Chinese Academics under the Reformed Remuneration System: A Case Study

Abstract:

As part of ongoing efforts to attract and keep talents, Chinese governments and universities have initiated a series of reforms to improve faculty salaries over the past decades. However, the reformed salary policies do not work as well as expected. According to the field data, the formed salary policies had posted a new set of challenges to academics. On one hand, the salaries offered to academics remained low. Most junior academics could not live on their salaries. As a result, they actively tied themselves to the large-scale research projects headed by their senior peers to earn additional compensations, even at the cost of research interests and research qualities. On the other hand, the new remuneration policies created many potential conflicts among faculty members and significantly discouraged academic collaborations at the sample university. This made academics develop a new strategy—“one project with two separate teams”—to safeguard each others’ benefits in collaborations. It is found that the reformed salary policies had served as impediments to academics’ career development.     

Reading Content that Interests Seventh,Eighth, and Ninth Grade Students

Abstract

In view of the current interest in the role teacher expectations play in the education of children, teachers in charge of eighteen special classes for educable mentally retarded (EMR) children were asked to indicate their expectations for each of their students for the year ahead. Tests administered at the beginning and end of a 3-semester period disclosed no statistical relationship between expectations and academic achievement.     

Teachers interacting with students: an important (and potentially overlooked) domain for academic development during times of impact

ABSTRACT

This article is situated in the context of an intensified discourse within which academic developers are being asked to provide evidence of impact, and argues that theoretical models currently used are imprecise and fail to capture the variation in outcomes from professional development activities. Through reference to previous research on how teachers' thinking can be described in relation to various thinking-zones, and how teachers notice and respond to signs of student learning, we suggest a more fine-grained perspective. Furthermore, we argue that improved models for design and evaluation of professional development might prove crucial for academic development as a profession.     

WHAT YOU KNOW AND HOW YOU WRITE IT: A PROJECT FOR TEACHING AND ASSESSING WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Writing evaluation conventionally relies on essay tests, but more informal methods can help reveal students' writing skills. A classroom project was designed to examine students' awareness of the demands posed by various academic writing, tasks, to discover how that awareness develops with experience, and to orient new students to the roles writing plays in their academic lives. The project involved three groups: freshmen enrolled in introductory writing classes for the first time, freshmen and others repeating the introductory classes, and upperclass students enrolled in a course in professional writing. At the beginning of the semester, all were asked to report any information they could find that would help them complete the semester's writing tasks. At the end of the semester they added information they had gained in the interval. Reports from all groups contained the same kinds of information, but students in professional writing noted more often that purposes of assignments related to goals for the course, while the freshmen added more late information about writing processes. The project was a valuable learning activity and suggested what roles writing plays in students' academic lives. Similar projects should be included in a thorough assessment of writing programs.     

THE USE OF FACULTY RANK IN THE COMMUNITY‐JUNIOR COLLEGE SYSTEM OF FLORIDA

This investigation was undertaken to determine the extent to which academic ranking of faculty exists in the community‐junior college system of Florida and whether the use of academic rank is on the increase or decrease. A questionnaire was submitted to each of Florida's 28 two‐year colleges. Responses were received from all the institutions included in this study, which is a replication of an earlier study done in 1974. Eight of Florida's 28 community‐junior colleges use some form of academic rank. Most of these award the traditional rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. In general, promotion is determined by degree, advanced graduate credit, experience, effective teaching, professional growth, and service. Six of the eight colleges have adopted a salary schedule related directly to the rank held.     

Wise academic development: learning from the ‘failure’ experiences of retired academic developers

ABSTRACT

Informed by Constructive Developmental Theory and the Threshold Concepts Framework, we interviewed retired academic developers from four continents and asked them to describe their processes of learning from perceived failures and how they see the role of academic developers in supporting academics through failures. Findings regarding participants’ definitions of failure, ways of making sense of and learning from failure, and recommendations for supporting academic colleagues’ learning from failure are shared through tables, quotations, and poetry. Findings show that ‘wise academic development’ embraces curiosity about failure, integrates the (sometimes) transformative nature of failure, shares the load of sense-making, and cultivates connectedness.     

