Formation of information competencies when learning by pupils of desktop publishing systems in project activities in informatics

The article discusses the feasibility of the formation of information competencies of schoolchildren and the significance of the subject area of informatics for their formation. The necessity of project activities in informatics for the purposeful formation of information competencies is shown. The possibilities and advantages of the MS Publisher desktop publishing system as an information technology that allows the formation of information competencies of students in project activities in informatics are disclosed. The types of students' activities when using the desktop publishing system MS Publisher and information competencies formed in each type of activity are highlighted. The process of organizing project activities is described on the example of creating a school newspaper. In this process, students learn basic publishing concepts, master basic desktop publishing skills, plan project activities, create an information product, document project results, present and analyze work performed. Methodological recommendations are given, aimed at the purposeful formation of information competencies of schoolchildren.

Design of Paper-Based Visual Analogue Scale Items

Paper-based visual analogue scale (VAS) items were developed 100 years ago. Although they gained great popularity in clinical and medical research for assessing pain, they have been scarcely applied in other areas of psychological research for several decades. However, since the beginning of digitization, VAS have attracted growing interest among researchers for carrying out computerized and paper-based data assessments. In the present study, we investigated the research question “Which different design characteristics of paper-based VAS items are preferred by women and men?” Based on a sample of 115 participants (68 female), our results revealed that the respondents preferred a paper-based VAS item with a horizontal, 8-cm long, 3 DTP (“desktop publishing point”) wide, black line, with flat line endpoints, and the ascending numerical anchors “0” and “10”, both for women and men. Although we did not identify any gender difference in these characteristics, our findings uncovered clear preferences on how to design paper-based VAS items.

Administrative Supervisors’ Rating of Desktop Publishing Competencies Possessed by Office Technology and Management Graduate Workers in North-West Nigeria Polytechnics

This study on supervisors’ rating of Office Technology and Management (OTM) graduate workers competencies in using MS Desktop publishing in North-West Nigerian polytechnics was necessitated by persistent complaints from employers of labour that OTM graduate workers do not perform as expected in the current era of technology. One research question guided the study, and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using T-test. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study constituted 378 supervisors in state and federal polytechnics in North-West Nigeria. The population was used as the sample. A structured 5-point rating scale questionnaire containing 16 items were developed and validated by experts. Reliability of the instrument was established using split half method and Pearson Product Moment Co-efficient Correlation formula and obtained a reliability co-efficient value of 0.77. The data collected was analysed with mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and determine homogeneity or otherwise of the respondents. Findings revealed that administrative supervisors in polytechnics in North-West Nigeria rated their Office Technology and Management (OTM) graduate workers as fairly possessing desktop publishing competencies. Gender and the ownership of the institutions have no influence on the respondents’ ratings. Based on the findings, it was concluded that OTM graduate workers in Polytechnics in North-West Nigeria, do not possess the relevant desktop publishing competencies. It was recommended that The OTM graduate workers should engage in in-service training programmes to improve their competencies in desktop publishing. The administrative supervisors should recommend approval of in-service training for their OTM graduate workers to enhance their computer application competencies.

Administrative Supervisors’ Rating of Desktop Publishing Competencies Possessed by Office Technology and Management Graduate Workers in North-West Nigeria Polytechnics

This study on supervisors’ rating of Office Technology and Management (OTM) graduate workers competencies in using MS Desktop publishing in North-West Nigerian polytechnics was necessitated by persistent complaints from employers of labour that OTM graduate workers do not perform as expected in the current era of technology. One research question guided the study. Two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using T-test Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population constituted of 378 supervisors and no sample was used. A structured 5-point rating scale questionnaire containing 16 items was developed and validated by experts. Reliability co-efficient value of 0.77was obtained using split half method and Pearson Product Moment Co-efficient Correlation formula. The data was analysed with mean and standard deviation. Findings.revealed that administrative supervisors in polytechnics in North-West Nigeria rated their Office Technology and Management (OTM) graduate workers as fairly possessing desktop publishing competencies. Based on the findings, it was concluded that OTM graduate workers in Polytechnics in North-West Nigeria, do not possess the relevant desktop publishing competencies. It was recommended that The OTM graduate workers should engage in in-service training programmes to improve their competencies. Keywords: Competencies, Desktop Publisher, North-West Nigeria, Rating