Utilizing Computer Technology Research Articles

Utilization of computer technology in public universities in Ghana: Implications for management

This study investigated computer technology for instructional and administrative use in public universities in Ghana. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 450 academic staff and 98 administrators in three Ghanaian public universities: the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the University of Ghana (UG), and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technologv (KNUST).Computers were generally available for both lecturers and administrators 10 use. Availability' and access to technology did not differ significantly between universities. Academic staff used computers mainly for preparing lecture notes or reports while administrators used them mainly for preparing memos and reports. Forty-five percent of lecturers and 58% of administrators reported low or moderate skills in the use of computers. A majority of the respondents obtained their skills through self intuition rather than formal tuition. The findings suggest that universities could improve the availability; access and skills in the use of relevant technologies as part of their staff development programmes. Progress could be monitored by current accreditation programmes.

On-line At-Risk Behaviour Analysis and Improvement System (e-ARBAIS)

Behaviour-based safety (BBS) is a programme that has been implemented in many organizations to identify at-risk behaviour and to reduce the injury rate of their workers. The effectiveness of the BBS was proven with many companies recording a high percentage of reduction of injury rate, especially during the first year of implementation. However, the BBS process could be very labour intensive. It requires many observers to make the process effective. Much effort was required to train the employees to become the observers. Many organizations that attempted to obtain the benefits of BBS did not sustain comprehensive participation required in BBS-related activities. With this drawback, it calls for a simplified process that could achieve the same result as BBS. This study was intended to establish an alternative to the BBS, termed as On-line At-Risk Behaviour Analysis and Improvement System (e-ARBAIS). The e-ARBAIS utilizes computer technology to play a role in making the routine observation process more sustainable and hence instilling the habitual awareness through the cognitive psychology effect. A database was set up with the pre-programmed questions regarding at-risk behaviours in the organization. The employees then utilized the database to feedback their observations. Through this process, the traditionally tedious observations by trained observers as required in BBS were now done naturally by all respondents. From the collective feedback, at-risk behaviours can be easily identified in the organization. The HSE committee within the organization can thus take the appropriate action by reinforcing the safety regulations or safe practices to correct all the unsafe behaviours either by changing the design (“hardware”), system (“software”) or training the employee (“human-ware”). This paper introduces the concept, framework and methodology of e-ARBAIS. A case study was conducted in X Company (not a true name as the permission to use their real name was not given). A prototype computer program based on e-ARBAIS was developed using Microsoft Excel, named as “1-min Observation” programme. A preliminary result based on 1-month data collection is highlighted in this paper. Based on this preliminary result, “1-min Observation” programme has received positive feedback from the management and employees of Company X. It was done with very small resources and thus saved time and money compared to the traditional BBS technique. The e-ARBAIS concept is workable and practical since it is easy to implement, collect data and correct unsafe behaviour. Some recommendations by the employees of Company X are presented in this paper to further improve the “1-min Observation” programme. The project at Company X is still in progress in order to see a long-term impact of this programme. The e-ARBAIS has shown its potential to reduce injury in the organization if implemented with a thorough plan and strong commitment from all levels.

News Brief

Scientists Develop New Digital-Content Protection TechnologyResearchers have developed a new digital-content protection technology that is designed to eliminate unauthorized usage, copying, and distribution of multimedia and text.US Tests Energy-Monitoring Grid ProgramA new US Department of Energy project will utilize computer technology to monitor participating consumers' electricity consumption in real time to help decrease usage, particularly during periods of strain on power systems.Cognitive Radios Address Spectrum AllocationRather than operating in a preset frequency range, cognitive radios use software to dynamically detect and exploit unused or underused radio frequencies.

