bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationships between online motivation, participation and achievement: More complex than you might think
Authors: Hartnett Maggie
Published: September 2023

With the increasing importance and rapid growth of online courses, diversification of the student population, and the growing concern over retention rates, exploration of learner online participation and possible relationships with motivation and achievement behaviour is becoming increasingly relevant in higher education. Previous studies (Gerber, Grundt, & Grote, 2008; Picciano, 2002) have tended to explore links between learner activity and performance in online environments. But the relationships that may exist between motivation and participation (both in terms of quality and quantity of activity) in online contexts are not well understood. Indeed, participation, particularly active participation such as posting messages to online discussions, is frequently used as a proxy for motivation, with more active learners being perceived as more motivated.This paper presents findings of one aspect of a larger study (Hartnett, 2010) that explored the motivation of pre-service teachers situated within two separate and distinct online distance learning contexts. Self-report motivation data, achievement, and online usage statistical data, in conjunction with asynchronous discussion-forum transcripts, were used to explore possible relationships between motivation, participation, and achievement in these contexts. Analysis revealed important differences between and within the two cases (e.g., nature of the task and assessment approaches) that indicated situational factors played a key role in determining whether any significant relationships were present. In other words, various factors within the specific learning environment combined in complex ways to influence motivation to learn and the nature of student participation. In an age of increasing exploration and interpretation of online learner behaviour via automatically collected systems statistics (Beer, Jones, & Clark, 2009), these findings highlight the need to be cautious about using online activity as the only gauge for assessing student motivation in online contexts.
I learnt a whole lot more than churning out an essay: Using online tools to support critical collaborative inquiry in a blended learning environment
Authors: Khoo Elaine , Johnson E. Marcia , Zahra Anne
Published: September 2023

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of a teacher and her students in a postgraduate Tourism course in New Zealand in which a Learning Management System (LMS), discussion forums, and wikis were used to facilitate student engagement and deeper learning of course content. Although the teacher was experienced in face-to-face teaching contexts, she was a novice in the design and delivery of online learning. However, she believed that technology could foster deeper and more meaningful critical collaborative inquiry amongst course participants and was keen to explore how this could be facilitated. Evaluative data were gathered from teacher interviews, student focus groups, and an online student survey. Findings indicate that the use of different online tools was effective for engaging students and helped them develop critical insights into key course concepts. However, careful planning and reflection on different pedagogical approaches were needed so that student learning could be supported in a meaningful and relevant ways. Implications for supporting educators and students in blended, online learning in Tourism Education are offered.
Book review - Adding some TEC-VARIETY: 100+ activities for motivating and retaining learners online
Authors: Hartnett Maggie
Published: September 2023

With the increasing ubiquity of online and blended learning, more and more educators are being asked to teach online, often without any specific specialist training. Adding some TEC-VARIETY: 100+ activities for motivating and retaining learners online by Bonk and Khoo is a practical ‘how to’ guide for motivating learners in online and blended learning contexts. Drawing from a rich base of research into motivation, this book provides a framework and an extensive set of associated online instructional activities that anyone involved in teaching online, from primary through to tertiary education, can use to engage and motivate learners.
Learning te Reo Māori via Online Distance Education: A Case Study
Authors: Jeurissen Maree Jayne
Published: September 2023

Despite some gains in the regeneration of te reo Māori, the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand, its long-term survival remains threatened. One avenue for regeneration seldom considered is the English-medium secondary school. This article reports on a case study where students in one such school chose te reo Māori as an option and, and, because no face-to-face teacher was available, opted to continue via online distance education. Their experience over a year was documented and analysed through the lens of Willems’ (2012) quadripartite model of resilience. Despite high levels of motivation, the students encountered considerable difficulties from which educators and education policy makers can learn important lessons.
Teaching crowds: Learning and social media
Authors: Lewis Evelyn Frances
Published: September 2023

In Teaching crowds: Learning and social media, Jon Dron and Terry Anderson examine the critical questions and emerging trends associated with the role of social software in the online learning environment. Drawing upon their extensive years of experience as online distance educators in the tertiary sector, Dron and Anderson suggest that the ability of social software to aggregate behaviour and choices is changing the nature of online learning. They contend that social software is set to become a significant feature of the online learning environment.
A Comparison of Two Online Learning Systems
Authors: Nichols Mark
Published: September 2023

