Reforms in higher education: The case of Chile in the 1980s

The impact of the 1981 reforms on the system of higher education in Chile is described and analyzed. The system has been diversified by the encouragement of private universities, the creation of professional institutes and the establishment of centers for technical formation. Changes in the funding system have, however, led to problems with student loan recovery and to private universities concentrating on subjects with low costs. Though the participation rate has greatly increased, the existence of empty places, especially in the newer private universities, is evidence of over-provision.     

Experiences on the Design,Creation, and Analysis of Multimedia Content to Promote Active Learning

In an educational context, multimedia content can be created by the students, by the faculty, or by a third party. With the aim of improving the lab work, motivation, and active learning in introductory electronics courses, several innovative technologies and instructional strategies were considered involving these three possibilities: real-time screen capture, video recording with smartphones, and technical analysis of science fiction films. Factors such as ease of use, fast production, or no need of expensive tools were critical for the choice of these technologies, which were introduced on activities (lab sessions, collaborative work) where traditional strategies required too much time or could not be applied properly due to a large number of students and/or time constraints. We found that video lab reports made by the students using smartphones are a very adequate and straightforward assessment method, combining the advantages of oral assessment and written reports. The technical analysis of science fiction films proved to be helpful to reinforce the motivation of some students towards the subject, although it requires some degree of maturity to reach this end. Video tutorials made with screen capture technology proved to be easy to record and produce, and they constitute a fast and convenient way to produce new multimedia resources adapted to the specific needs of the subject.

     

Pre-service teachers' representations of children's understanding of mathematical concepts: conflicts and conflict resolution

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which research experience could enhance pre-service teachers' understanding of children's knowledge of mathematical concepts. A group of five pre-service teachers designed and conducted a study of children's understanding of fractions. As participant-observers throughout their study we gathered evidence of change in pre-service teachers' representations of children's knowledge of fractions. The focus of our observations was on the conflicts generated by the gaps between the pre-service teachers' research findings and their representations of the children's knowledge of fractions. Results indicate that research experience is fruitful in developing an inquisitive disposition in pre-service teachers and in sensitizing future teachers to children's knowledge of a mathematical concept. Pre-service teachers became familiar with the research literature regarding children's understanding of fractions, they questioned the typical instructional sequence of teaching fractions and they scrutinized methods of assessing children's knowledge of mathematical topics.     

The role of part-time employment among young people with a non-university education in Spain

For some people, a part-time job is merely an intermediate state that serves as a stepping stone to further employment and makes labour market integration easier. Yet, part-time work also appears in highly unstable careers. The present research aims to determine the role of part-time employment for young people with non-university studies. Using the Survey on Transition from Education/Training and Labour Market Integration (ETEFIL-2005), we build the monthly sequence of labour states for young people from when they finish their non-university studies until the time of the survey. The analysis allows us to conclude that part-time work is fairly atypical in the early stages of a career but that those who have part-time jobs spend quite a long time in them. In addition, we identify several patterns in the use of part-time work, the ‘integrative’ pattern proving to be the most prevalent. Factors such as education and early preferences are seen to have a major impact on career paths.     

The endogenous relationship between innovation and diversification, and the impact of technological resources on the form of diversification

This research has endeavoured to build on earlier research on the relationship between a firm's technological resources and the direction of its diversification, by trying to confirm the endogeneity of this relationship and by addressing the influence of innovation on the choice of the mode of diversification. Based on a sample of Spanish firms, our results suggest that innovation drives diversification, but not the reverse. The second important finding of this research is the empirical confirmation that knowledge assets are not related to the diversification mode.     

Effect of the level of effort during resistance training on intraocular pressure

Background: We aimed to evaluate the influence of the level of effort during four basic resistance exercises leading to muscular failure on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular perfusion (OPP), as well as the role of exercise type and sex. Methods: Twenty-five young adults (12 women) performed 10 repetitions against their 10-RM (repetition maximum) load in the squat, military press, biceps curl and calf raise exercises. IOP was measured before, during and after exercise, whereas OPP was indirectly assessed before and after each exercise. Results: There was a progressive IOP rise during exercise (p?η²?=?0.531), which was dependent on exercise type (p?=?0.020, η²?=?0.125). The squat exercise induced higher IOP increments in comparison to the other exercises (corrected p-values?p-values?=?0.012 and 0.002). OPP exhibited a significant reduction when leading to muscular failure (p?=?0.001, η²?=?0.364), being statistically significant for the squat and military press exercises (corrected p-values?=?0.037 and 0.047). No effect of sex was found for IOP and OPP (p?>?0.05). Conclusions: A single set of resistance training leading to muscular failure causes an instantaneous and progressive IOP rise in healthy young individuals. These IOP rises depend on exercise type (squat?>?military press?=?biceps curl?>?calf raise), but not on participant´s sex. OPP diminished as a consequence of performing resistance training exercise, being statistically significant for the squat and military press exercises. Future studies should include glaucoma patients aiming to corroborate the generalizability of our findings.     

Objectively measured sedentary time and academic achievement in schoolchildren

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between objectively measured total sedentary time and academic achievement (AA) in Portuguese children. The sample comprised of 213 children (51.6% girls) aged 9.46 ± 0.43 years, from the north of Portugal. Sedentary time was measured with accelerometry, and AA was assessed using the Portuguese Language and Mathematics National Exams results. Multilevel linear regression models were fitted to assess regression coefficients predicting AA. The results showed that objectively measured total sedentary time was not associated with AA, after adjusting for potential confounders.     

Grassroots Library Advocacy by Lauren Comito,Aliqae Geraci,and Christian Zabriskie

There are many instructional design theories to assist librarians in creating effective instructional modules for student learning. ADDIE is a generic instructional design model that has been in existence for more than 30 years and is known for its flexibility in application (Molenda, 2003 Molenda , M. ( 2003 ). In search of the elusive ADDIE model . Performance Improvement , 42 ( 5 ), 34 – 36 . doi: 10.1002/pfi.4930420508 [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Using instructional design theories such as ADDIE helps to better serve students, librarians, and faculty because it adds efficiency and cohesion to the designing and learning process (Bell &; Shank, 2007 Bell , S. J. , &; Shank , J. D. ( 2007 ). Academic librarianship by design: A blended librarian's guide to the tools and techniques . Chicago , IL : American Library Association . [Google Scholar]). In this article, the author writes about using the ADDIE model of instructional design to successfully incorporate new technologies into existing and new library instruction modules. The author outlines how the ADDIE model can be modified to fit specific technological needs of a library instruction program.