Shanxi Provincial College Enrollment Commission Issued a Circular: Stern Punishment for Liu Duo and Others in Their Malpractice to Further Their Personal Ends

According to report by Shanxi ribao (Shanxi daily): Thanks to the profound concern of the CCP Central Committee under the wise leader Hua Guofeng, the leadership of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and party committees at different levels, the full support of all trades and professions, and joint efforts of all the admissions staff, selection work in Shanxi colleges and professional training schools has progressed smoothly. Examinations and grading have come to a successful end.     

Communication skills programs that last: Face to Face and relapse prevention

Communication skills are basic to effective management. However, communication training programs must not only show evidence that the skills have been learned, but also demonstrate that this learning can be converted into effective on the job behavior. A communication skills program, Face to Face, based on the microtraining model, is described. This model has substantial empirical evidence of successful skill acquisition. A novel approach to skill transfer and retention, the relapse prevention model is proposed as a methodology for maintaining communication skills in the work setting.     

Changes in personal orientation and critical thinking among adults returning to school through weekend college: An alternative evaluation

Seventy-two returning adult students participating in a weekend social science option showed statistically significant increases on 11Personal Orientation Inventory subscales and theWatson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. The program involved an interdisciplinary and experiential learning approach. Utilizing t-tests, no significant differences between males and females on the pretest nor on pre-post change were found. This evaluation supports successful experiential learning as effective in continuation and reinforcement of the process of self-actualizing.The author expresses his thanks to Mary Van De Warker for codesigning and coinstructing the Weekend Social Science option with him and to Kathleen Crittenden for her helpful criticism of an earlier draft of this article.     

Questioning as thinking: a metacognitive framework to improve comprehension of expository text

Despite a push to develop high levels of active engagement in learning by helping students reflect, refine and extend their ideas through effective questioning strategies, evidence suggests that teacher‐dominated interaction patterns permeate classroom instruction. This Initiate, Respond and Evaluate process leads students to maintain a passive stance towards learning and non‐engagement with text. As a result students fail to develop the strategies to solve comprehension problems and monitor their own learning with text. In contrast, effective, active instructional patterns provide students with opportunities to negotiate textual meaning. Through the use of the Question as Thinking framework we provide teachers with tools to enable pupils to reflect on their reading and understanding of expository texts. This article describes a framework for questioning designed to assist in the development of an active instructional pattern promoting the joint negotiation of meaning.     

The impact of new public management instruments on PhD education

New public governance emphasises less state, more market and more hierarchy as the cornerstones for effective steering of higher education institutions. Based on an explorative analysis of qualitative and quantitative data of fourteen German and European economics departments, we investigate the steering effects of six new public management instruments in the years 2001 and 2002 on subsequent placement success of PhD graduates. Using crisp set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to analyse the data, our results deliver strong support for the positive effects of competition for resources and the varying effects of hierarchy on PhD education. Governance of successful departments is characterised by two solutions: transparency over academic achievements as one single success factor in each solution or a combination of additional funding based on national competitive performance with either no public policy regulations for departments or no university regulations for departments. Governance of unsuccessful departments is characterised by one solution: university regulations for departments or a combination of no additional funding based on national competitive performance and no transparency over academic achievements. Our results strengthen the strong impact of selected competitive mechanisms as an effective governance instrument and the partially detrimental effects of state regulations. University regulations turn out to be successful if they increase transparency over academic achievements by faculty members. Success is unlikely if those rules intervene into PhD education.     

Toward Practical Procedures for Predicting and Promoting Success in Virtual School Students

Abstract

Two lines of research have emerged to study the causes and prevention of student failure in virtual (K–12) schools: studies of learner characteristics and studies of learning environment characteristics. To develop a useful model for predicting failure and promoting success in virtual school environments, a study was designed to measure the relation between a combination of student and environmental factors derived from previous research and successful course completion during one semester at a large (N =?4,100) virtual school. Study findings yielded a model that can discriminate between successful and unsuccessful online school students and is especially effective at identifying those likely to succeed.     

