the PBL group and control group. The ICT integrated with PBL group also performed significantly higher for the subjective scale.

Michigan Severity Rating Scales: Usage and Validity

For many years, increasing caseloads for vision professionals have caused concerns about the impact on educational services. Average caseload sizes the literature have remained fairly consistent across decades, with 19.5 students per professional the 1980s (Pelton, 1986), 18 students the 1990s (Griffin-Shirley, McGregor, and Jacobson, 1999), and 22 students the 2000s (Griffin-Shirley et al., 2004). In contrast, the optimal caseload for vision professionals has been approximated as eight students (Mason & Davidson, 2000). Discrepancy between ideal and actual caseload sizes may partly be due to how service levels are determined. Lack of consistency determining the appropriate level of service for a given child can lead to inflated caseload sizes and ineffective services. Goal 4 of the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities noted that caseloads are based on the assessed needs of students (American Foundation for the Blind, 2003). An example of such a rubric for determining service delivery levels was developed by the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (see, for example, MacCuspie, 1998). In 1995, the Michigan Department of Education's Low Incidence Outreach office began adapting a model developed Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, that used student and environmental characteristics to determine service delivery levels. The task force that was created to adapt the model developed a set of in house severity rating scales to determine optimal vision service levels. The scales were revised 2008 based on feedback from surveys of Michigan vision professionals and with input from professionals across the United States. The scales are now popular enough that national surveys of how the scales are being used seemed appropriate. Interest the scales is shown by links to them on such vision-related websites as that of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, ; the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, ; Maryland-based orientation and mobility (OM and Paths to Literacy for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, . The scales are available online at the Low Incidence Outreach website: . The current study reports on the responses from a cross section of OM the Orientation and Mobility Severity Rating Scale Plus (OMSRS +), which is for use with children with multiple disabilities; the Vision Services Severity Rating Scale (VSSRS); and the Vision Services Severity Rating Scale Plus (VSSRS +), which is for use with children with multiple disabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two surveys, one with the O&M scales and one with the Vision Services scales, were distributed to achieve a representation of both O&M specialists and teachers of children with visual impairments. Potential participants were notified about the online surveys through announcements and flyers distributed at the 2012 conference of the Michigan Chapter (MAER) of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and postings on vision professional electronic discussion groups (MAER, O&M, AER). After a brief explanation of the intent of the surveys, professionals were asked to visit either or both surveys and ill them out online. …

Negotiating the status of women’s football in Norway. An analysis of online supporter discourses

Whilst women’s football in Norway has enjoyed sporting success, media interest is still limited. It attracts few spectators and TV viewers. In this article, we analyse how online supporters of men’s football view and discuss the status of women’s football. This is done through a discourse analysis based on the conceptual framework of feminist theory. An electronic discussion group on football serves as the source of data. Two main discourses are identified: The dominant discourse associates football to “masculine” standards and core masculine values, and women’s football represents a threat to this perspective. Women’s football is “othered” by a continuous comparison to men’s football as well as by strategies of trivialisation and sexualisation. The counter-discourse emphasises women’s right to play football on equal terms with men and argues that women’s football should be assessed on its own terms. The counter-discourse opposes the arguments of the dominant discourse by challenging the taken for granted-assumptions as well as the dominant derogatory notions of women’s football. But all in all, most discussants construct women’s football as a sport trapped in a vicious circle, which deserves its current lack of recognition.

The Protective Power of Collective Action for Sexual Minority Women of Color

We utilize an additive intersectionality framework in the present study to examine the relations among perceived racism, sexism, and heterosexism and the psychological distress of self-identified sexual minority women of color. Participants ( N = 134) aged 19 to 75 recruited through electronic mailing lists, discussion groups, and virtual communities aimed toward sexual minority women of color completed online surveys. When each form of discrimination was examined in a single multiple regression analysis, only perceived heterosexism explained significant and positive variance in psychological distress. In addition, collective action was tested as a moderator of the effects of racism, sexism, and heterosexism on psychological distress; specifically, the potential attenuating roles of three forms of collective action (race and ethnicity, feminist, and sexual minority) in the respective racism → distress, sexism → distress, and heterosexism → distress links were investigated. Sexual minority collective action buffered the heterosexist experiences → psychological distress link. More specifically, in the context of lower collective action, perceived heterosexism positively predicted distress; however, perceived heterosexism did not predict psychological distress at higher levels of collective action. No other significant interaction effects were found. Our results suggest that discrimination experiences continue to be important to assess in research and practice with marginalized individuals. Also, encouraging clients to engage in collective action could represent a useful intervention tool for counselors.

