Successful development programs for experienced doctoral supervisors – What does it take?

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we focus on professional development for senior academic staff, in particular, doctoral supervisors. Using an authentic case as an example of a long-term, comprehensive, and mandatory development program for senior staff, we analyse the challenges and benefits of such a program and identify issues for consideration. The main issues include: 1) the need for strong incentive structures initiated by the top management; 2) teaching principles that are aligned with the group of senior academics; and 3) a well-evaluated course that, in the long term, encourages supervisors to participate due to their inner motivation.     

Comprehensive Staff Development Programs: Implications for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning

Abstract

An increasing number of two-year colleges are drawing on an emerging model of comprehensive staff development. The model includes not only instructional improvement, but organizational and personal development as well. In this model, as staff development becomes an integral part of the college, the planning of such a program becomes an essential part of institutional planning.

The office of institutional research and planning should serve as a major resource in the formulation and implementation of the staff development program. Three major areas where this can occur are discussed: setting goals for the program, assessing staff development needs, and evaluating the impact of the program.     

‘An essential right’: reflections on evaluating a professional development program for tutors

Abstract

While there is a growing body of research on sessional staff experiences, there are few published accounts evaluating their professional development. This paper reflects on an evaluation of a university-wide professional development program for tutors at an Australian university. A combination of complementary approaches were used to inform the development of the evaluation, namely: Participatory Action Research, monitoring, evaluation, research and improvement, and Participatory Evaluation. Findings of the evaluation reveal valuable lessons for the academic development of sessional teaching staff.     

Getting to the heart of it: understanding mentoring relationship quality from the perspective of program supervisors

ABSTRACT

Mentoring relationship quality has frequently been associated with improved effectiveness of mentoring interventions for youth. As youth mentoring research has largely been undertaken in community-based, one-to-one mentoring programs in the United States, there have been recent calls to investigate mentoring relationships in specific contexts. Accordingly, this research examines relationship quality within nine mentor-mentee dyads involved in a New Zealand school-based mentoring program that combines one-to-one and group mentoring. This research identifies key features of and perceived influences on mentoring relationship quality using qualitative interviews with program staff and mentor portfolios. The results indicate that high quality relationships were formed during the program, and were primarily facilitated by mentors who demonstrated attunement, critical self-reflection, self-efficacy, and a holistic view of their mentee. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Toward A Curriculum in Environmental Education

Abstract

Staff stress can be detrimental to staff unity and overall program effectiveness in resident camps. Ten university students responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs were observed and tested for evidence of stress-level factors and any relationship of these to program performance. Several administrations of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist (MAACL), staff self-reports, and unobtrusive observations were undertaken to identify stressful situations. The data suggest that the group level of anxiety diminishes as succeeding resident groups are encountered. Slight increases in depression and hostility relate to length of overall program and staff responsibilities. Camp administrators need to be aware of factors which can help eliminate staff stress.     

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.     

Comparison of performance and attitude in traditional and computer conferencing classes

Abstract

A 1992 survey of the thirty‐five Oklahoma schools that received satellite downlinks as part of the 1988–1990 Midlands Consortium Star Schools grant investigated the extent to which schools were continuing to use the equipment and the impact of satellite access on their educational programs. Four schools did not use their downlinks in 1991–92, and two of the four also did not use the equipment in 1990–91; thirty‐one schools were continuing to use the equipment to receive student and/or staff development programming. Sixty‐one percent of thirty‐three respondents believe satellite access has very significantly or significantly improved the educational program for students at their school; 39% believe it has very significantly or significantly improved their overall staff development program. Forty‐eight percent of respondents reported a decrease in use since the first year of operation; 76% of respondents anticipate an increase in use in the future.     

Enhancing nursing home care for seniors: impact of a living classroom on nursing assistant’s education

ABSTRACT

Nursing Assistants (NAs) are the largest workforce in nursing homes, but often lack adequate preparation for their role. The Living Classroom (LC) is an integrated learning approach, whereby a NA program is delivered in a nursing home (NH) in collaboration with a community college. This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of the LC. Mixed methods were used to gather data from 48 NA students, 5 faculty, and 42 NH staff over 30 weeks. Students, faculty, and nursing home staff described the LC as a positive learning experience. Students’ gerontological knowledge increased over time (p = .0012). Students reported very positive relationships with program mentors and NH residents. The LC provides a unique approach to prepare NAs to work in nursing homes. This model could expand to other educational programs with a gerontology focus.     

