Gender,teaching and academic promotions in higher education

Teaching is increasingly being considered for inclusion in academic promotions in a number of universities. This raises questions about how teaching is appraised in relation to research; and which teaching criteria contribute to promotions outcomes. This article investigates these questions from a gender perspective by statistically analysing the actual promotions outcomes by rank levels at a South African university where teaching and research have been equally evaluated in academic promotions. The findings show that, overall, there was no statistically significant difference in promotions success rates between males and females and that more females achieved excellence in teaching with higher scores than males. Two of the 10 teaching criteria analysed – ‘ongoing study of tertiary education’ and ‘special recognition of teaching’ showed statistically significantly higher scores for females with high effect sizes, pointing to the importance of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in academic promotions for women. This study has implications for closing the gender gap in the senior ranks of universities.     

Teaching and Learning in the University: New Directions for Australian Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is to outline recent changes to higher education in Australia and assess the implications of those changes for teaching and learning in universities. Three main changes have been identified:
1. The meta-policy context that has transformed a binary system of higher education into a unified national system of universities. This has given rise to the concept of the comprehensive university accompanied by an economic rationalist approach to the funding of higher education. Issues identified are the relativities to be accorded to teaching and research in the new universities and the push for more efficient modes of teaching.
2. Institutional changes that have influenced the traditional character of universities. These changes include the politicisation of Vice-Chancellors whose peak body is now recognised by the government as the single voice of the university sector, the changing student composition of universities as a result of government policies relating to overseas students and students who have been traditionally underpresented in universities and the introduction of academic staff appraisal. An assessment is made of this broad range of changes on teaching and learning.
3. Changing conceptions of teaching are discussed with a particular emphasis on the work of Shulman and its implications for teaching in the university.     

Strategies to enhance learning and teaching in a research-extensive university

Challenges confronting those who seek to bring about change within large organizations include the need to engage with the values and beliefs held by those involved. In universities with academic cultures that have traditionally lauded and rewarded disciplinary research, attempts to enhance the status and effectiveness of teaching and learning practices must take account of the ongoing power of the research culture. In Australia and elsewhere, prestigious research-extensive 1 universities are now seriously committed to improving the educational experience of student learners from their first year on campus. The focus on teaching and learning is buttressed by another aspect of cultural change - one which values the scholarship of teaching alongside traditional disciplinary research. To the need to re-emphasize teaching, and the need to value that teaching as a scholarly, research-based activity is added a third dimension of change - a focus on the student rather than the teacher. This paper will utilize Fullan's (1991) model for educational change in outlining strategies for change within a large research-extensive university in Australia. While it is too early to ascertain whether those strategies have effectively enhanced student learning, indications are that the strategies have had an impact on the beliefs, behaviour and teaching practice of academic staff. It is suggested that the culture of a university can and will shift given the right conditions for institutional change.     

University teacher approaches to design and teaching and concepts of learning technologies

This study investigates the experience of teaching of 19 teachers who are teaching on university courses involving face-to-face and on-line learning. The teachers are asked about how they think about learning technologies and how they approach the design and teaching of their courses across these two contexts. Results show that there are qualitatively different ways of thinking about learning technologies that relate logically and positively to qualitatively different ways of designing and teaching using learning technologies. The results have implications for teachers and those interested in maximising the likelihood of learning for university students when teachers teach with learning technologies.     

An exploratory study of changes to university EFL teachers’ teaching practices

The brief report describes an exploratory investigation into changes to three university EFL teachers’ teaching practices in a research-intensive university framed by managerialist technologies to improve its visibility and global ranking. The findings revealed that substantial changes have been brought about to their teaching practices in terms of falling into the routine of ‘technification of teaching’, producing a spectacle ‘what is there simply to be seen and judged’ or striving to seek out new spaces for ‘authentic’ English teaching. The study concluded with implications for facilitating the managerial reforms that are congruent with the cognitive and contextual realities of different generations of Chinese university EFL teachers.     

