An exploration of the professional competencies required in engineering asset management

Engineering asset management (EAM) is a rapidly growing and developing field. However, efforts to select and develop engineers in this area are complicated by our lack of understanding of the full range of competencies required to perform. This exploratory study sought to clarify and categorise the professional competencies required of individuals at different hierarchical levels within EAM. Data from 14 field interviews, 61 online surveys, and 10 expert panel interviews were used to develop an initial professional competency framework. Overall, nine competency clusters were identified. These clusters indicate that engineers working in this field need to be able to collaborate and influence others, complete objectives within organisational guidelines, and be able to manage themselves effectively. Limitations and potential uses of this framework in engineering education and research are discussed.     

Life in the Hive: Supporting Inquiry into Complexity Within the Zone of Proximal Development

Research into students’ understanding of complex systems typically ignores young children because of misinterpretations of young children’s competencies. Furthermore, studies that do recognize young children’s competencies tend to focus on what children can do in isolation. As an alternative, we propose an approach to designing for young children that is grounded in the notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky 1978) and leverages Activity Theory to design learning environments. In order to highlight the benefits of this approach, we describe our process for using Activity Theory to inform the design of new software and curricula in a way that is productive for young children to learn concepts that we might have previously considered to be “developmentally inappropriate”. As an illuminative example, we then present a discussion of the design of the BeeSign simulation software and accompanying curriculum which specifically designed from an Activity Theory perspective to engage young children in learning about complex systems (Danish 2009a, b). Furthermore, to illustrate the benefits of this approach, we will present findings from a new study where 40 first- and second-grade students participated in the BeeSign curriculum to learn about how honeybees collect nectar from a complex systems perspective. We conclude with some practical suggestions for how such an approach to using Activity Theory for research and design might be adopted by other science educators and designers.     

Does teacher professional development affect content and pedagogical knowledge: How much and for how long?

We examine the impact of teacher professional development on a key aspect of teacher quality—teacher knowledge. Specifically we use English Language Arts teacher content and pedagogy assessments to determine whether the California Professional Development Institutes significantly improve teacher content knowledge and whether teachers retain that knowledge six months after the institutes are completed. The results indicate that teachers vary significantly in pre-institute knowledge on the four assessed domains, that they demonstrate significant knowledge growth between the pre- and post-assessments, but that practical classroom experience hinders knowledge retention as measured six months later. Further, pre-exiting knowledge gaps are not systematically reduced thereby not alleviating the uneven distribution of teacher quality among California elementary schools.     

Validity assessment of the Woodcock-Johnson Broad Cognitive Ability and Scholastic Aptitude cluster scores for behavior-disordered adolescents

Correlations between the WISC-R, the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement clusters, the Woodcock-Johnson Aptitude clusters, and the Broad Cognitive Ability Score were evaluated, using as a sample 60 BD male adolescents. Aptitude cluster scores were found to have insufficient validity to justify computation for such a population. The Broad Cognitive Ability Score was found to be significantly correlated to all W-J Achievement cluster scores. Implications were discussed of Hotelling's t-test analyses examining the correlations between the four W-J Achievement cluster scores and the WISC-R VIQ as compared to the four W-J Achievement cluster-Broad Cognitive Ability correlations.     

Are U.S. Students the Most Heavily Tested on Earth?

How should amount of testing be defined? On average, how many hours does a U.S. student spend on testing? How does this compare with testing time in other countries? How do the type and purpose of testing vary from U.S. to other countries?     

ACADEMIC CAREERS IN POLAND: DOES GENDER MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

The article analyses some of the problems of academic women in Poland. It begins with an historical survey of the status of educated and professional women in Poland beginning with the end of the eighteenth century and then focusses on the social and political determinants and the differences and similarities of the recruitment patterns and the course of the careers of women and men in the academic world. Women, the author recognizes, are underrepresented in academic and scientific careers in comparison with men; however, the problem stems as much from the perceived role of women in society at large as from blatant sexual discrimination. The situation is slowly improving, but women need to form organizations to further their collective interests.     

Schooling of Children with Rare Diseases and Disability in Europe

ABSTRACT

Inclusive education of disabled students has been promoted in European disability policies. However, the transition process from more segregated system is slow. The purpose of this study was to provide an insight about different types of schooling of disabled children affected by a rare disease across Europe and to evaluate their and caregivers’ well-being. We analysed data from a cross-sectional study (BURQOL-RD) of persons with rare diseases that cause intellectual and/or physical disability: Prader-Willi syndrome, fragile X syndrome, three types of mucopolysaccharidosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The sample consisted of 359 children aged 6–17 and 269 caregivers from eight European countries. Results showed differences between countries in proportion of students placed in special schools, which are still valid option in countries such as Germany, France or UK. Within the inclusive education modalities, lack of special support for disabled students was observed especially in low-income countries. No association between the type of schooling and quality of life was observed, but the subjective caregivers’ burden seems to be higher in special schools. The study shows existent differences in implementation of inclusive education in Europe. More research is needed in the field of rare disease disability and educational needs.