Introductory-level Course Research Articles

From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World (review)

Reviewed by: From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World Andrea Lieber Dennis E. Smith. From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003. Pp. xi + 411. From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World brings together an impressive array of source material on meal traditions in antiquity, focusing on the formal banquet as a social institution in the Greco-Roman world. The book, which began as the author's 1980 Harvard University dissertation, represents the culmination of more than twenty years of research. With chapters on Greco-Roman banquets, philosophical banquets, sacrificial banquets, club banquets, Jewish banquets, Pauline banquet traditions, and banquet scenes in Gospel narratives, Smith's text would be extremely useful for an introductory-level course on custom and culture in the ancient world. The original artistic renderings of banquet scenes featured in chapter one, based primarily on vase paintings and ancient literary sources, are especially useful pedagogical tools. The central argument of the book is straightforward. Placing the Eucharist in its sociocultural context, which he defines as predominantly Greco-Roman in influence, Smith asserts that early Christians dined at table simply because it was Greco-Roman custom to do so. He positions his argument against earlier scholarship on the Eucharist which, he charges, focused too much on the variety of discrete meal forms that might have influenced the Eucharist or traced its origins to a particular type of communal meal (e.g., Jewish Passover seder, Greek symposium). Smith argues instead for a simplified model in which all variations of meals in antiquity are subsumed under the general category of the Greco-Roman banquet. His goal is to "provide a common model that can be utilized for the study of all data on formal meals from the Greco-Roman world" (p. 2) and to prove that "the banquet was a single social institution that pervaded the culture as a whole" (p. 12). This argument is clearly articulated in the opening chapter, with the help of detailed diagrams and figures. In support of his thesis, Smith devotes his remaining chapters to a discussion of various types of ancient meals, highlighting what he sees as their common structure. The most comprehensive chapters are those on the Greco-Roman banquet and the Club banquet. These discussions reflect an impressive expertise with an astounding range of ancient sources. According to Smith's typology, the "banquet as social form" consists of [End Page 263] the following elements: the practice of reclining at table; the division of the meal into two courses (deipnon and symposium); the use of formal invitations; the positioning of couches according to rank; the use of servants; the practice of foot washing and anointment; the designation of a symposiarch to lead the banquet; and the central role of entertainment at the meal. Smith then illustrates the ways in which each of the meals he studies conforms to this basic structure. In his concluding paragraphs, Smith suggests that his approach, which situates early Christianity in its Greco-Roman context, "can provide a surer basis for historical reconstruction of Christian origins" and allow for "a greater appreciation for the diversity of early Christian social formation and theological elaboration." "Furthermore," he adds, "if we take full account of the richness of the earliest Christian meal tradition, we can find in it models for renewal of Christian theology and liturgy today toward a greater focus on community" (p. 287). In the end, however, Smith's earnest attempt to broaden the discussion of Christian origins effectively narrows it with an analytical approach that is overly reductive. Although he successfully demonstrates the influence of Greco-Roman banquets on the world of early Christianity, his single-minded focus on only one aspect of the tradition eclipses the important subtleties that make the Eucharist (not to mention early Christianity as a whole) the fascinating, syncretistic tradition it is. While it is undeniable that the various meal traditions Smith analyzes do reflect the influence of Greco-Roman customs, Smith's typology oversimplifies the issues and presents a deceptively monolithic approach. For example, the main focus on Greco-Roman traditions as the overarching framework almost entirely effaces...

Teaching Wireless Communication and Networking Fundamentals Using Wi-Fi Projects

Wireless communication and networking often proves to be a quite challenging subject to teach in a meaningful way, because many students appear to find the subject rather dry and technical, and thus quite boring. The authors have prepared some interesting projects to provide the students of wireless communication and networking with a hands-on learning experience. These projects are designed around low-cost Wi-Fi modules and PC cards that are available from local electronics shops. The projects are suitable for classroom use in introductory-level courses about wireless networking. The effectiveness of these projects has been evaluated by both students and teaching team. The feedback from students indicates that both the development and implementation of the projects were successful. This paper describes these projects, their overall effectiveness, and plans for further projects. The impact of Wi-Fi projects on student learning and comprehension is also discussed.

A virtual control engineering laboratory based on an industrial pasteurisation process

Virtual laboratories are becoming increasingly popular for educational purposes. This paper reports on the development of a virtual lab that is based on an industrial pasteurisation plant. An accurate first-principles non-linear single-input single-output physical model represents the pasteurisation process. A comprehensive range of experiments was designed to explore issues in, and support an introductory-level course in process control. The experiments focus on process modelling and PID control technology.