Open Polytechnic is a single-mode provider of distance education with a rich history of print-based provision. Strategically, the institution is rapidly adopting an online-only approach, with some exceptions for programmes that require student contact. A recent and internal review of Moodle, the Open Polytechnic’s learning management system (LMS) indicated concern about the likely student experience for an online-only format, so an internal system called iQualify was developed. iQualify was developed specifically from a user-experience (UX) perspective to optimise the online-only learning experience. As part of the drive towards online-only education, Open Polytechnic courses are being purposefully redeveloped for iQualify, moving away from print-and textbook-based materials, and towards textbook-independent and online-only study. This article uses a UX perspective to compare student outcomes, high-level course evaluations, and student perceptions of the two approaches—Moodle, with print and textbook; and iQualify online-only. Findings indicate that while students tend to prefer printed materials, actual withdrawal and pass rates are not affected by an online-only approach. Respondents also indicated a significant preference for the new iQualify platform over Moodle, and openness to online-only study.
Keynote: FarNet Ten Years on—The Past, Present, and Future for Distance Learners
Authors: Alexander-Bennett Carolyn
Published: September 2023

This think piece by Carolyn Alexander-Bennett is a reflection of her keynote speech at DEANZ2016 conference, which was held from 17–20th April at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. In her speech Carolyn revisits the issues, developments, and technology trends that led to the birth of FarNet (an online cluster of schools catering for the teaching and learning needs of rural secondary schools located in the Far North of New Zealand). FarNet eventually became part of the wider New Zealand Virtual Learning Network Community (NZVLNC). Adopting a strong Māori cultural underpinning in her role as e-principal of FarNet and a founding member of the NZVLNC, Carolyn describes current developments in FarNet and how the work at FarNet is informed by two key perspectives—Davis’s (2013) ‘arena of change’ and Fullan’s (2015) New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL). She then outlines the opportunities and challenges offered through online and digital technologies to support teachers and learners in FarNet and the VLNC, and encourages the wider educational community to partner in their work to ensure the equity and success of future online school students.
'Over the Edge of the Wild': Lessons of discovery through developing transdisciplinary breadth in blended courses
Authors: Osborne Jo , Dibben Mark
Published: September 2023

Universities are increasingly recognising the need to broaden the experience and understanding of their students beyond a single disciplinary approach, to produce graduates more capable of solving the problems of a multidisciplinary world. At the University of Tasmania, a ‘breadth unit’ program is underway with the dual purpose of evidencing student experience in graduate attributes and developing transdisciplinary approaches to interpreting the complex challenges (or ‘wicked problems’) of the real world. All breadth units are developed by lecturers working in teams across multiple faculties; all units must be capable of being studied off campus, and several have on-campus options (meeting the University’s requirement for blended learning). Breadth units are being built into student study plans, with most students required to study at least two as part of an undergraduate degree. The initiative, commencing in 2013, uncovered challenges in administrative and academic systems, which may have been predictable, but were often surprisingly intractable. Administrative systems have primarily had to adapt to university study moving out of faculty silos. One-year-on reviews of units following their introduction capture the delivery experience (from lecturer and student perspectives) and provide vital feedback on learning design for quality improvement. Teaching teams now confront how best to sustain the blended approach as enrolment numbers increase.This paper indicates some of the issues to be tackled and suggests indicators for the ‘success’ of this initiative.
“To flip or not to flip, that’s the question” – Findings from an exploratory study into factors that may influence tertiary teachers to consider a flipped classroom model
Authors: Chellapan Lakshmi , Van der Meer Jacques , Pratt Keryn , Wass Rob
Published: September 2023

The concept of ‘flipping the classroom’ is relatively recent, although elements of it have been around for many years. It is generally accepted that the ‘flipped classroom model’ consists of replacing direct instruction, or lectures, with video-clips to be watched at home, and the use of face-to-face class time for engaging students in active learning activities. This development was brought about by the enhanced and easy access to video technologies. This model was initially adopted for use in secondary education, but is now increasingly considered by teachers in higher education. However, there is both confusion and scepticism about what this concept is, and whether there are any benefits of adopting this. In this exploratory study, the main focus was on seeking to identify what staff in three institutions of higher education in New Zealand considered to be the reasons for adopting and/or for not adopting, or challenges in adopting, this model. In this article, we will report on the findings from the survey aspect of this mixed methods study. The findings suggested that amongst the respondents there were three distinct groups, 1) those who saw no value adopting a flipped classroom model, considered there was nothing wrong with lectures, and that students would unwilling to engage in a flipped model; 2) those who considered that active learning was the main idea behind the flipped model, and that this was an old idea in a new guise; and 3) those who had or would like to implement the model, but had encountered or were anticipating some issues. The findings also suggested a range of understandings of what the ‘flipped classroom’ means. This highlighted the importance to clarify in any research project and reporting exactly what is meant by ‘flipped classrooms’ in order to avoid conceptual confusion.
A Framework for Developing and Implementing An Online Learning Community
Authors: Khoo Elaine , Cowie Bronwyn
Published: September 2023