The precarious existence of the academic development unit

Abstract

With increasing numbers and types of students, more flexible courses and technological innovation, there is a growing need to understand the student experience in detail, and to gain a clear, unbiased account of the effects of course design and delivery on their learning. At the same time, academic staff are increasingly under pressure to be active researchers, to teach more students and to quality‐assure their practice. Within this context there is a growing need for educational and staff development which is both effective in supporting academic staff and promoting innovative course design and yet efficient in the use of scarce resources. In this difficult context a great deal is asked of a professional academic development service. How best can such a service be offered? What should the basic service consist of?

In this paper we advocate an approach to academic development which we have called Consultancy Style Action Research (CSAR). We introduce the rationale and background to the development of CSARand briefly describe one case example. We go on to discuss the contribution of this approach to developing the developers.     

Project-based learning in an internship program: A qualitative study of related roles and their motivational attributes

The roles of task, learner, and mentor in a successful project-based instructional technology (IT) internship program were studied in light of contemporary motivation theories. Interns in four different locations were asked to apply their academic experiences in constructing real projects at work under the supervision of their site mentors and academic advisor. Data included tape-recorded intern interviews, status-review notes, e-portfolios, mentor interviews, and mentor evaluations. Data were collected over 6 semesters, from 18 different cases, 4 of which are highlighted here. The study considered the roles of task, learner, and mentors as they are needed to make the most of project-based internship programs. Implications for the design and development of internship and capstone programs, and specifically successful student performance in internship programs, are considered.     

Evaluating the performance of academic department chairpersons

The investigation was conducted to determine who should evaluate the work of university department chairpersons and what criteria should be used in evaluating their competencies in their administrative and academic roles. To elicit that information, 46 of the 62 college deans in the seven universities in Saudi Arabia were asked to complete a survey instrument designed for this study. Four sources were identified to be used in evaluating department chairs' work. In addition, 17 criteria were specified, which respondents rated according to their importance for use in evaluating chairs' administrative roles, and 17 criteria were rated for use in evaluating chairs' academic roles.     

Journal Editor Perceptions of Universities: Some empirical evidence

Out of considerations as to the importance of university relationships with their various stakeholders, the primary objective of this research project was to identify the perceptions of academic journal editors regarding universities. Editors were asked to provide their perceptions on: (a) the relevance of universities to academic publications; (b) the mutual influence between universities and academic journals; and (c) the participation of editors in universities. Following initial exploratory research, we applied an online questionnaire and received a total of 276 responses from editors of indexed publications, enabling analysis of their perceptions. Despite editors recognizing the influence of universities on academic and scientific communities, our findings point to universities having failed in proactively reaching out to editors, especially surprising given the vast experience held by such figures. A better relationship might serve to enhance the university image and generate new opportunities for attracting resources.

     

Fostering Sustainability: A Case Study of a Pilot Mentoring Program at a Private University

The purpose of this paper is to provide documentation of a one year Pilot Mentoring Program (PMP) that was implemented within a department at a school of education within a private university. PMP was tied to the culture and specific needs of the department. It included seven newly hired faculty members and their mentor who were from various programs within the department. Even though PMP evolved over the course of an academic year, and was labeled a formal mentoring program, it was restricted to a trial basis. As PMP evolved, an exploratory qualitative action-research study was conducted.     

University students’ perceptions of a fair learning environment: a social justice perspective

This study aimed to identify the manner in which university students construe ‘fair treatment’ and how justice related processes are perceived to influence students’ psychological identification with their academic department. In the first study, 342 undergraduate psychology students completed two questionnaires: one measured various aspects of interpersonal, procedural and outcome fairness in their department, and the other measured their level of psychological identification with the department. Students construed the fairness of their learning environment in terms of two conceptually distinct justice factors: respectful partnership between staff and students reflecting primarily interpersonal justice considerations; and systemic fairness reflecting a concern for accessible information and effective problem‐solving procedures. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that although both justice factors significantly influenced students’ psychological identification with their department, interactional justice concerns (i.e., respectful staff–student partnership) were most strongly predictive. In the second study (n = 87), students’ perceptions of fairness were found to share substantial variance with their ratings on the good teaching and clear goals scales of the Course Experience Questionnaire.     