Using Science Fiction Movies in Introductory Physics

This paper discusses the use of science fiction movies in introductory physics courses at Spelman College. There are several reasons to use these movies in the classroom environment. Movies are a visual learning aid. Introductory physics students show a strong interest in participating in movie-related activities compared to standard group problem-solving sessions. Finally, these activities encourage creative thinking and can be used to develop writing skills. The students involved with these movie-based activities have included biology and pre-medical majors taking general physics. In the introductory level courses, physics, chemistry, and engineering majors worked on movie-based activities.

“Betty Is Someone I Will Never Forget”: An Experiential Learning Model with Older Adults

An introductory-level practice course for undergraduate social work students that focused on interviewing and professional relationship-building skills made use of its existing course structure and content to incorporate and infuse increasingly more gerontology content over the last several years. Based on an experiential learning and constructivist educational model, social work students develop an appreciation for and acquire knowledge about older members of society through one-on-one relationships. The course provides isolated individuals with support and companionship and the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the next generation of social workers. The article will discuss the course structure and content, theoretical learning model, and reactions of students who have completed the course over the last five years.

An Indoor Shopping Mall Building Stone Investigation with Handheld Technology for Introductory Geoscience Students

Field exercises are a valuable addition to introductory-level geoscience courses but are not always possible in an urban setting. To further develop student skills in rock identification, a project implementing the scientific method has been constructed that allows students to examine the building stones found in the store fronts at a shopping mall. The project is further enhanced with the use of Palm Pilot handheld technology as a tool for reference and data collection. This project allows students to see the use of geologic materials in an everyday setting and experience an innovative use of handheld technology.

LAN-Designer

Until recently, it has been difficult to motivate students to learn about server-based local area network (LAN) design because students find the subject very technical, dry, and boring. A software tool (named LAN-Designer) has been developed at the Auckland University of Technology that gives students an interactive, hands-on experience in server-based LAN design. LAN-Designer is suitable for classroom use in introductory-level courses in server-based networking. This article describes LAN-Designer and its effectiveness as an aid to teaching and learning about LAN design. The effectiveness of LAN-Designer has been evaluated both formally by students (student evaluation forms) and informally through discussion within the teaching team. The conclusions drawn are based on survey data collected from students. The feedback from students indicates that the development and implementation of LAN-Designer were successful. The article concludes by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of LAN-Designer and its future development. The impact of LAN-Designer on students’ performance is also discussed.

Inventing Geography: Writing as a Social Justice Pedagogy

A critical geographic pedagogy of writing can help students participate in public life by gaining access to the means of knowledge production. Drawing on pedagogical and composition theory, this article analyzes student papers from an introductory-level geography course to show how geography teachers can create assignments that broaden the scope of student agency and expand access to power. This is one way to promote social justice in the classroom because it fosters habits and skills of critical citizenship and participatory democracy instead of passive, consumption-oriented attitudes. Students are better able to position themselves as active members of a community and as agents in the process of critically reshaping knowledge about the world.

Illustrating computer hardware concepts using PIC-based projects

We are developing a series of interesting projects that give students a hands-on introduction to computer hardware concepts. Our projects are designed around the PIC16F84, a powerful 8-bit microcontroller chip that sells for less than $10. The projects are suitable for classroom use in introductory level courses about computer hardware. The effectiveness of these projects has been evaluated both formally by students (student evaluation forms) and informally - through discussion within the teaching team. The feedback from students indicates that the development and implementation of the projects were successful. This paper describes the details of the projects completed to date, their overall effectiveness and our plans for further projects.

A la Carte Grading: Providing Students Opportunities to Determine their Own Paths to Success

One goal of most courses is to prepare students with basic knowledge and skills associated with the course content. Mastery learning can be a rewarding way to encourage greater student achievement by allowing students multiple attempts to demonstrate an understanding of course concepts. This may involve repeated submissions of individual assignments or selection from multiple assignments for a single submission. However, such techniques can be unsustainable in large classes where additional evaluation and grading taxes instructor time and resources. For two large enrollment (>50) introductory level courses (PLS 366: Fundamentals of Soil Science; PLS 104: Plants, Soils, and People) offered in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Kentucky we implemented an adaptation of the mastery learning approach that encourages broader comprehension of course material and recognizes different learning styles, but does not require all students to redo all incorrect work. Instead, students are required to complete a minimum number of assignments, and then they are given the option to complete additional work that can be substituted for other completed assignments. In general, student perception of these grading systems were favorable; however, students did not seem to take full advantage of the available options because many did not choose to complete the additional assessments that could demonstrate further learning and be used to improve their course grade.

