African American female faculty at large research universities: Their need for information

African American female faculty at large research universities are given the same responsibilities as other faculty. They must teach, conduct research, engage in worthwhile service to the university community, and regularly disseminate the results of their work in scholarly publications. Rewards from the university are directly tied to the level of success that the faculty member experiences. The minority label is often a barrier to the African American female faculty member's search for full standing in the university's community of scholars. To overcome this barrier, African American women must find and use the best information available to help them. This includes finding a good mentor, mastering a variety of information sources, and building a strong personal and professional network.Melvin M. Bowie is an associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia. She received her A.B. degree in history and French from Tougaloo College; an M.S. in library science from the University of Illinois; and, a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instructional Media from Iowa State University. Her current research interests, including studies carried out for the National Reading Research Center, focus on collection development and resource-based teaching. Her teaching areas include technical services in school media centers, collection development, and administration of school media programs.     

The need for effective writing instruction

Many students with writing difficulties have negligible editing skills at best. Existing research supports that a strategy approach to teaching writing conventions to students with learning disabilities is effective, particularly when the strategies involve mnemonics. Recognizing that classroom teachers are increasingly overburdened, our study offers an alternative setting for academic intervention – the after-school program – and focuses on an intervention utilizing a mnemonic designed to increase the efficacy of the time spent on editing in the writing process. This study investigates the impact of two instructional conditions on participants' editing skills: (1) the effects of direct instruction regarding writing conventions to a combination of direct instruction and (2) a mnemonic writing strategy from Step up to writing. Both approaches produced significant gains (p < .05). However, the combined approach exhibited a larger effect size of d = .77-.84 at post-test, as measured by TOWL-3 Contrived Composite scores.     

Educational Assessment in Saudi Arabian Schools

This profile describes the methods of assessing pupils' learning which are currently in use in the Saudi system. It starts with some very general information on Saudi Arabia and then describes the main features of the Saudi educational system, with special reference to the structure of the curriculum, its design and its development process. It then explains the assessment itself and guidance and regulation from the Ministry of Education. It concludes with a few recommendations for the future.     

The construction of the universality of English within Saudi Arabian education contexts

Discourses of the universality of English and its role in individual mobility and social development abound in the literature; these discourses have contributed to the global spread of English and to the development of English Language Teaching as a profession. Despite the ubiquity of the discourses of the value and universality of English, there has been limited research on how these discourses unfold in local contexts, how these discourses are reproduced or appropriated, and how these are translated into teaching and learning artefacts (e.g. policies and textbooks) and practices by teachers and students. This paper explores the construction of the discourse of the universality and value of English within education policies, curricular documents, and textbooks used in Saudi Arabian schools, and how these discourses then play out within teacher/student interactions in a rural Bedouin-dominated classroom. Our aim is to contribute to the understanding of global English and its discourses taking a local, situated perspective.     

It is better to light a candle than to ban the darkness: government led academic development in Saudi Arabian universities

At first glance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s current multi-billion dollar investment in its social sector, especially in setting up new schools and universities, seems to have as its primary aim the preparation of the Kingdom for a future that is not dependent on its oil resources which are predicted to run out in less than a 100 years. However, there is another consideration that warrants examination in the current context. KSA is also positioning itself to assume a dominant role firstly among the Gulf countries, secondly in the Arabic world and thirdly globally. The two ambitions are obviously intertwined but are likely to have distinct impacts on the international academy. To this end, the Higher education sector has seen unprecedented growth both in student numbers and infrastructure due to the expenditure of massive amounts of money. More than 13 billion dollars is pumped into education and of this Higher Education receives more than two billion annually. However, because the main concern for KSA’s Higher Education development is to maintain its Arabian base whilst striving to become internationally relevant, the funds are applied in a centrally controlled manner that aims to balance the two ambitions. In practice, the gender-based segregation is one issue that continues to be an unresolved and contested complication. This paper argues that ultimately international competitiveness is likely to be impact significantly and possibly irrevocably on Saudi cultural traditions and religion norms.     