Joining the Learning Society and working in the NHS: some issues

In this paper we discuss the concept of the Learning Society in relation to staff working in the NHS (National Health Service) and taking part in formal courses. We outline the changing context within the NHS and draw on evidence from interviews with 38 participants on two courses. While motives for participation in courses were mixed, many staff felt under some pressure to engage in formal courses and in some cases undertook work‐related training in their own time and at their own expense. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the development of a Learning Society.     

Foster Children of Economics

Abstract

A case study is presented of a professional development program for environmental education in Australia that applies the principles of participatory research and critical reflection. These two principles are embodied in the concept of reflective practice. Reflective practice involves using ethical and contextual considerations in professional decisionmaking rather than making such decisions on the basis of habit, intuition, impulse, and tradition. The education of “reflective practitioners” of this type is the goal of the Master of Environmental Education program at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. After an introduction to the program and the concept of reflective practice, a case study of the experiences of students in one of the subjects of that program is presented. The case study revealed that students derived a number of benefits from developing their reflective practice skills, including heightened political awareness, a strong sense of influences and limitations of social context on their ideas and environmental education practices, increased self-confidence, and a desire to continue in a reflective practice group. The case study also revealed some of the concerns of the students and staff, especially in the areas of assessment, the fear of personal disclosure, and the need for structured peer support.     

A 3-Year Study of a School-Based Parental Involvement Program in Early Literacy

ABSTRACT

Although parental involvement in children's literacy development has been recognized for its potential in helping children develop early literacy achievement, studies of the effectiveness and sustainability of school-based parent involvement programs are not numerous. This study examines the effectiveness and durability of a school-based parent involvement program that was implemented by school staff without external supervision over 3 consecutive years in a public school. Results indicate that implementation of the program was associated with higher levels of children's achievement in foundational literacy competencies. Moreover, the program has sustained over 3 years and actually grew in the levels of parental participation over time. The authors argue that effective and systemic parental involvement programs are possible and can be guided by certain principles of program development and if implemented by a committed teaching staff.     

Teleconsultation to Support the Education of Students with Visual Impairments: A Program Evaluation

ABSTRACT

Teleconsultation is being increasingly used in schools to support children with disabilities; however, further evaluation of the impact of this practice is needed. This study describes a teleconsultation model used to provide educational support for students with visual impairments being educated in their local school districts and examines the initial acceptability and feasibility of this teleconsultation model. In addition, the current study discusses some of the recommendations for improvement regarding program implementation, with the goal of increasing the ease of use of teleconsultation in schools. Stakeholders reported qualitative and quantitative data indicating that the teleconsultation model is acceptable to and feasible for families and school district staff.     

Implementation of an Early Care and Education Partnership: Perspectives of Diverse Stakeholders

ABSTRACT

Communities are investigating new ways to expand access to high-quality early education. A new early care and education partnership initiative in a mid-Atlantic state offered publicly-funded preschool slots to eligible children in private early childhood programs and provided quality supports to participating private programs. This qualitative study examines the implementation of this partnership initiative from the perspectives of administrators, early childhood program staff, and family members of enrolled children. Researchers conducted 15 focus groups with these stakeholders across five communities and used a directed content analysis approach to analyze the data. Research Findings: The thematic findings from this study suggest that ECE partnerships can improve implementation processes by developing intentional communication plans and paying attention to the needs and preferences of early childhood program staff and families. The study findings also suggest that private programs may be able to counter the loss of preschool enrollment slots to public schools by participating in ECE partnerships. Practice and Policy: Policymakers may use these findings to inform the design of new ECE partnership initiatives or other initiatives that involve collaboration among early care and education programs. Practitioners may use these findings to inform planning for new partnerships they are engaged in.     

Intervention for maltreating fathers: Statistically and clinically significant change

ObjectiveFathers are seldom the focus of efforts to address child maltreatment and little is currently known about the effectiveness of intervention for this population. To address this gap, we examined the efficacy of a community-based group treatment program for fathers who had abused or neglected their children or exposed their children to domestic violence.MethodsUsing a sample of 98 group participants, we examined the magnitude and clinical significance of pre- to post-intervention changes in parenting, co-parenting and generalized aggression.ResultsIntervention led to considerable changes in fathers’ over-reactivity to children's misbehavior and respect for their partner's commitment and judgment, with results being statistically significant, medium in size, moving mean scores into the normative range and with 36–43% of men who initially scored in the clinical range recovering by the end of intervention. Changes in other domains were also evident though of lesser magnitude.ConclusionsAlthough this study is limited in length of follow-up and the lack of a control group, results are promising for continued development of fathering interventions for this population of high-risk men.     

