A summer program designed to educate college students for careers in bioinformatics

A summer program was created for undergraduates and graduate students that teaches bioinformatics concepts, offers skills in professional development, and provides research opportunities in academic and industrial institutions. We estimate that 34 of 38 graduates (89%) are in a career trajectory that will use bioinformatics. Evidence from open-ended research mentor and student survey responses, student exit interview responses, and research mentor exit interview/survey responses identified skills and knowledge from the fields of computer science, biology, and mathematics that are critical for students considering bioinformatics research. Programming knowledge and general computer skills were essential to success on bioinformatics research projects. General mathematics skills obtained through current undergraduate natural sciences programs were adequate for the research projects, although knowledge of probability and statistics should be strengthened. Biology knowledge obtained through the didactic phase of the program and prior undergraduate education was adequate, but advanced or specific knowledge could help students progress on research projects. The curriculum and assessment instruments developed for this program are available for adoption by other bioinformatics programs at http://www.calstatela.edu/SoCalBSI.     

Creating a supportive climate for teacher growth: Developing graduate students as teachers

This article presents several fundamental principles of teacher training which grew from a case study of a successful orientation and training program for graduate teaching assistants at a large mid‐western university. Instructional strategies, observational methods, and evaluative procedures are discussed. A supportive climate is highlighted as a critical component of an effective training program.     

Academic careers for graduate students: a strong attractor in a changed environment

Professorship has traditionally been the single most valued career path for graduates of PhD programs. Policies now encourage graduate students to directly or indirectly engage with non-academic organizations to encourage the next generation of researchers to explore alternative careers, including opportunities in industry and government. In this article, we use data from a survey of Quebec science and engineering graduate students to examine the impact of their participation in university-industry-government research partnerships on their professional preferences. We assess the degree to which exposure to non-academic realities through different training arrangements relates to career preferences, and how these preferences evolve over time. We show that the proportion of students who did not change their preferred career path over time is high, indicating that by the time students engage in a research-training program they already, for the most part, know what career they want to pursue. However, and although students with close ties to non-academic partners may initially be more interested in non-academic career paths, over time all categories of students become more attracted to academic careers. We conclude that faculty positions continue to dominate the professional dreams of fledgling researchers, a power of attraction that increases as students advance in their program, even when it involves industrial contacts.     

Arab graduate students in a teachers college in Israel: leaving their identity at the gate

This article examines the experience of Palestinian-Arab graduate students in an Israeli teachers college that describes itself as multicultural. By listening to the voices of the Arab students the article identifies the limitations of a liberal multiculturalism. The Arab students interviewed feel that they are treated fairly by their teachers, and they also note that they are treated well by the administration. While they acknowledge the progress made by the college when comparing the campus environment to that of other sites in the Israeli public sphere, their experience also teaches them to "leave their national identity at the gate" when they enter the college campus. They learn that giving expression to their national identity may jeopardize the social comfort zone that they manage to attain at the college—a comfort zone that is unlike anything they experience outside in the “real world.” While not quite feeling at home, the Arab students are left feeling like welcome guests. The research population included 52 male and female Arab students who studied in the college in 2015–2016. The data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and analyzed using an open inductive coding method.     

From Curriculum to Activism: a graduate degree program in literacy to develop teachers as leaders for equity through action research

This article presents findings from a 2-year reflexive action research study of a cohort-based Master's degree program in literacy for practicing teachers. Questions revolved around whether and how the program brought about changes in candidates' conceptions about literacy, expertise in literacy, and leadership/activist skills to foster equity in their classrooms and schools. Faculty used data from action research to make cyclical changes to the program each semester. Data sources included candidate interviews, e-mail correspondence, course notes, classroom observations, questionnaires and a survey. The candidates own evolving action research projects within their schools also became data sources. A qualitative analysis suggests that the program was generally successful in meeting its goals. The elements of the program contributing to its success were: the evolving program design based on action research data; the collegiality of the cohort; broadening conceptions of literacy; learning action research; and developing leadership skills. Factors contributing to factors around which candidates failed to meet these goals are also explored.     