Statistical learning of action: The role of conditional probability

Identification of distinct units within a continuous flow of human action is fundamental to action processing. Such segmentation may rest in part on statistical learning. In a series of four experiments, we examined what types of statistics people can use to segment a continuous stream involving many brief, goal-directed action elements. The results of Experiment 1 showed no evidence for sensitivity to conditional probability, whereas Experiment 2 displayed learning based on joint probability. In Experiment 3, we demonstrated that additional exposure to the input failed to engender sensitivity to conditional probability. However, the results of Experiment 4 showed that a subset of adults—namely, those more successful at identifying actions that had been seen more frequently than comparison sequences—were also successful at learning conditional-probability statistics. These experiments help to clarify the mechanisms subserving processing of intentional action, and they highlight important differences from, as well as similarities to, prior studies of statistical learning in other domains, including language.     

Response to Intervention: Following Three Reading Recovery Children on Their Individual Paths to Becoming Literate

Research Findings: In the United States a shift has occurred in how children are identified for long-term special education services. Since 2004, U.S. funding for special education services has included a provision for early intervention services, focusing on the importance of providing supplemental instructional opportunities to students who are not successful in learning from the core classroom instruction. Commonly referred to as response to intervention, this model involves educators monitoring how well students respond to intervention instruction, with referral for special education services for those who make little progress. Practice or Policy: In this article, we propose that intervention instruction should be responsive to the learner as well as focus on how well the learner responds to the intervention. Given that contextual circumstances, including instructional experiences, impact the child's literacy achievement, providing intervention instruction that is contingent upon each child's literacy strengths and needs is the best way to ensure each child's successful response to intervention instruction. As an example of an intervention using responsive instruction, this article describes different instructional approaches provided by Reading Recovery teachers with 3 children who were initially the lowest readers and writers in their classes. All 3 children were able to progress to on-grade-level reading and writing proficiency as a result of the intervention.     

Learning from Chemical Visualizations: Comparing generation and selection

Dynamic visualizations can make unseen phenomena such as chemical reactions visible but students need guidance to benefit from them. This study explores the value of generating drawings versus selecting among alternatives to guide students to learn chemical reactions from a dynamic visualization of hydrogen combustion as part of an online inquiry unit. In prior research, generation has been more successful than selection in helping students distinguish among ideas to learn complex topics. However, selecting among perplexing alternatives may motivate learners to distinguish among ideas they might otherwise neglect. To test the value of selection for helping students distinguish ideas, this study contrasted complex selection (involving normative as well as non-normative ideas identified in prior research) from typical selection (involving images from the visualization). Results showed that all conditions improved student understanding and that typical selection was less effective than generation while complex selection was as successful as generation. In both generation and complex selection students revisited the visualization while learning, whereas revisiting was rare in typical selection. These results support the idea that distinguishing among common non-normative ideas is more valuable than distinguishing among images from the visualization. In addition, for students with low prior knowledge, both generation and complex selection had some advantages. Overall, the results suggest that students learning from complex visualizations could benefit from a combination of complex selection and generation.     

Factors Leading to Success in Diversified Occupation: A Livelihood Analysis in India

Purpose: Livelihood diversification is a sound alternative for higher economic growth and its success or failure is conditioned by the interplay of a multitude of factors. The study of the profile of the farmers in which they operate is important to highlight the factors leading to success in diversified livelihoods. Design/Methodology/Approach: A total of 160 households of farmers were selected randomly and were interviewed to collect primary data for the study. To measure the success of diversified occupation a success–failure scale was developed following the steps used by Singh et al., ‘t’ statistics was used to compare the two groups. Discriminant function analysis was used to identify the factors determining success and failure in diversified occupation. Findings: The study revealed that 53% of the diversifiers were successful in their diversified activities. Around 62.50% diversifiers under the high success category were adopted non-farming nature of diversification along with farm diversification. Number of livestock holding, resource mobilisation potentiality, contact with extension personnel, distance from market, share of non-farm income, credit-seeking behaviour and dependency ratio were major characters discriminating successful diversifiers from unsuccessful diversifiers. Practical Implications: The paper would be useful for the researchers and policy-makers to assess and compare the livelihood security of different rural communities in the country. Originality/Value: The study was originally conducted by the authors. Nothing similar has been previously published or is currently under consideration for publication by another journal.     

