Reassessing training programs: A model for identifying training excesses and deficiencies

Needs assessments are traditionally based on an optimals-actuals deficiency model that is utilized before instruction is implemented. However, in some cases an existing training program may be reassessed to determine what training needs still exist. These situations could benefit from an excess-based model, where the assessment effort is designed to identify instructional excesses as well as deficiencies. This article explains the theory and procedures for an innovative needs reassessment approach, the CODE system. The article also provides some empirical data on the potential value of the CODE process for decisions about the reallocation of instructional resources in existing training programs. Two exploratory studies were conducted that provide evidence of the validity of the CODE system: (a) a needs reassessment of a corporate training program, and (b) a medical training program reassessment.     

Culturally appropriate media and technology: A perspective from Zimbabwe

Summary and Conclusion The above discussion should make my position clear-that the issue of appropriate media is dependent on the quality of the personnel. Skilled personnel can perform a variety of tasks such as arguing the case for a more central role for media and technology in instruction, developing low-cost alternatives, giving support to the minority with “high tech”, selecting and adapting imported media and technology to fit local conditions, and exploring traditional non-technological options for the purpose of enhancing learning. In my view, the option of training personnel is a bottom-up approach to the question of media and technology. This approach gives the practitioners the knowledge which is required to make choices, to innovate, and to select. Given such power, the practitioners are in a position to argue the case for more media resources; they are able to generate effective and responsive learning environments, using the available media and technology. Such effectiveness and responsiveness is surely what cultural appropriateness of media and technology is about. The program of teacher education that we are developing at the University of Zimbabwe is intended to produce competent media producers and users. By offering courses in media and technology to prospective teachers, and offering training to key media personnel working in other training colleges, we hope to develop the skills of our teachers to a point where they can be innovators in the process of developing culturally appropriate media and technology.     

A Job Aid for Effective Learning: The ID Ready Reckoner

A blueprint for effective learning can be created quickly using the ID Ready Reckoner. This is a job aid that assists learning professionals in selecting appropriate instructional techniques for different levels of learning objectives based on their content types. The job aid also recommends the most suitable assessment formats for a given learning objective level. Instructional techniques and assessment formats together provide an effective instructional strategy for classroom training design. The use of this job aid requires little or no specialization in instructional design.     

Violence in urban schools: school professionals’ categorizations and explanations of violence among students in two different demographic areas

The present study explores how officials in Swedish secondary schools define and categorize situations in which students have been exposed to violence in the school. The study is designed as a case study of two secondary schools, situated in two demographically different urban neighbourhoods. The results indicate that different socio-economic conditions influence how professionals categorize and explain violence, but also what strategies are used to deal with different incidents. In the socially disadvantaged area, there is closer collaboration with the police, and filing police reports is more common. In the school located in a middle-class area, professionals handle similar situations by collaborating with parents and using diagnoses as the main explanation for students’ problematic behaviour.     

农村中小学教师“送培上门”项目机制研究

“城乡二元结构”体制造成农村教育发展明显滞后,而农村中小学教师职后培训的低效性又使农村教育质量问题更是“雪上加霜”.实践表明,“送培上门”项目是破解当前农村教师专业发展困境的利器.文章旨在通过对“送培上门”运行机制（包括专家团队遴选机制、培训课程资源生成机制、项目管理机制、参训教师选拔机制、项目评价机制和项目推进的“后效应”机制等）的研究,寻求该项目长效的制度机制,开辟农村教师专业发展的新路径.     

高师小学教育专业民间舞教学方法的创新

目前我国民族民间舞蹈教育存在着部分高师自身的教学定位不够准确,没有形成与生源条件及培养目标相适应的舞蹈教育教学体系。为此,老师必须根据高师的培养目标合理地编制民间舞课程的教学计划、教学大纲和教材;选择合适的音乐来辅导教学;课堂模拟生活中的民间舞蹈方式,男女生编排队形配合练习等方式提高教学质量。     

Formal body bequest program in Nigerian medical schools: When do we start?

Human body dissection is a prerequisite for the training of health professionals and the conduct of medical research. However, most Nigerian medical schools experience difficulty obtaining an adequate and regular supply of human tissue. Presently, the major source of anatomical material comes from unclaimed bodies collected from hospital mortuaries. However, one sure way to ensure a regular supply of bodies for anatomical dissection is to establish a whole body bequest program among the departments of anatomy in Nigerian medical schools. If such a program were to be supported by an appropriate legislative act of parliament, the supply of acceptable cadavers for anatomical teaching and research would be substantially increased. The author advocates for establishing a whole body bequest program among Nigerian medical schools.     

