5/12/97

The following Ohio University professors are available for insightful interviews on topics in the news. Please contact Dwight Woodward at 614/593-1886 to arrange an interview.

MAY IS FAMILY SUPPORT MONTH:
May is the month to pay particular attention to supporting parents and children during a divorce. Ohio University Psychology Professor Don Gordon knows the trials and tribulations children of divorce may experience. A co-director with Psychology Professor Jack Arbuthnot of Ohio University's Center for Divorce Education, Gordon and Arbuthnot produced the video "Children in the Middle," which details problems children and parents face during a divorce. The video is being used in divorce cases by more than 700 courts and agencies in all 50 states and eight foreign countries. Gordon's latest project is an interactive CD-ROM, "Parenting Adolescents Wisely," which has also been used by social service agencies to teach parents parenting skills. The CD-ROM was featured in a British Broadcasting Corp. production in March.

50-STATE MEDICAID REPORT CARD:
A new study by Richard Vedder and Lowell Gallaway, distinguished professors of economics at Ohio University, indicates Medicaid expenses are outdistancing personal income growth and there are wide discrepancies in the way Medicaid programs are administered nationwide. Founded in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty to provide a safety net for lower income Americans, Medicaid is a joint venture between federal and state governments. Vedder and Gallaway reviewed each state's Medicaid program -- total Medicaid payments grew from $20.5 billion in 1970 to $120 billion in 1995 -- and assigned a letter grade based on a "taxpayer perspective." Gallaway considered factors such as a state's total Medicaid payments, payment per recipient, criteria for eligibility and percent of those eligible receiving Medicaid. Letter grades range from A's in states such as Arizona, Virginia and Oklahoma to F's in New York, New Hampshire and Louisiana.

HYPERMEDIA AND STUDENT COLLABORATION ENHANCES LEARNING:
The World Wide Web and other types of hypermedia offer learning opportunities unavailable in a traditional setting. In fact, when used by students working as a team, hypermedia allows a pooling of knowledge and enhanced learning, according to a new study of middle school students. "Ideas and concepts -- whether represented as text, sound or images -- can be linked to related ideas and concepts," said Ohio University Education Professor Sandra Turner. "Different people exploring the same body of information are likely to follow different paths, depending on their interests and objectives." Turner presented her paper "Hypermedia in Education: Children as Audience or Authors" Thursday, May 3, at the Second International Conference on Entertainment-Education at Ohio University. Hypertext refers to a computer environment in which users can jump around electronically within large amounts of text. Hypermedia extends this concept to include other forms of media, such as pictures, sound, animation and video. The exploratory nature of hypermedia enhances learning and empowers students to learn on their own, according to Turner.