Preparing students with intellectual disabilities to audit inclusive university courses

There is a growing trend toward including adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in further education. However, there is a lack of literature on the preparation of students with ID to attend further education. This article, by James Wintle of Queen's University, Ontario, describes how a non‐profit organisation, CALC Prep, prepares adults with ID to audit university courses. Eighty hours of observations were conducted over the course of one term at this organisation. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes within CALC Prep's curriculum. Themes within the curriculum that were considered most useful for students preparing to audit courses at the university included familiarising the students with the university, enhancing self‐awareness, enhancing self‐expression and building literacy skills. Additionally, recommendations for improving the transition of students with ID from the preparation programme to auditing university courses are offered.     

高职园林技术专业课程标准的研究与探索——以《园林工程施工与管理》课程为例

在分析课程标准建设现状和必要性的基础上,以建设五年制高职园林技术专业《园林工程施工与管理》课程标准制定实践为例,探讨了如何依据五年制高职园林技术专业职业能力需求建设五年制高职园林技术专业课程标准,为其他课程标准的制定提供参考和依据.     

Integrating Geographic Information Systems in Business School Curriculum: An Initial Example

Geographic information systems have experienced rapid growth and user adoption over the last four decades, due to an increasing value to the business community. However, business schools are not teaching geospatial concepts and the related location intelligence to their students. This curriculum decision seems completely at odds with business’ day‐to‐day dependence on a wide array of geographic information system applications. Business schools typically teach relational and object‐oriented database courses, quantitative methods, decision supports systems, and Visual Basic for Applications, which are all directly related to the basic concepts of geographic information systems. In addition, these concepts are all part of location intelligence, a more business intuitive term than geospatial analysis. Spatial data modeling is discussed and compared to standard data modeling frameworks such as ANSI/SPARC. Geographic standards are introduced, along with an overview of the OpenGIS Simple Features Specification for SQL. A discussion of how to utilize MySQL open source database software for spatial queries is included, along with a comparison to PostgreSQL/PostGIS. Through the use of these software programs and the techniques introduced in this article, it is possible to integrate the concepts of location intelligence into business curriculum without requiring students to learn new GIS‐specific programs. Enhancing student knowledge of this subject area through existing skill sets provides for smoother integration of this material into existing curriculum, as these topics could be added into established courses and would not require new courses to be developed.     

Building virtual models by postprocessing radiology images: A guide for anatomy faculty

Radiology and radiologists are recognized as increasingly valuable resources for the teaching and learning of anatomy. State‐of‐the‐art radiology department workstations with industry‐standard software applications can provide exquisite demonstrations of anatomy, pathology, and more recently, physiology. Similar advances in personal computers and increasingly available software can allow anatomy departments and their students to build their own three‐dimensional virtual models. Appropriate selection of a data‐set, followed by processing and presentation are the key steps in creating virtual models. The construction, presentation, clinical application, and educational potential of postprocessed imaging techniques including multiplanar reformats, minimum intensity projections, segmentation, volume‐rendering, surface‐rendering, fly‐throughs, virtual endoscopy, angiography, and cine‐loops are reviewed using examples created with only a personal computer and freeware software. Although only static images are presented in this article, further material is available online within the electronic version of this article. Through the use of basic and advanced image reconstruction and also paying attention to optimized presentation and integration, anatomy courses can be strengthened with appropriate radiological material. There are several key advantages for the anatomy department, which is equipped with the ability to produce virtual models using radiology images: (1) Opportunities to present anatomy using state‐of‐the‐art technology as an adjunct to current practices, (2) a means to forge an improved relationship with the local radiology department, and (3) the ability to create material locally, which is integrated with the local curriculum avoiding the problem of information overload when using the internet or other commercially available resources. Anat Sci Educ 3:261–266, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

电工技术实训课程改革研究

分析了工科人才培养的社会需求,指出在我校应用性人才培养的背景下,进行电工技术及实验课程模式改革的必要性。提出电工实训课程改革方案并在教学中付诸实施,实施结果表明：该课程改革方案是可行的,具备推广到其他实践课程的价值。     

Preparing preservice teachers to use computers effectively in elementary schools

Abstract

Computers and computer software have become integral components of the elementary school curriculum. Classroom teachers often express concern about the inadequate training they receive in the use of technology in the classroom. To meet the needs of future teachers, three university professors added issues related to using technology with young children to existing courses for elementary education majors. In addition, they introduced criteria for evaluating software and gave students opportunities to select software for instruction. After completing the courses, students were more comfortable with using computers, felt more competent about reviewing software, and were more aware of the issues related to using technology for instruction.     

