When practice takes precedence: conceptions of inquiry and the link to ethical posture

Using participatory action research (PAR), this paper explores the ethical practice of students engaged in practitioner research in a higher education context. Using narrative enquiry, the paper explores the participants’ experiences of practitioner research, including ethical dilemmas that resulted from a conflict of values between the practitioner and research roles. We postulate a multi-dimensional approach to ethical practice known as ‘ethical posture’ emerging from our consideration of conceptions of inquiry that resulted in contrasting ethical behaviour.     

Good CoPs and bad CoPs: facilitating reform in first-year assessment via a Community of Practice

The idea and implementation of learning communities are gaining favour in higher education institutions. In particular, there are a number of successful examples to emerge of the application of the Community of Practice (CoP) framework proposed by Wenger [(1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press] for fostering a learning environment for academics around their teaching practice. In this paper, we describe and reflect on the efficacy of a CoP process that was implemented within our university. The purpose of this CoP was to provide a space for academics to focus on assessment practices for first-year courses and identify opportunities for professional development in this area. For a variety of reasons detailed in the paper, the efficacy of this CoP was limited, and we conclude that in the current higher education environment in Australia, success with CoP approaches to improve learning and teaching outcomes may prove limited.     

大学创新人才培养与实践教学改革

大学实践教学是培养学生创新精神和实践能力的重要手段,是提高学生综合素质的关键环节.要培养符合社会需要的创新型人才,必须进行实践教学的改革.该文根据目前农林高校实践教学的现状与问题和创新人才培养对实践教学的要求,探讨大学实践教学改革的基本思路与方法.     

大学物理及物理实验课程的教改与实践

针对学校大学物理及大学物理实验课程的资金投入有限、实验仪器套数相对不足的实际情况,提出了加强内部管理,合理编排实验内容等措施,制订并实施了一套行之有效的教学模式.     

我国高校学生实验和实践考评机制改革思考

随着我国经济和社会不断发展,社会对人才的需求量不断增加.然而,目前我国高校实行的学生实验、实践考评机制很难实现高等教育培养高级复合型(知识、能力、素质协调发展)人才的任务,因此,改革现行的高校学生实验、实践考评机制是十分必要的.通过分析我国高校现有实验、实践考评机制,并与国外高校考评机制进行对比,对我国高校实验、实践考评机制改革进行了一些思考.     

Secular youth and religious practice: candle lighting in Norwegian folk high schools

Although large international studies have defined Norway as one of the most secular countries in the world, Christian folk high schools in Norway have experienced record high attendance. This paper presents case studies of the religious education (RE) and practices of two Christian folk high schools in Norway. A survey shows that students at these schools can be considered representative of the confessional backgrounds and stated values of their cohort of Norwegian youth. The studied institutions have the declared goal of offering RE, of which an on-campus worship service is a central element. A large portion of the student body attends these services. Using a reconstruction of Etienne Wenger’s theory of communities of practice, the author analyses student participation in the school worship service, specifically in the act of candle lighting. Observations and student interviews indicate that the service can be described as a reflective practice representing a dialogic form of religion. This article contributes an analysis of the distinctive form of RE offered by Christian folk high schools in Norway. In a broader sense, it contributes to the understanding of secular youth and their relation to religious practice.     

美国顶峰体验课程对我国高校实践教学改革的启示

作为一种新型课程,顶峰体验课程自开设以来,就得到了欧美高校、学生和用人单位的普遍欢迎,在高等教育课程改革中产生了重大影响。探讨了顶峰体验课程的内涵和教学目标,并以美国密歇根州立大学电气与计算机工程系的顶峰体验课程"ECE480"为例,介绍了顶峰体验课程的教学模式、特点和实际效果。美国研究型大学的顶峰体验课程的成功经验对中国高校实践教学改革,具有重要意义和实用价值。     

高校药学专业实验教学改革的研究与实践

实验教学是药学专业创新人才培养的重要环节。高校必须打破传统教育观念的束缚,改变传统的药学专业实验教学模式与内容;必须以实验教学现状为出发点,以药学学科发展为方向,以社会人才需求为导向,以实验教学改革为手段,建立符合创新型人才培养规律的教学模式和教学方法,才能提升药学专业人才的培养水平,实现人才培养与社会发展的有机统一。     

电子信息类高校实习实训基地改革探索与实践

高校实习实训基地既是提高教学质量的有效途径,也是当前教育改革的重要组成部分。相对传统基地的改革模式,提出以校企联合培养"高端技术技能创新人才"为利益共同点,以培养具有创新意识、工程素质和探索精神的人才为目的,构建集教学、科研、生产于一体的、真实企业环境的大学生实践教学基地。以校企联盟为依托,通过健全的基地运行机制推进校企深度合作,促进产学研有机结合,激励企业主动参与到高等教育的各培养环节,从而实现高校、企业、学生的三赢局面。     

高校中国地理课程教学改革的探索与实践

中国地理课程是区域地理课程体系的核心,地理学的发展、国家发展、教育改革的发展对高校的中国地理课程提出了改革要求。近年来中国地理课程改革取得了长足进展,在教学内容的整合、教材及教学辅助软件的编写、教学方法的提升、实践课程的改进及考核方式的改变等方面,进行了卓有成效的探索和实践;但这些成果还不能满足上述发展对中国地理课程教学改革的要求,本文提出中国地理课程需要在以下几方面进行新的探索:(1)进一步对教学内容进行精简、重组;(2)在教学中凸显区域地理的“综合性”与“区域性”;(3)学生能力培养方法和教学手段的改进;(4)把科研引入教学中。     