Developing online learning communities is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is no easy task. Understanding how learning communities are formed and evaluating their efficacy in supporting learning involves a complex set of issues that have a bearing on the design and facilitation of successful online learning experiences. This paper describes the development of a framework for understanding and developing an online learning community for adult tertiary learners in a New Zealand tertiary institution. In accord with sociocultural views of learning and practices, the framework depicts learning as a mediated, situated, distributed, goal-directed, and participatory activity within a socially and culturally determined learning community. Evidence for the value of the framework is grounded in the findings of a case study of a semester-long fully online asynchronous graduate course. The framework informs our understanding of appropriate conditions for the development and conduct of online learning communities. Implications are presented for the design and facilitation of learning in such contexts.
Programme Design for Online Learning Environment Stories from Designing and Developing the New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 4 Programme
Authors: Nguyen Nhung , Everiss Liz , Rosewarne Sonja , Vladinova-Aylor Kalina , Ippel Johanna G. , Boyd Melanie
Published: September 2023

The New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 4 programme was designed and developed in the context of a Level 4 early childhood education qualification becoming a requirement for educators in home-based sector, and the Open Polytechnic transformation. The programme is delivered fully online. This paper is to share our stories of designing and developing the programme. The stories focus on pedagogy that empowers learners in an online flexible distance learning environment, our innovative of team work, and initial feedback from stakeholders. The pedagogy is underpinned by the integration of sociocultural and constructivist theories with information communication technology (ICT), specified by the CSI Model (The Pedagogic Model of Integrating Constructivist and Sociocultural Learning Principles with Information Communication Technology), the key educational design principles and the assessment approach. Based on the pedagogy, the programme was created in two phases: Design and development. The work of the first phase was on designing at a programme level while the work of the second phase was on developing the three courses of the programme. With the pedagogy and innovative team work, initial feedback from stakeholders was very positive. It is recommended that feedback from stakeholders is formally collected later this year and in the new year.
Raranga te Kete Aronui—Weaving the Basket: Continuing With Open, Flexible, and Distance Learning
Authors: Fields Alison , Hartnett Maggie
Published: September 2023

This issue of the Journal uses the metaphor of raranga te kete aronui (weaving the basket of the pursuit of knowledge) as it continues the conversation of developing areas of open, flexible, and distance learning (OFDL). It comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional face-to-face teaching in classrooms on a global scale, and the value of open, flexible, and distance learning has become starkly apparent. This issue has five articles which contribute to the ongoing knowledge presented in this issue. There are two articles based on educational theory: Higgins explores the theoretical history of OFDL, and the work of Nichols et al. is based on Mezirow’s 10 stages of transformative learning. Three research articles provide insight into a range of specific areas: Sime et al. use networked learning theory to investigate the design of a social exploration MOOC, Irons and Hartnett present exploratory research into the teaching of computational thinking in junior classrooms in New Zealand, and Nyugen describes the design and development of qualifications in early childhood education and care to meet a demand for New Zealand home-based early childhood educators to be qualified. These are all contributions to our weaving and filling of te kete aronui.
Why do our Theories Matter?
Authors: Shearer Rick
Published: September 2023

All too often in our practice of distance education we overlook the history of the field and our theories as we embrace new technologies or, as in the past year, when we are forced to adapt to a regional or global crisis that necessitates a temporary move to a remote learning scenario. When we set our theories aside, this approach can lead us to recreate the wheel in our pedagogical approaches, and ignores the unique pedagogy of distance education and the unique characteristics of learners studying at a distance.
This article looks at why our distance education theories continue to be critically important for us to constantly return to and reflect on. Our theories help us to keep focused on the learner, learner characteristics, and the individualised nature of learning, while we undertake design and development work in partnership with faculty and other members of the design team. Our distance education theories remind us to ask the hard questions about what we are trying to accomplish and to what end for the learner, and through which design strategies.
Lecturer Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions to Use Learning Management Systems in Vietnam
Authors: Thach Pham Ngoc , Lai Phuong Hoai
Published: September 2023

This study aims to explore lecturer attitudes to, and intentions for, using a learning management system (LMS) in a Vietnamese university. Its two main purposes are to (a) identify the factors that influence lecturer attitudes and intentions to use an LMS, and (b) examine the causal relationships among the factors. To achieve this aim, the study used Davis’ (1985) technology acceptance model (TAM) as a baseline. The study expands the original model to include two constructs: perceived internet self-efficacy (PIS), and support to use (SU). The results of the study revealed that PIS was a significant direct predictor of lecturers’ perceived ease of use and behavioural intention to use an LMS. However, the support to use construct did not predict perceived ease of use. The study suggests that institutions should conduct an in-depth survey of teacher needs to assist with making well-informed decisions about developing an LMS for future emergencies.
Through their eyes: Student perspectives
Authors: Hartline Alexandra , Conklin Sheri , Garrett Dikkers Amy
Published: September 2023