Curriculum Mapping: A Method to Assess and Refine Undergraduate Degree Programs

Over the past several decades, there has been increasing interest in program‐ and university‐level assessment and aligning learning outcomes to program content. Curriculum mapping is a tool that creates a visual map of all courses in the curriculum and how they relate to curriculum learning outcomes. Assessment tools/activities are often included in the curriculum map. The School of Food Science, a joint program between the Washington State Univ. and the Univ. of Idaho, recently completed a curriculum mapping and assessment exercise. The goal of this exercise was to determine the alignment of the undergraduate curriculum with program learning outcomes and the degree of student mastery of these outcomes. Curriculum learning outcomes were revised from existing learning outcomes to better align with university learning outcomes and the IFT Core Competencies. All undergraduate courses were mapped to the IFT Core Competencies, and several competencies were assessed to determine student mastery. The mapping and assessment activities revealed potential gaps and redundancies in course content, as well as student ability to meet standards for competency. The results of the mapping and assessment exercises will be used to refine the content delivered to undergraduate students in the School of Food Science, with the overall goal of increasing the quality of the education provided to these students and helping them to be more prepared for a successful career in food science.     

高师数学专业教育理论课程与实践技能课程整合的探讨

基础教育数学课程改革对高师数学教育类课程体系提出了严峻的挑战。当前高师数学教育类课程设置、课程内容和教学方式迫切需要改革,由此提出将数学教育理论课程与公共类教育理论课程,教育理论课程与教育实践技能类课程从课程内容,教学方法以及评价方式三方面进行整合。     

Assessing student exposure to and use of computer technologies through an examination of course syllabi

A syllabus analysis instrument was developed to assist program evaluators, administrators and faculty in the identification of skills that students use as they complete their college coursework. While this instrument can be tailored for use with a variety of learning domains, we used it to assess students' use of and exposure to computer technology skills. The reliability and validity of the instrument was examined through an analysis of 88 syllabi from courses within the teacher education program and the core curriculum at a private Midwest US university. Results indicate that the instrument has good inter‐rater reliability and ratings by and interviews with faculty and students provide evidence of construct validity. The use and limitations of the instrument in educational program evaluation are discussed.     

Connecting with different audiences: The anatomy of communication is essential

In the twenty‐first century, communication has become truly global. Advances in technology have opened up a host of ways in which we are able to communicate to retrieve or pass on information and knowledge. In many cases we have moved from a place‐based communication approach to one of increasing mobility. With this shift in approach, it is apparent that effective communication skills are perhaps even more important so that we can connect appropriately with diverse audiences. Despite this, relatively little attention has been paid to training our students in different modes of communication and therefore we may not be fully preparing our students to play their part in the global community. Given anatomy's place within many health‐care curricula, an ideal avenue is available for anatomists to take the lead in providing communications skills training for students. There are a variety of approaches, some of which are outlined in this article, which can be used to create appropriate opportunities for developing different communication skills and these can be woven into existing practices to ensure courses do not become overburdened. A sustained approach to communication skills training will help equip our students to communicate easily with the many aspects of modern society. Anat Sci Educ 6: 134–137. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

基于工作过程的高职软件技术专业课程体系开发

针对高职软件技术专业人才培养与软件职业技能要求相脱离的问题,提出基于工作过程构建软件技术专业课程体系。以岗位工作过程重构软件技术专业核心课程,以岗位工作目标设定学习目标,以岗位工作任务的逻辑顺序序列化课程内容,以岗位工作规范设定课程考核标准,构建基于工作过程的课程体系,完善人才培养模式,培养出适合软件职业岗位能力需求,并具有良好职业素养的技术技能型人才。     

精品课程资源共享中的版权保护研究

资源的共享是高校精品课程建设的重要目的,鉴于目前精品课程资源共享中版权保护的无序和低效状态,利用经济理论来分析精品课程资源共享机制中引进版权保护的必要性,并针对精品课程资源共享中版权保护的潜在风险提出知识共享协议和技术手段等解决方案。     

An IT Bachelor Degree Using Modern Technologies to Illustrate Core Concepts and Principles and Building Generic Skills

Information Technology (IT) changes very quickly and influences business, industry and the public in an enormous manner. Outsourcing of IT jobs to cheaper overseas labor and globalization of IT companies become a common practice. Graduates of IT university courses must be well prepared to address the needs and expectations of business, industry and every day life. Many factors in an Information Technology curriculum influence graduates’ professional preparation and image. The most important of them is to reflect technology change, the current state of knowledge of computing, business and industry demands and students’ expectations. The aim of our project was to develop a new Bachelor of IT curriculum that satisfies these requirements. In this report we concentrate our attention on two critical aspects of IT curriculum content, the modern technologies to be used to illustrate basic concepts and principles of computing, and the generic skills that each graduate is expected to acquire to get a job in Australia.     

