Facilitating the transition to postgraduate attainment: the experience of one postgraduate,pre-registration physiotherapy programme

Students on the MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) programme at Manchester Metropolitan University work at postgraduate level, whilst studying to become physiotherapists. To facilitate the transition to postgraduate attainment, students participated in two sessions designed to inform them about assessment processes and standards. The hypothesis was that attainment as measured by first assignment mark in the first term would improve. In a pretest: post-test design, the pre-groups were students who completed the first assessment without the transition sessions (N?=?35), and the post-groups those who completed the first assessment after the transition sessions (N?=?38). Mean and highest marks were greater in both post-test groups compared to pretest groups; the lowest marks achieved were similar across all groups. Tests of normality and homogeneity were non-significant. An unrelated T-test found a significant difference in assessment performance between pre- and post-test groups. A significant improvement in performance followed the intervention, so the hypothesis was accepted.     

Assessment for Learning: capturing the interest of diverse students on an academic writing module in postgraduate vocational education

This article discusses the complexities surrounding the teaching of a critical thinking and academic writing module on a vocational postgraduate programme. Students enrolled on this programme are strongly industry focused and often fail to see the relevance of such a module, despite the fact that most are international students with English as their second language. Obtaining student buy in has been challenging, and initial feedback from students and discipline lecturers was disappointing. However, this frustration was the trigger for an innovative approach that adopted assessment design as the starting point in the restructuring of the module. The approach is based on the principles underpinning Assessment for Learning. Taking varied student interests and backgrounds into account was crucial in the restructuring and has led to a marked improvement in both the attitude and engagement of students.     

叙事行动研究：高校辅导员专业成长的有效途径

高校辅导员岗位是一个集思想教育、学业辅导、学生发展指导功能于一身的复合型岗位。如何加强辅导员队伍专业化建设,促进辅导员个体的专业成长成为新时期高校辅导员队伍建设的新课题。本文拟借用教育研究中叙事行动研究的思路,倡导辅导员通过自我叙述来反思个体的教育职业生活,并在反思中改进和重建自己的教育生活,使辅导员从教育研究和生活研究做起促进自身的专业成长,并进一步完成从“实践”型向“实践-研究型”人才的转变。     

Bereavement on the college campus: Establishing an effective ritual for the classroom and beyond

We often know an individual student who is dealing with loss, but what about when the whole campus is grieving? Kristine M. McCusker and Laurie B. Witherow describe how their campus created a support system for faculty to help facilitate healing.     

The impact of a university teaching development programme on student approaches to studying and learning experience: evidence from Chile

In this paper, we analyse the impact of teacher participation in a University Teaching Diploma on student approaches to studying and learning experience. A quasi-experimental and multilevel design was employed. University teachers answered the Approaches to Teaching Inventory and students completed the Course Experience Questionnaire and the Study Process Questionnaire. In addition, contextual variables were included for both teachers and students. The total sample included 44 teachers and 686 students. Of these, 25 university teachers had completed the University Teaching Diploma and 19 had not; 373 students were in courses with a diploma teacher and 313 in courses were not. Results show that those university teachers who have completed the programme have, in their courses, students who were more likely to declare having adopted a deep approach to studying than those teachers who have not participated in the diploma. At the same time, no significant impact was found on the student learning experience. For practical purposes, this investigation provides evidence for the value of teaching development programmes in promoting deeper approaches to studying. For research purposes, it proposes the use of multilevel models to evaluate the impact of university teaching diplomas.     

Developing an instrument to assess student readiness for online learning: a validation study

Given the continued growth in online learning as well as reports of high attrition rates in it, understanding student readiness for online learning is necessary. Over the years several surveys have been developed to assess student readiness as a predictor of success in online programs; however, a review of the literature yielded limited results of their translation and criterion‐referenced validity. The researchers of this article sought to develop a more rigorous survey instrument for students to self‐assess readiness for online learning. The authors report on findings from a three‐phase study during which the instrument was developed, evaluated, and validated. Through the process of validation, the researchers systematically engaged in an iterative process to refine the instrument, which resulted in not only a more rigorous instrument but one that more clearly defines ready and situates it within the literature on learner characteristics, digital divide, and information and communications technology (ICT) engagement.     