Connecting with students has been shown to increase motivation, satisfaction, and perceived learning while decreasing anxiety. Connecting with students in an online or distance education environment can prove difficult. This study examined perceptions of higher education students who were enrolled in various modalities (e.g., hybrid, online asynchronous, and synchronous) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States of America. The study found that a high perception of instructor connectedness in the asynchronous classes resulted in lower anxiety levels for students. Four themes emerged from the results: the importance of instructor empathy; sociability; feedback; and course organisation. These helped students to connect to their instructor—thus reducing anxiety.
Raising Learner Satisfaction in Online Computer Programming and Information Technology Courses: One Instructor’s Five Successful Strategies
Authors: Ryan Rucker
Published: September 2023

Online learning has continued to rise in popularity among learners, educators, and university administrators over the last three decades.  However, one of the biggest challenges for educators is adapting to best practices, pedagogies, tools, and technologies when delivering instruction in this environment. Remembering that learners have a choice when enrolling in a university degree program, it is critical that educators focus on learner satisfaction.  Many universities are concentrated on retention and recruitment and having a high learner satisfaction rate can improve these two areas.  When an educator finds a strategy that helps improve learner satisfaction, it is critical that they share this knowledge with other professionals.  This case study highlights five strategies that worked within computer programming and information technology courses to help improve learner satisfaction.  These strategies consisted of providing individualized video feedback, using simulation products, integrating real-world projects, offering conversations with industry experts, and providing prompt learner engagement.
OER-based Online Micro-courses
Authors: McGreal Rory , Mackintosh Wayne , Lane Dave
Published: September 2023

The OER Universitas (OERu) is a consortium of more than 30 higher education institutions on five continents. It was founded in 2011 to provide learners everywhere with learning opportunities and pathways to official recognition or credit. The OERu maintains a very economical base with very low expenses. It supports a sustainable learning environment with incremental increases in infrastructural capacity as and when it is needed. The OERu’s global digital infrastructure has been created to facilitate learner access to micro-courses on the internet from any geographical location. This Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) is based entirely on free and open source software (FOSS). The OERu has established a working model for transnational micro-credentialling for approved university qualifications. To date it has supported more than 200,000 learners in over 100 countries. The OERu is based on a scalable, FOSS NGDLE which has dramatically reduced the cost of providing learning opportunities to anyone, anywhere, on the web.
Determinants of Liquidity Risk in the Countries of the European Economic Area
Authors:   University of Warsaw, Wysocka Agnieszka
Published: September 2023

The paper documents cross-country variation in the relationship between the deposit insurance scheme and liquidity risk in banks and explores the banking sector specific and macroeconomic determinants that can explain the variation. There is a lack of articles exploring the phenomenon in Europe, authors studying the issue focus on the United States and other parts of the world, so it is difficult to apply their results to Europe. The results of their research are also ambiguous. Using data from 28 countries of the European Economic Area by means of panel regression calculated with the use of GLS estimator with random effects, I established that an increase in deposit insurance coverage reduces the risk of liquidity. The study provides new information to help evaluate deposit insurance schemes across EEA countries.
Acceden mediante RRSS pero confían en la TV: Consumo informativo en jóvenes de una comuna chilena en contexto de pandemia durante 2021
Authors: Sibrian Díaz Nairbis Desirée , Cámara Manrique Ana , Tagini Villalón Renata Sofía
Published: September 2023

La pandemia declarada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) en marzo de 2020 trajo consigo una sobreabundancia informativa, hecho que la misma OMS declaró como infodemia (WHO, 2020). Estudios realizados en Chile señalaron que para el 2021 se produjo un entorno saturado de información, generando fatiga y reticencia a la información, principalmente, en la población joven. Por tanto, surge la pregunta: ¿cómo es el consumo informativo de los jóvenes entre 18 y 29 años en una comuna de la zona metropolitana de Santiago de Chile, en relación con el COVID-19 en el 2021? Esta investigación buscó responder tal interrogante mediante un estudio de carácter mixto, con un cuestionario online respondido por 383 personas, seleccionadas en muestreo no probabilístico y por conveniencia. Asimismo, se realizaron 18 entrevistas semiestructuradas a representantes de la misma población, según criterios de género, edad y ocupación. Los principales hallazgos de la investigación señalan que el medio principal bajo el cual se informan los jóvenes de la comuna de Las Condes son las redes sociales digitales, como Facebook e Instagram en cuanto a acceso cotidiano de la información, no obstante, la confianza y credibilidad recae en la televisión, como medio tradicional. Los datos levantados sugieren que existe un cambio en las prácticas informativas a raíz de la pandemia, no solo respecto al tiempo que disponen para informarse sino también en las preferencias y valoraciones sobre los medios de comunicación.
Kalp Kası Enfeksiyonlarına Yönelik Üç Boyutlu Biyofonksiyonel Doku İskelesi Üretimi ve Karakterizasyonu
Authors: ULAĞ Songül
Published: September 2023