Teachers' conceptions of assessment: implications for policy and professional development

Teachers' conceptions of assessment can be understood in terms of their agreement or disagreement with four purposes to which assessment may be put, specifically, (a) improvement of teaching and learning, (b) school accountability, (c) student accountability, or (d) treating assessment as irrelevant. A 50‐item Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment (COA‐III) questionnaire was completed by New Zealand primary school teachers and managers (n=525). The COA‐III, based on the four main purpose‐defined conceptions of assessment, was analysed with structural equation modelling and showed a close fit of the data to a hierarchical, multi‐dimensional model (χ²=3217.68; df=1162; RMSEA=.058; TLI=.967). On average, participants agreed with the improvement conceptions and the school accountability conception, while rejecting the view that assessment was irrelevant. However, respondents disagreed that assessment was for student accountability. Improvement, school, and student accountability conceptions were positively correlated. The irrelevance conception was inversely related to the improvement conception and not related to the system accountability conception. Surprisingly, no statistically significant differences were found in mean scale scores for each conception regardless of teacher (age, gender, role, assessment training, or assessment practices) or school (size, location, or socio‐economic status) variables. Implications for the use of the COA‐III for policy implementation and teacher professional development are discussed.     

高师公共教育学教学方法的改革与实践

教学方法的落后是导致高师教育学教学现状不能令人满意、教学质量不高的一个重要原因.把自学指导、课堂讨论、案例教学、现代媒体辅助教学、实践教学等方法融为一体,对高师教育学教学方法进行改革,才能从根本上提高高师公共教育学的教学质量.     

校园数据中心Web应用高可用服务器架构研究与实践

该文对校园数据中心基于Web的应用系统的高可用服务器架构及其相关技术进行了研究,同时也介绍了清华大学在数据中心实施高可用架构过程中注意的一些问题.     

高校分析化学课程教学改革探析与实践

随着科技的迅速发展和社会的快速进步,当前分析化学课程的教学内容和方法已越来越难以满足社会对大学生培养的需要.结合教学实践和分析化学课程现状,着重从课程内容和教学方法两方面对分析化学教学改革进行探讨.     

地方理工科高校实验教学改革探索与实践

针对当前高校实验教学过程中制约实验教学发展的主要问题,以河南理工大学为例,对地方理工科高校实验教学改革进行了有益的探索研究。提出了通过构建多层次实验教学平台,推行实验室开放工作,改革实验系列人员考核分配办法,改革实验教学内容与方法等措施促进高校实验教学改革,提高实验教学质量。     

综合类院校《动画分镜头设计》课程的教学改革与实践研究

《分镜头设计》课程在动画专业课程教学过程中具有举足轻重的作用,而综合类院校在分镜头设计课程的教学上,往往会遇到有关虚拟摄像机构建和动画影片节奏把握这两方面的问题。基于此,采取了正逆两种方向进行分镜头设计课程的教学改革,并通过实践,取得了一定的教学效果。     

国际化:中国高水平大学的必由之路

我国的高水平大学必须走国际化道路 ,积极参与高等教育领域的国际合作与竞争 ,以尽快建成世界一流大学或世界知名高水平大学。要实现大学国际化 ,当前必须完成更新观念、制度创新、聚集人才、改善条件等四项基础性的建设任务     

参与式教学在高校党校教学改革中的实践探索

参与式教学方式符合高校党校教育教学规律和大学生党员及入党积极分子的思想特点,而新媒体则为参与式教学提供了条件及技术支撑。通过实施参与式教学,有利于提升大学生党员党性修养,促使大学生入党积极分子端正入党动机,自觉向党组织靠拢,为成为真正的青年马克思主义者奠定坚实的基础,实现党校姓党的根本原则。     

地方高校实验室建设与创新人才培养的研究和实践——以广州大学为例

从以实验室建设与创新人才培养为切入点,通过论述实验室是培养创新人才的源头、实验室建设要适应人才培养的新要求、实验室开放是创新人才的培养有力保障等方面,对“培养能力为上、应用为本、创新为魂”的地方高校人才观作一附议.     

African universities and the state: Prospects for reform in Senegal and Uganda

Uganda's Makerere University and the University of Dakar in Senegal were for many years after independence among Africa's premier universities. Today, their facilities have visibly deteriorated and the quality of instruction the institutions provide is seriously threatened — the consequence of political and economic turmoil combined with persistent underfunding. If higher education remains supply-driven without reference to available resources, the problems of Makerere and the University of Dakar can only increase and become even more unmanageable. The governments of Senegal and Uganda are being encouraged by donors to undertake reforms to revitalize the university sector. However, it will not be possible to reform financing of public higher education, or to carry out many other reforms, unless the universities have more administrative and financial autonomy. Strategies for reforming higher education systems in these countries are proposed requiring a shift from government participation in the governance of public universities and in matters affecting their enrolments and utilization of resources to more indirect forms of control. Nevertheless, the policy implications for Senegal and Uganda are very different. In Senegal, measures to increase autonomy must be articulated with a larger role for the state in regulating the flow of students to university, rationalizing the programs of different institutions and restricting students' eligibility for support. In Uganda, there is need for greater government co-ordination of public and private investments in higher education and significant devolution of control of public universities.McGill University, Education and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World BankEducation and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World Bank