Capillary flow in sacrificially etched nanochannels

Planar nanochannels are fabricated using sacrificial etching technology with sacrificial cores consisting of aluminum, chromium, and germanium, with heights ranging from 18 to 98 nm. Transient filling via capillary action is compared against the Washburn equation [E. W. Washburn, Phys. Rev. 17, 273 (1921)], showing experimental filling speeds significantly lower than classical continuum theory predicts. Departure from theory is expressed in terms of a varying dynamic contact angle, reaching values as high as 83° in channels with heights of 18 nm. The dynamic contact angle varies significantly from the macroscopic contact angle and increases with decreasing channel dimensions.     

The efficacy of peer modeling and social conflict in the acquisition of conservation.

Significant gains in conservation of number, amount, mass, and weight were made by 53 nonconservers (age 6-9) who either simply observed conserver's performance on mass and weight problems or argued with conservers in a social conflict situation about these problems. There were no significant differences in conservation performance between the modeling and social conflict treatments. It was suggested that the social conflict effect could be attributed to modeling effects.     

High Stakes Assessment: A Journey Into Unknown Territory

The purpose of this article is to explore efforts to reform physical education programs and to describe why they might not have been successful in the past. The general education and physical education reform literature is examined with attention to the current standards, assessment, and accountability reform movement prevalent in most states. General themes facilitating South Carolina's effort to gain support for policy initiatives and implement a high stakes assessment program are developed with attention to the political activities essential to gain support for change.     

An exploration of undergraduate students’ views on the effectiveness of academic and pastoral support

Background: Academic and pastoral support is fundamental to the achievement of a high-quality student learning experience.

Aim: This study reports on full-time undergraduate students’ views on the effectiveness of academic and pastoral support in one higher education institution. The intent of the study was to explore how academic and pastoral support is provided and gain an appreciation of the value placed on each method of support used.

Method: 935 students from a range of subject disciplines responded to a Bristol-on-Line Survey questionnaire.

Findings: Analysis of quantitative data revealed that a wide range of support strategies are used and valued by students.

Conclusions: Of significance was the emphasis placed on peer support and the skills required by staff providing support. Implications for policy and practice to enhance the student learning experience are discussed.     

Towards the re‐articulation of the work of teacher educators in Higher Education institutions in England

In recent years, teacher educators in the Netherlands and the USA have developed professional standards for their occupational groups. These standards have been used to identify the professional expertise of teacher educators, to analyse their professional development needs, and to provide assessment mechanisms for accreditation. This article begins by outlining the impact of changes in pre‐service work on teacher educators' work in England and arguing that a re‐articulation of the work of this occupational group is needed. It then analyses the Dutch and American initiatives, and, drawing on discussions at the Association for Teacher Educators in Europe conference in 2005, debates the potential and relevance of drawing on these models for developing a similar framework with teacher educators in England. The article concludes that, whilst developing rigidly defined standards would be inappropriate, considering the intra‐professional development of a broad professional framework would facilitate the identification and understanding of teacher educators' complex work, and provide a springboard for providing enhanced induction and professional development opportunities.

Ces dernières années, les formateurs d'enseignants aux Pays‐Bas et aux Etats‐Unis ont mis au point des critères de compétence pour leur corps professionnel. Ces critères ont été utilisés pour identifier l'expertise professionnelle des formateurs d'enseignants, analyser leurs besoins en matière de développement professionnel, et permettre d'établir des mécanismes d'évaluation de leurs compétences afin de les accréditer. Cet article débute par une analyse des initiatives hollandaise et américaine. S'inspirant des discussions qui ont eu lieu à la conférence de l'ATEE de 2005, il se poursuit par un débat sur le potentiel et la pertinence d' élaborer à partir de ces deux modèles une structure semblable pour les formateurs d'enseignants d' Angleterre. L'article conclut que, tout en reconnaissant qu'il serait inapproprié d'établir des critères rigidement définis, l'existence d'une structure générale de critères professionnels permettrait de mieux identifier et de mieux comprendre le travail complexe des formateurs d'enseignants, et fournirait une base pour un meilleur système d'intégration et de developpement professionnel.

In letzter Zeit haben Lehrerausbilder in Holland und der Vereinigte Staaten berufliche Normen für ihre Berufsgruppe entwickelt. Diese Normen sind um die Fachkenntniss der Lehrerausbilder zu feststellen, die Bedarfe ihre berufliche Weiterbildung zu analysieren und um die Beurteilungsmethode der Zulassung zu versehen benutzt worden. Dieser Artikel fängt mit einer Untersuchung den holländischen und amerikanischen Iniativen an. Sie zieht an Gespräche der Association for Teacher Educators in Europe Konferenz 2005 heran, und berät das Potenzial und die Bedeutung die Benutzung der zwei Ausfuhrung um ein ähnliches System mit Lehrerausbildern in England zu entwickeln. Die Artikel kommt zum Schluss dass, obwohl klar abgegrenzt Normen zu entwickeln wäre ungeeignet, der Betracht der Entwicklung eines breiten beruflichen System würde die Erkennung und das Verstandnis der kompliziert Arbeit des Lehrerausbilder ermöglichen und ein Sprungbett für die Besorgung eine erweiterte Einleitung und berufliche Weiterbildung Möglichkeiten anbieten.

En los últimos años, los formadores de profesores de Holanda y EE.UU han creado normas profesionales para sus grupos ocupacionales. Esas normas se utilizan para identificar la cualificación profesional de los formadores de profesores, así como para analizar sus necesidades de desarrollo profesional, y proporcionar mecanismos de evaluación para la acreditación. Este artículo comienza analizando las iniciativas holandesa y estadounidense. Tomando como punto de partida los debates que tuvieron lugar en la Conferencia de la Asociación para la Formación del Profesorado en Europa (ATEE, por su sigla en inglés), celebrada en 2005, el artículo discute las posibilidades y la importancia de usar esos modelos con vistas a crear un marco similar para los formadores de profesores en Inglaterra. El artículo concluye que, mientras la creación de normas definidas rígidamente sería inadecuada, la creación de un amplio marco profesional facilitaría la identificación y la comprensión del complejo trabajo que realizan los formadores de profesores, además de servir de trampolín para proporcionar integración y oportunidades de desarrollo profesional.     

Partnered Research Experiences for Junior Faculty at Minority-Serving Institutions Enhance Professional Success

Scientific workforce diversity is critical to ensuring the realization of our national research goals and minority-serving institutions play a vital role in preparing undergraduate students for science careers. This paper summarizes the outcomes of supporting career training and research practices by faculty from teaching-intensive, minority-serving institutions. Support of these faculty members is predicted to lead to: 1) increases in the numbers of refereed publications, 2) increases in federal grant funding, and 3) a positive impact on professional activities and curricular practices at their home institutions that support student training. The results presented show increased productivity is evident as early as 1 yr following completion of the program, with participants being more independently productive than their matched peers in key areas that serve as measures of academic success. These outcomes are consistent with the goals of the Visiting Professorship Program to enhance scientific practices impacting undergraduate student training. Furthermore, the outcomes demonstrate the benefits of training support for research activities at minority-serving institutions that can lead to increased engagement of students from diverse backgrounds. The practices and results presented demonstrate a successful generalizable approach for stimulating junior faculty development and can serve as a basis for long-term faculty career development strategies that support scientific workforce diversity.