Educational governance and challenges to universities in the Arabian Gulf region

Higher education institutions in the Arabian Gulf region today, which have mushroomed and proliferated in the past ten to fifteen years, have been constructing themselves along models of Western universities at the levels of governance, programs, and structure. At the outset of the twenty-first century, universities have globally experienced a drastic shift in their governance from ‘republics of scholars’ to stakeholder organizations. In this paper, we discuss and deconstruct some of the consequences of that drastic shift, paramount among which is the downsizing and neglect of some sciences/fields. We discuss some of the major problems that the Market Model of the University is facing in the West through a literature review. We also explore the academic view on some problems and challenges facing University governance today in the globe at large and specifically in the Arabian Gulf Region. We believe that universities in this region in their present state face the serious challenge of generating indigenous knowledge that fulfills the needs of citizens within this region, knowledge that draws upon the culture, history, and geography of the area and responds to the specific needs of citizens in this area.     

Students' evaluation of teaching in a Saudi Arabian university

Evaluation of teaching effectiveness by different sources is a well established practice. It is generally carried out in the form of student evaluation using rating scales. This article describes one such system designed for the College of Engineering at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It describes the operation of the system in detail, including a rating scale questionnaire about both teacher and course. The author proposes a method of analysing the responses so as to make them effective for feedback. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of this proposed method of analysis, he presents a sample analysis of a two-semester period involving eight teachers, six courses (multi-section), and 16 responses. The results show that:
1 The average response for the same teacher from different courses was fairly consistent.
2 A norm can be developed to compare the average responses for different teachers.
3 There was a good correlation between the average rating of a teacher and the percentage of students wanting to take another course with him.
4 The students' responses about the content of a multi-section course were fairly consistent from different sections of that course.
5 The overall ratings of different courses were compared with each other, and showed good consistency with the nature of the courses.
Since the results were based on a two-semester period, a semester-to-semester comparison of either the teacher ratings or course ratings could not be made, but as more data is gathered this may become possible in future.     

The impact of electronic media on faculty evaluation

With the proliferation of computer networks and the increased use of Internet‐based applications, many forms of social interactions now take place in an on‐line context through Computer‐Mediated Communication (CMC). Many universities are now reaping the benefits of using CMC applications to collect data on student evaluations of faculty, rather than using paper‐based surveys in Face‐To‐Face (FTF) classroom settings. While the relative merits of CMC versus FTF student evaluations have been researched extensively, there is limited research published about the ways students respond to the questions from either mode of data collection. This paper reports on a research study to analyse the communication differences between student scores from FTF student evaluations and CMC evaluation questions from end of semester evaluations from a university in the Middle East region. In addition to the questions about communication mode differences between two evaluation questions, several demographic variables were measured to determine any interaction effects. The results of our study suggest that the type of communication channel mitigates the responses that students make on CMC evaluations vis‐à‐vis FTF evaluations of faculty. In particular, even though there were significant differences found at the aggregate level between CMC and FTF evaluations, when the course and instructor are controlled for, there were no significant differences reported. In addition, several differences were noted depending on the type and level of the course being studied. Also, we found that students are more likely to express more extreme responses to scale questions in CMC than FTF evaluations. Administrators should consider these potential differences when implementing on‐line evaluation systems.     

高校外语人才培养改革途径刍议

为了满足当前社会发展的需要,为社会输送更多的高质量外语人才,改革高校外语人才培养模式势在必行。通过分析高校公共外语教学的现状,提出了改革高校外语人才培养模式的途径和举措。     

新时期高校就业指导工作探析

进入20世纪90年代中后期,高校毕业生就业逐渐由“包当干部包分配”向毕业生与用人单位双向选择、择优录用、竞争上岗的模式转变。为适应毕业生就业制度改革的需要,一些高校开始尝试对毕业生进行就业指导教育,以帮助毕业生顺利就业。进入21世纪,社会主义市场经济体制初步确立,国家明确规定,高校毕业生实行“市场导向、政府调控、学校推荐、学生与用人单位双向选择”的就业机制。与此同时,我国高等教育逐步迈入大众化,毕业生人数急剧增长,不少高校毕业生出现就业困难。因此,加强高校就业指导工作显得更加迫切和重要。一、高校就业指导工作的主…     

A study of student perceptions in a Saudi Arabian university

The focus of this study is on student perceptions in a Saudi Arabian university. Data are presented that indicate that the university studied has major functional limitations. Most students have little academic orientation; college education is viewed as a means to rapid prosperity. They also lack adequate scholastic preparation and hold negative perceptions of faculty and administration, generally viewing the former as corrupt and the latter as insensitive to their needs. Reference is made to cultural constraints on college education and to the unprofessional treatment of expatriate faculty by the university administration.     

