Academic department chairs are key in helping universities achieve student success. To succeed in their decisions and furthering their university's educational mission, department chairs can use institutional data to inform their decision-making. In many cases, however, there are gaps, misalignments, and inefficiencies between department chairs…

As online learning platforms and computerized testing become more common, an increasing amount of data are collected about users. These data include, but are not limited to, response time, keystroke logs, and raw text. The desire to observe these features of the response process reflect an underlying interest in the cognitive processes and…

Background: Historically, significant advances in scientific understanding have followed advances in measurement and observation. As the resolving power of an instrument increased, so have gains in the understanding of the phenomena being observed. Modern interactive systems are potentially the new "microscopes" when they are…

In e-learning systems, tutors have a significant impact on learners' life to increase their knowledge level and to make the learning process more effective. They are characterized by different features. Therefore, identifying tutoring styles is a critical step in understanding the preference of tutors on how to organize and help the learners. In…

The document describes a field study to investigate the relationship between altruism and blood donating behavior among members of a large midwestern college community. Altruistic behavior is interpreted as combining three motivations: (1) reward-cost, also referred to in terms of behavior as social exchange; (2) social responsibility and…

This study investigated the incidence, antecedents, consequences, and policy implications of compulsive buying among college students (n=300). Details contributing factors and discusses the relationship between credit card use and compulsive buying. Discusses the implications for consumer policy and suggestions for further research. (JOW)

Discusses use of computer simulation as an archeological tool for research and teaching involving the remains of prehistoric game animals to aid in understanding effects of various strategies of prehistoric hunters on populations of game animals. A simulation involving possible vicuna hunting strategies is described. (MBR)

Describes an experiment in student self-grading in an introductory American politics course. Findings indicate that self-grading motivates some students to work harder and other students to work less hard, and leads to grade inflation. However, it does not cause student learning to decline across the board, as has been hypothesized in some…

Discusses a study in which attitudes and value orientations of 162 black college students were assessed to determine their individual achievement and occupational goals. (Author/DB)

Reexamines existing research in persuasion by testing the predispositional and alignmental hypotheses. Evidence of past investigative failures is discussed and implications for future research are presented. (MH)

This research project investigated the information seeking behavior of Syracuse University doctoral students in six disciplines--economics, English, geology, history, philosophy, and physics. Questionnaires distributed to 112 students elicited data from 69 respondents (61.6%) on their educational environment, search strategies, selection of…

Describes the methodology and results of the log analysis for the Alcohol Studies Database (ASDB), a domain-specific database supported by the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University Libraries. The objectives were to better understand user search behavior, to analyze failure rates, and to develop approaches for improving the user…

The ability of the theory of reasoned action to predict computer-related attitudes and behavior was demonstrated through two studies: a questionnaire on computer behaviors and attitudes; and word processing training involving various levels of persuasive communication based on belief statements identified in the first study. (22 references) (MES)

Alcohol and drug use among high school and college students was investigated in a sample of suburban high school (N=1,274) and college (N=468) students. Alcohol consumption was very high (78%), with more than half of those using alcohol doing so on at least a weekly basis. While alcohol use was pronounced, 96% of those surveyed reported that…

Reports a series of ethnographic studies of student behavior concerning examinations, conducted in a Canadian university since the mid-1980s. Describes techniques of data gathering and the link between methodology and theory. Examines implications for higher education, including dealing with students' exam-related stress, factors influencing…