面向学术学位硕士研究生的教学改革——以“现代检测理论与技术”课程为例

“现代检测理论与技术”是一门涉及多学科的综合课程,其理论性深、实用性强、应用广泛。对面向学术学位硕士研究生教育的“现代检测理论与技术”课程教学改革进行探讨,针对当前课程在课程内容、教学模式及考核方式等方面存在的问题,通过相应的教学改革与实践,夯实学术型硕士研究生理论基础知识,引导学生关注前沿发展动态,培养其梳理文献、自主学习、创新思维及交流与写作能力,建设一种能激发学术型研究生的研究兴趣、提高其创新性的培养体系。     

研究生学术不端行为治理的制度构建与完善——基于985工程大学文本分析

完善高校学术规范制度是治理研究生学术不端的重要环节。综合分析38所985工程大学研究生学术不端治理文本后发现,当前高校在研究生学术不端治理的制度构建上主要体现在治理依据、治理原则、治理内容、治理程序、惩治方式等五个方面,较为全面。但也存在一些共性问题,一是文本内容表述不一,认定、惩戒标准失衡;二是制度设计缺陷,主动治理意识不足;三是教化性特征不显,学生权益保障不移;四是"重处罚、轻预防"。完善研究生学术不端治理制度需强化高校主动治理意识、构建系统化治理机制、重视治理程序正义、优化惩戒实施以及改变功利性评价机制。     

Speaking of Supervision: A dialogic approach to building higher degree research supervision capacity in the creative arts

Abstract

In the emergent field of creative practice higher degrees by research, first generation supervisors have developed new models of supervision for an unprecedented form of research, which combines creative practice and a written thesis. In a national research project, entitled ‘Effective supervision of creative practice higher research degrees’, we set out to capture and share early supervisors’ insights, strategies and approaches to supporting their creative practice PhD students. From the insights we gained during the early interview process, we expanded our research methods in line with a distributed leadership model and developed a dialogic framework. This led us to unanticipated conclusions and unexpected recommendations. In this study, we primarily draw on philosopher and literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin’s dialogics to explain how giving precedence to the voices of supervisors not only facilitated the articulation of dispersed tacit knowledge, but also led to other discoveries. These include the nature of supervisors’ resistance to prescribed models, policies and central academic development programmes; the importance of polyvocality and responsive dialogue in enabling continued innovation in the field; the benefits to supervisors of reflecting, discussing and sharing practices with colleagues; and the value of distributed leadership and dialogue to academic development and supervision capacity building in research education.     

Developing University Teachers: an account of a scheme designed for postgraduate researchers on a lecturing career path

Abstract

There is a growing recognition within higher education institutions of the importance of teaching as a core activity for trainee academics. This paper outlines and reports on a scheme which has been established to address the needs of postgraduate researchers who wish to build a career as university teachers. The scheme, now under review at the close of its first year of operation, is one which provides a potential model for other institutions. The paper includes extracts from a frank discussion involving participants in the scheme and highlights some of the practical difficulties which have occurred, in addition to the many benefits which are both expected in the future as well as some which are currently accruing     

Facilitating agency: the change laboratory as an intervention for collaborative sustainable development in higher education

To cope with the rapidly changing higher education climate, teachers need agency to act proactively in initiating and steering changes in practice. This paper describes an academic development activity in the form of a Change Laboratory, an intervention method based on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, to facilitate agency among teachers. The results of the study indicate that transformative agency emerges when teachers are given the opportunity to analyse, envision, and redesign their practice collaboratively. This has implications for academic development, suggesting that activities facilitating discussion, analysis, and criticism of current practices are needed to support the development of agency.     

Self-perceived action competence for sustainability: the theoretical grounding and empirical validation of a novel research instrument

Abstract

This study contributes to an operationalization of the concept of action competence for sustainability through the theoretical development and empirical validation of a new 12-item Likert-scale questionnaire: the Self-Perceived Action Competence for Sustainability Questionnaire, SPACS-Q. Other scales in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) typically measure concepts such as pro-environmental and sustainability attitudes and behaviors, and therefore do not fully cover the concept of action competence for sustainability. An action differs from a ‘mere’ behavior in that it is voluntary and targeted at bringing about change, which is the overarching goal of ESE. We define action competence as a latent capacity among individuals to act sustainably. We introduce a novel scale measuring this seminal concept. Totally, 614 Swedish adolescents aged 12-19 participated in this study. The scale includes three latent subconstructs: i) knowledge of action possibilities, ii) confidence in one’s own influence, and iii) the willingness to act. Confirmatory factor analyses, reliability measures and investigation of convergent validity reveal a questionnaire instrument with excellent psychometric quality. We put forward that the SPACS-Q is a novel and theory-driven, empirically reliable and valid, instrument, and encourage fellow researchers to use the SPACS-Q when investigating people’s action competence for sustainability in various contexts.     