Miyokardit, kalp kası iltihabı olarak tanımlanır ve akut yetmezlik vakalarının %10' unu oluşturur. Kalp kası iltihaplanmalarının oluşmasına başta virüsler olmak üzere bakteri, mantar ve otoimmün hastalıklar sebep olmaktadır. Doku mühendisliği, herhangi bir nedenle yapısı bozulmuş biyolojik dokuları yeniden eski haline getirmeyi, yapısal ve fonksiyonel özelliklerini onarmayı amaçlayan multidisipliner bir bilim dalıdır. Bu çalışmada, kalp kası enfeksiyonlarına yönelik doku mühendisliği yaklaşımı ile kurkumin (KUR) yüklü üç boyutlu polilaktik asit (PLA) doku iskeleleri üretilmiş ve morfolojik, kimyasal, mekanik ve biyolojik özellikler bakımından test edilmişlerdir. Kurkuminin etkisini incelemek için üç farklı miktar (10, 15 ve 20 mg) %17 PLA içerisine eklenip, üç boyutlu doku iskeleleri üretilmiştir. Taramalı elektron mikrsokop (SEM) ile yapılan morfolojik analizler, tüm iskele yapılarının homojen por dağılımına sahip olduklarını göstermiştir. Fourier dönüşümlü kızılötesi spektroskopisi (FTIR) ile yapılan kimyasal analiz sonucunda kurkumin eklenmesinin matriks yapıya ait pikleri kaydırdığı gözlenmiştir. Çekme testi sonuçları incelendiğinde kurkumin eklenmesinin %17 PLA’ nın çekme dayanımını arttırdığı gözlenmiş ve en yüksek çekme dayanımı 20 mg kurkumin içeren doku iskelesine ait olarak bulunmuştur. H9C2 kardiyomiyosit hücre hattı ile yapılan 1, 3 ve 7 günlük MTT testi sonuçlarına bakıldığında, en yüksek hücre canlılığı 15 mg kurkumin içeren iskeleye ait olarak bulunmuştur.
Süreç Hatalarının Analizinde Taksonomi Yöntemini Temel Alan Yeni Bütünleşik Tereddütlü Bulanık Yöntem Önerisi
Authors: SAKARYA Cansu , ATALAY Kumru Didem , DİNLER Esra
Published: September 2023

Siparişe özel üretim sistemlerinde üretim aşamasına geçmeden önce mühendislik ve tasarım faaliyetlerinin gerçekleştirildiği sipariş işleme süreci firmaların kilit görevi gören süreçlerinin başında gelmektedir. Bu sürecin verimliliği sonraki aşamalar için oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmada, otomotiv sektöründe yer alan bir firmada mühendislik ve tasarım faaliyetlerinin gerçekleştirildiği sipariş işleme sürecinde ortaya çıkan hataların azaltılmasına yönelik Yeni Bütünleşik Tereddütlü Bulanık Entropi Tabanlı Geliştirilmiş Taksonomi Yöntemi önerilmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı, sipariş işleme sürecindeki mühendislik ve tasarım çalışmalarının tekrar edilmesine sebep olan hataların kaynaklandığı bölümleri önem düzeylerine göre sıralamaktır. Önerilen yöntemde, kriterlerin farklı karar vericiler tarafından değerlendirilmesi ve karar vericilerin kendi görüşlerinde net olmaması gibi nedenlerle tereddütlü bulanık sayılar kullanılmıştır. Kriterlerin önem ağırlıklarını bulmak amacıyla Tereddütlü Bulanık Entropi Yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Hataların kaynaklandığı bölümlerin önem düzeylerine göre sıralanmasında birbirinden bağımsız kriterlerin bulunduğu durumlarda kullanılan taksonomi yöntemi geliştirilmiş şekliyle uygulanmıştır. Önerilen yeni bütünleşik yöntem ile elde edilen sonuçlar farklı yöntemler ile karşılaştırılmış ve sıralamalar arasında istatistiksel bir fark olup olmadığını gözlemlemek amacıyla Spearman Rank Korelasyon uygulanmıştır. Çalışmanın ilgili literatüre iki önemli katkısı bulunmaktadır. Birincisi, belirsizlik içeren bir yapıda bulunan veride düzensiz bilginin ortadan kaldırması, ikincisi ise süreç verimliliğinin arttırılmasına yönelik yeni bir yöntem geliştirilmiş olmasıdır.
Reporting the War in Europe
Authors: Fine Richard
Published: September 2023

This chapter highlights the liberation of Paris, which had been something of a free-for-all for the press and an embarrassing debacle for army public relations. It mentions the Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) Charles Collingwood and its censorship officials for publishing a story that Paris was free two days before the Germans actually surrendered the city. Based on Collingwood's report, England's King George IV had also announced the liberation of Paris, which later forced officials of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) into the embarrassing position of having to contradict the monarch. The chapter talks about radio correspondents who broadcasted their stories using the Radio France transmitter in Rambouillet without first submitting their scripts for censorship. It recounts how the radio correspondents were immediately suspended by the SHAEF, charging that they had not gone to the Scribe for the required vetting of their copy.
The Military’s Approach to the Press
Authors: Fine Richard
Published: September 2023