On Higher Education in China and Canada from the Perspective of Humanity-Orientation

With the rapid development of the social economy, the ideologies, ways of thinking, psychological qualities, and values of contemporary university students have changed significantly. This poses new challenges for traditional teaching administration. Importance has been attached to the humanity issue in university teaching, which attracts wide attention both at home and abroad. This paper, based on the construction of humanity in university teaching, illustrates the essence and necessities of humanity and probes into the inevitable trend of humanity. Based on this, a vital comparison is made regarding humanity in higher education in Canada and China. An analysis concerning insufficiency of humanity in Chinese university teaching is conducted on the basis of hardware and software facilities in universities. In the meantime, reasons for the differences between Chinese and Canadian higher education are explored, thus pointing out the necessity to build a humanity-oriented university system.     

POTENTIAL CHANGES IN PROSPECTIVE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING—A CROSS-LEVEL STUDY

This paper presents a cross-level study of German student teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning chemistry. It covers different stages of their teacher training program. The study is based upon drawings of teaching situations, which were analyzed using an evaluation pattern developed using grounded theory. The qualitative scales analyze beliefs about classroom organization, teaching objectives, and epistemological beliefs. Data were collected from university freshmen, student teachers midway through their university teacher education program, and recently graduated teachers who had just finished their university program and are gaining experience as full-time teachers. The initial results reveal that the freshmen in our study profess very traditional beliefs about teaching and learning (characterized by teacher-centeredness and an understanding of learning as receptive consumption). The other two groups of trainees hold more modern beliefs about teaching and learning, which are in line with modern educational theory. Comparing the latter two groups shows that the student teachers midway through training appear to have the most modern teaching beliefs. Implications for teacher education will be addressed.     

Morality,Culture, and Modernity: Challenges to the University

This author focuses on the ethical aspects of conducting university research and teaching. What function does the university perform in making the contemporary world more humane, and what threats are connected today with this mission? Scientific work is, of course, also practised outside the university, and teaching does not have to follow the university model; however it cannot be denied that the university is a ubiquitous scientific and educational institution, the values of which should be remembered and emphasized in light of modern scientific and cultural developments. This paper highlights first the features specific to the university, with an emphasis on educational and cultural production. Next, the challenges faced by the university in the context of modern civilization are addressed. To conclude, a few personal observations about moral dimensions and challenges are shared.     

Congruence between intention and strategy in university science teachers' approaches to teaching

This paper describes the results, and some implications, of an empirical study of the congruence between intention and strategy of university science teachers' approaches to teaching in their first year science courses. The study drew upon the results of a previous phenomenographic study which identified qualitatively different approaches to teaching. An approaches to teaching inventory was subsequently developed which included scales representing the intentions and strategies identified in the first study. This inventory was distributed to a sample of university teachers of first year science courses in Australia. The results confirmed the proposed relationship between intention and strategy, and showed that a Student-focused Strategy was associated with a Conceptual Change Intention, while a Teacher-focused Strategy was associated with an Information Transfer Intention. It is concluded that the traditional form of academic development focussing on teaching strategies (for example, activity based strategies) is unlikely to be successful without an ongoing focus on the intentions which are associated with the strategy.     

Increasing the use of evidence-based strategies by special education teachers: A collaborative approach

This article describes a process developed to increase the use of evidence-based instructional strategies by teachers of students in special education programs in a middle school and high school. The project developed a working partnership between university researchers and parents, teachers and administrators of students in special education programs. The partnership produced manuals for the teachers that outlined effective strategies for teaching reading, encouraging family involvement, providing academic feedback, and engaging in positive behavior support in the classroom. The results of assessing implementation fidelity, implications of the study, and future research issues are presented.     

论大学英语教学中的实用化问题

随着英语教学的普及,大学越来越重视英语的实用性并且针对于社会的实际需要来培养人才,设立各个方面的实用性英语,像商务英语,计算机英语,机械英语等。但是尽管这样学生进入社会后还是不能很好的应用英语。本文从大学英语教学实用化的角度来进行分析。     

“翻转课堂”对大学教学效果影响的准实验研究

＂翻转课堂＂本质上是一种教学理念,是进行翻转教学程序设计和实施翻转教学的理论依据。翻转课堂教学理念对大学教学效果有何影响,目前还缺乏足够的实证研究。本研究采用准实验研究的方法,以教学程序为实验变量进行教学实验。研究发现,翻转课堂有利于激发和维持大学生的学习动机、培养大学生自主学习与合作学习能力。但是,实现有效的翻转课堂对大学教学提出了全新的要求。而且,翻转课堂在概念原理类知识的教学效果上并不比传统教学更有优势。     

Contract research,the university,and the academic

With the decline in the funding of university research activities from traditional sources, many universities are instigating contract research programs as a means of funding research. This article examines some of the implications of university-based contract research, drawing largely on the author's own experiences. The problems which are examined include the moral and ethical implications, the legal aspects, problems over ownership of research results, the implications for staff rights, the status of contract researchers, the implications for publication, problems of authority, responsibility and social justice, and the conflicts between teaching and research. The article concludes with eleven points for successful university-based contract research.     