Detection and Control of Synchro-Operation of Long-Stroke Cylinders in a Deep Ocean Mining Heave Compensation System

A relative detecting method is proposed to detect the synchronous error of several long stroke hydraulic cylinders by using a short stroke displacement sensor, which has the advantages of low cost, easy to install and convenient in operation compared with an absolute detecting one. A synchronous model test system is established and on-line detection and control is realized by utilizing computer technology. A strategy named as Fuzzy-PID control and a program developed for this system are used for compensation of the synchronous errors. An effective new method for detection and control of synchro operation of hydraulic cylinders is presented for a deep ocean mining heave compensation system.

Research in progress: the printmaking studio of the future in higher education?

This article introduces work undertaken as part of the research programme, The development and evaluation of computer-aided learning in relation to the history and contemporary practice of printmaking’. The research falls into two categories: • Pedagogy in relation to art and design • Printmaking, its future in tertiary art education There are many changes happening in the education sector and these changes will form part of the pedagogical framework that needs to be established to determine in what direction printmaking as part of art education will proceed. This research aims to help establish an understanding of what the printmaking studio within tertiary education will actually look like in the future and predict its role in this sector. This research demonstrates what can be produced using the computer as a part of the printmaker’s repertoire, looking carefully at the various printmaking areas that utilize computer technology.

Using Laptop Computers to Improve the Performance of Minority Students: A Pilot Project

A school system and a university joined forces to improve the science and mathematics environment for local minority students with a program that utilized computer technology. The initiative involved individual students from all of the high schools in the Winston–Salem/Forsyth County (North Carolina) School System. In this initiative, Wake Forest University operated a two-week Summer Science and Math Experience for minority students. During the two weeks, students worked intensively with computers and, at the end of the summer program, a laptop computer was loaned to each student for personal use during the of school year. Through interviews and questionnaires, students overwhelmingly endorsed their involvement in the computer-oriented project, both the summer and academic year phases. They especially liked having access to the Internet (provided by the project), being able to use e-mail and chat rooms, and utilizing the information retrieval potential. Parents and teachers surveyed also praised the project, feeling that their students learned more as a result of being involved in project activity.

Computer skills of initial teacher education students

A constant challenge for teacher education lies in keeping courses up to date. This article provides a view of the current skills, attitudes, and perceptions regarding computer technology in the classroom from a preservice candidate perspective. The intent of this research is to help foster discussion about how to further develop pre-service educational technology courses that best meet the needs of a continuously evolving and changing student-teacher population in terms of computer technology skills. The primary instrument was a self-assessment survey of the skills, attitudes, and perceptions about utilizing computer technology in the classroom among firsttime students enrolled in introductory education courses at a large midwestern university in the USA in the fall semester of 1999. Surveys were administered to a total of 205 students. Questionnaires were given to preservice teachers during their initial courses rather than mailed to their homes, in an attempt to increase participation rates. Participants were categorized as being either a ‘Beginner’ or ‘Experienced User’ of computer technology, based on their responses to the skill section of the survey. The article includes an overview of the results and segments them as they pertain to three general issues: general attitudes with regards to teaching with computer technology, intended use of computers when beginning to teach, and perceived problems to be expected with computer technology when beginning to teach. Finally, an informal discussion regarding student expectations of future teacher training programs and the corresponding implications for school districts are presented from the free-response section of the questionnaire.

Reducing overselective attention to compound visual cues with extended training in adolescents with severe mental retardation