What college chemistry instructors and high school chemistry teachers perceive as important for incoming college students

Professors of college chemistry were asked to rank various examples of traditional chemistry knowledge and skills as to their importance for incoming students to possess. A pilot study revealed that the items—all selected from one edition of the American Chemical Society-National Science Teachers Association (ACS-NSTA) Chemistry Achievement Examination—represented attributes viewed as relatively unimportant. The professors then identified 29 personal traits they considered more important for incoming students to possess. Subsequently, these items, knowledge, skill, and personal attributes, were included in a three-part assessment instrument. The instrument was administered to 69 college chemistry professors selected at random and to 37 high school chemistry teachers. The results reveal that the college professors universally identified student personal attributes as significantly more important for incoming students to possess over specific knowledge and skills included in the ACS-NSTA Achievement Examination. Chemistry professors do not find items commonly used to assess success in high school chemistry as important attributes for incoming students to possess. Conversely, high school chemistry teachers regard the knowledge and skill items to be more important for college preparation than personal attributes.     

大学物理开卷考试中的教学相长

通过对大学物理A开卷考试的数据结果进行客观记录和分析,得出开卷考试有助于提高学生的阅读能力,分析问题、解决问题的能力,有助于创新能力培养的结论。同时,开卷考试对任课教师提出了更高的要求,在教学过程中,师生之间的相互促进,可以实现教学相长的目的,进一步提高了大学物理的教学质量。     

Seniority and experience of college teachers as related to evaluations they receive from students

A review of relevant research shows that many studies have found the academic rank, age, and extent of instructional experience of college teachers to be unrelated to their students' global evaluation of them. Yet many other studies have found these indicators of the teacher's seniority and instructional experience to be related to the overall evaluation of teachers, and with a consistent pattern. In this latter group of studies, the teacher's academic rank is positively associated with the overall evaluation of the teacher, whereas both the teacher's age and extent of instructional experience are inversely associated with overall evaluation. Although these associations are generally weak in strength, they are robust enough to hold under a variety of controls (including the size of course enrollment and the gender of the teacher). Also, at least for extent of instructional experience, the number and strength of the associations may be underestimated by considering the relationship in question as linear when in fact it may be curvilinear. Just as the teachers' age and extent of instructional experience in general have been either not related or inversely related to the global evaluation of teachers, so they have been for more specific evaluations of teachers. When academic rank has been found to be related to specific evaluations, the relationships tend to be positive for only certain specific rating dimensions while being inverse for others. This being so, it is puzzling that the associations that have been found between academic rank and global evaluations have generally been positive only. A possible explanation for this is offered and supportive evidence marshaled. Finally, several reasons why associations between any of the indicators of seniority or instructional experience and either specific or overall evaluations may be inverse, positive, or curvilinear in the first place are advanced. These hinge on such factors as the teacher's motivation and career circumstances, the pedagogical training and abilities of different cohorts of teachers, as well as the criteria and practices of colleges in their recruitment of teachers, the extent of an age (or generation) gap between students and teachers, and students' expectations and perceptions of teachers and pedagogical characteristics attributed to them. Those reasons having the greater support empirically as well as those that seem the most plausible are noted.     

高校教师如何应对大学生就业难

金融危机、次贷危机等不断爆发的全球经济问题,影响了大学生的就业。面对世界经济问题,作为高校教育者,如何培养教育学生;作为班主任,如何鼓励和开发学生内在潜能。本文分别从市场,企业,高校和毕业生几个方面分析,如何应对就业难问题。     

关于当代大学生对于毕业创业的心理倾向研究

目前,我国高校毕业生就业形势十分严峻,而自主创业是解决这一问题的一个好途径。然而,高校毕业生毕业自主创业意识并不强烈。因而笔者针对这一现象进行了深入的原因分析,并且提出了一些切实可行的建议:实行教育体制改革,实现政府政策与教育体制的一致统一;引导父母正确看待子女自主创业的利与弊,而不是一味地阻挠;培养学生坚强的意志力以及承受挫折的能力;端正毕业生创业动机中,受经济利益驱动最为主要的不正确态度;政府应落实相关政策,为高校毕业生提供良好的外部创业环境。     

Training for equity and excellence for college teachers of hearing-impaired students

A two-year research and faculty development project at Gallaudet University examined professor-student interactions and developed and implemented a faculty development model designed to promote equitable and effective teacher-student classroom interaction. A discussion of the research design, training model and results of the investigation are discussed.     

