加拿大瑞尔森大学创业教育生态系统的架构及路径

创业教育是增强创业活动的利器,构造创业教育生态环境是推动创业教育成功的关键.加拿大瑞尔森大学将其"通过实践学习知识"的办学理念充分体现在创业教育之中.该校设置了创业教育的五大架构,专业教师通过知识与创新,结合商业导师的投资与指导,嵌入创业教育的全过程.学校建立了面向各专业的"空间学习"平台,形成了"实践导向"的创业教育模式.本文从创业教育主体的切入方式、平台的持续孵化教育、创业教育与专业建设融合等方面,剖析了瑞尔森大学创业教育生态系统的实现路径,总结出瑞尔森大学创业教育成功的要素:整合多方资源、构造持续的创业教育生态环境、实现创业教育与专业教育的结合、促进创业教育与科学研究的互动.     

Early Childhood Teachers’ Psychological Well-Being: Exploring Potential Predictors of Depression,Stress, and Emotional Exhaustion

Research Findings: Early childhood teachers’ psychological well-being influences the nurturing and learning classroom climate in early care and education as well as children’s development. However, less is known about predictors of teachers’ psychological well-being in preschool. The purpose of this study was to explore associations between potential predictors of teachers’ psychological well-being—such as professional background, teaching efficacy, and work environment—and teachers’ self-perceived depression, stress, and emotional exhaustion after controlling for individual demographics. A total of 1,129 teachers serving preschool-age children (3- and 4-year-olds) in the United States participated in the study. Teachers responded to a questionnaire asking about their background, work environment, and social-emotional attributes. Multiple regression analysis revealed that levels of teachers’ self-efficacy and work environments are generally associated with their psychological well-being above and beyond their personal and professional backgrounds. Practice or Policy: The results of this study suggest that it is important to help teachers build teaching competence and efficacy and to prepare them to handle stressors from work environments in order to reduce their psychological burden. In addition, we suggest that positive work climates need to be created for teachers and children at the program level.     

Lines,roamers, and squares: Oh my! using floor robots to enhance Hispanic students’ understanding of programming

Teaching programming and coding skills in K-12 classrooms is becoming a part of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs across the United States. Often, these opportunities are available through extra-curricular activities such as Robotics club, math club, STEM club, etc. Increasing STEM opportunities for students who are English language learners, culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and/or students from underserved backgrounds is vital. In a pilot study prior to a larger, grant-funded study on the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on elementary students’ academic performance, the principal investigator (PI) developed an activity with a corresponding assessment instrument. The PI initially incorporated floor-robots into an activity in two fifth grade science classrooms. Pre/post survey analysis provided encouraging results. To follow up on the initial results, the PI and co-principal investigators (co-PIs) introduced floor-robots into eight additional fourth and fifth grade science classrooms over an additional school year, as well as in an after-school setting, to determine how floor-robots might be used effectively to engage elementary students in STEM learning. The investigators introduced over 257 elementary students to three types of floor-robots, and this provided students with opportunities to have hands-on access to programming and coding robots for specific purposes. Of the 257 students who interacted with the floor-robots, approximately 103 were provided with pre/post surveys on Roamer®, one of the floor-robots. Additional data analysis provided surprising and encouraging results.     

Reliability and agreement between DXA-derived body volumes and their usage in 4-compartment body composition models produced from DXA and BIA values

Two research groups recently produced equations for estimation of body volume from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. These body volume estimates can be used for body composition evaluation in modified 4-compartment models. In the present analysis, the reliability of body volume calculations, as well as their usage in 4-compartment models, was explored while employing precise scheduling of assessments and dietary standardization. Forty-eight recreationally active males and females completed two pairs of identical assessments, which included a DXA scan and single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Each assessment within a pair was separated by 24 hours, during which participants were provided a standardized diet. Body volume and 4-compartment equations were applied to the data, and metrics of reliability and agreement were calculated for body volume and 4-compartment components. While both body volume equations demonstrated excellent reliability individually, substantial disagreement between equations was present when utilized in 4-compartment equations. The magnitude of this disagreement was 4.3 kg for lean mass and fat mass and 6.9% for body fat percentage. At present, the large discrepancies in body composition components when using existing body volume equations preclude their interchangeability and demonstrate the need for continued exploration of the utility of body volume estimates.     

In search of health information…

Searching for health information is a core activity for health library and knowledge workers, whether seeking to support health care workers in overcoming barriers to accessing drug information, exploring the potential of text mining in developing search filters, translating search filters for use on alternative databases, or the importance of updating search filters to ensure their ongoing utility.