If You Build It,They Will Come (or Not): Going the Distance in Teacher Candidate Recruitment

There are persistent concerns in the literature related to recruitment and retention of highly qualified teacher candidates who are capable of achieving contemporary goals and meeting the professional expectations associated with the delivery of quality physical education programs in schools. The purpose of this article is to provide physical education teacher education faculty with recommendations for best practice in the area of teacher candidate recruitment by reviewing literature in the following areas: (a) identification of the characteristics of successful teachers as a basis for recruitment efforts, (b) fundamental principles of effective marketing and recruitment, (c) generational characteristics of college-bound students and the practical implications, and (d) recruitment of underrepresented populations. The recruitment tactics identified include actionable recommendations for faculty, departments/programs, universities, and community partners in teacher education.     

Proposing a center on aging and well-being: Research,education, and practice considerations

ABSTRACT

This environmental scan aimed to discover research interests and educational needs of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students to inspire research, education, and practice in the development of a center on aging and well-being for older adults. The scan consisted of a search of university faculty and researchers regarding research on aging; a survey of graduate students and faculty about interests in aging research and needs of undergraduate students; and key informant interviews. Results offer a conceptualization based on the pillars of research, education, and practice. An inventory of researchers with various levels of expertise and interested in aging was created. Participants offered their perceptions of strengths, as well as challenges and strategies for success. These results will be a catalyst for planning and successful development of a center on aging and well-being. This article addresses a gap in the literature and will assist others undertaking a similar initiative in various geographical and cultural contexts.     

Doctoral Student Socialization: Educating Stewards of the Physical Education Profession

ABSTRACT

In preparing the future stewards of the physical education profession, the occupational socialization and professional development of physical education doctoral students is important to consider. To date, there has been scant scholarly inquiry into doctoral education in physical education. However, there is an abundance of research related to doctoral training in the higher education literature more generally. Drawing upon this larger body of work, this article expands occupational socialization theory to address the socialization of physical education doctoral students and faculty members. The case is made that effective doctoral training in physical education is essential to securing the future of the profession. Provided is an overview of the existing literature, presentation of an adaptation to occupational socialization theory that explains doctoral physical education socialization, and a discussion of key professional development issues that academic leaders and student support personnel should consider. Implications and recommendations for doctoral physical education leadership and academic programs are provided.     

Graduate teaching assistants: motives,difficulties and professional interactions and their relationship to perceived benefits

ABSTRACT

Graduate students play a major role in teaching in higher education, particularly in undergraduate programs. The purpose of the present study was two-fold: first, to identify graduate students’ motives for working as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), describe some aspects of their work, and ascertain their perceived benefits; second, to predict GTAs’ benefits as a function of their individual background characteristics, motives, job difficulties, and richness of professional interactions with the course instructor. Data were collected from 189 GTAs who led discussion groups at a large research university in Israel by means of an internet questionnaire. Findings revealed that graduate students accepted the position of GTA mainly for extrinsic reasons, such as salary and convenience. They claimed to have faced few difficulties and that their professional interactions with the course instructors focused more on job responsibilities and less on pedagogical issues. They reported having gained a greater understanding of course content and improved teaching skills due to their experience as GTAs. Richness of contact with the course instructor, motives, difficulties, and faculty match significantly contributed to predicting perceived benefits. The implications of the results are discussed.     

金融工程专业“七位一体”人才培养体系

金融工程专业的大众化和应用型人才培养目标,决定了综合实践能力的培养成为金融工程本科专业教学改革的着力点。通过构建理论教学、专业实训、资格考试、商科大赛、第二课堂、项目实践和专业辅修“七位一体”的人才培养体系,以生源选择、养成教育、师资队伍、校内实验室和校外实习基地建设为保障,实施专业人才培养评价体系,提升人才的市场竞争力。     

Current Status of Graduate Education in Physical Education: Program Demography

The extent of specialization that exists among graduate students, faculty, and program of physical education was explored, particularly as it relates to published rankings of doctoral programs and other sources. Comparisons were made among data obtained from a questionnaire constructed by the investigators, the Gold Book: Directory of Physical Educators in Higher Education 1982–84, and two unpublished reports for the Research Council/Consortium. In addition, comparisons were made with results from other published sources. The graduate programs appeared to be meeting departmental employment needs, with the newly appointed faculty members having specializations consistent with the most prevalent departmental research specializations. Graduate programs were also shown to be fragmented and specialized in multidimensional aspects. As one might expect, the largest proportion of graduate programs and faculty specializations are in the areas of exercise physiology, administration, and professional preparation. However, the dissimilarity in the graduate programs was so diverse that evaluations and comparisons on global scales appear to be useless.     