Using a LISTSERV™ to Develop a Community of Practice in End-of-Life, Hospice, and Palliative Care Social Work

An e-mail discussion group (SW-PALL-EOL) connects the growing number of social workers interested in palliative and end-of-life care. The article discusses the concept of a technology supported “Community of Practice.” Using content analysis, the article shows empirically how this electronic discussion group has contributed to the growth and expansion of a Community of Practice dedicated to improving palliative and end-of-life care among social workers. Examples are provided of the topics posted by subscribers and the guidance provided by the group's facilitators. Comments indicate satisfaction with the electronic discussion group.

E-mail communication in paediatrics: Ethical and clinical considerations

E-mail has become a commonplace 'procedure' in medical practice because it is efficient and inexpensive. However, there are potential misuses and abuses of this form of written communication, with clinical and ethical implications.Common uses of e-mail in paediatics include general communication with colleagues in a professional setting; electronic formal consultation, in which patient confidentiality is paramount; electronic 'curb-side' consultation, which may be perceived as a formal consultation; electronic discussion groups, which lack peer review; communication with current patients or their parents, which should be limited to simple, nonurgent issues; and communication with individuals seeking medical advice who are not patients, which is generally ill-advised.The present practice point offers a few practical suggestions including e-mail etiquette, security measures to ensure confidentiality, development of an e-mail policy for patients and parents, and separation of personal from professional e-mail.

National library associations: websites and electronic discussion groups

This article reviews the state of national library association websites in Africa based on an examination and analysis of the Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia sites. Problems identified include lack of regular updates, technical errors, lack of funds to acquire quality website editing tools and hosting facilities, and lack of promotion. Few electronic discussion groups exist, and those that do are mainly operated through free hosts such as yahoo groups, and are password protected. They are not well promoted and therefore not searchable using search engines. Recommended improvements for websites include proper hosting services and URL registrations, promotion through links with weblogs, assistance in training webmasters, and encouragement so that they can network and share experiences. Innovation Vol. 31 2005: 17-28

Electronic discussion forums in medical ethics education: the impact of didactic guidelines and netiquette

The quality of computer-mediated asynchronous group discussion in educational settings often has potential for improvement. To this end, 2 categories of recommendations can be found in the literature. Some authors advise providing didactic guidelines to students. Others recommend informing students about the basics of (formal) network etiquette (netiquette). This paper investigates whether the type of guideline provided has an effect on either or both the quality of asynchronous group discussion and the appraisal of participants in the context of a course in medical ethics. A total of 112 students graduating in the biomedical sciences were randomly assigned to electronic discussion groups of 18-19 participants each. Three treatment groups were created by varying the guidelines presented to participants upon entering the discussion forum. Guidelines contained trivial information, netiquette advice, or a combination of didactic guidelines and netiquette advice. Both the quality of discussion and the participants' appraisal of the discussion were highest in the third group. However, contrary to what is widely suggested, it was observed that exclusively supplying netiquette guidelines had no impact on discussion quality. To improve the quality of asynchronous group discussion, it is advisable to provide not only netiquette rules, but also didactic guidelines. Future research should focus on the effects of netiquette guidelines on students of different levels and skills and should allow for disentangling the effects of netiquette and didactic guidelines. It might also seek to establish methods of disseminating guidelines that enhance their effect.

