Planning National Curriculum Science

Nigel Carden, deputy head of Kirkleatham Hall School, Redcar, Cleveland, describes how the work of a consortium funded through the Technical and Vocational Initiative (TVEI) has complemented school-based developments, giving rise to a broader but realistic science curriculum.     

Integrated bioprocess design: A case study for undergraduates

This paper presents a case study for use in the teaching of bioprocess design. Taking the production and isolation of an intracellular protein from S. cerevisae , it demonstrates how undergraduates can use a range of data to construct and then to investigate the range of process flowsheet options available for such a process duty. The paper considers the role of newer operations, such as expanded bed technology, alongside more traditional process routes. An integrated view of bioprocess design is developed to demonstrate how unit operations interact and hence enable students to determine the eventual overall process performance that is achieved.     

Transnational education: The importance of aligning stakeholders' motivations with the form of cross-border educational service delivery

There is currently renewed interest in transnational education (TNE) amongst UK universities as a means of taking education to the 98% of tertiary students worldwide who are geographically immobile. In this discourse, the home universities are characterised as the dominant players, seeking strategic opportunities to commercially expand into foreign markets. This paper argues that, in contrast, there are four key stakeholders in TNE—the home university, the partner organisation, the host government and students in the host country—and a TNE partnership is shaped by their relative power and motivations. The paper finds that unless the motivations of stakeholders are broadly aligned to the form of TNE partnership, it is unlikely to succeed. It highlights the fluid nature of these motivations which change over time—often slowly, but sometimes abruptly when there is a change in university strategy or policy on the part of the host government.     

A comparison of men's and women's strength to body mass ratio and varus/valgus knee angle during jump landings

The purpose of this investigation was to compare valgus/varus knee angles during various jumps and lower body strength between males and females relative to body mass. Seventeen recreationally active females (age: 21.94 ± 2.59 years; height: 1.67 ± 0.05 m; mass: 64.42 ± 8.39 kg; percent body fat: 26.89 ± 6.26%; squat one-repetition maximum: 66.18 ± 19.47 kg; squat to body mass ratio: 1.03 ± 0.28) and 13 recreationally active males (age: 21.69 ± 1.65 years; height: 1.77 ± 0.07 m; mass: 72.39 ± 9.23 kg; percent body fat: 13.15 ± 5.18%; squat one-repetition maximum: 115.77 ± 30.40 kg; squat to body mass ratio: 1.59 ± 0.31) performed a one-repetition maximum in the squat and three of each of the following jumps: countermovement jump, 30 cm drop jump, 45 cm drop jump, and 60 cm drop jump. Knee angles were analysed using videography and body composition was analysed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to allow for squat to body mass ratio and squat to fat free mass ratio to be calculated. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were found between male and female one-repetition maximum, male and female squat to body mass ratio, and male and female squat to fat free mass ratio. Significant differences were found between male and female varus/valgus knee positions during maximum flexion of the right and left leg in the countermovement jump, drop jump from 30 cm, drop jump from 45 cm, and drop jump from 60 cm. Correlations between varus/valgus knee angles and squat to body mass ratio for all jumps displayed moderate, non-significant relationships (countermovement jump: r = 0.445; drop jump from 30 cm: r = 0.448; drop jump from 45 cm: r = 0.449; drop jump from 60 cm: r = 0.439). In conclusion, males and females have significantly different lower body strength and varus/valgus knee position when landing from jumps.     

The Composition of Governing Bodies of Higher Education Corporations

The Education Reform Act 1988 gave independence to polytechnics and the major colleges of higher education. From a position where they were the subject of tight and bureaucratic control by the maintaining local authorities, they have moved to one where responsibility for conducting their affairs in the hands of the small group of persons who constitute their governing bodies. This paper examines the composition of governing bodies in order to see the range of sizes adopted and how boards have been constituted within the permissible limits of the Act. It also touches upon some of the difficulties and ambiguities which have been created by the present legislation. A survey reveals that most institutions have decided to have larger boards which are not dissimilar to those which existed previously and few institutions have taken advantage of the flexibility of the Act and chosen to have small boards. It remains to be seem whether size and composition have any relevance to an institution's success or otherwise in the challenging years ahead.