Bridging Education and Practice With a Competency-Based Learning Contract

ABSTRACT

Field work programs have a substantial responsibility for providing support and gatekeeping functions while ensuring an educational experience that allows students to master the nine holistic, multidimensional social work accreditation competencies. With additional emphasis on field as a “signature pedagogy,” field directors are tasked with finding placements that can support these explicit competencies. Through the utilization of a learning contract that combines the Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards competencies (including component behaviors) students and supervisors can begin to discuss their joint progress on meeting each of these prior to the final evaluation. This process will ensure that students have demonstrated the necessary outcomes to become a generalist social work practitioner.     

Differences in competencies between doctoral students on‐campus and at a distance

Abstract

This article describes differences between on‐campus and distance learners by knowledge, skills, and abilities. On‐campus doctoral students at Texas A&M University were compared with doctoral students enrolled in a distance education program offered jointly with Texas Tech University. Student perceptions of their competency levels were gathered using a mixed mailed/Internet questionnaire. On‐campus and distance education students had different levels of competence. Competency models can serve faculty and administrators as an assessment tool for strategic decision making and development of courses and curricula. This study provides a model for benchmarking competencies and provides baseline data for making such changes.     

Work-integrated learning skills: A comparison of teachers’ perceptions about the PGCE with those of student teachers in the Nelson Mandela Metropole

Abstract

The purpose of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is to accredit a generalist educator's qualification that caps an undergraduate qualification. As an access requirement, student teachers are required to have appropriate prior learning which leads to general foundational and reflexive competencies. The PGCE qualification focuses mainly on developing practical competencies reflexively grounded in educational theory. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions of student teachers with those of their school mentors about the PGCE as a qualification to develop the students’ work-integrated learning (WIL) skills. The quantitative research method was used in this study. The target population comprised of student teachers who qualified with the PGCE at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and their school-based mentors in the Nelson Mandela Metropole (NMM). Data was obtained by means of two structured questionnaires: one for the student teachers and the other for the mentors. The research design compared the perceptions of student teachers and their mentors regarding the classroom practice and performance of these students. The findings of this study based on these perceptions support the hypothesis that the PGCE at the NMMU contributes to the development of the WIL skills of student teachers in the NMM.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on Perspectives and Experiences on Mentoring Undergraduate Students in Research: Part I

Abstract

This issue is the first of a special PRIMUS two-part issue collecting articles from experienced faculty mentors. We offer it as a valuable resource for faculty leading undergraduate research programs. It is inspired by the “Regional Faculty Workshop on REU Issues” in 2013 and the Joint Mathematics Meeting 2015 Mathematical Association of America’s “Themed Session on Perspectives and Experiences on Mentoring Undergraduate Students in Research.” This issue consists of seven papers focusing on the larger issues involved in creating, running, and sustaining an undergraduate research program in mathematics.     

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.     

How First-Class Undergraduate Education Reform in the United States Can Inform the Development of Double First Class Education in China

Abstract

As learning institutions, U.S. universities aim to provide abundant learning opportunities to fulfill students’ right to learn. Undergraduate education is considered an important component of lifelong learning and aims to enable students to “learn how to learn.” During the undergraduate stage, schools pay special attention to cultivating students’ critical thinking and curiosity, emphasizing five core competencies in writing, reading, research, quantitative analysis, and communication. They use summer reading, undergraduate research, seminars, learning communities, and academic advising as platforms to expand students’ learning experiences, especially those of first-year students. They encourage students to innovate and start their own businesses, and promote equal access to education, thereby strengthening student retention and successful graduation.     

Between “Islamic” and “un-Islamic”: Navigating Religion at an American Islamic High School

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate how one American Islamic school community grapples with external and internal demands on religion, and how this process impacts notions of what is religious. At ‘Ilm High School, an Islamic high school on America’s West Coast, school administrators and teachers must accommodate students’ and parents’ diverse and often competing ideas about Islam and the “Islamic.” In doing so, they sometimes downplay the “Islamic” in their Islamic Studies classes, policies, and school representation. They do this without venturing into the “un-Islamic”, casting a wide “religious net” and keeping Islam capacious and relevant enough for Muslim students.     

An Experiment Attempting to Determine the Effectiveness of Frequent Testing as an Aid to Learning in Beginning College Courses in American Government

Abstract

While for many years a part of the student body of American university summer sessions, the “special” or credit-non-degree student has rarely been studied in terms of background, courses taken, and academic achievement while in summer school. A random sample of 289 such students enrolled in University of Wisconsin-Madison summer sessions in 1965, 1966, and 1967 was studied. Data were drawn from the admission applications submitted by the “specials” and from their end-of-summer grade reports.

The majority of students were found to be regular year students at other colleges and universities. A smaller number were teachers or school administrators during the rest of the year. Enrollment was concentrated almost exclusively in the College of Letters and Science and School of Education. Academic performance during the summer term was generally good.     