Because of the devastating impact a disturbance in responding to multiple cues can have on a child’s development, this investigation determined whether computer touch-screen technology could be utilized to improve the attentional skills of students with severe developmental disabilities after attentional deficits were initially identified. In particular, we assessed whether establishing prior reinforcement histories for separate stimuli would control how adolescents with severe mental retardation attended to visual compounds when extended training was given. Initially, prior reinforcement contingencies of individual stimuli failed to control the attention of the adolescents (Huguenin,1997). Longer single stimulus pretraining and additional exposure to compounds containing stimulus components with conflicting reinforcement histories, however, eventually proved effective in determining what aspects of complex visual cues they attended to. In most instances, the adolescents selectively responded to stimulus elements whose prior reinforcement histories were unchanged in the compound after additional training was administered. Stimulus elements with a reversed prior reinforcement contingency were usually ignored. The reliability of the effect of prior reinforcement histories of individual stimulus elements on attention to visual compounds following additional training was confirmed with multiple testing procedures, automatically administered by a computer. Even though presenting conflict compounds initially identified students with overselective attention, extended exposure to single stimulus training and conflict compounds alleviated stimulus overselectivity and improved their attentional skills. After individual stimulus-response relations were reestablished and sufficiently reinforced to reduce disrupting effects when compound training cues were presented, stimulus overselectivity was eliminated. Through longer single stimulus pretraining and additional exposure to training compounds, adolescents with severe mental retardation learned to selectively attend to each component of visual compounds when prior reinforcement histories associated with the individual stimulus elements were manipulated. The findings of this investigation indicated that overselective attention among students with developmental disabilities is not an unmodifiable perceptual characteristic. They also revealed that overselective attention may be due to the disrupting effects of compound training cues which can be minimized through longer single stimulus pretraining and repeated presentations of compound training cues. Utilizing computer technology to administer procedures similar to those described in this study may permit students with developmental disabilities to acquire essential attentional skills for learning educational tasks involving complex cues.

Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Foster Literacy and Facilitate Discourse Within the Classroom

The literacy skills of students is an issue of great policy importance which has attracted considerable interest in the literature. At the same time, much recent work has been done on the efficacy of learning communities. This paper examines the extent to which fostering learning communities can improve literacy skills. It is shown that it is possible to achieve large improvements in writing and reading by fostering a community of learners that focuses on scientific inquiries utilizing computer technology. The results lend support to the hypothesis that learning communities may be an important instrument in enhancing the reasoning, problem solving and learning strategies of students. This suggests that more work needs to be done in this area of educational research. Les compétences des élèves en lecture sont un sujet d'extrème importance qui a provoqué un intérêt considérable dans la littérature. Au même moment beaucoup de travaux récents ont été menés sur l'efficacité des établissements d'enseigement. Cet article examine jusqu'à quel point il faut encourager des communautés d'apprentissage peut améliorer les compétences en lecture. Il montre qu'il est possible d'obtenir des améliorations importantes pour la lecture et l'écriture en développant une communauté d'apprenants qui se concentre sur les résultats scientifiques des enquêtes utilisant la technologie de l'ordinateur. Les résultats confirment l'hypothèse que les communautés d'apprentissage peuvent être un instrument important pour améliorer le raisonnement, la solution des problèmes et les stratégies d'apprentissage des élèves. L'article suggère qu'il faut travailler davantage dans ce domaine de la recherche en éducation. Die Lese- und Rechtschreibfähigkeit von Studenten hat einen hohen politischen Rang, der auch ein entsprechendes Interesse in der Fachliteratur erzeugt hat. Gleichzeitig ist in der letzten Zeit viel Arbeit in die Untersuchung der Wirksamkeit von Lerngemeinschaften gesteckt worden. Dieses Papier überprüft, in welchem Umfang die Förderung der Lerngemeinschaften den Bildungsgrad verbessern kann. Es wird gezeigt, daß es möglich ist, große Verbesserungen im Schreiben und in der Lesefähigkeit durch Förderung einer Lerngemeinschaft, die sich auf wissenschaftliche Anfragen per Nutzung von Computertechnologie konzentriert, zu erreichen. Die Resultate stützen die Hypothese, dass Lerngemeinschaften ein wichtiges Instrument zur Verbesserung von Argumentationsfähigkeit, Problemlöseverhalten und das Entwickeln von Lernstrategien der Kursteilnehmer sein können. Daher sollte die Arbeit in diesem Bereich der pädagogischen Forschung verstärkt werden.

