Dynamics of undergraduate student generic problem-solving skills captured by a campus-wide study

The ability to effectively problem solve is a highly valued competency expected of university graduates, independent of their area of study. Evaluation of problem-solving skill (PSS) development is hindered by a shortage of available tools for monitoring student progress and by lack of defined instructional strategies for development of these skills. Our research is aimed at addressing these problems. We have developed an evaluation tool, which we applied to study the dynamics of undergraduate student PSS. We tested first- and upper-year students from 26 different courses (total enrollment of 2229 students). Overall improvement of PSS was detected for the first-year students over their first term of study. There were no significant differences between the PSS of first- and upper-year students, and no improvement was detected over a single term by measuring PSS in upper-year students. Only three courses were effective at facilitating PSS. Our data indicate that most of the standard lecture approaches do not develop undergraduate student PSS and that universities and individual instructors must take active steps to advance this critical skill set in university students.     

研讨式教学法在本科日语教学中的应用研究

目前我国的大部分高校依旧遵循着传统教学模式,对创新性的人才的培养具有一定的束缚。本文从研讨式教学法的含义入手,对本科日语教学中研讨式教学法的应用进行分析,以期促进我国本科日语教学的水平和学生的日语专业技能。     

本科层次酒店礼仪课程的教学改革研究

本科层次的酒店管理专业有很强的实践性,其人才培养应倾向于服务应用型,偏重理论教育的酒店礼仪课程急需改革。该课程的教学应基于对接行业和专业启蒙的课程定位;明确能力为主的教学目标;设计突出应用的教学内容;创新学生为主的教学方法;建立强化实践的考核体系。     

The effectiveness of man-machine tutorial dialogues for teaching attribute blocks problem-solving skills with an Artificial Intelligence CAI System

Two prominent design features of an Artificial Intelligence CAI (AI CAI) System for teaching problem-solving skills were experimentally evaluated. Seventy-six subjects were randomly assigned to four treatment groups formed by factorially combining two values each of two system design variables. The variables were the ability/lack of ability of the system to answer specific student generated questions regarding the current problem state, and the inclusion/exclusion of computer generated tutorial dialogues aimed at correcting student misprocessing of information during the solution of the problem. Analysis of the data indicated that students receiving computer generated instructional dialogues performed significantly more poorly on a transfer task than students not receiving such tutorial dialogues. The variable of student initiated questioning and the interaction of the two variables yielded non-significant results. Goal-directed production systems are reported to formally model task performance and instructional decision-making activities. The usefulness of these formal modeling techniques to instructional system design and evaluation is illustrated in a detailed analysis of the system's performance. Implications for future instructional system design techniques using the AI CAI approach are discussed.This article is based upon the author's unpublished doctoral dissertation.     

欲生乐于学 师须先乐教

变“苦学”为“乐学”是现阶段我国课堂教学改革的主旋律，学生是否乐于学，很大程度上取决于教师是乐于教、教师对教育事业的热爱、对所教学科的满腔热情、对学生的真正尊重等等，都会对学生产生潜移默化的影响。古往今来，无数成功的教育家以其自身的实践，说明了；欲生乐于学，师须先乐教。     

Online protocol annotation: a method to enhance undergraduate laboratory research skills

A well-constructed, step-by-step protocol is a critical starting point for teaching undergraduates new techniques, an important record of a lab's standard procedures, and a useful mechanism for sharing techniques between labs. Many research labs use websites to archive and share their protocols for these purposes. Here we describe our experiences developing and using a protocol website for the additional purpose of enhancing undergraduate research training. We created our lab's protocol website in a message board format that allows undergraduates to post comments on protocols describing the lessons they learned, questions that arose, and/or insights they gained while learning to execute specific research protocols. Encouraging and expecting students to comment on the protocols they are learning to execute is beneficial for both the student and for the lab in which they are training. For the student, annotations encourage active reflection on their execution of techniques and emphasize the important message that attending to and understanding details of a protocol is a critical factor in producing reliable data. For the lab, annotations capture valuable insights for future generations of researchers by describing missing details, hints, and common hurdles for newcomers.     

挖掘科研积累,丰富教学资源为本科教学服务——"实验室科研探究"大型选修课程的建设与实践

从设立目标、内容简介、建设过程和组织工作等方面，详细论述了“实验室科研探究”新课程的发展历程。由此，提出了将高校实验室科研积累转化为教学资源，更好地为本科教学服务的一种新途径。     

专题：大学生创新能力培养——科研促教学 促进本科生创新能力的培养

通过长期从事科研与教学活动相结合的经验,阐述了科研与教学结合的必要性,结合山东农业大学农业生物学国家级教学示范中心科研促教学的做法,提出科研主体与教学主体的有机结合、通过实验室开放,培养本科生的科研兴趣同时,激发学生学习知识的热情、引导学生参与科研过程、加强师资队伍建设,是提高本科生实验教学质量的重要举措。     