This chapter discusses the media controversy that occurred in May 1945, which was predicated on and conditioned by how the press traditionally interacted with the military. The chapter examines the relationship of the media and military defined at heart by the contradictory information imperatives of the two institutions. It also points out the general rule that armies try to divulge as little as possible as late as possible, while the press publishes as much as possible as soon as possible. The chapter describes how the media and the military throughout the war struggled to assure that the public had sufficient access to reliable war information while still safeguarding military security. It recounts the banishment of correspondents by the British and French at the Battle of the Marne, causing the war news to come in the form of eyewitness accounts written by Allied officers.
“Unmention Use Phone”
Authors: Fine Richard
Published: September 2023

This chapter details the frustration of the press who were ordered to hold the surrender news and keep the story off the record until the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) authorized its release. It mentions some career army officers in the Public Relations Division who had misgivings about the official effort to control consequential news about the war. It highlights Count Johann Ludwig von Krosigk's broadcast to the German people from Flensburg, which made Ed Kennedy assume that the SHAEF had broken its own news embargo. The chapter recounts how Kennedy contacted the editor of the Associated Press, Russell Landstrom, and reported that Germany surrendered unconditionally. Later when Kennedy was asked about his dispatch, he was adamant to state that he did not state over the phone that the story was based on an announcement by SHAEF, only that he knew it was real because he had witnessed it.
At the Hotel Scribe
Authors: Fine Richard
Published: September 2023

This chapter talks about the aftermath of Ed Kennedy's dispatch of Germany's surrender to the Associated Press (AP), noting the editorial criticism of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) for withholding the news about the war and for suspending the AP. The chapter mentions the description of Kennedy as one of the world's most experienced war correspondents, stressing that Kennedy only announced his intention to transmit the story for all to hear. It also includes the AP's coverage summarizing the reaction to its suspension, describing roundups of editorial comments that directly criticized the army. The chapter looks at the draft of a letter intended for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, which accused Kennedy of the most disgraceful, deliberate, and unethical double-cross in the history of journalism. The chapter then details the forum at the Hotel Scribe that war correspondents had with General Frank Allen, who ultimately demanded an answer to how Kennedy's message has gotten out.
The Aftermath
Authors: Fine Richard
Published: September 2023

This chapter details Ed Kennedy's return to America after his scandalous surrender story in Paris, noting his impromptu conference at the dock where he denied that he had breached any confidence or had endangered military security. It highlights Kennedy's insistence that he had never been interested in obtaining a scoop, but only wanted to inform the US public of the surrender he had witnessed. It also describes Kent Cooper's lengthy memo to the board of directors of the Associated Press (AP), which attempted to present the complete log of the events surrounding the publication of Kennedy's surrender story. The chapter details Kennedy's separation of service from the AP after its board members agreed with Cooper's memo that he was no longer fit to continue with the organization. It mentions one of the AP's board members, Roy Roberts of the Kansas City Star, who was conflicted about Cooper's memo but understood that Kennedy had to be fired because he had been unrepentant about his actions.
Parties, Political Changes, and Elections
Authors: Schneier Edward V. , Pole Antoinette , Maniscalco Anthony
Published: September 2023

This chapter focuses on New York State's political parties. Even though Democratic and Republican parties occupy all of the state's key political offices, minor parties play a vital role in New York election laws. New York's elections are conducted under state laws and state party rules, and both the Republican and Democratic Parties regularly confront the tension between the preferences of their core primary voters. Moreover, remnants of the old Democratic organization continue to exert clout in the outer boroughs, where major-party organizations still tend to have a foothold. Meanwhile, the Republican Party continues to control nominations, raise money, and contest elections at a statewide level.
Struggles for Power, Position, and Access
Authors: Schneier Edward V. , Pole Antoinette , Maniscalco Anthony
Published: September 2023

This chapter covers the struggles for power, position, and access to taking a leadership position. Leadership involves strong elements of reciprocity and their continuing power is attributed to the trust accorded by the party conference. Moreover, political power simultaneously involves formal authority, credibility, knowledge, and some skill. Power in politics derives largely from the ability to build enduring coalitions and convince other people in politics to make the necessary deals. The chapter discusses the power and function of governors, party leaders, committees, and staff. It clarifies that politicians and government officials seek power, while some run for public office for either prestige, money, or change in the way things work.
Making Public Policy
Authors: Schneier Edward V. , Pole Antoinette , Maniscalco Anthony
Published: September 2023