Making More Sense of America and the World through Interdisciplinary English

ies are team-taught courses in which both English and Social Studies teachers teach together, in the same room, for two consecutive periods (48 minutes each) every American Studies is offered to eleventh graders at the college prep level, and World Studies is offered to tenth-grade honors level students. Students in these courses receive one grade worth ten credits (not separate grades for English and social studies). The courses are thematically structured, with literary works strategically placed to complement the study of historical/geographical units. Both courses focus on incorporating activities which connect and combine the two disciplines, without sacrificing the demands of either. Such activities include: vocabulary, SAT preparation, writing, and speaking in English and note-taking, map work, study skills, and writing in social studies. Handson projects which attempt to reach students at multiple intelligences are incorporated as well as a great deal of cooperative learning projects, student-centered learning, and utilization of computer technology (students have use of a fully-equipped writing and Internet lab). The double-block time period is certainly largely responsible for making this approach feasible and successful. Without room for detailed discussion of these teaching strategies, we have decided to present a basic outline of each of our courses and include a typical day in the life of' sketch as well as examples of projects.

Grasping the Nettle

The increasing utilization of computer technology in the public and private sectors, particularly since the mid-1980s, has brought about significant changes in the way organizations do their business. It has led to improvements in productivity, more timely delivery of services, and more efficient business communication; it has also had significant cultural impact. The technology has transformed our working environments, but there has not been an equivalent transformation in records and archival practice. If the 1980s was the decade in which the tidal wave of electronic change hit us, the 1990s has seen the gradual realization that the new technology alone, without appropriate information and records management strategies, generates substantial risks. While the technology is promoted as the solution to all information management requirements, this message glosses over some critical issues. These issues go to the heart of the preservation of the corporate memory of our society. In this article the author introduces us to major issues in electronic records management from an archival perspective. He illustrates these points through reference to policy development at the Australian Archives.

Did it work? An interactive report on the follow-up evaluation of an intervention program for minority high school girls

In the USA, minority women are particularly under-represented in the fields of science and engineering. To reach this pool of talent, intervention programs have been developed at various stages in the educational pipeline. One program offered at the George Washington University (GW), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1989 through 1993, utilized computer technology and cooperative learning in a university setting to motivate minority high school girls to continue studies in science, mathematics, engineering and computing. There have been a number of positive outcomes from this project. In 1991, a two-day working conference of experts was convened to determine the characteristics of exemplary programs that focus on this population. The conference resulted in a set of planning tools and guidelines to help future program planners. To date, over five hundred copies of a professional quality video of the GW program and the conference report have been disseminated nationally and internationally. The National Science Foundation provided additional funds to conduct a follow-up study of the 100 student and 20 teacher participants in the project two years after the project ended. The purpose of the follow-up study was to track the participants and compare them to a similar population of minority high school girls who did not participate in the project. This report presents the results of the follow-up study, which shows that the project raised the confidence level of participants and increased their ability to deal with the problems and challenges often encountered by females in the classroom and workplace.

Role of transrectal ultrasound and prostate biopsy.

Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has revolutionized our ability to image the human prostate. In the present review, we have attempted to present salient observations with respect to this modality. We emphasize its use in combination with biopsy in men who are considered at risk for harboring carcinoma. The relevant English literature is reviewed. In addition, our experience with 2,231 consecutive ultrasound-guided biopsies performed at the University of Washington and the Seattle VA Medical Center is analyzed. TRUS appears to have its primary use in directing the biopsy needle into suspicious areas and in performing the so-called systematic sector approach to biopsy. The role of transrectal ultrasound in staging established malignancy or in monitoring men following therapy remains to be defined. In our experience, carcinoma was detected in 27.2% of the subjects. Carcinoma was found in 30.7% of patients with a hypoechoic sector. Of note, 18.4% of men had their only carcinoma found in isoechoic areas. Failure to biopsy isoechoic sectors would have resulted in missing almost 20% of men with carcinoma. The role of TRUS in men with initially negative biopsy is also discussed. In summary, ultrasound guided biopsy is a useful addition to our armamentarium, particularly with respect to performing biopsy. Future advances in this modality include image enhancement utilizing computer technology as well as the potential additive role of color flow ultrasound.

