The Rhythm of the University: Part One - Teaching, Learning, and Administering in the Whiteheadian Vein

This is the first of two articles examining Alfred North Whitehead's notion of the rhythm of the university. Here, I concentrate on the rhythm of teaching and learning, the importance of academic freedom to an imaginative faculty, and the relationship between Whitehead's own pedagogy and his considerable administrative practice. My purpose is to show how his views enlarge our understanding of universities today.     

Threats to the inclusive movement

Anthony Feiler, senior lecturer in special needs, and Howard Gibson, senior lecturer in language and literature (both at Bath Spa University College),suggest that within the field of special educational needs the movement towards inclusion is endangered. Four key threats are explored: the lack of precisionin definitions of inclusion; the lack of research evidence; the tendency for some children to experience what is termed 'internal exclusion' inschools; and the continuing inclination to label children (as an example of labelling the media's presentation of the term dyslexia is examined). Theauthors argue that if inclusion is to take hold in schools more attention needs to be paid to these threats.     

Who are the researchers that are collaborating with industry? An analysis of the wine sectors in Chile, South Africa and Italy

Research on University-industry (U-I) linkages and their determinants has increased significantly in the past few years. However, there is still controversy on the key factors explaining the formation of U-I linkages, and especially related to individual researcher characteristics. This paper provides new empirical evidence and, in particular, looks at the importance of researchers’ individual characteristics and their institutional environments in explaining the propensity to engage in different types of U-I linkages. Based on an original dataset, we present new evidence on three wine producing areas - Piedmont, a region of Italy, Chile and South Africa - that have successfully responded to recent structural changes in the industry worldwide. Empirical findings reveal that researchers’ individual characteristics, such as centrality in the academic system, age and sex, matter more than publishing records or formal degrees. Institutional specificities at country level also play a role in shaping the propensity of researchers to engage with industry.     

Examination of the Six Minute Walk Test to Determine Functional Capacity in People with Chronic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) with respect to its ability to predict functional capacity in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods: A systematic review was performed via 8 databases to assess relevant English language full-text articles published from January 1, 1980 to October 31, 2009. Participant characteristics, interventions, reliability, validity, and predictive value for each article with respect to functional capacity as defined by peak VO₂ levels were extracted and compared. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) scores were determined for each study. Results: Fourteen studies met the selection criteria. Comparison of the studies investigating reliability shows that the 6MWT has good reproducibility. The 6MWT demonstrates moderate correlation with peak VO₂ levels, and ability to predict VO₂ (functional capacity) dependent on distance walked. Cut-off distances vary from 300 to 490 meters depending on the study; if total distance walked remains equal or less than these values, the 6MWT retains its strong predictive value. Conclusion: The 6MWT has good reliability, moderate validity, and a significant ability to predict functional capacity in patients with CHF who do not walk greater than 490 meters.Key Words: six-minute walk test, chronic heart failure, functional capacity, peak VO₂     

Approaches to the Writing of Cases: experiences with preservice Master of Teaching students

During the final phase of their first year, preservice students in the Master of Teaching programme at the University of Sydney are required to write their own case stories from experience. This process serves to help them make individual and collective sense of what has occurred in the course of their initial six week practicum, which was preceded by 20 weeks of intensive coursework based on several forms of case methodology. Through a carefully constructed writing workshop, the university teacher writes along with the seminar group members, thereby facilitating sharing, discussion and the conferencing of individual cases as they unfold. The collegial environment of a ‘community of writers’ established in this way operates as a support for neophyte teachers. In the short term, it provides a forum for articulating teaching dilemmas and reflecting upon their actions and decision taking. Longer term, it serves to enhance the potential for growth as these intending teachers begin to think constructively about their work in schools.     

Advaces in education for persons with servere handicaps

The recent trends and practices in working with individuals with severe handicaps are many and varied. Politics and social values have steered technological advancements in certain directions and away from others, but it is clear that today teachers, parents, and other professionals have more effective treatment procedures available for individuals with severe handicaps than ever before. This paper discusses the concomitant developments in behavioral techniques for persons with severe handicaps and ethical trends for providing services that have occurred over the past ten years.