High-quality community needs assessments can help focus limited resources on the needs of a rapidly expanding population-older Americans. Based on such assessments, organizations and communities can effectively plan and deliver cost-effective, appropriate health promotion/wellness programs and health/social services to targeted populations. This article, which describes the Arkansas Aging Initiative's (AAI) use of a community needs assessment to identify its constituents' top health needs, provides specific background information for communities with demographics similar to those in Arkansas and offers assessment strategies for communities throughout the US. The AAI used two complementary methodologies to obtain critical input from Arkansas providers and their communities: focus groups of healthcare providers and community members and surveys administered to older adults. The assessment confirmed that health problems in the communities were consistent with leading causes of morbidity and mortality at state and national levels. It indicated that respondents' top three health needs related to affordability, including affordability of prescription medications, medical care, and health insurance, and that needs varied inversely with age. In other findings, married individuals rated their own health as better than their single counterparts; whites rated their health better than non-whites; and more than half of respondents reported leaving their counties to receive healthcare. This community needs assessment has enabled the AAI to address respondents' needs by developing specific educational and interdisciplinary healthcare initiatives, such as increasing access to a prescription drug assistance program.

Study abroad brings an enriching experience to students’ academic and personal lives. This narrative essay relays two students’ experiences with study abroad sojourns and touches upon their technology use during their study abroad as recounted in semi-structured interviews. Details of their cultural experiences and reflections thereof as well as the impact these experiences had on their lives are presented. Student participation in study abroad semesters is increasing each year. Understanding previous students’ experience studying abroad, how this impacted their studies and life afterwards can inform decision making of other students considering this option. Additionally, awareness of the technologies used to stay in touch with those at home informs administrative and technical decisions for institutions to consider.

<p>While the use of Twitter for communication and assessment activities in online courses is not new, it has not been without its challenges. This is increasingly true of high enrolment courses. The use of a Twitter Evaluation application which leverages a Learning Management System’s (LMS’s) application programming interface (API) provides a solution which reduces the administrative overhead associated with tracking students’ Tweets and allows the grader to focus on the assessment of the Tweets’ quality. Such an application and how it improved the assessment process of grading Tweet events is described. In addition to the technological considerations, the soundness of the Twitter learning design in the course impacts the effectiveness of the Tweet events for learning and enhancing the much needed online social presence. Learning design considerations are also discussed. </p>

As the number, type, and use of technologies to support learning increases, so do the opportunities for using these technologies for feedback. Learner-centered feedback is a core to the teaching-learning process. It is related to assessment in describing how learners perform in their learning, their gain in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Feedback, types of feedback, guidelines for effective learner-centered feedback, and feedback's relationship to assessment are presented. Methods of providing feedback, for example, automated, audio scribe pens, digital audio, etc., and the related technologies are described. Technologies that allow instructors to make informed decisions about the use of various methods for feedback are discussed.