Contingent Faculty,Online Writing Instruction,and Professional Development in Technical and Professional Communication

ABSTRACT

Technical and professional communication (TPC) programs rely on contingent faculty to achieve their curricular mission. However, contingent faculty lack professional development opportunities. In this article, the author reports survey results (N = 91) and three cases studies that provide information on contingent faculty and their preparation for online teaching and then provides a three-step approach for TPC program administrators and faculty to follow so that programs can create sustainable professional development opportunities for contingent faculty to teach online.     

Item Analysis in Introductory Economics Testing

Abstract

An interdisciplinary mentoring program for graduate teaching assistants, the GTA mentoring program, offers the needed support for graduate students in their training as teacher-scholars. Authors outline the vision and structure of the program and highlight student, faculty, and institutional benefits. This program involves regular meetings of small teams consisting of graduate students and a faculty mentor, as well as larger group meetings of all participants. Benefits include the development of personal and professional relationships, an open forum for the discussion of teaching and research issues, increased professional support, and greater confidence in classroom instruction.     

Teachers and Field Instructors as Student Role Models

Abstract

The social work literature often mentions the value and importance of faculty and field instructors serving as role models for students. Unlike allied disciplines, the influence of role models in social work education remains relatively unexplored. This article includes a search of two electronic databases on role models and social work education, identifies the various conceptual references the social work literature makes to the topic, and then discusses its inclusion as a variable in empirical studies. It argues that more qualitative investigation is needed into role modeling as an inextricable component of social work students' socialization to the profession.     

Developing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Online Technical Communication Programs: Emerging Frameworks at University of Texas at El Paso

ABSTRACT

This article addresses emerging calls for online education and cross-cultural technical communication training, specifically by outlining and reporting on the development and sustainability of two online programs: the graduate online technical and professional writing certificate and the emerging undergraduate bilingual professional writing certificate at the University of Texas at El Paso. Data presented suggest cultural and linguistic diversity should be embedded and streamlined across all aspects of online technical communication programs.     

Follow-up study of graduates from the College of Agriculture,University of Florida

Abstract

Baccalaureate degree recipients from the College of Agriculture at the University of Florida were surveyed to determine their occupational status and to evaluate their educational experiences. These educational experiences include the teaching quality of professors, advisement, course work and extracurricular activities. Results of the study showed that 97% of the respondents perceived their overall experience within the College of Agriculture as either excellent or good. The respondents rated teaching characteristics of the College of Agriculture faculty to be higher in clarity, enthusiasm, and organization than for faculties from other colleges. The administration, faculty and advisors of the College of Agriculture should be pleased with the positive feedback from graduates. The continuing challenge to these educators is to attain higher levels of graduate satisfaction while keeping pace with changing professional requirements. Recommendations for annual evaluations would provide a longitudinal assessment of academic programs and enable researchers to make comparisons among departments.     

Social Justice Training in School Psychology: Applying Principles of Organizational Consultation to Facilitate Change in Graduate Programs

Scholars and professional organizations have called for an increased emphasis on social justice training in applied psychology graduate programs, including school psychology programs (SPPs). During the past decade, emerging research has identified some features of high-quality social justice education, including a clear program mission statement and relevant field-based experiences. However, relatively little literature has described how faculty can pursue comprehensive change in their graduate programs to move training toward a social justice orientation. The purpose of this article is to describe how principles of organizational consultation can be applied to cultivate a program-wide emphasis on social justice issues in school psychology training. In particular, this article reviews relevant literature on social justice education and describes an adapted 5-stage model of organizational consultation for coordinating cohesive program change. Specific recommendations for implementing high-quality social justice training are provided, and directions for future research are discussed.     

DOCTORAL TRAINING AND RESEARCH IN FRANCE: BIBLIOGRAPHY

This bibliography is a complement to the article analyzing graduate training in institutions of higher learning in France between 1971 and 1985. Original results of doctoral dissertations are usually published in abridged form, which eliminates much of the critical review of relevant literature as well as methodological details. Topical coverage of this bibliography is multidisciplinary. The references are classified into five sections: biology, psychology/behavior, social sciences, health, literature and arts. This list of references forms a resource which, for the most part, cannot be found in published literature.     