Community College Faculty Attitudes,Socialization Experiences,and Perceived Teaching Effectiveness

Abstract

This study seeks to determine whether variance in teaching effectiveness of community college faculty, as assessed by students, can be attributed to particular attitudes and/or socialization experiences of these faculty. A theoretical model derived from symbolic interaction theory is tested by path analysis. Data to test the model were obtained through a 1973 survey of faculty and students at five community colleges in Pennsylvania. On the basis of this analysis, the authors conclude that the “predictor” variables used in this study and often by administrators in developing faculty selection policies do not correlate highly with teaching effectiveness.     

PREPARING PERSONNEL FOR INTEGRATION: NEEDS AND STRENGTHS OF EARLY INTERVENTION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

One early childhood teacher preparation program includes “Aesthetics As Learning,” a course which emphasizes that aesthetics is another way of knowing—another domain of development. The course has a reading, writing, discussion and experiential component—and all are integrated, but the experiential component (weekly arts activities) is showcased in this article.

One significant and innovative component of the experiential approach is that the students do not react to the use of the arts from a child's perspective but respond as an adult. This provides for an authentic experience with the arts. The college classroom uses a constructivist approach in which students construct their own meaning from their experiences and a feminist pedagogical approach that develops a classroom community of learners. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.     

“Equal Time” and “Equal Voice”

ABSTRACT

This paper outlines the development, implementation, and qualitative and quantitative evaluations of a foundation research course structured to give “equal time” and “equal voice” to both qualitative and quantitative research content. Assessment of this integrative approach suggested that students' gain in qualitative research knowledge was strongly correlated with their gain in quantitative research knowledge (r = .653, p > .0005), and some students believed “I am better able to evaluate my practice” as a result of taking this course.     

The development of mentorship programs at the Chinese university of Hong Kong

Mentoring as a time‐honored and effective mode of training and teaching is briefly reviewed, highlighting the valuing of the mentoring relationship in educating gifted and talented youths in Chinese history. The current development of mentorship programs for gifted students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is explained with examples from the search for potential mentors within the university community, and the development and operation of the mentorship program of Chinese creative writings for Hong Kong students. Future directions in the development of mentorship programs for gifted students using information technology and peer mentors in double mentoring are discussed, and a model of three levels of mentoring encompassing telementoring, double mentoring, and one‐to‐one mentoring is suggested.     

Enhancing transfer of learning through post-course reflection

Abstract

This article investigates how a structured post-course follow-up reflection activity affects the depth of reflection and facilitates the transfer of learning. The research is reflective, based on the findings from the Action Learning Management Practicum, a 3^rd year paper at Massey University, New Zealand. The initial reflections at the end of the course generally went no deeper than students “noticing”, or “making sense” of the experiences. With the benefit of distance and time away from the course, the students' reflection was deep and insightful. The findings suggest that the post-course reflection activity enables participants to “make meaning” from their experiences with the benefit of time and distance from the initial post-course reflection, thus enhancing the transfer of learning. The article argues for an extension and adaptation to Kolb's “Experiential Learning Cycle” model in relation to the time of reflection based on the empirical evidence provided.     

Effects of a Classroom Management Intervention on Student Achievement in Inner‐City Elementary Schools

ABSTRACT

As part of a study of the life‐cycle of inner‐city schools, the achievement of elementary school students (on MAT6 and TEAMS tests) who had teachers trained in a classroom management program in one school were compared with students in a comparison school during a four‐year period. Students at Madison Elementary School showed statistically greater achievement gains on both nationally normed achievement tests (MAT6) and on state criterion‐referenced achievement battery than students at the comparison school in each of three years. The overall effect size due to program treatment on the MAT6 test scores was large, ranging from .43 (1986–87) and .83 (1987–88) during intervention to .73 (1988–89) after intervention. Similar results were found in the TEAMS test associated with the program intervention with overall effect size of 1.02 (1987–88) and .78 (1988–89) in mathematics, .68 and .77 in reading, and .59 and .77 in writing for the respective years. On measures of learning environment, in a post hoc analysis (1990–91), students at Madison perceived their environment to be significantly more positive than comparison students. Teacher and principal interviews during and after the intervention periods provided contextual guidance for the findings.     

Emeriti faculty as mentors: the benefits and rewards of mentoring the next generation

ABSTRACT

This holistic single-case study reports on the benefits mentors derived from participating in the Increasing Minority Presence within Academia through Continuous Training (IMPACT) mentoring program. The IMPACT program was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Office for Broadening Participation in Engineering 15–7680 (awards #1542728 and #1542524). In this program, emeriti faculty were matched with underrepresented minority faculty in the engineering professoriate for career-focused mentorship. The conceptual framework of the Benefits of Being a Mentor grounded this study. Findings indicate mentors appreciate the opportunity to give back and remain engaged in the field, to relive past academic career experiences, and to support the next generation of engineering professors while adjusting to retirement. These findings aligned with the conceptual framework on three factors: rewarding experience, improved job performance, and generativity. Implications for administrators and faculty, as well as additional research areas, are discussed.     

Perception of teaching competencies by administrators,faculty and students of Indian agricultural universities: an assessment of faculty training needs

Purpose: The study aims at finding out relevance and knowledge levels of selected teaching competencies as perceived by educational administrators, faculty and students, in order to assess the training needs of faculty of agricultural universities.

