The remedial programme for out-of-school and drop-out children in Rwanda

This article discusses an educational practice that has been introduced in Rwanda, which aims to bring back into the formal education system children who are out-of-school or unschooled, even though they are over the legal enrolment age. The authors analyse this intensive programme, designed for children at that age and adapted to their daily living conditions, which are particularly difficult. They also examine the factors underlying this innovative approach, its originality and the features that make it a good practice that could be applied in other contexts. The minimal conditions for success, the implications for teacher training, the obstacles faced and the strategies devised to overcome these obstacles are also discussed.

Engineering ethics education in the USA: Content,pedagogy and curriculum

Interest in engineering ethics education developed significant momentum in the USA as the 20th century drew to a close. Nevertheless, nearly 80% of engineering graduates are not required to take ethics-related courses. The content of engineering ethics education consists of 'microethical' issues focusing on individual professional responsibility and 'macroethical' issues dealing with the development of technology. The pedagogical framework of engineering ethics education has evolved primarily toward utilization of case studies and codes of ethics, in some instances supplemented by an introduction to moral theory. Substantial progress has been made in the development of case materials, including highprofile cases, everyday cases, quantitative cases and cases highlighting 'good works'. Cases are widely disseminated in textbooks and online. Online resources include interactive case studies and a rich variety of other ethics-related materials. Prominent curriculum models in the USA include a required course in engineering ethics, ethics-across-the-curriculum projects, and integration of engineering ethics and science, technology and society material. Changes in accreditation criteria for US engineering schools will potentially elevate the prominence of instruction in engineering ethics and the societal context of engineering. Many challenges remain, most notably the need for US engineering faculty to accept greater responsibility for engineering ethics education.     

Criticality in international higher education research: a critical discourse analysis of higher education journals

The current study utilizes the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211 Ajzen 1991) to examine an instructor confirmation-interaction model in the instructional communication context to discover a means by which instructors might cultivate positive student attitudes and increase beliefs that interactions with instructors would be beneficial in the future. Specifically, the model examines how teacher confirmation (Ellis 2000) influences students’ behavioral intention to communicate with instructors. Surveys were distributed to 343 college students (41.7% male and 58.1% female) in a basic communication course. Results were primarily consistent with the proposed model; teacher confirmation was significantly related to attitudes toward communicating with an instructor, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were also positively related to students’ behavioral intention to communicate with the instructor. However, results reveal attitudes toward communicating do not predict students’ behavioral intention to communicate with instructors. It is recommended that future models examine a more contemporary, hi-tech representation of attitude toward student-instructor interactions as it may produce a significant association with students’ behavioral intent to communicate with them. The study concludes with theoretical and practical implications to examine student classroom communication via the confirmation-interaction model and the theory of planned behavior.     

Nutritional practices associated with low energy availability in Division I female soccer players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine macronutrient intake, energy density and energy intake distribution that may be associated with low energy availability (EA) in Division I female soccer players. The energy intake, exercise energy expenditure and EA of 19 participants (18–21 years) was assessed during the pre-, mid- and postseasons. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to examine the changes across the season. Chi-square analysis was performed to examine the distribution of participants meeting the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for carbohydrate and protein consumption. Independent t-tests were used to compare differences between groups. The proportion of athletes who did not meet the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for carbohydrate intake (6–10 g . kg^–1 BW) was significantly greater in the low (<30 kcal . kg^–1 LBM) than higher (≥30 kcal . kg^–1 LBM) EA group (χ² (1) = 7.5; P = 0.006). Participants with low compared to higher EA consumed a lower energy dense dinner (0.8 ± 0.1 vs. 1.4 ± 0.1 kcal . g^–1; P = 0.004) after a soccer match during midseason. No differences in the percentage (%) of kilocalories from food (84.5 ± 2.0% vs. 84.7 ± 2.6%), sports drinks (7.3 ± 1.4% vs. 6.0 ± 3.2%), other drinks (7.6 ± 1.5 % vs. 6.0 ± 1.5%) or bars/gels/beans (1.7 ± 0.6 vs. 3.0 ± 1.5) were observed in participants with low compared to higher EA (P > 0.05) during the pre- and midseasons. Identifying inadequate carbohydrate intake and the practice of consuming lower energy dense meals may be important in preventing low EA conditions and consequently the Female Athlete Triad.     

Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing,Supporting the Learning

Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to classroom teaching and learning that is designed to engage students in investigation of authentic problems. In this article, we present an argument for why projects have the potential to help people learn; indicate factors in project design that affect motivation and thought; examine difficulties that students and teachers may encounter with projects; and describe how technology can support students and teachers as they work on projects, so that motivation and thought are sustained.     

