In practice—More than words: What can stop the language that hurts?

Intended or not, deep harm can come from carelessly chosen words. At Texas Christian University, educators use a program in the first few weeks of their students' college career to heighten awareness and stave off the damage of words that hurt.     

卓越工程师企业实践的培养模式探析

材料成型及控制工程专业卓越工程师培养计划是培养一批在本专业具有扎实基础理论和专业知识应用能力,工程素养和实践能力强的工程技术人才。因此,企业工程实践成为人才培养的一个重要环节,以本专业在共享集团的企业实践为例,对企业实践过程企业的管理、学习态度、评价机制等问题进行分析并对相关问题提出了改进措施。     

Investigating young children’s human figure drawings using Rasch analysis

The Goodenough–Harris Drawing Test (GHDT) is a non-verbal assessment designed to infer young children’s levels of intellectual development and understanding via the collection of three human figure drawings (HFDs) – one each of a man, a woman and a self-portrait. This paper presents findings from a research project that applied the Rasch model for measurement to HFDs collected from 246 children aged between 4 and 10 years to assess the psychometric properties of the GHDT assessment, and young children’s HFDs in general, as the GHDT had not yet been examined from a modern test theory perspective in full. Results indicated that: (1) the GHDT and children’s HFDs were apt for Rasch analysis and deemed to be generally psychometrically sound; and (2) that children performed almost identically (within error) on all three HFDs collected for the assessment, suggesting that the collection of three HFDs – as well as many of the 217 items which comprise the GHDT – was potentially redundant. Consequently, a prototype human figure drawing continuum (HFDC) was constructed from those data and examined. Rasch analysis revealed that the researcher-constructed 45-item HFDC scale – requiring just one self-selected HFD of a man, woman or child – was just as effective as the 217-item GHDT. The HFDC, when normed, should be seen as a parsimonious and child-friendly HDF assessment.     

Perceptions of mediated presence in an asynchronous online course: Interplay of communication behaviors and medium

This investigation of student perceptions of mediated presence in an online college class yielded two key findings. First, perceptions of the instructor's mediated presence were significantly higher than perceptions of the other students' presence. Second, students identified a set of communication behaviors that influenced their perceptions of whether other participants in the class were "real" or present: frequency of interaction, responsiveness, use of non-verbal communication channels, and participants' tone or communication style. Theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Occupational Outcomes for Bachelor of Science Graduates in Australia and Implications for Undergraduate Science Curricula

Recent national reports have highlighted the contribution that the sciences make to the Australian economy. Many developed economies report perceived shortages of STEM qualified workers, and at the same time, many science graduates have difficulty in finding work, especially work in their discipline. Rational education design dictates that science curricula at all levels should be based on a realistic representation of the actual practice of science graduates. So where do Australian science graduates go postgraduation? Using the Australian national census data set, we present a focussed investigation into the occupational status of Australian science bachelor graduates, how this status varies with graduate age and gender, how this status varies between science degree specialisms and how this status compares to a range of other disciplines. We consider the implications of these findings for undergraduate science degree curriculum design. We find that Australian science bachelor graduates work in a wide range of occupations, and even immediately postgraduation, only a minority of science bachelor graduates are working in traditional science occupations. Occupational outcomes vary significantly between science degree specialisms. For a contemporary undergraduate science curriculum to reflect the occupational outcomes of science bachelor graduates, there is a balance required to ensure adequate technical preparation for those students who pursue a career in their discipline as science professionals and to also address the broader knowledge, skills and attitudes that will equip the majority of graduates from Australian science programs for successful employment, further education and active participation in their communities, using their science knowledge.     

Exploring Designerly Thinking of Students as Novice Designers

Few studies have attempted a detailed analysis of designerly thinking and actions of students as they solve design technology problems. This paper reports on a study that describes in detail, the design processes used by small groups of preservice teacher education students engaged in ill-defined, open-ended, self-selected design technology projects. A notation of symbols and connectors was devised and used to map the decisions, and the material and embodied actions of two groups of students throughout the course of their projects. The detail provided by the maps gives insights into these adult novice designers' design processes and provides information to assist teacher educators in planning courses to support future teachers of design and technology.     

Preschool children’s early writing: repeated measures reveal growing but variable trajectories

Reading and Writing - Findings from education to neuroscience highlight the role of young children’s print-related skills, including early writing, in predicting and enhancing the development...