‘Time is not enough.’ Workload in higher education: a student perspective

Students' workload has been recognised as a major factor in the teaching and learning environment. This paper starts by structuring the different conceptualisations of workload described in the scientific literature. Besides the traditional distinction between objective and subjective or perceived workload, a distinction between conceptualisations focusing on the perception of quantitative and qualitative aspects of workload comes to the fore. This qualitative study investigates what workload means for students in higher education. Forty Civil Engineering and Educational Sciences Master's students were interviewed. The results show that ‘having time’ is a precondition for experiencing a manageable workload. When this precondition is fulfilled, the interest of a student and the ability to plan and set priorities play an important role in the perception of workload. Finally, the results show that several aspects of the learning environment can influence this interest and the perception of workload.     

From activity to transdisciplinarity and back again – preschool teachers’ reasoning about pedagogical goals

This study presents an analysis of preschool teachers’ reasoning about pedagogical goals. Of specific interest is how teachers in a Swedish and a Finnish context describe goals for children’s learning and how they describe them implementing these goals into their practice. The research question is thus: How are pedagogical goals perceived and enacted, in the thematic-oriented and play-based pedagogical practice of preschool? In-depth interviews were conducted with six preschool teachers, of which three expressed learning goals guiding their pedagogical work. The Variation Theory of learning is the guiding principle throughout the analysis, and reveals indirect and direct objects of learning and content for learning described by the three teachers. A deeper analysis of the features of these provides a comprehensive picture of pedagogical goals that are intertwined and move between activity goals, working goals and transdisciplinary goals. These results contribute to our understanding of the characteristics of preschool pedagogy and the complex pedagogical practice preschool entails.     

ActivPAL™ determined sedentary behaviour,physical activity and academic achievement in college students

The aim of this study was to examine relationships between activPAL?-determined sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) with academic achievement. A total of 120 undergraduates (N = 57 female; 20.6 ± 2.3 years) participated in the study. Academic achievement was measured as the grade point average obtained from all completed courses. Participants wore on the right tight an activPAL? for 7 days to determine total sedentary time, total number of sedentary breaks, sedentary bouts, standing time, light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Separate multiple linear regression models were performed to examine associations between SB variables and academic achievement. Light PA, MVPA, total sedentary time, total standing time, or total number of sedentary breaks were not related to academic achievement. Independently of PA, the amount of time spent in sedentary bouts of 10-20min during weekdays was positively related to academic achievement. Given that college students spend the majority of their workday in environments that encourage prolonged sitting, these data suggest that interruptions in prolonged periods of sitting time every 10-20min via short breaks may optimize cognitive operations associated with academic performance.     

Frequency Distributions and Standards of Anthropometric and Physical Performance Measures for College Women

Abstract

Frequency distributions of the records of a random selection of 200 college women in a nonmajor required program on anthropometric and physical performance measures commonly employed in physical education were compared with best-fitting normal curves for the same data. A table of random numbers was used to secure the sample. A percentile table for the various measurements was constructed. It was concluded that various measurements commonly employed by physical educators give a non-normal distribution. Hence, the obtained distribution as found on various measurements in this study does not warrant treating these data as normal.     

Further development in social reasoning revealed in discourse irony understanding

This study describes the development of social reasoning in school-age children. An irony task is used to assess 5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds' (N= 72) and adults' (N= 24) recursive understanding of others' minds. Guttman scale analysis demonstrates that in order to understand a speaker's communicative intention, a child needs to recognize the speaker's belief, the detection of which depends on the ability to identify the discrepancy between the intended and the expressed meaning. Only children who understand these aspects of mind are able to reflect on the speaker's attitude. Theory of mind and language ability make unique contributions to children's interpretation of irony over and above the impact of age and memory, but attunement to expressive prosody does not.     