MBA Program Trends and Best Practices in Teaching Sustainability: Live Project Courses

This study offers a model for incorporating live sustainability consulting projects in an MBA curriculum to nurture cross‐functional faculty collaboration while offering students proving ground for solving contemporary challenges related to ethical management of all forms of capital. We attempt to first lay a foundation for the recent evolution of sustainability within business schools, and then provide evidence that an opportunity exists for decision science scholars to play a key role as facilitators of this wave of pedagogy. Our research is based on publicly available data that rank business schools relative to their integration of sustainability within MBA programs, our experiences with 39 project clients over a 3‐year period, an analysis of client and student feedback, and anecdotal evidence of success in the development of live project‐based consulting courses. The case study highlights the potential and scalability of this proposed pedagogy to deliver live projects as either a stand‐alone course or an integrated part of the curriculum.     

The Needs of Secondary School Information Technology Co‐ordinators in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on a survey of secondary schools in the West Midlands, England, in 1991 and was conducted to measure the tasks required of information technology co‐ordinators and the training requirement of their schools. The main emphasis of information technology work was still on taught, examination courses and there was a perceived need for information technology awareness courses for all pupils. Many co‐ordinators had no clear perspective of the level of information technology permeation across the curriculum in their schools, and thus demonstrated an urgent need for audits of staff awareness and pupil access. Information technology co‐ordinators also saw a need for further in‐service training for many staff to enable delivery of their pupils’ information technology entitlement. Most staff training was school based and included collaborative teaching and courses run by the school staff. Little use was made of co‐operation with subject staff from other schools or outside specialists. The co‐ordinators defined their needs as being predominantly in the areas of time for co‐ordination duties, assessment of information technology across the curriculum, and training in new developments in the wider aspects of information technology.     

高职院校公共基础课程体系构建探微

构建高职公共基础课程体系,要改变以学科为中心的传统课程模式,克服重技术教育轻公共基础教育的倾向。新的高职公共基础课程体系应以"必需、够用"为原则,以能力为本位,采用"活模块"结构进行构建,才能充分体现高职特色。     

The Software Factory: An Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum

Industry often complains that current academic curricula fail to address the practical issues of real software development. This paper outlines a proposal for an innovative core curriculum for a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The proposed core curriculum contains elements of traditional computer science programs combined with software engineering via a team-oriented, hands-on approach to large-scale software development. In addition to traditional lecture/ project/exam courses, students are required to take an eight-semester sequence of ‘Software Factory’ courses. Software Factory courses put the students' newly acquired skills to work in a real software organization staffed and managed by all students in the program. Students from all courses in the Software Factory sequence meet simultaneously to fulfill their roles in the software organization. We expect that the students will be better prepared software engineering practitioners after completing a curriculum that combines traditional courses with practical Software Factory experience.     

The S‐Machine: An Alternative Approach to Teaching Assembler Programming

The demand for assembler language programmers has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years with the advent of structured programming languages and the accessibility of hardware features from high‐level languages. Nevertheless, a course in assembler language programming is often the first, and sometimes the only, introduction a student has to a machine's hardware. For this reason alone, assembler language programming courses should not be removed from a curriculum; instead, they should be kept and taught in conjunction with modern software engineering practices. This article describes an alternative approach to teaching assembler language programming. Whereas the students are still introduced to a machine and its assembler language, they are required to write several low‐level library routines they used in introductory courses (such as ACM CS1 and CS2). Furthermore, the S‐Machine's support software allows students to study the internals of an assembler, a librarian, and a linker.     

渤海船院开设经济管理类选修课程的教学设想

按照渤海船舶职业学院培养目标和未来发展的需要,从任课教师的角度出发,结合学院目前的教学活动和学生学习实际情况,进行了船院开设经济管理类选修课的必要性和可行性分析,阐述了选修课程设置和安排的一些教学设想,包括的内容有选修课程设置的原则、所开设的课程、选修课程教学安排等内容。