Campus Field Exercises for Introductory Geoscience Courses

Field trips are essential for learning geoscience, but can be logistically challenging for introductory-level courses with large enrollments. Transporting large numbers of undergraduate students to roadway or stream bank exposures can be time consuming, expensive, and unsafe. To address this problem, the author designed three campus-based field exercises for an introductory geoscience course. Students collected and analyzed data from campus features to learn about rock weathering, retaining wall stability, and stream flow. They preferred outdoor campus exercises over indoor exercises, because they were more realistic, interesting, and interactive. The outdoor exercises utilized features common to many college campuses and thus could easily be implemented elsewhere. While the campus exercises do not replace a need for conventional road trips in upper-level courses, they are an effective way to introduce fieldwork in large introductory-level courses.

The Changing Readability of Introductory Political Science Textbooks: A Case Study of Burns and Peltason, Government by the People

It has been standard wisdom among academic professionals for several decades that educational standards in post-secondary institutions are declining: grade inflation, fewer written assignments, and less demanding syllabi are aspects of the typical complaint. Students, too, have come in for questioning. Their preparation for college work on a number of levels has been found wanting. At the post-secondary level, however, a gap remains in the literature of our discipline: what about the curriculum? Most of the attention to this question has been directed at the technicalities of teaching theory and empirical knowledge (Cushman 1993; Jordan and Sanchez 1994; Luna and McKenzie 1997; Opheim and Stouffer 1997). However, the substance of the curriculum itself—the textbooks that most of us use at least in our introductory-level courses—have not received a full examination. From the past 15 years, several articles have been published in this journal on various aspects of textbooks as teaching tools, including their prejudices, their effectiveness, or their ideological content (Goldstein 1985; Sanchez 1996); there has also been a puzzling lacuna. There is a quiet but oft-repeated suspicion in the profession that textbooks are not what they used to be—they do not have as much substantive or theoretical content, they are increasingly video-driven, and less space is dedicated to argument and information. We found nothing from the most recent 15-year period of PS publications that remotely addresses this question. Given common perceptions—correct or not—about the deterioration of student ability (and there are articles in recent issues of this journal about that topic), it is remarkable that textbooks have not been subjected to a parallel scrutiny within our profession. There are many reasons to consider the change in quality of textbooks over time: they are a core part of our instructional resources; writing them is frequently considered a part of our “research” activity; and, they are a primary way of introducing students (including potential members of our profession) to the discipline of political science. While there are many ways to measure change, we limit our focus in this preliminary study to the accessibility of written materials, to the increase or decrease in the readability of introductory texts over the past several decades. Readability is one measure of accessibility, making it a key factor in communicating ideas and ultimately in teaching political science.

Aptitude by Treatment Interactions and Matthew Effects in Graduate-Level Cooperative-Learning Groups

The authors investigated the role of group composition on cooperative-learning groups. Participants were 275 graduate students enrolled in 15 sections of an introductory-level education research course who, through a modified stratified random assignment procedure, formed 70 groups ranging in size from 2 to 7. Using group as the unit of analysis revealed a small-to-moderate positive relationship between research aptitude (i.e., mean midterm and final examination scores) and group outcomes (i.e., scores on the article critiques and proposals)—the relationships involving the midterm scores suggested a Matthew effect, with respect to group outcomes. The authors found a positive relationship between degree of group heterogeneity (i.e, variability of the individual midterm scores) and scores on the article critique. A quadratic trend defined the relationship found between group size and performance on the article critique. Finally, a Treatment (i.e., group heterogeneity level) x Aptitude (i.e., mean midterm group performance) interaction was found with respect to the article critiques scores. Implications are discussed.

The Syllabus Quiz

We propose that a brief take-home syllabus quiz can be a catalyst for students to read and refer to their syllabus as a source of essential information about the class. In this article, we detail the development of such a quiz and provide evidence that students who complete a syllabus quiz have a better understanding of course policies than students who do not. A syllabus quiz may be especially valuable in introductory level courses, enhancing students' acclimation to the expectations of the instructor, the department, and the institution.