Are Professors Professional?

Can university teaching be counted a profession? The work of academics is examined against four criteria associated with professional life: members share a body of knowledge; professional identity is for life; professionals are accountable for the effects of what they do rather than for the actions they take; professional bodies restrict access and enforce codes of practice. The conclusion is that academics form a Janus-faced profession in which their professionalism is more evident in respect of the subjects they teach than in respect of their academic duties of teaching and examining. Professional training is recommended as the appropriate treatment for this lop-sided condition.     

YOUR HANDS ARE (NOT) TIED: SCHOOL‐BASED ETHICS WHEN PARENTS REVOKE SPECIAL EDUCATION CONSENT

Parents currently have the unilateral ability to reject special education services. Yet, it is unclear how schools should support students with special education needs in this situation as schools may not challenge a parent's choice to revoke special education assessment consent or the provision of services. Guidelines for school professionals to address this quandary currently do not exist, thus this paper will draw on legal mandates, court precedents, and ethical analysis to provide recommendations for appropriate responses to these situations. In particular, what the related laws dictate, how to support students in the general education classroom, and how to deal with behavior and disciplinary infractions are discussed with attention to the National Association of School Psychologist's ethics for school psychologists.     

关于民办高校经济管理专业大学生文明礼仪学习的探讨

在当今的经济大环境下,中小企业间的竞争日趋激烈,对于经济管理类人才的选拔也越来越全面,中小企业需要更多有着良好个人修养和综合素质的专业人才,民办高校作为中小企业重要的人才培养基地,更是担负起培养全面发展型经济管理类人才的重任,对于经济管理专业大学生综合素质培养最常用的方法就是文明礼仪的学习,但在当前的文明礼仪教学中还存在着各种各样的问题有待解决。     

关于高校英语专业学科发展的思考——英语专业“复合性”学科特征解读

英语专业在持续迅速发展的同时陷入现实困境。英语专业学科的进一步发展需要在兼顾“复合性”的学科特征中实现学科专业的恰当定位．实现英语专业“工具性”与“人文性”的融合。     

The development and evaluation of a training program for school-based professionals dealing with child abuse: The University of Toronto interfaculty child abuse prevention project 1978–1979

This paper reports on a child protection training program for teachers, social workers, and nurses. The training format consisted of two 5-day workshops, one for preprofessional students and the other for practicing professionals, and two one-day workshops for students. The evaluation employed a pre-test/post-test design. Data were obtained from a total of 254 workshop participants who were randomly selected from a group of 400 volunteers. The training program was designed to provide information and experience in the areas of identification, family dynamics, legislation, intervention, and team responses. Curriculum effects were the dependent variables; group characteristics were the independent variables. The general finding was that the program was an effective means of accomplishing its objectives. Some of the specific findings were that professionals wanted more content in contrast to students who were satisfied with experiences which simulated practice. Both social work professionals and students were more confident in their ability to deal with the problem of child abuse before and after the program than teachers and nurses. In contrast, teachers began and ended the program with relatively low confidence and information levels. Overall, nurses had the highest level of entry and exit knowledge at the beginning and the end of the program. While the results indicate that the three groups profited from shared training experiences they also suggest that certain areas of training may best be realized by specialized workshops.     

COUNSELING THE ELDERLY: A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PROFESSIONALS

The present study examined the effectiveness of a training program designed to teach mental health professionals information and skills specific to counseling the elderly client. Twenty‐eight women and four men, ranging in age from 23 to 56, completed the 12‐hour training program. Results indicated that participants showed statistically significant gains on the two major assessment devices after completion of the training program. Concomitantly, job satisfaction and perception of preparedness for their current jobs as counselors to the elderly were affected in a positive direction, providing support for the efficacy of the program. The impact of the training was also sustained at the two‐month follow‐up. Regression analyses revealed that the trainee characteristic that was most predictive of success in the program was that having to do with prior knowledge; those entering the program with a higher level of basic knowledge tended to improve and learn more in training.     

Transfer Over Time: Stories About Transfer Years After Training

The purpose of this qualitative study is to form a grounded theory of the process of long‐term transfer. Eight physicians were interviewed to discover if, years later, they had used what they were taught in a faculty development training program. We found that these autonomous professionals continued to apply the teaching ideas they learned. Each, in a personal way, chose to use varied ideas in different ways in several contexts. They applied ideas using intellectual skills such as planning and analyzing. They continued their applications because they perceived supportive work conditions and positive consequences. In sum, over the long term, physicians acquired knowledge and mental skill, chose to use them, and attempted application. They reflected on outcomes, decided to reuse or revise, and tried again. Thus, the process of long‐term transfer was learning to use and learning from use. We examine implications for research and training.     