State, Regional and Local Collaboration: Providing Community Nutrition Skills for Wic Nutritionists

LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify a method for providing state mandated community nutrition requirements for WIC nutritionistsThe Missouri Department of Health recently increased the requirements for all Missouri WIC nutritionists to include a university level community nutrition course. Nutritionists from throughout the state required this course which is offered only through university dietetic programs. Through a collaborative arrangement with the Missouri Department of Health, a regional state university, and numerous county health units, a three week, summer graduate level community nutrition course was provided to 22 WIC nutritionists who represented 27 different counties in Missouri. University dietetic faculty provided the instruction for the WIC nutritionists, who lived in campus housing for the duration of the course. A pretest (Kuder-Richardson reliability coeffiecient =.74) found the mean score for nutritionists' knowledge was 54% (S.D.= 18.3). A posttest found a significant difference in knowledge using a student t-test (p=.0001); the posttest mean score was 97% (S.D. =3.4). Active learning was central to the course content. Among topic included in the three week course were: assessing and adapting nutrition education materials for low literacy; studying cultural diversity issues, concerns, and activities; presenting a nutrition education health fair for a senior day care, utilizing computer technology to access information and analyze diets; exploring ethical issues from a case study approach; and assessing and evaluating a county's health profile utilizing numerous sources of data. All of these learning experiences where new to the WIC nutritionists. Dietetic professionals are the appropriate providers of nutrition education and inservice training to those in nutrition education. Our responsibilities include leadership and service to the greater community of health and nutrition education providers such as WIC nutritionists

Information Literacy for Undergraduate Music Students: A Conceptual Framework

prime objective of all educational programs in music is provide opportunity for every music student develop individual potentialities utmost.(1) This statement, one of objectives of National Association of Schools of Music, has profound implications for librarians and music faculty at any undergraduate institution concerned with music education. If the musician must be equipped function and interact with total society and to adapt changes in society,(2) then one of objectives of a college education in music, as in other disciplines, must be prepare students be effective life-long information users. Educators must continually reexamine what comprises an undergraduate education in music. Recent additions traditional undergraduate music curriculum, such as increased emphasis on multicultural awareness, interdisciplinary approaches, and utilization of computer technology, reflect societal changes. In midst of constant change, however, a basic assumption must underlie entire discussion of undergraduate music education: college graduates must be information literate as a foundation for all other educational endeavors. The explosion in amount of published information (in all formats) and increased electronic accessibility information sources require that education of undergraduate students include not only strategies and tools for finding information, but methods evaluate information they find. Critical thinking skills have always been essential effective information retrieval; increasing complexity of information environment reinforces need for students develop analytical and discriminating cognitive skills.(3) The backgrounds and experiences of undergraduate music students may vary widely in their exposure various formats of library catalogs, including online catalogs, electronic gateways online catalogs of other institutions, online periodical indexes, and online full-text databases. They may use a music collection housed in a branch library devoted subject of music, a collection that is integrated into general library collection, or music materials not housed in institution's library. They may learn information skills from professional music librarians, general librarians, music faculty, or any combination of these, with or without formal bibliographic instruction and music bibliography courses. Nevertheless, it is possible identify conceptual processes involved in finding and using information that should be a part of education of all undergraduate music students, even though specific information tools vary among institutions and situations. Introducing an increasing number of specific information tools students without incorporating these conceptual processes is unlikely produce graduates who will become effective, life-long users of information. Bibliographic competencies for music students at an undergraduate level were delineated more than a decade ago by Bibliographic Committee of Music Library Association - Midwest Chapter.(4) This article uses Association of College and Research Libraries' Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction as a basis for undergraduate bibliographic instruction for music students by focusing on manner in which (1) information is identified and defined by scholars, (2) information sources are accessed intellectually by users, (3) information sources are organized physically within libraries, and (4) information sources are structured.(5) These four elements of an information-gathering process are discussed in following sections, and each section is followed by several questions. This article does not attempt answer each question in detail; rather, questions are presented stimulate discussion among music faculty and librarians about current and desired levels of information literacy among their students. …