Criminal justice education in relation to law school expectation: A failure of confidence

This paper discusses the findings from a survey of admissions officers at law schools in the United States. Deans of Admission (N=119) were asked a variety of questions pertaining to how the undergraduate criminal justice major is perceived in relation to the adequacy of the academic preparation it provides for individuals applying and/or currently attending law school. The findings suggest that the criminal justice major is not perceived as adequate preparation for law school education by the Deans of Admission. Results are discussed within the context of the criminal justice curricula standards recommended by the academic review committee of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.     

The quality of teaching and learning of BCom honours degree students at an open distance learning university in South Africa

ABSTRACT

Student support at Unisa involves a range of stakeholders providing academic and administrative support. The study was conducted among Unisa BCom honours students. The main objective of the study was to determine the educational quality of teaching and learning offered. Students were contacted by e-mail and asked to complete an online questionnaire. New methods on problem solving, investigating problems and formulating problems were found very useful and students gained independence in developing their learning capabilities. Available resources and supervision were not utilized to the full. Adequate financial aid seemed to be a problem. Support should be optimized and students should realize that all resources made available to them are crucial for their success. Students are of all ages and levels of maturity and have different needs and views regarding their studies. Unisa should endeavour to meet as many of these needs as is practically possible.     

Analysis of Factors Influencing Undergraduates’ Occupation Choices: An Investigation of Both Social and Human Capital

Abstract: Based on 2006 survey data on students from three universities in western China, this study analyzes the effect of the students’ family background and academic achievements on their occupation choices. Both social capital and human capital were found to be significant factors influencing their employment decisions. The more abundant the social and human capital, the more students aim for resource-rich employers in economically developed regions with higher incomes, and the higher their salary expectations.     

A Preliminary Study Comparing the Attitudes of Trainee Doctors and Their Mentors to Compulsory Educational Supervision in Postgraduate Medicine

Two mentors in a teaching hospital medical department undertook this study to determine whether a pilot group, introduced to a new system of compulsory educational support, felt the system useful and to see whether there were differences of opinion that could be related to the grade of the group member. Five mentors and 17 trainees in the first three years of the new system were asked to complete a questionnaire on termination of their mentoring period. The response rate was 100%. Twenty-one (95.4%) respondents were keen that the system should continue and felt it was useful. Both the mentors and trainees had similar opinions also of ideal frequency, on whom should be the onus of arranging meetings and whether the mentor should be of consultant grade. These preliminary data support the view that compulsory allocation of mentors is supported, both by trainees and mentors, in a system of educational supervision in medicine.     

Teacher Education Policy in South Africa: The voice of teacher educators

Teacher educators in a post-apartheid South Africa are being asked to re-conceptualise and re-design their pre-service teacher education programmes to respond to new national policies on teacher education. A sample of teacher educators from various teacher education institutions was interviewed about their understanding, support for and implementation of the new policy and the problems they have faced in making it a reality. This article comments on the potential tension between reform through legislation and reform through personal and institutional vision-building.     

Does the reputation of a faculty member’s graduate programme and institution matter for labour market outcomes?

For a future faculty member the choice of which graduate programme and institution to attend is considered to have important implications for securing academic employment, developing skills to succeed in academia, and yielding positive returns on investment of time and money in education. Yet does it matter where a faculty member attends graduate school – and if so, is it the reputation of the programme or the institution that matters most for his or her labour market outcomes? In this study, we used nationally representative data from the U.S. to estimate the relationship between a faculty member’s graduate programme and institution and their institution of first academic employment, research productivity, and salary. Our findings suggest that the reputation of one’s graduate department may factor more heavily than reputation of institution in the type and level of institution at which he or she is first employed, while graduate institution reputation has notable marginal, positive benefits associated with research productivity and salary. We discuss implications for the influence of graduate education on academic careers.