生产性实训基地的运行模式研究与实践

以工作过程为导向的课程体系中,影响实施效果的难点之一是生产性实训基地的运行模式建设.从应用电子技术专业人才培养方案的开发人手,着重对校内现代电子产品生产工艺实训基地以学生培养为主,以产品生产为人才培养载体的,把真实生产岗位训练项目与生产管理岗位课程有机对接的基地运行模式和具体做法作详细的介绍.此模式较好地解决了学习与生产之间的矛盾,具有一定借鉴、推广的价值.     

The value of theories for counseling practitioners

The emergence of counseling as a recognized helping profession has led to the introduction of higher standards for counselor education. Emphasis has been placed on a balance between theoretical erudition and practical training. Some counseling practitioners, however, minimize the value of theoretical knowledge and doubt its importance for professional effectiveness. This article challenges such views and points out that counselors cannot remain true professionals unless they undergird their work by adequate theoretical insights. Theories help counselors understand the dynamics of human behavior and choose therapeutic approaches appropriate to specific clients and situations. Psychological theories come alive in the counselor's mind if they are seen as extensions of life experiences of various theorists. To document this reality, the article presents several examples of well-known psycholoical theorists. Counseling practitioners are then encouraged to form, on the basis of existing theories, an operational framework consistent with their own experiences and values.     

涉外护理专业的“中医护理”课程改革初探

涉外护理专业的总体目标是培养高素质的国际型护理人才,所培养的护理人才应具备到国外医院、国内外资或合资医院工作的能力。这一培养目标也决定了涉外护理教育应与国际护理教育接轨。在培养计划中,除了要考虑到必要的人文课程、专业课程和培养学生英语交流能力、多元文化外,“中医护理”课程改革也势在必行,为发扬中国护理的特色及提高在国际上的竞争力,在涉外护理教育中的“中医护理”课程应作为必修课。     

信息技术校本培训的实践探索

随着教育信息化的推进,中小学教师的信息技术水平亟待提高.作为高校专业研究人员,我们与南京市某小学合作开展了一次信息技术校本培训的实践.我们希望在实践中得到的经验和发现的问题能够为中小学的校本培训提供借鉴.     

Transfer Evaluation of Knowledge and Skill Development: A Case Study of an Instructional Systems Development Training Program

Program evaluation involves a systematic process to collect and convert data into information which is used to improve programs, measure their effects, track quality, act on results, and improve decision making. Beginning in 1992, the LG Group of Korea was involved in an instructional systems development (ISD) training program for its human resource development professionals in cooperation with Indiana University. The LG ISD training program stressed that learning instructional design theories and practices would make LG more effective in global competition. The purposes of the research reported in this article were to evaluate the effectiveness of the ISD training program in terms of transfer of training and to gain information on how to improve future training programs. The findings of the study support the goals that were established for the ISD training program. The program participants are more confident and competent in using the ISD process for analyzing needs for performance improvement and designing and developing quality training products. The article suggests ways of solving barriers to transfer training and evaluation and improving future programs.     

The role of educational technology professionals as perceived by building administrators

Educational Technology (ETEC) professionals in the United States (US) fill multiple roles in public school systems. While these roles can be classified into broad categories, what remains unclear are the expectations and priorities for the completion of these roles and the tasks associated within each role category. In order for ETEC professionals to be successful, they need clear guidance on what their performance expectations and prioritized roles should be. This research seeks to add clarity regarding expectations by surveying K-12 building administrators to identify perceptions of ETEC professionals within their schools regarding their actual and ideal performances relative to eight role categories. Results indicate that these US building administrators place high importance on the Technological and Administrative Communication categories. The data also show that there is a significant gap between the ideal and actual performance expectations of ETEC professionals in all eight role categories, but most demonstrably within the Instructional Support and Teaching/Training categories. Results also signal the desire for ETEC professionals to focus more on training and collaboration with teachers regarding technology integration within classrooms. This suggests that administrators want ETEC professionals to complete more instructional tasks than they currently perform. Findings from this study hold implications for the training of ETEC professionals and can potentially inform the curriculum of educational technology preparation programs in the US and beyond.