A Replication of a Study Exploring the Utilization of Computer Technology by Social Workers

Preview: [This study replicates earlier research conducted in the mid-1980s on the use and perception of computer technology by social workers. The major findings from both studies report; (a) social workers have a limited understanding of computer technology; (b) computer technology is underutilized by social workers; (c) social workers has little or not training in computer technology from the professional social work curriculum; and (d) social workers receive little or no in-service training in computer technology. The implications of these finding for social work practice are offered.

Technology in the classroom: Using PCs to teach business and economic statistics

Rapid advances and declining prices in computer technology have made its use as a classroom tool affordable. However, while it has been clear that diverse disciplines can effectively utilize computer technology to improve instruction, the implementation of computer-intensive pedagogy has been hindered by the lack of knowledge about redesigning courses to employ computers effectively. This paper offers insights learned in teaching business and economic statistics over a period of several years. Both tools and techniques are discussed in the hopes that the paper will serve as a blueprint for others who wish to incorporate computer use into their statistics courses.

Incorporating computer technology into activity-based thematic units for young children with disabilities

For professionals who work with young children with disabilities, the concept of utilizing computer technology in activity-based instruction is an exciting one. Experts in the field have theorized that the use of technology can have a major impact on children's developmental skills, including their understanding of causality, their social interactions, and their communication skills. Some professionals suggest that computers in the preschool classroom can be “the great equalizer” in the instructional management of Individual differences among young children (Beatty and Tucker, 1987). However, for computers to be utilized effectively, they must be coupled with effective teaching practices. Teachers must capitalize on the activity-based nature of early childhood classrooms and utilize the computer as another instructional tool so that every child may participate to his or her fullest potential. The purpose of this article is to discuss the four steps for incorporating computer technology into activity-based thematic units in a preschool classroom. Included in the discussion are practical suggestions for teaching young children, both with and without disabilities, to learn together

Attracting young minority women to engineering and science: necessary characteristics for exemplary programs

A national educational imperative has been issued to reverse the trend of declining numbers of students choosing to study engineering and science. Minority women are particularly underrepresented in engineering and science, but in order to reach this pool of talent, the special concerns that affect young minority women must be recognized and programs that deal with these concerns must be developed. One such program offered at The George Washington University (GW) and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1989 through 1993, utilizes computer technology and cooperative learning in a university setting to interest young minority women in engineering and science careers. As a result of the success of the GW/NSF program, a two-day working conference of experts was convened to determine the characteristics of exemplary programs that focus on this population. Outcomes from the conference included a criteria checklist, a program planning and self-evaluation guide, and suggestions for a national clearinghouse of information about exemplary programs designed to attract young minority women to engineering and science.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Three disk-based text analyzers and the ESL writer

Among the variety of computer-based writing aids now available to ESL composition teachers, computerized text analysis is one of the most popular and controversial. As its name implies, computer text analysis utilizes computer technology to analyze text and offer suggestions for improvement. This article examines three popular disk-based text analyzers and considers their effectiveness in analyzing texts written by ESL student writers. Results of this examination raise doubts about the effectiveness of computer text analysis as a stand-alone revision aid for ESL writers. The programs examined sometimes offered incorrect advice and potentially could focus the user's attention on relatively trivial surface-level matters rather than more substantial meaning-level problems in need of revision. Teachers who use text analysis with ESL writers should be prepared to offer careful guidance in interpreting and using computer feedback productively.