Reform in statistical education

AbstractTwo questions are considered in this article: (a) What should professionals in school psychology do in an effort to stay current with developments in applied statistics? (b) What should they do with their existing knowledge to move from surface understanding of statistics to deep understanding? Written for school psychologists who have completed their formal education, this article examines the way in which four kinds of relatively new technological tools—Java applets, electronic discussion groups, blogs, and online books, tutors, and courses—can help professionals increase their knowledge and understanding of statistical concepts and procedures. Because new statistical procedures, over time, enter the arsenal of applied researchers, and given that the National Association of School Psychologists explicitly states that continuing professional development in research is an expectation, the information presented here shows school psychologists that there are useful and efficient ways for them to “keep current” with advances in applied statistics. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 527–533, 2007.

Technology and Early Braille Literacy: Using the Mountbatten Pro Brailler in Primary-grade Classrooms

This article describes the Early Braille Readers Project, which provided a Mountbatten Pro Brailler and peripheral equipment to 20 kindergarteners, first-, and second graders in Texas. The project included training and support in the form of site visits and teacher training for both teachers of students with visual impairments and classroom teachers, group workshops, and an electronic discussion group. The project had a positive impact on the students’ writing and reading skills and participation in instruction and social interaction.

Asynchronous Electronic Discussion Group: Analysis of Postings and Perception of In-Service Teachers.

This paper examines the practice of online discussion in a course specially tailored for in-service teachers who are pursuing their basic degree qualification at a teacher training institute. Analyses of postings to the asynchronous electronic discussion group were made according to the type of postings as proposed by Poole (2000). Four focus areas were looked into, that is, content, technical, procedural, or nonacademic. Analyses were done for each quarter of the 12 weeks of interaction. At the end of the learners’ participation in the EDG and before their end-of-course examination, the participants were then given a paper-based questionnaire asking their perceptions on the use of EDG as part of their coursework on the whole. Six aspects of EDG were examined, these are; ae technical aspects, ae motivation to use the EDG, ae quality of interaction, ae tutor’s response, ae perceived learning, and ae attitude towards EDG. Analyses on postings for the EDG showed that the bulk of the postings were made in the last quarter of the online discussions. Further, 97.8% of the postings were on content and the types of content posting registered were predominantly questions (41.19%) and those that sought clarification/elaboration (37.48%). Findings from this study suggest that overall the participants were satisfied with the six aspects of EDG examined. The aspect that recorded the highest mean was ‘motivation to read tutor’s responses’ whilst the lowest mean (and the only one with negative perception) was for ‘worthiness of time spent on online discussions’.

Gender and the Use of Exclamation Points in Computer-Mediated Communication: An Analysis of Exclamations Posted to Two Electronic Discussion Lists

Past research has reported that females use exclamation points more frequently than do males. Such research often characterizes exclamation points as ‘‘markers of excitability,’’ a term that suggests instability and emotional randomness, yet it has not necessarily examined the contexts in which exclamation points appeared for evidence of ‘‘excitability.’’ The present study uses a 16-category coding frame in a content analysis of 200 exclamations posted to two electronic discussion groups serving the library and information science profession. The results indicate that exclamation points rarely function as markers of excitability in these professional forums, but may function as markers of friendly interaction, a finding with implications for understanding gender styles in email and other forms of computer-mediated communication.

The State of RFID Applications in Libraries

The adoption of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology by libraries promises a solution that could make it possible to inventory hundreds of thousands of items in their collections in days instead of months. In addition, it would allow patrons to check out and return library property automatically at any time of the day. Besides speeding up checkouts, keeping collections in better order, and alleviating repetitive strain injuries among librarians, RFID promises to provide a better control on theft, nonreturns, and misfiling of a library’s assets. With an estimated 35 million library items tagged worldwide in more than three hundred libraries, this technology is generating ever-increasing interest. In October and November 2004, the industrial technology department and the Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, surveyed participating libraries, RFID electronic discussion groups, and Library and Information Technology Association (LITA-L) electronic discussion group subscribers to collect information with regards to the implementation of RFID systems in libraries. Opinions were gathered regarding such topics, actual or estimated, as RFID implementation costs and time; the impact of the technology on operations such as handling of volumes and security; and RFID system features adopted such as conversion stations, self-checkout units, and security systems. Information on the various RFID library components and the results from the survey are presented in this paper.