Factors influencing the college choice decisions of graduate students

This paper examines the relative influence of factors affecting the college choice decisions of graduate students. It is based on a 1986 survey of 2,834 admitted students at a major research university, to which 38 percent of the sample responded. Factor analysis of ratings of importance of 31 college characteristics yielded dimensions upon which student decisions are based. These results were used to build five scales of importance and preference, which were then tested with other variables in a regression model in which the dependent variable was the decision to enroll or not to enroll at the surveying institution. The following were found to influence decisions: residency status, quality and other academic environment characteristics, work-related concerns, spouse considerations, financial aid, and the campus social environment.A paper presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, New Orleans, May 29–June 1, 1994.     

研究生挂职锻炼指导教师制度的实践与探索

研究生挂职锻炼指导教师制度是浙江大学组织研究生参加挂职锻炼工作的一个创新。笔者阐述了建立研究生挂职锻炼指导教师制度的由来、指导教师的主要职责以及设立指导教师的现实意义,总结了研究生挂职锻炼指导教师制度的实施成效。     

Affordances and limitations of a special school practicum as a means to prepare pre-service teachers for inclusive education

As education systems worldwide embrace inclusive education in some form, pre-service teachers need to be prepared to be pedagogically responsive to diverse students and learning needs. While much learning for inclusion takes place in course work in higher education institutions, field experiences, including practicum placements, can complement this learning. Using Loreman's [2010a. “Essential Inclusive Education-Related Outcomes for Alberta Preservice Teachers.” The Alberta Journal of Educational Research 56 (2): 124–142] seven areas of essential learning for inclusion, with the addition of Waitoller and Kozleski's [2010. “Inclusive Professional Learning Schools.” In Teacher Education for Inclusion, edited by C. Forlin, 65–73. London: Routledge] idea of ‘critical sensibilities’, this article considers the extent to which a practicum experience in a special school might contribute to learning for inclusion. The main findings of a small-scale qualitative study with 15 South African pre-service teachers suggest that the practicum placement exposes them to children with disabilities and learning difficulties, resulting in a growth of understanding of their learning needs. It also enhances pre-service teachers' ability to plan lessons and draw on a range of instructional strategies to enable learning for all. For some pre-service teachers, however, the practicum convinced them of the benefits of separate special education and the unfeasibility of inclusion. We conclude that a special school practicum has value for pre-service teachers, provided that opportunities are made available for critical engagement with the potential for both inclusion and exclusion of students with special educational needs in different types of school.     

Impaired graduate students: A process model of graduate program monitoring and intervention

Psychological impairment is an area of concern in training graduate students in counseling programs. This article reviews the potentially harmful consequences of impaired graduate students to graduate programs, faculty, other graduate students, and the counseling profession. The paper provides an overview of existing trends, policies, and procedures regarding student screening, remediation, and dismissal from graduate training programs within a Western framework. A process model for monitoring and intervention is presented.     

Evaluating an individualized science program for community college students

Two classes of community college students having less than the usual minimal preparation required for admission were taught half of a basic science course using individualized instruction and half using traditional instruction. The course was divided into chemistry and physics segments and random halves of each class received the individualized treatment in one segment and the traditional treatment in the other. The individualized treatment was found to yield superior achievement gains and more positive attitudes toward science than the traditional treatment while both resulted in equivalent student satisfaction. No differences between segments were obtained. Of the four treatment-segment combinations, individualized physics appeared to yield the greatest achievement. Individualized instruction was concluded to be effective.     

The evaluation of a special educational opportunities program for disadvantaged college students

This paper analyzes the early academic achievement of disadvantaged, mainly black, students admitted to the Special Educational Opportunities Program (the SEOP) at the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois in the fall of 1968 and 1969.High school percentile rank and standardized test scores predicted the early overall academic performance of SEOP students. Validities, though significant, were not high and were possibly attenuated by use of too difficult test instruments and by inflated grading practices. Nevertheless, the data indicate that recruitment people should not abandon customary merit selection based upon these types of measures. Test scores were found to be more valid for predicting the GPA of regularly admitted students than for the prediction of GPA for SEOP students; the predictive effectiveness of high school percentile rank was greater for regularly admitted students.The research reported herein was performed, in part, pursuant to a contract with the United States Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Office of Education and no official endorsement by the Office of Education should be inferred. Project No. 9-E-136/Contract No. OEG-5-70-0005.