Introduction to Parallel Processing

Behrooz Parhmi Plenum Press, New York, 1999, 532 pp. ISBN 0-306-45970-1, $88.00 The book is organized in a very structured way making it suitable for use in a senior-level undergraduate or an introductory-level graduate course in computer science/engineering. While being successful in covering the main topics of parallel processing, the author has managed to arrive at an evenly divided book with fairly self-contained sections. As shown in page (xi), the book is comprised of six parts with each part containing four chapters. In the book, theoretical models of parallel processing are described and accompanied by techniques for exact analysis of parallel machines. The focus of the book is mainly on hardware issues, and software aspects such as parallel compilers/operating systems and concurrent programming are addressed in less detail. From the start, the author motivates the problem by explaining the continuing need for parallel processing regardless of advances in technology. Chapter 1 dwells on basic concepts of parallel processing. Fundamental computations including semigroup and parallel prefix computations are covered in Chapter 2. The reader here is introduced to simple parallel architectures such as linear array, binary tree, and 2D mesh. Most common communication primitives such as one to one routing, broadcasting, and sorting are described in conjunction with the said three architectures. In Chapter 3, asymptotic complexity along with complexity classes (NP-complete, NP, P, NC, etc.) is covered in detail. The author has done a good job in clarifying facts and fallacies of parallel processing. Chapter 4 concludes the first part of the book by intruding Flynn's classification of parallel machines, the PRAM model, and global versus distributed memory. Part II starts out with the PRAM as an extreme model for parallel computation. It then describes, in more detail than earlier chapters, the basic parallel algorithms. Algorithms aimed at systems with shared memory are discussed in Chapter 6. Synthesis and analysis of sorting networks are presented in Chapter 7, which is followed by more coverage of architectures designed for such parallel algorithms as DFT and FFT. Part III is devoted to mesh-based networks with associated algorithms. These networks are important due to their simplicity and low communication delay; they form the backbone of many parallel machines. I think, therefore, devotion of the whole part to mesh topologies is appropriate and well justified. Part IV covers the popular networks proposed over the past decades to serve as the underlying topology of parallel machines. These networks generally have low diameter and node degree and offer the familiar trade-off between speed and cost. Part V presents broad topics such as data flow, load balancing, and scheduling as well as system issues. Emulation (embedding) among parallel architectures is also discussed in a general way, with specific problems given at the end of the chapter. Finally Part VI adds much value to the text by addressing the implementation issues and introducing the contemporary parallel machines of different types. The book also contains useful and informative examples, illustrations, and problems. The end-of-chapter exercises are rigorous and relate directly to the subject just covered. References are recent and are taken from highly visible conferences/journals and books in the discipline. Finally, it should be pointed out that writing a book on computer architecture in general and parallel processing in particular is a challenge considering recent advances in technology. The author should be congratulated for composing a book, which appears to survive for years to come as it addresses, along with contemporary algorithms and architectures, concepts and innovations with little or no dependence on the current technology. Shahram Latifi University of Nevada, Las Vegas

“Quality” education: Exploring the value of bringing the quality approach to the communication classroom

Quality programs, from their early grounding in total quality management to today's modern forms, have become a mainstay in much of American business. Multiple sources suggest that more than half of American businesses have some type of quality program in place. By the late 1980s and early 1990s the quality philosophy had begun permeating the walls of higher education institutions. The primary venue for bringing the quality approach to higher education thus far has been through administrative channels and little has been done to explore its applicability in the classroom. This paper opens with a discussion of the core concepts embedded in the quality approach, considers the potential value of bringing this approach to higher education and specifically to the communication classroom, and concludes by offering suggestions for applications in introductory and upper level communication courses.

In the Spirit of Art Criticism: Reading the Writings of Women Artists

This article focuses on a newly developed college course in art appreciation and art criticism titled, “In the Words of Women Artists.” This introductory level course yields credit in fine arts and women's studies and draws students from a variety of disciplines within the arts. The purpose of the article is threefold. First, it describes the theoretical foundations of the course as it is grounded in postmodern and feminist criticism. Second, it offers a rationale for teaching about contemporary women's art through postmodern and feminist critical theory and practice. Third, through examples drawn from class assignments and discussions, it explains the theoretical background and instructional advantages of rotating frames of reference, that is, of requiring students to reason and respond from multiple points of view: their own, as both viewer and reader; the perspectives of the artists, as they are intertwined within their visual and verbal creativity; and those of the critics who write about the artists and their works.

