Enhancing postgraduate supervision through a process of conversational inquiry

This paper argues for, outlines and begins to evaluate a process of building a critical and reflective community of postgraduate supervisors who can develop their supervision practice through reflective conversations, with the sharing of best practice and reference to research-based evidence. In 2009, the initiative of the Postgraduate Supervisors' Conversations was set up through the collaboration of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Postgraduate) and the Teaching Development Unit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. This initiative was designed to complement the compulsory workshops for postgraduate supervisors that are intended to provide foundation skills. We aimed to create a professional development opportunity that could meet institutional requirements as well as enhance supervisors' capacity to manage the ongoing interpersonal and academic complexity of the supervision process and its dynamic character. This paper outlines the rationale for the Postgraduate Supervisors' Conversations, describes its implementation and discusses the implications of an initial evaluative focus-group discussion with attendees.     

美国专业学位研究生教育的学位结构及启示

从系统理论视角研究美国专业学位研究生教育学位的层次结构、类型结构和学科结构的结果表明,美国专业学位研究生教育的学位结构具有层次分明、类型多样、学科柔性等特征。我国专业学位的发展需要明确学位类别、建立专业学位体系,满足社会需求、扩大专业学位规模,丰富学位类型、扩展专业学位学科。     

对全日制硕士专业学位研究生教育的几点思考

在阐述全日制硕士专业学位研究生教育发展的必然性基础上,重点论述了研究生招生和研究生培养模式的选择方面的问题,主张应从研究生初试、复试、课程体系、教学模式、实践训练、导师队伍等方面着手,全面提高其培养质量。     

The role of HE in professional development: some reflections on a foundation degree for teaching assistants

Rapid change in higher education (HE) has lead to a reappraisal and debate about the role and ‘mission’ of the university and the university teacher. In the diversification of the HE sector, it is possible to see a shift away from the ‘advancement of knowledge’ as the primary purpose of the HE sector as a whole. This article focuses on a particular dimension of this change referred to as the ‘vocationalisation’ of HE and evident in the growing role of work-based learning (WBL) in the academy. In particular, foundation degrees provide a context for examining the role of WBL and the university in professional development. Analysis of interviews with 19 students on, or progressing from a foundation degree for teaching assistants reveals how they construct their learning and the relationship between work-based and academic learning. The author concludes that notions of ‘equivalence’ between work-based and academic learning are flawed and fail to recognise HE's distinctive contribution to professional learning, and argues for recognition of the distinctive contributions that both WBL and ‘academic’ learning make to professional development.     

The sustainability of a teacher professional development programme for beginning urban teachers

This study investigated the long-term effects of a professional development intervention for beginning urban teachers and explored which characteristics and activities in school organisations contributed to the sustainability of these effects. A quasi-experimental study (n = 72) investigated whether the positive effects of the programme were observed one year after the programme ended. Interviews with teachers and principals (n = 19) were used to explore which characteristics and activities in schools contributed to those positive effects. A significant long-term effect of the programme was found on teachers’ competences and professional orientation. An open culture in the schools was experienced as an important factor for the sustainability of the programme’s effects.     

Using email for formative assessment with professional doctorate students

This article reports on aspects of a recent research and development project in doctoral education. It focuses on the use of email for tutor’s formative assessment within the early stages of a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) in an English university. Its case study methodology included participant observation of the programme workshops, critical discourse analysis of the email texts, and two series of in‐depth, semi‐structured student interviews. The tutor whose feedback was analysed had previously researched and theorised formative assessment, so the research allowed his previous theoretical insights to be explored and developed in an early doctoral context. The article concludes by discussing the problematic power of feedback at this level, given the culturally constructed associations of feedback with summative assessment, and implications for supervisory practice.     

