It has long been a matter of concern to teachers in higher education why certain students a ~get stucka (TM) at particular points in the curriculum whilst others grasp concepts with comparative ease. What accounts for this variation in student performance and, more importantly, how can teachers change their teaching and courses to help students overcome such barriers?

This book examines the difficulties of student learning and offers advice on how to overcome them through course design, assessment practice and teaching methods. It also provides innovative case material from a wide range of institutions and disciplines, including the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences and economics.

It has long been a matter of concern to teachers in higher education why certain students 'get stuck' at particular points in the curriculum whilst others grasp concepts with comparative ease. What accounts for this variation in student performance and, more importantly, how can teachers change their teaching and courses to help students overcome such barriers? This book examines the difficulties of student learning and offers advice on how to overcome them through course design, assessment practice and teaching methods. It also provides innovative case material from a wide range of institutions and disciplines, including the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences and economics.

Biker's Diary started in 1999 as a weekly column in a local newspaper then known as the River Valley Reader, now the Bluff Country Reader. Located in a very popular tourist area, the publisher's plan was a newspaper that emphasized local arts, culture, and recreation. Dr. Jan applauded that effort, and had spent a year as a community columnist for another paper, so she submitted some sample columns and proposed this column, written by a biker. Ten successful years later, she was asked by a faithful reader is she intended to publish the columns in a book. That started her thinking, and she asked her publisher for permission to do so, which was granted. At the beginning, Dr. Jan was living in Lincoln, and commuting to her and Spouse Roger's country place near Lanesboro MN. Upon retirement, they chose that country place as their primary residence. Those locations - and the people along the way - provided fodder for the mill of writing, as have the many places around the world to which they have both traveled and/or at which Dr. Jan has worked. The column started out as a way to capture the ambling and sometimes philosophical thoughts and experiences triggered by almost-daily time spent on a bike. When a serious illness got in the way of biking, the habit of writing about life became almost a tension reliever as she wrote about that experience. In the years since it started, the column has evolved into writing about anything and everything she and others experience in life. This book captures some of the best of those first ten years.

A dog can be a wonderful companion with enormous affection for you and your family. His keen senses and alertness can provide you with much-needed protection, but it is important to remember that you must be prepared to care for your pet for the next twelve or more years. Like a child, it will depend on you, not only for its health and well-being, but also for dedicated training in order to become a friendly, well-mannered dog that is a pleasure for you and others. It must also be remembered that we do not live in a dog's world but that our dogs are the ones who must learn to live in a human world. It is therefore our responsibility to adequately prepare them for the unfamiliar environment in which we place them. Society does not punish a child for pulling a dog's tail but will punish the dog for biting that child. Before a handler can train his dog, he must understand what is involved in the training process. He needs to understand what is required from him and the dog in each part of each of the different obedience exercises. He must be able to teach his dog what it is expected to know, help it as much as possible, and make it as easy as possible for the dog. He needs to know about positive reinforcement in order to get the targeted behavior to recur and to reward good behavior. Above all, he needs to know when and how much to praise and what to do when the dog is not performing a task it was taught. All this he cannot learn during the relatively short time he spends each week with the instructor at the club. Six days a week he is alone at home with his dog and needs to continue to build on the training he received at the club. He needs to remember the sequence of training steps and how to break them up into the small component parts to be mastered by the dog. And when he becomes confused, he needs help or notes to refer to This is what I had in mind when I decided to write these notes on basic dog obedience training. There are many basic training methods from clicker training to the more traditional methods that can be used to train a dog for obedience work. The perfect training method does not exist; otherwise, we would all have had copies made and used on our dogs. No, we are all learning and improving. I have adopted an eclectic approach to dog training-that is, I have, over many years, studied different training methods and selected from them what will work for most dogs. At times, however, I may use a combination of these methods, or I may shift from one method to another, depending on the training need or exercise. What is very important to me is that the reader must not only know about the best methods of teaching dogs today but must understand why a dog behaves the way it does. Above all, it must be remembered that dog training must be fun for both dog and trainer. Most dog owners do not ask much of their dogs: they ask only that the dogs obey some basic commands and that they are well behaved at home and in public. That is why all dogs should, at least, do the Canine Good Citizen test. I hope my notes will add to your knowledge of basic dog obedience training and that your trained dog will bring much joy to you and your family. Jan Meyer BA (SA), MEd DCRT (US), HP (MT)

Love Is Calling. How Will You Answer?
One of our greatest desires is to know we are loved by our Creator. Yet the depth of our apprehension is often equally strong: "If I listen," we wonder," what will God say? If I open myself up to blessings, what will God require in return? "As we trace this line of thinking, the God of all goodness becomes, in our minds, the God of our worst fears.
Embrace a Love That's Worth the Risk.
God is far greater than our most expectant dreams. While he does often ask everything "of "us, he actually wants everything "for" us. He doesn't want blind loyalty or bored religious compliance; he longs for nothing less than our entire passionate self-something most of us have yet to glimpse. God's desire is that people lean in, listen, and wrestle with him so that they can respond to him without fear.
Can this God be trusted? Absolutely. Will the journey be easy? Not a chance. But once you learn to listen to love, you'll find that there's only one way you can adore this unmanageable, unpredictable, wild, and unruly God: "with your whole heart."