This chapter tackles the legislative process of making public policy. It details the policymaking process into stages, from agenda setting through implementation and enforcement, the actual process is less sequential than continuous. While governors and executive agencies play a small role in initiating legislation, the governor's agenda-setting powers are enormous in terms of the ability to move issues into the budget or active status later in the session. The chapter looks into resolving differences between the Assembly and Senate to pass a bill. It also discusses the appellate processes where losers in trial courts have the option of appealing on an error in the preceding legal process.
Taxing, Spending, and Public Policy Priorities
Authors: Schneier Edward V. , Pole Antoinette , Maniscalco Anthony
Published: September 2023

This chapter examines taxing, spending, and public policy priorities. It highlights the importance of reading a properly assembled budget as it showcases the understanding of who the government expects to pay for what. The Division of the Budget is central to the budgetary process and organized by units to which various clusters of agencies are assigned. Moreover, budgets presented to the legislature are referred to the fiscal committees that quickly put their staff to work on detailed analysis. The chapter acknowledges that New York is one of the more progressive states in the ways it raises and spends money, mentioning New York's long tradition of providing for the less fortunate.
City of Death
Authors: Eaton Nicole
Published: September 2023

This chapter shows how Soviet Königsberg in 1945 developed in conditions of isolation with little funding or direction from Moscow, as the new occupiers raced against the clock to save over 150,000 Germans from starvation and epidemic disease. It describes how the process of postwar Sovietization in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union adapted to local conditions. It also highlights the effect of geographic and administrative isolation, material hardship, and the inability to make crucial decisions about the fate of the territory and the German population on the development of Soviet Königsberg. The chapter considers the prolonged ambiguity about the status of the German population as the most significant consequence of the decision-making vacuum. It reveals that hardship in Königsberg led to an economy of shortages based around a de facto ethnic hierarchy, as Germans became second-tier inhabitants without formalized rights or legal recourse.
The Best Marvel Comic of the 1970s
Authors: Borenstein Eliot
Published: September 2023

This introductory chapter explains how several trends and individuals had come together to eventually produce “the best Marvel comic of the 1970s.” The comic in question is, in fact, Enigma (1993), by Vertigo, an imprint of Marvel's rival, DC Comics. To explain this discrepancy and why the 1970s is a particularly significant era in Marvel's history, the chapter explores the various characteristics which make Enigma an artistic success. It argues that Enigma was indeed a product of trends, aspects, approaches, and characters that were already developed in Marvel titles from the 1970s. And yet the same Marvel-derived features that give Enigma its strength arrive in a form that even the most permissive editors at Marvel would never have let see the light of day. Seen from the perspective of 1970s Marvel, the artistic triumph of Enigma is bittersweet, its creators materialized the aspirations that the publishing industry, the Comics Code, and the broader culture never let their predecessors achieve in their purest form.
Subjectivity and Its Discontents
Authors: Borenstein Eliot
Published: September 2023

This chapter takes a look at how Steve Gerber implements absurdity in his work. It emphasizes that Gerber did not run from absurdity; absurdity was the point. Absurdity is the default position of Gerber's world, sometimes almost joyous, sometimes suicidal. His characters oscillate between embracing the absurdity of their various plights and withdrawing or dissociating. The chapter states that Gerber's approach to the daft premises of the Marvel Universe is far more accepting and catholic than that of many serious comics writers to follow him, because absurdity is neither a negative in and of itself nor an antipode to the “real” world.
Chapter 4 Redefining Decolonization in the Sahara, 1959–1960
Authors: Gerits Frank
Published: September 2023

This chapter looks into the redefinition of decolonization in the Sahara. It notes that negotiations about independence in Belgian Congo, British Central Africa, and French Algeria were profoundly shaped by Ghana's propaganda campaign and reconfigured diplomatic alliances in the North and South. The problem of African sovereignty was particularly urgent in 1959, following the atomic fallout on the African continent and the negotiations between colonial powers and African nationalists in the Belgian Congo and the Central African Federation. The chapter explains that the contested meaning of sovereignty was at the core of diplomatic debates following the explosion of the Sahara bombs. It highlights how the language of a Cold War arms race helped everyone avoid the real stakes of the debate, namely the future of African self-government.
Chapter 8 The Collapse of Anticolonial Modernization, 1963–1966
Authors: Gerits Frank
Published: September 2023

This chapter focuses on the collapse of anticolonial modernization. To meet the demand for better living standards, leaders recast their federations of liberation in regional terms and tried to build a New International Economic Order (NIEO), while others turned to the Cold War superpowers for support. Disagreements among African idealists and pragmatists about the most effective way to attain modernity played out in debates on the streets of Accra and the Belgrade Conference. The collapse of anticolonial modernity also instigated a turn to Cold War development models, which fundamentally shaped the 1970s and 1980s. The chapter cites that the new generation of African leaders began to prefer Communist or capitalist modernization programs as new solutions to development problems and achieve modernity.
Introduction: The Data of Living
Authors: Einhorn Cheryl Strauss
Published: September 2023