发展高等职业教育是调整高等教育结构的手段

我国单一的高等教育结构，虽然培养了大量的人才，但其规格与类型却不能满足社会对高层次实用型人才的需要，致使高等教育与经济的发展不相适应。对部分高等院校实行改革、改组和改制来发展高等职业教育，是调整我国高等教育结构的重要手段。     

Integrating ICT in Kenyan secondary schools: an exploratory case study of a professional development programme

This study explores the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Kenyan secondary schools. Specifically, it is a case study of four schools with no previous access to ICT. The professional development programme from which data for this study were drawn was designed to support teachers learning to integrate ICT in the curriculum. Using a mixed-method research approach, the authors collected data from multiple sources and triangulated the views of various stakeholders: questionnaires with teachers, focus groups with teachers, school leaders and ICT coordinators, field observations and document analysis. While the broader programme focused on the use of ICT, the results highlighted in this study focus on the development of the four schools with respect to 1) vision building, 2) leadership, 3) collaboration, 4) expertise and 5) access to adequate resources. The discussion centres on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to prepare schools in developing countries to integrate ICT in education.     

Students’ attitudes towards online pre-laboratory exercises for a physics extended curriculum programme

Background: Students’ well preparedness for laboratory sessions is of importance for a number of reasons including them being able to engage in and learn from the session and in acquiring the necessary laboratory skills needed for the scientific community and for possible further work in industry. To enhance the preparedness of the students an online environment was designed, developed and implemented in a structured logical manner.

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate student perceptions in a Science Extended Curriculum Program (ECP) of both the traditional pen and paper method they used in 2016, and the new online resource method they used in 2017 to better prepare them for Physics laboratories, and to compare the two methods.

Sample: N = 51 students from a first-year Extended Curriculum Programme in physics at a South African university voluntarily participated in this study.

Design and methods: The research was conducted using two non-standardised structured questionnaires where the enrolled ECP students were asked both open-ended – and closed questions (using a Likert response scale). Google Forms using graphs assessed these responses. An additional source of data was iKamva/Sakai which is the University of Western Cape’s institutional Learning Management (LMS) system, which allowed for detailed information regarding online activities.

Results: Four main research questions focussing on preparedness, time spent, lab activities and online resources were identified. Findings from these suggest that an introduction of an online environment positively affected the students’ perceptions of the online environment for pre-laboratory preparation in comparison with using traditional pen and paper.

Conclusions: The present study has successfully managed to both reveal that the introduction of online environment for Physics laboratories brought about some positive benefits as perceived by the students, as well as fruitful avenues for future research. While more work is needed, in terms of research and continuing evaluation of eLearning in Physics education, there is reason to be positive in terms of renewed emphasis to add blended learning within the broader Physics learning and teaching communities.     

Investigating the differential effectiveness of a teacher professional development programme for rural and urban classrooms in Indonesia

This article reports on the differential effectiveness of a teacher professional development programme for teachers in urban and rural schools in Indonesia. The study employed an embedded mixed methods design that involved the concurrent collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative component involved a pre–post design in which two surveys were administered to a sample of 2417 students drawn from 66 classes in 32 lower secondary schools (960 from urban schools and 1457 from rural schools). The qualitative component involved six case study teachers and two students from each of their classes. Qualitative information was gathered using teacher and student interviews, classroom observations and teacher reflective journals. The quantitative results suggested that there were disparities between the usefulness of the knowledge and skills imparted during the programme for teachers in urban and rural schools. The themes that emerged from the data gathered using qualitative methods helped to make sense of the differences in student scores in urban and rural schools before and after the teacher professional development programme.     

Collaborating with colleagues for the sake of academic and professional development in higher education

Abstract

This research examines how faculty members in higher education collaborate with colleagues, their collaborative professional work, the nature of these collaborations, and the benefits they get from it. Research findings show that collaborations are perceived as one of the important components of academic and professional development. The findings indicate issues about the characteristics and nature of collaborations as well as about colleagues with whom faculty members prefer to collaborate, the ways in which they collaborate, the advantages of collaborations, and the important role that academic leaders and institutions play in encouraging collaborations.     