Emancipatory or instrumental? Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the EcoSchool program

Abstract

We present findings of a mixed method evaluation study of the EcoSchool program in the Czech Republic. The innovativeness of this study is its specific focus on implementation strategies rather than learning outcomes. Using data from 148 students and 65 teachers from 54 different schools involved in the program, we investigated perceptions about the nature of the implementation and the impact of the approach on students’ and teachers’ feelings of ownership of success, loss of meaning of the program, or satisfaction with their participation in the EcoSchool program. The findings support the relevance of the emancipatory approach: students’ perceived participation predicts both their satisfaction with the program and perceived ownership of the success of their EcoTeams. Unexpectedly, the study also found that another factor predicting the program’s effectiveness is the level of students’ control over nonparticipating students.     

Racialising Discourses in Higher Education

The origins of the paper were from a small study initiated by a group of staff concerned about motivational problems among their first year undergraduate students. Researchers were invited to interview staff teaching on first year modules. As the data collection progressed it became clear that the discussion of motivation was overlaid by a racialising discourse, which allowed some staff to present the issue as an 'Asian problem'. We, therefore, felt the need to think more deeply about how issues of student learning are represented. The paper sets out the context of the study and reports on the data. However, rather than seeking to draw any firm conclusions, we have used our experience to reflect on issues of racialisation and to open up the area for discussion. The paper is intended to be part of a broader discussion about racialising discourses in higher education, which we believe should be critically addressed and debated.     

The challenges of leadership in a connected education environment

Abstract

Deans and directors of education in the United States are being asked to position their schools, colleges and departments of education (SCDE) for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. A key question related to this effort is ‘How is the unit going to utilize current and emerging technologies as an integral part of their planning for instructional and managerial problems? ’ If deans and directors are to answer this question in an innovative way, at least two things must happen. First, they must understand their role as institutional technology leaders. Second, they must engage faculty, staff, and students in the careful exploration of three critical questions: 1. How does the SCDE create and maintain a technology infrastructure to support innovative instruction and program delivery? 2. How can the SCDE prepare faculty, staff, and students to teach and learn in a connected learning environment? And, 3. How best can the SCDE deliver programs in this new environment? This article describes why deans and directors must be leaders if technology is to be a part of the renewal process, discusses the issues related to each of the three questions, and provides a series of questions for deans and directors to stimulate discussion and planning efforts     

Cultivating a Culture of Undergraduate Research at a Public Comprehensive University

Abstract

Winthrop University is a public comprehensive university of about 6000 students, 5000 of whom are undergraduates. The Department of Mathematics offers a baccalaureate degree in mathematics, but has no graduate degree programs. As late as 2009, there was essentially no undergraduate research in the department. At this time, faculty made efforts to cultivate a research program that would motivate faculty to pursue more scholarly opportunities and include undergraduates in their scholarship. These efforts began with in-house-sponsored summer programs that lasted a few weeks and grew over the subsequent 5 year period to several externally funded undergraduate research programs, including a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates program. In this paper, we discuss some lessons we learned in developing a culture of undergraduate research. We focus on the advantages and challenges of undergraduate research at primarily undergraduate universities, offer advice for starting or growing a research program, and provide resources for funding undergraduate research.     

Towards a structural inequality framework for student retention and success

ABSTRACT

University campuses are increasingly diverse, reflecting substantial growth in student enrolments, but this has not translated to equitable outcomes for all students. While much attention has been focused on student retention and success, particularly for those from non-traditional backgrounds, dominant theoretical models rest on a limited notion of cultural capital that places undue responsibility on students themselves. We suggest that structural inequality, whereby some people receive unequal privileges and opportunities, offers a more productive, less problematic framework for use by academic staff, university leaders and policy makers to address these challenges. In this article, we identify three types of structural inequality – vertical, horizontal, and internal – and include a taxonomy of internal inequalities to prompt further research and policy outcomes. Put simply, rather than ask how students can build cultural capital to assimilate to their institutions, we should ask what institutions can do to include students, staff, and the wider community.