English,Israeli‐Arab and Saudi Arabian Adolescent Values

This paper compares the results of three surveys. The subjects comprise 96 adolescents in an English comprehensive school, 118 Arab adolescents in three schools in Israel and 89 adolescents in two schools in Saudi Arabia. The first and last groups of subjects have a modal age of 14 years whereas the majority of the second group are 15 years of age. The open‐ended questionnaire comprised 10 prompts designed to elicit responses concerning ideals and least ideals, most and least preferred companions, use of solitude, summum bonum, most and least desired outcomes to life and nascent philosophies. Two methods of analysis were used. First, references to dominant themes were totalled; secondly, responses were assigned to six categories according to the dominant values expressed from materialistic to altruistic. Similarities but also significant differences were found in the dominant themes and significant differences were also apparent in the values that were expressed. Most marked was the high value placed on parents and friendship by the English young people, the importance attached to education by the Israeli‐Arab group and the prominence given to Islam by the Saudi Arabian adolescents.     

The challenges of delivering public good in Arab universities: faculty perspectives

The contribution of Arab universities to the public good is being greatly compromised by the political and economic instability of the Arab Spring. To understand the role Arabian universities are playing in the public sphere and their ability to contribute to the public good, we interviewed 74 professors from 14 countries. Analysis of the faculty interviews yielded four major challenges: motivation and rewards for conducting research, security and safety issues, lack of a research infrastructure, and the challenges of international recognition. Our findings suggest universities should focus on the two most critical issues over which they have some control: securing safety for the faculty and creating an effective research infrastructure.     

The participation of women faculty in Chinese universities: paradoxes of globalization

This paper contributes to a discussion of how globalization is affecting women faculty in different countries around the world. It reports on a collaborative, international research project designed to understand the participation of women faculty members in Chinese universities, sketching the historical context necessary for understanding women's place in universities in China, describing the process of surveying university faculty on gender issues and reporting the findings of the survey for universities that prepare secondary school teachers. The paper concludes that in China, ‘gender consciousness’ is a major barrier preventing women's full participation as faculty. As a result, women are likely to increase their disadvantage in the next few years as Chinese universities expand, diversify, emphasize research and broaden their links with the rest of the world.     

中美高校教师聘任制比较分析

中美两国高校在师资队伍建设上均实行教师聘任制度,在聘任对象、聘任标准、聘任和解聘过程、聘任类型等方面,既有相同之处,又存在诸多差异。分析比较两国高校教师聘任制的各自特点,有利于我们借鉴美国高校的有益经验,从而促进我国高校教师聘任制更加完善。     

高校政治辅导员队伍职业化建设探究

高校政治辅导员队伍职业化建设存在着的问题,给大学生思想政治教育工作带来了很大的困难.要很好完成大学生思想政治教育的任务,高校政治辅导员队伍职业化建设势在必行.     

The department-wide approach to improving faculty instruction in higher education: A qualitative evaluation

This study applies qualitative methods to evaluate a model for the improvement of university teaching. According to this model, a departmental instruction specialist comprehensively treats issues concerning the quality of instruction within the department. This specialist gets to personally know all faculty members in need of teaching improvement and initiates preventive measures prior to the development of severe problems in instruction. Two years of implementation in the Physics Department at Tel Aviv University have shown an increase in quality of instruction and in faculty motivation and attitudes toward both instruction and students, suggesting that this approach has potential for department-wide teaching improvement. This article illustrates the complexities of the processes underlying teaching improvement, the longitudinal effort required to comprehensively improve instruction, and the reasons for failure and success in these efforts.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA, April 1993.