基于研究性学习的本科计量经济学教学策略研究

研究性学习和本科计量经济学教学的整合是提升大学生创新和实践能力的有益探索。本文基于自身教学实践经验和体会总结了基于研究性学习的本科计量经济学教学策略,认为本科计量经济学研究性教学成功的基础是高水平的教师配置,关键是合理的教学安排,保障是科学的组织与管理。     

积极情绪在课堂教学中的运用

情绪是人对外界事物产生的一种基本情感体验。凡能满足或符合人的需要，人就会产生积极情绪，凡不能满足或不符合人的需要，人就会产生消极情绪。就学生而言，积极的情绪可使人精神振奋、想象丰富、思维敏捷、富有信心、学习效率就高；消极的情绪可使人感到枯燥无味、想象贫乏、思维迟钝、心灰意冷、学习效率就低。……     

Enhancing undergraduate teaching and research with a Drosophila virginizing system

Laboratory exercises using Drosophila crosses are an effective pedagogical method to complement traditional lecture and textbook presentations of genetics. Undergraduate thesis research is another common setting for using Drosophila. A significant barrier to using Drosophila for undergraduate teaching or research is the time and skill required to accurately collect virgins for use in controlled crosses. Erroneously collecting males or nonvirgin females contaminates crosses with unintended genotypes and confounds the results. Collecting adequate numbers of virgins requires large amounts of time, even for those skilled in virgin collection. I have adapted an effective method for virgin collection that eliminates these concerns and is straightforward to use in undergraduate settings. Using a heat-shock-induced, conditional lethal transgene specifically in males, male larvae can be eliminated from a culture before adults eclose. Females thus eclose in the absence of males and remain virgin, eliminating the need to laboriously score and segregate freshly eclosed females. This method is reliable, easily adaptable to any desired phenotypic marker, and readily scaleable to provide sufficient virgins for large laboratory classes or undergraduate research projects. In addition, it allows instructors lacking Drosophila expertise to use this organism as a pedagogical tool.     

Development of a test of experimental problem-solving skills

The emphasis given to experimental problem-solving skills in science curriculum innovation has not been matched by the development of comparable assessment tools. Multiple-choice tests were constructed for seven skills using learning hierarchies based on expert-novice differences. The instruments were refined in three phases of field testing. The reliabilities of the tests are sufficient for making judgments of group performance, but are insufficient in a single administration for individual assessment. Evidence of the validity of the tests is presented and their worth is discussed within the framework of a theory of instruction.     

Developing undergraduate research skills in a faculty of education: motivation through collaboration

This paper explores motivational factors underpinning undergraduates’ learning of research skills through individual research projects with collaborative tutorials. Research has long pointed to group support, positive affect and scaffolding as important for motivating and facilitating learning. Furthermore, UK government priorities have placed an increasing emphasis on the need to develop the key skills of inquiry and working with others. However, this is set in a context of assessment and practice in higher education that encourages individualist and instrumental perspectives on gaining competencies and knowledge. Traditionally undergraduate research skills have been taught through lectures and small‐scale projects chosen by the students with individual tutorial support in a faculty of education. Here our action research introduced collaborative tutorials as another element of teaching. We examine the process of collaboration to explore factors that support motivation to learn through two principal theoretical frameworks.     

Practice makes proficient: teaching undergraduate students to understand published research

Scientific knowledge, including the critical evaluation and comprehension of empirical articles, is a key skill valued by most undergraduate institutions for students within the sciences. Students often find it difficult to not only summarize empirical journal articles, but moreover to successfully grasp the quality and rigor of investigation behind the source. In this paper, we use instructional scaffolds (reading worksheets, RWs, with tutorials) to aid students in being able to comprehend, and ultimately transfer, the skills necessary in critically evaluating primary sources of research. We assess students’ learning of these skills on a multiple-choice assessment of Journal Article Comprehension (JAC). Students in experimental classes, who received instructional scaffolds, improved on the JAC post-test compared with students in control classes. This result shows that students are acquiring fundamental research skills such as understanding the components of research articles. We also showed that improvement on the JAC post-test for the experimental class extended to a written summary test. This result suggests that students in the experimental group are developing discipline-specific science process skills that allow them to apply JAC skills to a near-transfer task of writing a summary.     

现代食品检测技术本科教学中科研与教学互动的探索与实践

食品检测技术是食品质量与安全专业的专业课之一。随着科学技术的日新月异,食品检测技术的发展十分迅速,新的检测技术和检测手段不断应用到食品检测领域中来,在这方面的研究开发工作也变得异常活跃。现代食品检测技术科研与本科教学的有效融合,对培养高素质的创新型人才将起到积极的作用。     

研究型大学的本科质量观研究

研究型大学本科质量观研究是当前高等教育理论与实践研究中的重点、难点和前沿问题.从探究研究型大学的本质特征出发,从研究型大学的人才现、培养目标观、课程观、教学观、教学管理观和质量评价观六个方面对研究型大学的本科质量观做了探索性的研究.