Influence of improved teaching practices on student satisfaction ratings for two undergraduate units at an Australian university

To track the quality of instruction delivered at the University of Western Australia, the university surveys all units using its Students’ Unit Reflective Feedback (SURF) metrics, and faculties use these metrics to benchmark student satisfaction. Consequently, teaching staff are actively encouraged to adopt teaching practices that will increase the average levels of these metrics. Using a ‘before-after’ approach, we compared these metrics before and after the implementation of improved teaching practices that addressed specific weaknesses identified through student responses for two undergraduate units. Despite the implementation of improved teaching practices, SURF scores did not increase significantly for the two units assessed, due possibly to the components of the academic programme covered by the SURF questions, the field-based nature of the units, and the difficulty in measuring an increase in the SURF scores of units which already score highly. This poor sensitivity of the SURF metrics to the implementation of improved teaching practices could have implications for their use for performance assessment by the university.     

Identity policies of education: struggles for inclusion and exclusion in Peru and Colombia

ABSTRACT

Policy initiatives that seek to account for ethno-cultural differences in education and schooling have become increasingly popular over the past few decades. These include affirmative action measures and bilingual education models. The rationale for the implementation of these policies focuses on their potential to rectify historical discrimination by both levelling horizontal inequalities and granting equal value to different cultures and languages in the schooling process. In this framework, however, ethnic communities are often treated as discrete and static social aggregates, and social heterogeneity and spillover effects between groups are disregarded. This paper draws on empirical case studies from Colombia and Peru to show how identity policies of education can increase inter-ethnic competition, leading to protracted social conflicts. These outcomes, beyond negatively impacting local communities, raise important dilemmas surrounding the theoretical and operational foundations of these popular policy measures.     

举证责任与证明责任

举证责任与证明责任的关系问题一直是法学界争论的一个热点。众说纷纭，莫衷一是，但概括起来，主要有以下三种观点：同一说，证明责任即举证责任；从属说，两者是从属关系；举证责任与证明责任是两个不同的概念。笔者认为，举证责任与证明责任含义不同，两者之间既有联系又有区别。     

试论强化行政诉讼原告的辩论权

设置严格的程序规则是各国行政诉讼中保障原告辩论权的通常做法。为了体现诉讼民主，实现行政诉讼的价值，必须强化原告的辩论权。行政诉讼可以分为辩论而收集证据的阶段，为确认证据而进行法庭调查和辩论的阶段以及法官根据辩论结果作出裁判的阶段。强化原告辩论权可从以下几方面着手；原告应有足够的手段取得必要的证据；双方当事人应有充分的机会在公开的法庭上提出主张和证据，并互相质证，辩论；辩论的效力必须得到确认；法院应保障当事人的平等辩论权。     

法院调解制度的价值

通过质疑诉讼和解论的可行性，分析处于现代化和社会转型背景下的中国社会纠纷解决的现实，阐明法院调解制度在法制化进程中的特殊价值，以对当前法院调解制度改革有所裨益。     

当代大学生越轨行为探析

本从当代大学生的社会公德、校规校纪和犯罪层面上的越轨行为进行剖析，以准确把握和了解大学生的道德观念和遵纪守法状况，为当前高校学生管理提供理论支持。     

干群主体--改善当前农村干群关系的新切入点

当前我国农村一些地方出现了干群关系紧张的现象，这与干群关系主体发生变化有很大的互动关系．为了改善干群关系，必须从干群主体的三方(群众、村干部、乡干部)自身查找原因，并通过村干部角色回归、乡干部工作重心转变、群众观念更新，努力改善农村干群关系。     

磁场对秋蚕生长特性的研究

在普通和外加磁场作用的环境中对秋蚕生长特性进行了研究，通过试验发现，经过磁场处理的蚕体发育均匀，食桑旺盛，并且体重、头宽、身长、蛹重、茧重有微小变化，     

教育扶贫瞄准偏差与治理路径探究——基于政府行为视角分析

教育扶贫瞄准偏差即教育扶贫对象识别以及教育扶贫资源投放所存在的偏颇和误差。目前,教育扶贫对象识别、教育扶贫项目设计以及教育扶贫经费使用等都存在一定的瞄准偏差。政府作为我国教育扶贫主体的首席,其"经济人"特质和"委托—代理"行为方式构成了教育扶贫瞄准偏差的两个重要变量。因此,基于政府行为视角治理教育扶贫瞄准偏差,一方面,需要完善激励机制以实现各级政府在教育扶贫过程中的目标兼容,激发各级政府治理教育扶贫瞄准偏差的动力;另一方面,构建政府主导、多方参与的教育扶贫主体体系,提高政府治理教育扶贫瞄准偏差的能力。     

大学生学习动力缺乏的原因及对策探讨

以学习动机为核心的学习动力在大学生的学习中起着决定性的作用。然而 ,缺乏学习动力的情况在相当一部分大学生身上不同程度地存在着 ,这严重影响了大学生的学习。大学生学习动力缺乏的表现形式多种多样且成因各异 ,如何采取相应措施值得深思。