Methodology: Relevance and knowledge levels were tested through a teaching competency questionnaire developed and run on 292 respondents fitting into administrator, faculty and student groups. Needs Assessment Model by Borich [1980. “A Needs Assessment Model for Conducting Follow-up Studies.” Journal of Teacher Education 31 (3): 39–42] is used to identify training needs.

Findings: Results indicate differences in perceptions among groups towards teaching competencies. Prioritized training needs were identified which provide the content and direction for the development of faculty in-service educational programmes.

Practical implications: Faculty of agricultural universities need periodic in-service training programmes in order to improve their teaching competencies so that they become effective and competent teachers in the present educational environment.

Theoretical implications: The statistically validated methodological framework provides for capturing the perception of all stakeholders on the teaching competencies among the faculty members of Agricultural Universities in India, and offers a scope for scaling up the study for similar educational setting in the region.

Originality/value: The perception of students and administrators was also considered along with the self-perception of faculty about the relevance and knowledge levels of teaching competencies.     

Research and Learning Information Resources

Abstract

The purpose of this non‐experimental, qualitative dissertation study was threefold: (1) to analyze leadership behavioral competencies of twenty‐one key administrators at Miami‐Dade Community College, a college selected by a national panel of experts as the best community college in the country; (2) to determine the type of organizational climate as perceived by a random sample of employees associated with these leadership qualities; and (3) to explore general connections appearing to exist between the identified leadership competencies and the perceived climate.

Research methodology utilized the Behavioral Event Interview Technique (BEIT), an operant assessment procedure, to analyze reported behavior. Data were collected through an open‐ended questionnaire, the Leadership Qualities Questionnaire (LQQ); through structured interviews; and through the Profile of College Characteristics (PCC) climate instrument, an adaptation of Likert's Profile of Organizational Characteristics which measures climate factors and leadership style.

Results of the study profiled leadership behavior coexisting with an extremely positive college environment at a large multi‐campus urban community college as indicated by the climate ratings of the four groups of employees. The six factors rated were: (1) leadership, (2) motivation, (3) communication, (4) decision‐making, (5) reward, and (6) overall climate.

A leadership competency model was formulated and translated into the form of a code book which was used to measure the degree to which each administrator possessed the twelve behavioral leadership competencies included in the model. These competencies were classified into the following categories: (1) Sense of Direction, (2) Structure for Implementation, and (3) Sense of Personal Commitment. Relatively even demonstration of each competency by the administrators suggested a balance among task‐structure and people‐orientation. Seventeen of the eighty‐four leadership behavioral indicators suggested a core of common behaviors exhibited to a large degree by the group as a whole.

Results indicated that top administrators consistently demonstrated the strongest competence in the areas measured followed by the deans and associate deans respectively. Ten of the twelve competencies appeared to be predictive of administrative position level. The three competencies which appeared most predictive were: (1) thinks globally, (2) possesses a bias for action, and (3) uses appropriate power and authority.

The significance of this study is fourfold: (1) it advances knowledge about the impact of multiple leadership behavior on employees’ satisfaction, on perceived college climate, and on institutional excellence as indicated by student achievement; (2) it has potential for influencing the training, selecting, evaluating, and developing of future and current community college administrators; (3) it has generated hypotheses for further research regarding leadership behavioral variables, their value for predicting hierarchical level of administration, and their causal influence on organizational climate; and (4) the methodology employed in the study appears to be an effective research procedure and has helped to validate further leadership theory founded on behavioral analysis.     

About Creativity,Giftedness, and Teaching the Creatively Gifted in the Classroom

In this case study the author explored a teacher's beliefs about creativity and gifted‐ness and investigated the classroom practices of this teacher of gifted students for 20 years. Seven semi‐structured and 2 open observations were carried out in her classroom, and 2 prefigured interviews were conducted with her. She believed that creative children are those who are “free thinkers” and have “imaginative intelligence.” The thin line between an academically gifted child and a creatively gifted child is built by “imagination,” “emotional intensity,” and “curiosity.” In creative writing, she tried to implement activities such as learning to write poetry, personal narratives, research reports and essays posing solutions to real world problems, and mystery stories decorated with similes, metaphors and imaginative expressions. In reading, students analyzed characters, problems, places and times in stories and novels, and then rewrote stories.     

Adult Basic Education Teacher Competencies: Implications for Community Colleges

Abstract

This study examines previous studies concerned with Adult Basic Education (ABE) teacher competencies to corroborate their findings and to discuss the competencies in relation to their implications for ABE teacher training where the community college is the agency responsible for the administration of ABE programs.

Adult Basic Education teachers and administrators in five New England states were asked to rate 17 areas of teacher competency as derived from Mocker (1974). Five exploratory hypotheses of no difference between the two groups were postulated and analyzed using t tests. A sixth hypothesis of no difference in ranking of the competencies was also postulated and analyzed via the Spearman Rho.

No significant differences were revealed in analysis, thus supporting Mocker's findings. Implications of the findings for training community college teachers of ABE are then discussed in the context of relating training objectives to validated competencies.