Criminal justice doctoral programs in the United States and Canada: Findings from a national survey

Characteristics of 13 doctoral programs in criminal justice and criminology are examined. Features described include the age and size of the programs, representation of women and minorities among faculty and graduate students, admissions requirements and admissions activity, financial support available to graduate students, and characteristics of the curricula. Criminal justice doctoral programs vary widely on each of these characteristics.     

Mentoring the Next Generation of Higher Education Professionals

ABSTRACT

The loss of significant faculty members comes at a time when public and community expectations for institutions of higher learning have expanded. Public skepticism and the demands for accountability have resulted in greater attention being given to learning outcomes, subject matter, knowledge, proficiency, and capability. This article adds to our understanding of how graduate school operates as a socialization process for individuals who seek an academic career in higher education. Moreover, this article will focus specifically on the challenge of preparing and socializing doctoral students of color to the academy. New expectations require that substantive changes take place in the socialization process of graduate doctoral students in kinesiology if new faculty are to experience an academic environment that is rewarding.     

Evaluating the effects of faculty development: theoretical framework and empirical implementation

ABSTRACT

This article implements a systemic framework to evaluate the long-term effects of a program characterized by a SoTL approach and a hybrid learning environment. The importance of the difference between the perception of long-term effects on individual professional development on the one hand and the development of collective practices on the other, is interpreted with reference to certain shortcomings of the faculty development program’s learning design and its non-alignment with institutional practices. Based on this in-depth research, concrete ways to take account of the complexity of faculty development programs are proposed, both for research into and development of such programs and their impact at individual and institutional levels.     

Environmental Education for the Nonenvironmental Engineering Student: An Imperative for the Next Generation of Engineers

Abstract

Environmental education is “coming of age” at U.S. universities and colleges. Baccalaureate, master's, and PhD programs in environmental engineering, environmental science, and civil-environmental engineering are now available in U.S. colleges and schools of engineering. A rich program of research supports environmental graduate students and faculty at many engineering colleges and schools. Although specialists are trained in environmental subjects, the multiplication effect of “greening” all engineering students is nascent. Deans of leading engineering schools were surveyed to determine the level of environmental curriculum offered to nonspecialist engineering students. The purpose of the research was to provide educators with a baseline of approaches to environmental education for nonenvironmental engineering students. The survey determined the scope of environmental programs offered as special programs: minor, general education, concentration, special interest, and degree core requirement. Analysis of the survey responses and suggestions on program implementation are presented.     

Training Online Technical Communication Educators to Teach with Social Media: Best Practices and Professional Recommendations

ABSTRACT

The author reports on social media research in technical and professional communication (TPC) training through a national survey of 30 professional and technical communication programs asking about their use of social media in technical communication. This research forms the basis of recommendations for training online TPC faculty to teach with social media. The author offer recommendations throughout for those who train online TPC faculty as well as for the teachers themselves.     

Graduate Study of Teaching and Teacher Education: A Problem-Solving Agenda for the PETE Professorate

This paper offers ideas for graduate study in physical education teacher education (PETE). It discusses professional versus scientific degree options, and argues that pedagokinetics (the art and science of teaching movement) should be the central focus of the curriculum for both practitioners and researchers. To overcome major obstacles to academic excellence, a problem-solving agenda is outlined for the PETE professorate, with emphasis on critical issues such as (a) governance and control of teacher education, (b) the proper location of PETE units at educational institutions, (c) regional networks of research universities, undergraduate colleges, and local school districts, (d) faculty competence and differential graduate orientations, (e) the shortage of exemplary teachers and teaching in physical education, (f) recruitment of bright graduate students for PETE, and (g) cultivation of a knowledge base to support practice and research in pedagogical physical education. In addition, the paper reports on a new generation of scholars at work, for over a decade, to increase PETE'S credibility with other physical education disciplines as well as the generic teacher education enterprise.     

The role of mentorship in the preparation and success of university presidents

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of mentoring and how it shapes university presidents in higher education. Using phenomenological case studies to understand the lived experiences of university presidents, we analyzed data from eleven interviews. Drawing on tenets of Zachary’s Four Phases of Mentoring, this study reflects the ways in which university presidents were mentored including the effect that mentoring has on executive leadership preparation and success. This study’s findings can inform our understanding of mentoring and the importance of graduate preparation programs, executive leadership programs and organizations, and professional associations for the university presidency.