What's Wrong at E.T.S.? Insider's View of Grading A.P. Government Essays

Every year in June approximately four thousand high school teach ers and college professors spend a week grading Advanced Placement (A.P.) examinations. In the event that you graduated from high school before 1955 or have no teenage children, A.P. exams are designed to evaluate a high school student's performance in a certain subject area and determine if she qualifies for college credit in that subject. A high score on an A.P. exam usually results in college credit for an introductory college level course in that subject or the satis faction of college breadth requirements in the subject area. With college classes currently costing upward of $1,000 per credit, A.P. examinations usually look like a good financial bet for most parents and students.

Personality type and performance in an introductory level accounting course: a research note

This study examined the psychological type distribution of a cohort of UK-based undergraduate students (n = 344). taking an introductory-level Accounting course as part of a degree in business management. Comparisons were made, using SRTT (selection ratio type tables) analysis, between ‘top performers’ (the upper quartile) and ‘poor performers’ (lower quartile) in order to establish whether accounting performance was associated with any of the personality traits identified by the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI). No significant relationships between the MBTI personality traits and accounting performance were found.

Student Participation and Instructor Gender in the Mixed-Age College Classroom

In 1991 over 38% of all U.S. college students, and nearly 42% of female U.S. college students, were age 25 or older. According to projections, by 1998 the number of nontraditional (age 25 or older) U.S. college students will rise to almost 46% (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1995, p. 178-179). The Education Resources Institute (1996) reported that the percentage of college students age 40 or over grew from 5.5% of the total enrollment in 1970 to 11.2% in 1993, making this group the fastest-growing age category during that period. Clearly, nontraditional students will continue to be an increasingly significant part of the college classroom. Despite their significance, nontraditional college students have been largely ignored in investigations of classroom discussion. Much of the debate has centered around the issue of student gender in the college classroom with little consideration to the impact of student age on classroom participation. The Education Resources Institute (1996) report described the typical 40 and over student as a white female who attends a community college part-time and works thirty or more hours per week. Thus, as Howard, Short, and Clark (1996) suggested, due to their different life experiences, nontraditional students' definition of the situation in the college classroom is likely to differ considerably from that of traditional students. These differences contribute to the greater willingness of nontraditional students to participate in classroom discussion. Because Howard, Short, and Clark's (1996) sample of 13 introductory level courses were taught almost exclusively (12 of 13 courses) by female instructors, it was not possible to consider the effect of instructor gender or course level in the mixed-age classroom. This study seeks to fill that void in the literature and contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the impact of student age, student gender, instructor gender, and course level on student participation. Previous Research Since Hall and Sandler's (1982) contention that the college classroom presents a chilly climate for female student participation, the issue of student gender has been the object of considerable study with ambiguous results. Several studies found no effect of student gender (Boersma, Gay, Jones, Morrison, & Remick, 1981; Cornelius, Gray, & Constantinople, 1990; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990 [in their university sample]; Hamlin & Janssen, 1981). However, other studies have concluded that males participate disproportionately (Brooks, 1982; Constantinople, Cornelius, & Gray, 1988; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990 [in their small college sample]; Fassinger, 1995; French, 1984; Graddol & Swann, 1989; Karp & Yoels, 1976; Pearson & West, 1991; Spender, 1981). Brooks (1982) linked males' greater levels of participation with instructor gender, suggesting that males participate more than females in female-taught classes. On the other hand, Sternglanz and Lyberger-Ficek (1977) and Pearson and West (1991) concluded that male students are more likely to dominate discussion in male-taught classes. Auster and MacRone (1994) found that instructor gender was not a significant determinant of student participation. Fassinger (1995) concluded that although instructor gender had no effect on the participation of male students, female students were more likely to participate in classes taught by female instructors. Class size was found to be a significant determinant of participation in classroom discussion in several studies (Constantinople, Cornelius, & Gray, 1988; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990; Fassinger, 1995; Howard, Short, & Clark, 1996). Fassinger (1995) emphasized the role of student traits (e.g., confidence, comprehension, interest, and preparation) and class traits (size, emotional climate, interaction norms, frequent large group discussions) over instructor traits (e.g., gender). Nunn (1996) challenged Fassinger's (1995) findings by concluding that the instructor's choice of teaching techniques (e. …