After 38 pork producers were introduced to eight distance educational media, most were willing to try all media except chatrooms and multimedia kits; 86% preferred face-to-face to distance education although 87% believed distance education is the future for information access. Limited distance education use may be due to limited exposure rather…

Describes Australian counseling services that use the telephone as the medium for counseling delivery. Provides a background to telephone counseling, describes its uses as reported in the research literature, and discusses special considerations in utilizing the telephone to provide counseling. Reviews the clinical and research literature to…

Reviews four domains of research in adolescent suicide: (1) the role of psychopathology; (2) family history of psychopathology; (3) mental health treatments; and (4) firearms in homes. Recommendations include: better training for professionals, better delivery of mental health treatments, policy changes of better mental health screening and…

North Carolina farmers growing barley (n=20) tested 3 self-directed information delivery methods: fact sheets, fact sheets plus audiocassettes, and an extension bulletin/pamphlet. The fact sheet/cassette was preferred by 17 of 20; they achieved significant knowledge gains with self-directed methods. The fact sheet/cassette was considered…

Describes paperless classes developed at Carleton College that augment traditional classes by giving students and faculty the ability to share digital course-related materials via the campus computer network. Presents a case study of a managerial economics course, and includes problems with various aspects of the course and solutions. (LRW)

Analyzes the implications of sociopolitical context for career services delivery. Reflects on the social foundations of the practice of career counseling, and presents and discusses four specific Portuguese conditions in light of existing knowledge in the field. Proposes a research agenda founded in political anthropology that may enhance future…

The authors report results of a pilot study on the custody status of 20 women with severe mental illnesses who were parents of a total of 76 children. The mothers had some of their children living with them and others dispersed among kinship and nonkinship arrangements. Qualitative findings illustrate how bewildered these women were about the…

This article explores the parallel structures and service delivery systems of the Older Americans' Act and the Ryan White CARE Act, argues that social workers should have a working knowledge of both pieces of public policy, and suggests integration or coordination of aging and HIV services. Two vignettes illuminate the issues and implications for…

The Research and Training Center (RTC) in Service Coordination is a federally funded project charged with carrying out an advanced research program to analyze current, and recommend future, policies and practices for service coordination under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997. One RTC objective was to…

A course instructor and his assistant at Athabasca University investigated whether the process of transferring interoperable learning objects from online repositories facilitated course production, both pedagogically and economically. They examined the efficiency of the objects-assembly method from several perspectives while developing an online…

This study investigated practices in the production and distribution of braille and large-print textbooks, highlighting changes in production and delivery systems from 2000 to 2004. The findings indicate that fewer states use production models for the statewide acquisition and distribution of special materials and that there is a greater reliance…

Moving materials from receipt of the shipment to distribution to branches within 48 hours is such a hassle among members of the technical services department of Columbus Metropolitan Library. However, these issues challenged them to find alternative solutions to achieve their goals. After reviewing the in and outs of their department and making a…

Effectiveness was operationalized as a combination of successful developmental course completion, high student satisfaction at the end of the course, and high academic achievement in a subsequent college-level math course. Instructional methodologies were similar to the extent that the instructional delivery systems allowed. With a sample size of…

There is widespread agreement among policymakers, researchers and economists that in order for regions, states and the nation to compete in the new global economy, workers need to be educated, highly skilled, and ready to learn and adapt to the changing world. Such a workforce will enable greater innovation, higher quality, and the ability to…

This blueprint focuses on the policies that connect professional development activities and that support and make possible an effective implementation of a state system of professional development. It highlights policy principles and essential policy areas that build or sustain an integrated system--a system that ensures quality in all settings in…