Relationship dimensions in the professional supervision of psychology graduates: supervisee perceptions of processes and outcome

The professional supervision of new graduates to ensure both their effectiveness with clients and their personal learning and development is a common feature of a range of human services contexts. This study investigated psychology supervisees’ perceptions of relationship processes and outcomes in professional supervision. The relationship constructs of supervisor support, challenge and openness were investigated and related to the outcome variables of supervisee anxiety and perceived effectiveness of supervision. Psychology graduates (n=261) involved in the process of professional supervision for registration responded to a mail survey regarding the quality of their supervisory relationship. Findings established the relationship dimensions of levels of supervisor challenge, supervisor support and supervisor openness as independent but related constructs. Supervisees’ perceptions of supervisor support and openness predicted their perceptions of supervisor effectiveness. Supervisees’ perceptions of level of supervisor challenge predicted their self-reported levels of evaluative anxiety or defensiveness in the supervisory process.     

Contribution of a professional development programme to the quality and retention of teachers in an urban environment

This study examined the effects of a professional development programme aimed at equipping teachers for the challenges of teaching in urban schools. The contribution of the programme to teacher quality and teacher retention was evaluated using a mixed research design in which both quantitative (N?=?133) and qualitative (N?=?42) approaches were used. The results showed a significant effect of the programme on teacher knowledge and self-efficacy. Furthermore, teachers greatly appreciated the programme and they perceived a positive impact on their competences, self-efficacy and professional orientation. The opportunity to share experiences within a network of teachers was considered the most valuable element of the programme.     

职业学校教师专业学习团队——一种基于校本课程开发的教师专业发展途径

教育质量是职业学校发展的生命线,提高职业学校教育质量的关键在于教师专业的发展,而校本课程开发是教师专业发展的有效途径。本文提出职业学校要依托校本课程开发这一平台,以建构教师专业学习团队为途径,通过促进教师专业发展来提高职业学校的教学质量。     

Great expectations: Teacher learning in a national professional development programme

This paper reports findings from an evaluation of a national continuing professional development (CPD) programme for teachers in England. Data showed that the localised implementation, opportunities for interactive learning, and ‘collective participation’ were positive factors. Research participants reported difficulties, however, in ‘cascading’ knowledge to colleagues and in sustaining and developing their learning. It is argued that these limitations were rooted in an inconsistent theory of learning that underpinned the programme and a failure to conceptualise teachers as ‘lead learners’ in schools. Wider implications for the design of teachers’ professional development are considered.     

对促进欠发达地区高职教育可持续发展的理性思考

当前，我国欠发达地区高职教育还存在着办学定位不清、办学基础设施差、师资力量薄弱、专业设置缺乏市场论证、毕业生就业能力不强等问题。要促进欠发达地区高职教育的可持续发展，必须解放思想，与时俱进，创新高职教育发展理念，明确办学定位；坚持和落实科学发展观，实施高职教育的品牌化发展战略；构建人才培养的质量保证体系，实施高职教育的国际化发展战略；建立多元化的教育经费投入和筹措机制，实施高职教育的产业化发展战略。     

Peer development as an alternative to peer observation: a tool to enhance professional development

Many higher education institutions worldwide require that all academic staff undergo a peer observation of teaching each academic year. Within one department in a university in the South of England, questions have arisen about the value and purpose of the traditional ‘peer observation’ process, and as a result a new voluntary system of ‘peer development’ has been introduced. This paper explains the rationale underpinning the new peer development process, and explores its worth and value to those who have participated in it as a mechanism for professional development. Reflections on the process are considered, along with what can be done to improve the new system.     

Longitudinal literacy professional development in an urban elementary charter school

The authors describe a school-university professional development partnership in a high-needs urban elementary charter school. University and school partners collaborated to build instructional capacity to develop teachers’ understanding and implementation of effective literacy instruction. Design-based research revealed increased understanding and implementation of effective literacy practices among school leaders and teachers. Findings revealed the importance of administrative stability; coaching support; and a focused, school-wide instructional vision.     

Teacher learning in the context of a continuing professional development programme: A case study

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into characteristics of teacher learning in the context of a successful continuing professional development programme (CPD programme). An in-depth case study of the learning activities of two teachers, the problems they encountered and the way they regulated their learning was conducted. Results show that these teachers differed greatly from each other: one teacher showed a meaning directed learning pattern, while the other teacher's learning pattern was undirected. Still, positive effects of the PDP on classroom behaviour were observed for both teachers. It appeared that the trainer could compensate for a lack of self-regulation.