Implementing an advanced composition program with faculty from across the curriculum

For the past several years, Central Michigan University has staffed the advanced composition course required of all undergraduates with faculty from both the English department and also from other departments throughout the university. Central Michigan's experiences in developing a political constituency supportive of improving students' writing skills and in establishing faculty development workshops to assist faculty in preparing to teach this new advanced writing course are discussed. Further, the experiences of non-English faculty teaching this distinctive course are described. The impact of the writing program on other university units is reviewed. This successful program might provide a model for other universities.John S. Dinan received his Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric from the University of Massachusetts. He is Director of the Developmental Writing Program at Central Michigan University. Joseph E. Finck received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Michigan State University. He was a member of the first class of non-English advanced composition faculty at Central Michigan University. Dr. Finck teaches a section of the course with a physical science theme. William Miles is Professor, Reference Librarian, and Coordinator of Bibliographic Instruction in the Central Michigan University Libraries. He received his M.A. in English from Wayne State University and his M.L.S. from the University of Michigan. Mary Scheuer Senter received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan. As interim Vice-Provost in the 1980s, she worked with colleagues to improve student writing skills and studied factors affecting the success of nontraditional students.     

Computer simulation and concept development in students of genetics

Conclusion Computer simulations in genetics have the potential to complement laboratory activities and to act as an adjunct to the use of traditional sets of problems. In these roles, simulations such as CATLAB, generate qualitative changes in the learning experiences of students. For example, the simulated breeding experiment may be repeated and strategies modified without regard of the time and management constraints associated with actual laboratory experimentation; problem-solving may involve active data generation, in contrast to the style of textbook problems. This study showed that students reported a favourable attitude to CATLAB and that their use of the program lead to meaningful learning. The cognitive gains made by the student group encompassed both genetic concepts and processes. The scope for use of computer simulations as an adjunct to, or in some cases even replacement of traditional activities, and for an analysis of their impact is considerable.     

Community education in Kansas,a challenge to community colleges

This article discusses an educational outreach project conducted during 1974 and 1975 by University for Man (UFM), a free university based in Manhattan, Kansas, that offers educational programs not only to the KSU/Manhattan community but to other areas of the state as well. The major objective of the project, supported by the Kansas Committee for the Humanities, was to serve adult educational needs with programs examining public issues through a humanistic perspective. Programs were organized in series of weekly town hall meetings that featured several speakers on a particular issue, including an academic humanist. The mechanics of organizing such a program are reviewed, the program's results are briefly summarized, and the implications of such programs are considered. Major implications include (1) the offering of new perspectives on public policy issues to the adult public, (2) the design of new roles for professional humanists, (3) the rejuventation of participatory democracy, and (4) the movement toward permanent programs of community education in small rural communities.They directed the UFM project reported here, which was supported by the Kansas Committee for the Humanities project grant FY-73-74-36. The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the views of that committee.     

PREDICTORS OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN A B.Ed. COURSE AND IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

The study Investigated the association between entry qualifications to a BEd course, performance in educational psychology and overall BEd performance. The roles of main area specialisation and sex differences In performance In educational psychology were also investigated. The academic records of 313 students from six year‐groups constituted the data set for the study. Results showed that performance in educational psychology was an efficient predictor of overall performance in the BEd course. Students who specialised in mathematics/science subjects performed better as a group in educational psychology than students in other main areas of specialisation. Also, significant sex differences in performance in educational psychology were observed in some of the year‐groups, with female students out‐performing their male colleagues.     

The Effect of a Prior Dissection Simulation on Middle School Students' Dissection Performance and Understanding of the Anatomy and Morphology of the Frog

Science teachers, school administrators, educators, and the scientific community are faced with ethical controversies over animal dissection in classrooms. Simulation has been proposed as a way of dealing with this issue. One intriguing previous finding was that use of an interactive videodisc dissection facilitated performance on a subsequent actual dissection. This study examined the prior use of simulation of frog dissection in improving students' actual dissection performance and learning of frog anatomy and morphology. There were three experimental conditions: simulation before dissection (SBD); dissection before simulation (DBS); or dissection-only (DO). Results of the study indicated that students receiving SBD performed significantly better than students receiving DBS or DO on both actual dissection and knowledge of the anatomy and morphology. Students' attitudes toward the use of animals for dissection did not change significantly from pretest to posttest and did not interact with treatment. The genders did not differ in achievement, but males were more favorable towards dissection and computers than were females.