Language Learning and Errors

本文试图指出中国学生在英语写作中存在的主要问题和可能原因，旨在帮助提高师生双方对这些错误的意识，以便更好地教和学。     

Toy libraries

Toys are not just for playing. Toys are the tools of play that help children develop their social awareness, imagination, visual motor capabilities and thinking processes. Play is a very serious activity for children worldwide and often represents a primary and valuable means of learning. Since many toys are important learning instruments, children should have easy access to appropriate toys in order to explore and choose those which interest them. In addition, parents need a place where they can consult with someone about what toys are appropriate for their child's development. Toy libraries provide this service.     

LD status and achievement: confounding variables in the study of children's social status, self-esteem, and behavioral functioning

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of achievement in explaining the poor social and behavioral functioning associated with LD status, and to evaluate potential gender differences in patterns of interpersonal functioning among youth with learning disabilities (LD) and nondisabled (NLD) youth. Thirty-two students with learning disabilities (21 boys, 11 girls) were matched with same-sex, same-race classmates whose reading achievement was low (LA) or average (AA), and these groups were compared on peer ratings of liking and disliking, perceptions of self-worth and social acceptance, and teacher ratings of conduct problems, anxiety-withdrawal, and attention problems. Students with learning disabilities were less accepted and less well-liked than children in the LA or AA groups and also perceived their self-worth and social acceptance to be lower than LA or AA students. Group by Sex interactions were apparent for several of the peer rating and behavioral variables, indicating that different patterns of social and behavioral functioning distinguished LD boys and LD girls from their NLD peers. The findings highlight the potential role of low achievement in peers' dislike of LD girls and suggest the importance of investigating well-defined subgroups of youth with LD in future research.     

Erasmus Thematic Networks and the European dimension of Engineering Education

Some of the most important challenges for engineering schools at the beginning of the 21st century are summarised as well as the role of ERASMUS Thematic Networks (TN) in this scenario.

Though focus is mainly given to the European environment, the changes which are interesting Engineering Education appear to involve also the non-European sphere and therefore, this set of papers on the main outcomes of E4 Thematic Network (2000–2004) has been conceived, not only as an useful instrument of dissemination, but also an open window on Europe.

In this introductory paper key characteristics of successful TNs are outlined, as resulting from the experience of TN E4, Enhancing Engineering Education in Europe, which has terminated its life end of September 2004. The new TN project, denominated TREE, for Teaching and Research in Engineering in Europe, is briefly presented.

On the other hand, in the following 5 sections some of the main activities developed within E4 are presented touching topics related to accreditation, quality assurance, students involvement in Engineering Education, ICT and new learning methods and curriculum development.     

Reduction of water evaporation in polymerase chain reaction microfluidic devices based on oscillating-flow

Producing polymeric or hybrid microfluidic devices operating at high temperatures with reduced or no water evaporation is a challenge for many on-chip applications including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We study sample evaporation in polymeric and hybrid devices, realized by glass microchannels for avoiding water diffusion toward the elastomer used for chip fabrication. The method dramatically reduces water evaporation in PCR devices that are found to exhibit optimal stability and effective operation under oscillating-flow. This approach maintains the flexibility, ease of fabrication, and low cost of disposable chips, and can be extended to other high-temperature microfluidic biochemical reactors.     

Launching Interdisciplinary Programs as College Signature Areas: An Example

Increasingly administrators are concerned with inspiring and supporting faculty members in the creation of interdisciplinary programs in response to research and funding shifts and public need. This article presents an initative undertaken at the University of Colorado Denver, demonstrating a method for identifying and launching a set of signature interdisciplinary programs for a diverse college environment that overcomes hesitancy and hindrances at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels.     

Departments in Academic Receivership: Possible Causes and Solutions

This article explores the concept of academic receivership in U.S. colleges and universities. Academic receivership occurs when control of an academic department or program is removed from the faculty and an outside chair is put in place by the college or university administration. A literature review is supplemented by a small survey to assess how common receivership is and how it is administered. Combined, these elements allow for a discussion of the warning signs that a department is becoming dysfunctional and a procedure to guide a department through the receivership process.