Hassan Ndahi’s research while affiliated with Old Dominion University and other places

This paper discusses the impact of high-stakes testing on the K12 outreach experiences of science and engineering graduate students. As the use of accountability systems continue to evolve as a basis for measuring the performance of schools, there is a threat to meaningful science and engineering outreach since teachers often use the results of high-stakes assessment as their primary reference point for evaluating the merit of innovative teaching practices and career induction experiences for students. We found that science and engineering outreach activities combined with teacher professional development seminars and a socio-constructivist framework for teaching provide an effective approach for limiting the use of accountability systems as the sole reference for success. Similarly, the approach helped teachers cope with the pressures of high-stakes testing while conducting professional experimentation to change their attitudes and beliefs about science and engineering topics. Specifically, the use of graduate students as content-resources in classrooms creates a collaborative environment that encourages teachers to avoid tendencies to narrow curriculum standards and spend large amounts of instructional time preparing students for high-stakes tests.

Introduction Computer technology is rapidly changing how students access and disseminate information. The idea that technology will make information quickly available to the individual goes back to the early days of the computer, which began with punch-card technology in 1890 and continues with the use of integrated circuits and the revolution of the personal computer in the late 1970s (Stephenson, 2002). Since the beginning of the microcomputer revolution, the dream of information retrieval has become a reality. It would have been difficult to guess 50 years ago that pictures and words could be sent and viewed instantaneously at a remote site at the whim of the user. Yet this is what the Internet provides. It is not a technology for selected individuals or professions, but for everybody, all occupations and all age groups. The importance of the Internet and World Wide Web cannot be overemphasized because of the innumerable ways that it can be used for educational purposes. One very i

___________________ Assessment of computer literacy needs from the perspective of potential workforce development is an important part of an educational program involving adult learners. About 22 percent of adults currently entering the labor market possess the technology skills that are required for 60% of new jobs. This paper describes the training provided to tutors and trainers of adult learning centers in Hampton Roads Virginia. Results showed that the trainees, prior to the training, had limited access to computer technology and needed training in incorporating computer technology in the curriculum. After the training, trainees have shown increased levels of comfort with various software, including Word Processing programs, such as MS Word, Power Point, Netscape, Hyperstudio and MS Frontpage. Training the trainers can be more effective in reaching a larger population for creating opportunities to access global information for the workforce.