质量何为:德国学术评价机制转型研究

21世纪以来,为破除"唯论文",德国科学基金会和科学理事会牵头,倡导"质量而非数量"学术评价机制转型。在改进"评价方法"上,注重发挥同行评议基础性作用;针对量化指标,建立专属性认知与应用体系,明确其对同行评议的支持性作用。在拓展"评价内容"上,强调学术能力综合评价,尤其注重科研领导与合作能力,兼顾个体学术职业发展状况。德国学术评价机制转型对我国的启示是:加强对不同评价方法功能与问题的认识,是学术评价机制转型的基本前提;在操作层面实现"统计有度"和"比较有方",是学术评价机制良性运转的重要保障;基于学术系统复杂性和多元性特点,学术评价机制的完善要以健全学术系统为总体目标。     

Developing effective teacher beliefs about learners: the role of sensitizing teachers to individual learning differences

Effective teacher beliefs about students are an integral part of effective teaching. Teachers with interventionist beliefs about students (‘I can intervene to help a learner with difficulties’) show more effective practice than teachers with pathognomonic beliefs (‘I blame the learner for his difficulties’). A professional development (PD) course sensitized teachers (N = 234) to individual learning differences (ILDs), using five learning/cognitive styles tools. Teachers’ responses to a pre‐/post‐test question concerning their beliefs about ‘weak students’ were analyzed and correlated with their ILD scores. Before the PD, teachers with strong ILD preferences matched to traditional learning contexts were significantly more ‘at risk’ (i.e., had fewer interventionist beliefs) than the other teachers; the former teachers were significantly overrepresented in the sample. After the PD, teachers’ interventionist beliefs significantly increased, regardless of their ILD preferences. Neither the length of the PD (28 hrs. vs. 56 hrs.) nor the amount of teaching experience affected the teachers’ interventionist beliefs about students. A mediated, constructivist and collaborative PD, which sensitizes teachers to individual learning differences, can increase effective teacher beliefs about students. We conclude that developing more effective teacher beliefs about learners should become a component of teacher professional development.     

高职院校发展性教师教学评价探索

现实的高职学院教师教学评价存在评价主客体单一、方式传统、忽视教师个体差异等问题,不利于教师成长。而发展性教师教学评价以促进教师发展为核心,尊重教师,充分发挥教师的主体性。高职学院在实施发展性教师教学评价时,要把握内涵,抓住特点,并遵循发展性等原则,促进教师成长。     

基于循证的课堂教学质量评估--以美国数学课堂教学质量评估工具为例

构建课堂教学循证评估系统是教育高质量发展阶段深化教育评价改革的重要任务。课堂教学循证评估的关键在于证据的生产和使用。美国数学课堂教学质量评估(IQA)工具为循证评估证据的科学式生产、协商式整合和问责式嵌入提供借鉴与启示。基于循证的课堂观察评估通过收集证据、使用证据来回应问题、作出判断和决策,不仅能让学生有更多的机会接触到课程核心知识,而且有利于提升教师循证教学能力,促进教学持续改进。发展基于循证的课堂教学质量评估必将为我国课堂教学评价改革注入生机与活力。     

反思性教学:教师发展的有效途径

近年来,教师教育开始从单纯对教学方法的探讨与研究转向对教师专业化发展的研究。在这一研究中,反思性教学已成为教师教育所关注的核心问题。因此,研究反思教学及其特点,分析师生问在反思过程中的互动关系,思考开展反思教学途径和方法,是对促进教师专业化发展有重要意义。     

研究生学术英语写作项目的评价体系建构——基于CIPP评价模型的研究

项目驱动下的学术英语写作教学将语言学习和研究生的专业学术研究相结合,能够激发学生的学习动机,切实提高学生的学术英语写作能力。写作项目能否达到既定目标在很大程度上取决于有效的项目评价体系的建构。本文基于CIPP评价模型,从"背景评价""输入评价""过程评价"和"结果评价"四个维度,探讨了研究生学术英语写作项目的评价体系建构,以期为项目驱动下的研究生学术英语教学带来一些启示。