‘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.     

Communication and practice with examination criteria. Does this influence performance in examinations?

Previous research has demonstrated that the development and communication of explicit marking criteria have resulted in improved grades for students. This improvement in performance has only been reported for coursework assignments. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to investigate the impact of providing explicit marking criteria, alongside practice with the criteria, on student examination grades. Two cohorts attending their second year on a sport science degree were used. The first cohort served as a control group and the second cohort as an experimental group. The control group sat the examination without any prior knowledge of the marking criteria, and the experimental group was given a marksheet before the examination that contained the marking criteria. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the examination grades of the experimental and control group. The mean examination grades achieved were 55.4% and 36.9% for the experimental and control group, respectively. Subsequent focus groups revealed that the experimental group considered that they were much better prepared and equipped to revise for the examination, and the marksheet encouraged self‐reflection on their progress. The experimental group reported that they felt they had more control over preparation for the examination and higher levels of confidence in taking the examination.     

Developing a framework for university-wide improvement in the training and support of ‘casual’ academics

With the majority of undergraduate teaching in Australian higher education being undertaken by casual academics, ensuring adequate support for these staff to access support and professional development relating to teaching and learning is imperative. In this article, we profile the development and implementation of a university-wide strategic framework for training, support and recognition of the contributions of sessional teachers. The design of this framework was informed through an iterative process of research and consultation with key institutional stakeholders and has resulted in changes at a policy level as well as in the delivery of professional development programs for sessional teaching staff. The opportunities and challenges of this approach are discussed, as well as future directions and broader considerations for the support of sessional teachers in the Australian higher education context.     

Let’s stop the pretence of consistent marking: exploring the multiple limitations of assessment criteria

Unreliability in marking is well documented, yet we lack studies that have investigated assessors’ detailed use of assessment criteria. This project used a form of Kelly’s repertory grid method to examine the characteristics that 24 experienced UK assessors notice in distinguishing between students’ performance in four contrasting subject disciplines: that is their implicit assessment criteria. Variation in the choice, ranking and scoring of criteria was evident. Inspection of the individual construct scores in a sub-sample of academic historians revealed five factors in the use of criteria that contribute to marking inconsistency. The results imply that, whilst more effective and social marking processes that encourage sharing of standards in institutions and disciplinary communities may help align standards, assessment decisions at this level are so complex, intuitive and tacit that variability is inevitable. We conclude that universities should be more honest with themselves and with students, and actively help students to understand that application of assessment criteria is a complex judgement and there is rarely an incontestable interpretation of their meaning.     

战略思维:构建师资管理新模式的必然选择

高等学校要适应社会主义市场经济体制不断完善和发展以及面向社会自主办学、不断提高办学水平的需要,必须从战略思维高度重新审视师资队伍的建设和管理,尽快构建起科学合理的师资管理新模式。从战略思维层面建构师资管理新模式的路径选择,应着重把握以下三个相互关联的重要方面:一是整体把握当前师资管理新特点,二是着力推进关键环节的新突破,三是努力优化新模式运行的外部环境。     

师德建设是教师队伍建设的基础性工作

教师队伍整体素质是学校综合办学能力和水平的体现，加强师德建设以提高教师政治思想素质、敬业精神、教书育人能力和为人师表为主要内容，是学校教师队伍建设中的一项长期和基础性的工作。     

关于师院体育系学生手反应时评分评价标准的研究

对周口师院体育系332名学生进行手反应时测验,用所测数据进行多种统计运算,制定出评分标准和评价标准,供素质评定和选材参考。     

明确人才培养目标,加强师资队伍建设——学习胡锦涛总书记在庆祝清华大学建校100周年大会上的讲话

胡锦涛总书记在庆祝清华大学建校100周年大会上的重要讲话,对新时期高等教育人才培养目标做了明确指示,即要培养德才兼备优秀人才。为此我们必须深刻认识时代发展给人才培养目标提出的挑战,准确把握培养德才兼备优秀人才的基本内涵,并努力加强师资队伍建设,认真落实加强德才双馨师资队伍建设的具体要求。     

双师型中职师资结构模式及队伍建设

中等职业教育迫切需要建立双师型师资队伍,要以任职资格而非职称为标准,来界定双师型中职师资资格,并将此作为新教师的培养目标、老教师的发展方向和整个师资队伍建设的结构框架.中职师资由三类教师构成:编制内专职教师、从社会各界聘请的兼职教师和在实习中企业指派的实习师傅,以此结构为基础,提高师资整体素质.     

Tutors’ Forum: engaging distributed communities of practice

The need to engage students studying at a distance in order to reduce isolation, foster a sense of belonging and enhance learning has received significant attention over the past few years. Conversely, very little research has focused on teachers working in this type of environment. In fact, we argue, they appear to be the forgotten dimension in ‘communities’ of distance learning. In this paper we identify some of the problems generated by teaching university subjects simultaneously across a network of campuses: a practice known as multi‐location teaching. We examine strategies for engaging multi‐location teachers as key contributors to a quality learning experience for students, and provide an analysis of how identified teaching needs and professional development are addressed within one particular teaching team by a small but powerful micro‐practice called the ‘Tutors’ Forum’. Drawing on data collected through a survey and interviews conducted over 2006/07, we discuss the benefits and critical success factors of the Tutors’ Forum in facilitating engagement and professional development for teachers working at a distance from the subject coordinator and other members of the teaching team. These factors include a specific style of leadership that fosters an inclusive, dialogic space where the patterns of interaction are characterised by reciprocity, collegiality and professional care. We discuss the implications of this practice for the further engagement of university teachers in an increasingly casualised and fragmented higher education sector.     

学生视野中的师德建设--来自大学生关注师德实践的心声

在高校谁更关注师德建设和师德实践，又是靠什么才能真正推进学校各项事业的发展？以往人们总以为是教师本身，是靠教育管理者的作为。然而，调查结果表明，广大学生比以往任何时候，也比其他任何教育主体对师德建设更为关注，对高校的教育教学改革厦各项事业发展充满期待。所以加强高校师德建设，要从大学生的成长成才、将来能成就一番事业出发，要靠一系列具体的制度安排，使德行一致的师德实践与学校各项事业的璺展相互促进相得益彰。