Creating Learning Prisms with an Interdisciplinary Case Study Workshop

With increasing specialization, most academic disciplines have become highly compartmentalized. Numerous organizations in higher education strongly encourage interdisciplinary collaboration at the faculty and student level. The purposes of this article are (a) to provide a conceptual framework for explaining how and why an interdisciplinary case study method is a catalyst for the development of students and faculty; (b) to document the conception, planning, organizing, and results of an interdisciplinary case study workshop; and (c) to provide recommendations to encouragechange others who might want to apply this model to their own interdisciplinary efforts.All authors are at Towson University Sharon B. Buchbinder, R.N., PhD, is associate professor of health science. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Special interests are physician job satisfaction and turnover, patient compliance, learning styles and teamwork among undergraduates. Patricia M. Alt, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is professor of health science. Special interests are state level policies on aging and human subjects protection, the impact of baby boomer aging on public services, responsible conduct of research training and typologies of institutional review boards. Karen Eskow, PhD, University of Maryland is associate professor of occupational therapy and occupational sciences and director of the Family Studies Program. Special interests are family professional relationships, family quality of life, and families with adolescents. William Forbes, PhD, University of Maryland is associate professor of Kinesiology and director of the Wellness Center. Special interests are developing quality programming to assist older adults in improving their fitness and wellness, racquetball, squash, downhill skiing, and billiards. Eva Hester, PhD, University of Maryland is associate professor of communication science and disorders and special assistant to the dean, College of Health Professions. Special interests are speech language-disorders in children and adults. Miriam Struck, O.T., doctoral student, University of Maryland is currently occupational therapist, Physical Disabilities Program, with the Montgomery County Public Schools. Special interests are disability, transitioning from school to work, and instructional methods. Dianne Taylor, R.N., Ed.D., University of Maryland is associate professor, nursing. Special interests are psychiatric nursing and critical incident stress management.     

Challenges and barriers to Austrian early childhood educators' participation in online professional development programmes

Online professional development programmes have a long tradition in adult education. However, in early childhood education, such programmes are only just beginning to be developed. Before online professional development courses can be made inclusive, accessible and widely available to early childhood educators, they must meet a few basic requirements. The present study provides insights into essential aspects that need to be considered when setting up online professional development programmes, a field which is still in its infancy in Austria. The results of a representative survey (n = 317) demonstrated that early childhood educators' digital competencies are highly variable and cannot be taken for granted. The survey results also stress the need to provide educators with functional digital devices appropriate to their work environment. Early childhood educators' interest in online professional development programmes is very high, in recognition of the advantages afforded by flexible participation options independent of users' time constraints or location. The development of attractive, compelling and accessible online professional development courses can contribute to current professionalisation efforts in the field of early childhood education.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Online professional development has already a very long tradition in the field of adult vocational training but not in Early Childhood Education.
• The possibility of attending online professional development programmes independent of a participant's time constraints or location is viewed as a particularly beneficial advantage.
• Online professional development programmes positively affect the professionalisation of educators. For this reason, they must increasingly be integrated into the field of early childhood education.

What this paper adds

• In the field of early childhood education in German-speaking regions, online professional development training courses are only beginning to be developed.
• This paper examines the challenges and barriers for early childhood educators associated with implementing online professional development programmes for early childhood educators.
• The survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and includes current data on the ongoing digitalisation boom.

Implications for practise and/or policy

• Online professional development courses should not be understood as competition for conventional face-to-face programmes. Instead, they act as a useful supplement.
• Media competencies are a fundamental prerequisite for everyday professional life—early childhood educators need functional media devices, stable internet connections, and support structures in IT and computer literacy.
• Early childhood educators require effective instruction in using online professional development programmes to expand online professional development programmes in their field. They must also address compelling topics in early childhood education relevant to educators' practise.

     

Ethical challenges of in-the-field training: a surgical perspective

The teaching of professions in which technical and manual acts combined with excellent judgment are used to enhance the safety of people, poses challenges to educators. Book learning combined with mock or simulated situations goes a long way, but ultimately “in-the-field” instruction and learning is necessary to qualify trainees for many occupations such as doctors, pilots, firefighters, police officers, and many others. The dilemma is how to teach potentially life-altering techniques in a real-life setting without compromising the safety of the recipient of the service being taught. Using the exemplary model of surgical teaching in the technology-heavy and high-tension world of neurosurgery, the authors attempt to explore this ethical and practical dilemma.     

The effects of POWERSOURCE© assessments on middle-school students’ math performance

This paper describes results from field testing of middle-school math formative assessments alongside professional development and instructional resources. We employed a randomised, controlled design to address the question: Does using our formative assessment strategies improve student performance on assessments of key mathematical ideas relative to a comparison group? This study also provided data on the instructional sensitivity of the assessments, which is part of the validation needed for formative assessments. Teachers were recruited from two districts and seven middle schools. Nineteen treatment and 17 comparison group teachers and their students were included in study analyses. Scores on extended response and short-answer questions indicated that students in the treatment group performed better than students in the comparison group who received the formative assessments alone. These findings demonstrate both the feasibility and value of including performance task-types in a brief assessment context.