A Critique of Modern Education,with Special Reference to the East

The population of urban migrants in developing countries has received little specific notice within the field of adult education, although, because of its size and importance to the economic and social development of much of the world, this group deserves significant attention. Examination of urban migrants as learners provides important insight for policies and programmes that support developing their creative potential, building on individual and community strengths. Two characteristics of the motivation and learning needs of urban migrants stand out. First, individual characteristics relating to personality or motivation somehow differentiate migrants from non‐migrants, beyond generalized economic or macro‐level factors that affect migration decisions. On the other hand, it appears that group learning processes that incorporate the participation of the members and build on their networks, motivation, and coping skills, are particularly effective. Both of these aspects are important in identifying appropriate policies and programmes that stimulate the positive potential of this group. This paper examines evidence related to the demographic and cognitive characteristics of the urban migrant population in developing countries, how these relate to the learning tasks facing this group, and the implications for successful adult education programmes. In addition, these characteristics have implications for broader policies designed to take advantage of the role that communities of urban migrants can play, within a more participative development approach.     

Learning from Experience: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and professional development for teachers

This paper outlines recent developments in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) with particular reference to the application of RPL in the education and training of teachers. Furthermore it suggests that RPL will become an increasingly important aspect of professional development programmes and puts forward some ideas for the establishment of successful professional development programmes which, by using predetermined credit, incorporate RPL in a simple and effective fashion. At the same time the paper advises university faculties of education to approach RPL processes cautiously and carefully.     

What It Really Means to Be Accomplishment Based

Human performance technology (HPT) evolved with the shift from a focus on behavior to accomplishments, the valuable products of behavior. The term accomplishment has not always been used consistently over the years, to the detriment of the field. This article summarizes benefits of accomplishment‐based performance improvement, reviews Joe Harless's recently republished book, The Eden Conspiracy , about accomplishment‐based educational reform, and summarizes successful educational reforms that have emerged from Eden in nearly 20 years since its original publication.     

An outcome-based assessment process for accrediting computing programmes

The calls for accountability in higher education have made outcome-based assessment a key accreditation component. Accreditation remains a well-regarded seal of approval on college quality, and requires the programme to set clear, appropriate, and measurable goals and courses to attain them. Furthermore, programmes must demonstrate that responsibilities associated with the goals are being carried out. Assessment leaders face various challenges including process design and implementation, faculty buy-in, and resources availability. This paper presents an outcome-based assessment approach that facilitates faculty participation while simplifying the assessment and reporting processes through effective and meaningful visualisation. The proposed approach has been implemented and used for the successful ABET accreditation of a computer science programme, and can be easily adapted to any higher education programme.     

Time to Get Off the Shelf: educational television and public libraries cooperation in continuing education

In recent years BBC Continuing Education and public libraries have established a successful policy of collaboration, with public libraries advising on local resources and acting as referral points and local back‐up agencies for educational broadcasts. This paper summarises a joint BBC Educational Broadcasting Services and Cheshire Libraries project, started during autumn 1981, designed to encourage the process of linking educational broadcasting, public libraries and the community. The project's main aims were to see how the library service might increase involvement with the work of BBC Continuing Education, thereby becoming a more effective partner in developing interest in Adult Education, and to explore how a public library might operate as a multi‐media resource centre for the public in relation to educational broadcasting.     

‘From Mentor to Mentored’

This paper examines one person's perceptions in changing role from being a school based mentor and teacher to being herself mentored on becoming a lecturer in education. It identifies some of the more and less successful aspects of the mentoring experience and suggests provisional guidelines to improve the present system used in one HEI (Higher Education Institution).