This chapter delves deeper into the process of decision-making and a person's specific strengths and blind spots as a decision maker. It emphasizes that we all make decisions every day, large and small, and stresses that who we are is a series of choices, and our decisions are the data of living. The chapter also offers strategic stops that guide the reader through a series of questions to prompt us to build and hone the skills needed to harness problem-solver knowledge to become a more agile and dynamic decision maker. The chapter provides key questions that the reader can ask oneself and the other stakeholders involved in decisions and in the problems to be solved. By pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones with the resources within the book, the chapter pushes our thinking in constructive ways, not only as the decision makers we are today but as the decision makers we want to become. The chapter explains that the book helps us to break down the daunting task of controlling for, and countering, bias and working well with others to make decision-making into a more satisfying and manageable task.
Hunt Like the Cheetah
Authors: Einhorn Cheryl Strauss
Published: September 2023

This chapter focuses on the core of this book: the graphic organizers, called Cheetah Sheets, the the reader can use and return to time and again as they work to be more mindful and dynamic in their decision-making. It highlights that the questions in the sheets are meant to be strategic stops, moments that temporarily slow you down to thwart bias and improve analysis and efficacy. The chapter then turns to examine the first Cheetah Sheet, Problem Solver Profiles (PSP), which provide us with a synopsis of the different ways that people tend to approach problem-solving, and the strengths and blind spots of each approach. Studying the broad strokes of each Problem Solver Profile, the chapter explores the self-reflection, rear-view exercise about the reader's PSP and examines some of their past decision-making through the lens of their new self-knowledge. The chapter offers Cheetah Sheets to guide the reader to identifying and understanding the PSPs of those with whom they make their big decisions, whether they be family, friends, or colleagues.
PSPs and Cognitive Biases
Authors: Einhorn Cheryl Strauss
Published: September 2023

This chapter argues that knowing our Problem Solver Profile (PSP) doesn't automatically mean that we are going to make better decisions or be able to compensate for our biases and blind spots. However, as the chapter emphasizes, knowledge gives us the opportunity to begin the hard work of escaping from our old ideas. The chapter stresses that it gives us the chance to challenge the comfortable decision-making strategies relied on in the past. Understanding both situationality and lexicon, the chapter uncovers how their importance when understanding how we—or those around us—may fall prey to certain biases because these biases can impact our relationships. The chapter then presents a handy synopsis of the Problem Solver Profile strengths and blind spots. It examines how both strengths and blind spots, or weaknesses, play into each profile's cognitive biases. The chapter shows you how the PSPs interact and how they may misalign and/or misunderstand one another.
Ambiguity versus Uncertainty
Authors: Einhorn Cheryl Strauss
Published: September 2023

This chapter focuses on ambiguity, judgment call, and uncertainty. It defines ambiguous situations as those situations where the best outcome is a matter of interpretation. A judgment call based on values, on the other hand, is a judgment call that you can feel good about because you are being led by what matters to you. The chapter investigates how we drill down on what matters to each of us, or to our family, or to our organization. It assesses how the practice bolsters our Problem Solver Profile strengths to confront an ambiguous problem. The chapter particularly looks at one of the core principles of decision-making, Vision of Success, which instructs that instead of focusing on the problem itself, define what a successful outcome looks like. It acknowledges that one of the thorniest parts of complex problem-solving is how to get started. The chapter argues that the best way to get started is to connect with our values, which can guide us to a result that is successful for us personally or professionally.
Situationality and Dynamic Decision-Making
Authors: Einhorn Cheryl Strauss
Published: September 2023

This chapter underlines that Problem Solver Profiles are not proscriptive. They are dynamic. It states that they are meant to be used not as labels but as guide wires, allowing us to move dynamically within complex relationships and through complicated decision-making situations. The chapter then presents the Dynamic Decision-Making Cheetah Sheet. It explains, side by side, how the Problem Solver Profiles operate and how situationality impacts us in our decision-making and our relationships. The chapter recalls the three distinct and different benefits to understanding and being familiar with all of the decision-making archetypes: creating a shared lexicon; building effective community; and discerning situationality. Situationality, however, is not only about the external who and what. It is also about who we are internally. Using our situationality, the chapter emphasizes that we can examine competing decision impulses to better understand the psychology of decision-making and bolster new decision skills.
Emergence
Authors: Funahashi Daena Aki
Published: September 2023

This chapter turns to the everyday as the sphere charged by a given idea of the present but one that nonetheless provides no solid ground. Through a series of instances in which individuals take issue with the very constitution of the present, the chapter explores what such an awareness of the everyday as the everyday renders visible but also obfuscate. It does so by tracing thought provoked by encounters with individuals, each of whom came to question their very place within the here and now when the everyday appeared anything but the everyday. It argues that the idea of Finland's “we, now” has a directional element. In inscribing the “now” as a moment of difference, such a temporalization gives purchase to the notion of a novel way of being in common.