高校构建廉政文化教育体系探析——兼论思想政治理论课主渠道作用

廉政文化进教材、进课堂、进头脑,既是高校廉政文化教育机制建设的内在需要,也是高校思想政治理论课增强实效性的内在需要。高校构建以思想政治理论课为主渠道的廉政文化教育体系,应确立教育的总目标和分阶段目标。以思想政治理论课为主渠道的廉政文化教育体系,内容体系应由社会主义廉政文化、传统道德修养与价值观念、廉政法律法规与社会公德教育等三大部分构建而成。途径框架体系则由思想政治理论课教学、丰富多彩的廉政文化教育实践活动、学生党员廉政文化教育中心等三大教育途径及平台构建而成。     

基于课堂讲授法的“1+3”教学模式研究

相对大学课堂传统教学模式,“1+3”教学模式以启发式教学思想的课堂讲授法为基础,在教学内容上增新、教学材料上丰富、教学方法上增加环节,是实现学习目标的有效教学模式之一。重点探讨“1+3”教学模式的基本含义、现实背景、理论基础、具体实施步骤以及实施这种教学模式的注意事项,以期改善课堂教学现状,提高课堂教学的有效性。     

基于中华优秀传统文化传承的高校图书馆服务研究

介绍了中华优秀传统文化的内涵,简要分析了高校图书馆传承中华优秀传统文化的作用,在此基础上,探讨提出高校图书馆传承中华优秀传统文化的策略与措施:开展系列阅读推广活动,营造传承中华优秀传统文化的浓厚氛围,构建线上线下"传统文化+新媒体"服务模式,举办传统文化专题知识讲座,建设具有特色的传统文化传承与交流中心,将中华优秀传统...     

思想道德修养课讨论式教学的运用

思想道德修养课传统的授课模式已经不适应学生的实际情况,从小学到大学一以贯之的政治课教学模式,学生已经感到厌烦。思想道德修养课如何给新入学的大学生一个全新的内涵,赋予它特殊的教育意义。这就为思想道德修养课教师提出了改革教学方式,避免“老生常谈,假大空”,增强思想道德修养课针对性、实效性的问题。笔经过多年教学实践,认为思想道德修养课中讨论式教学的运用,可以深化学生对教学内容的理解,调动学生积极主动地思考问题,还对大学生的成长成才产生了一定的影响,为大学生所接受、所认同。     

独立学院与其母体高校合作模式的再认识

本文发现:1.高校对独立学院投入资产的价值变化影响着母体学院与独立学院合作的稳定性;2.母体高校虽然在独立学院申请阶段充当了举办人角色,但在收益分配中,多数高校所获取的收入,并不是与其投入相对应的回报,而是教学与管理技术转让费及特许权使用费;3.小股东权益折价是产生这种独立学院收益模式的主要原因。     

我国大学教学学术专题研究述评

国内研究者主要从教学学术与教学质量、教师专业发展、教学学术运动、教学学术机制的互动关系,以及不同类型大学教学学术发展现状等五个专题领域,对大学教学学术展开研究,其研究成果对我国大学针对教学发展、教师发展、学生发展的新趋向,开展教学管理实践改革带来了有益启示。     

云南高校学生思想政治状况调查研究

对云南省具有代表性的高校之大学生进行的问卷调查结果显示：大学生对当前国际国内时事的关注程度普遍比较高;对高校的各种改革措施特别关注,且评价较高,也较为客观;大学生的校园生活充实而多彩,其主流呈现积极向上、健康乐观的趋势;大学生对高校教育教学改革、后勤工作有不甚满意的地方;部分大学生的世界观、人生观和价值观存在一定的模糊认识,其心理健康也存在一些问题;等等。