Educational services in the University of Bath

Educational technology units, audio-visual aids centres or television services have been established in many British Universities during the present quinquennium. These have met with varied responses from academics, and several organizational patterns have emerged. This article sets out to describe the organizational structure and the range of services offered by the Educational Services in the University of Bath. The Service grew out of the amalgamation of several discrete and independent provisions within the University—projection services, a City-University television service, a unit in the School of Education and so on.Across the board involvement is achieved via a Senate Committee responsible for overall direction, credibility is established by the appointment of an existing academic staff member as director, and an internal bulletin provides the core of a communications system with the academics. Staff seminars on curriculum analysis and development, methods of evaluation and so on, backed up by occasional visiting speakers, provide theoretical backup to the practical and hardware services. An important aspect of the work of the Service is co-operation and co-ordination with the new University Library which has been designed to provide both book and non-book information services. Professor Austwick is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Educational Technology, and Mr. Harris is the Director of Educational Services in the University.

---

Les services annexes de l'enseignement a l'Universite de Bath

Résumé Des services rassemblant les moyens techniques d'enseignement, ainsi que des centres audio-visuels ou télévisuels ont été créés dans de nombreuses universités anglaises ces dernières années. Ils ont suscité des réactions différentes de la part du milieu universitaire et, de ce fait, des formes d'organisation différentes sont apparues. L'article vise à décrire l'organisation et la gamme des services qui se rencontrent en cette matière à l'Université de Bath. Le Service des moyens pédagogiques est né de l'intégration de plusieurs services indépendants qui existaient au sein de l'Université: services de projection, de télévision, un groupe de l'Institut d'éducation etc.Les relations avec le Conseil sont assurées par un comité responsable de la marche générale des services; le sérieux de l'entreprise est garanti par la nomination comme directeur d'une personalité membre du corps universitaire; la publication d'un bulletin intérieur fournit un moyen de communication avec l'ensemble des universitaires. Des séminaires consacrés à l'analyse et à l'élaboration des filières d'études, aux méthodes d'évaluation des résultats et autres sujets semblables sont animés par des spécialistes invités et procurent une aide théorique aux services d'exécution technique. Un aspect important de l'activité du Service réside dans la coopération et la coordination avec la nouvelle bibliothèque de l'Université qui a été concue pour diffuser l'information, que celle-ci soit livrescue ou non. Le professeur Austwick est président du Comité pour la technologie de l'enseigement et M. Harris est directeur du Service des techniques d'enseignement à l'Université de Bath.

     

美国儿童博物馆的社会经济效益研究 —— 基于15家儿童博物馆的访谈调查

发源于美国的儿童博物馆至今已有一百多年的历史.采用分层随机抽样与典型抽样相结合的抽样方式,通过对美国15家儿童博物馆负责人的访谈研究发现,作为以教育儿童为目的的非营利性社会组织,美国儿童博物馆承担着服务促进社会发展的重要责任,其社会经济效益与教育功能一样不容忽视.其产生的社会经济效益主要包括:为家庭教育提供有利场所,传播和培养启发式、互动式和参与式的教育理念;注重对儿童文化欣赏力、多元文化包容力和跨文化交际能力的培养;整合社会资源服务社区,与当地学校、高校和其他社会机构保持紧密联系;关注社会弱势群体,促进当地经济文化发展.     

Improving quality of the child care environment through a consultancy programme for centre directors

This study examined the effects of a newly developed on-site consultancy programme to improve global quality of the child care environment in non-parental child care centres for 0- to 4-year-old children as measured with the ITERS-R/ECERS-R. Using a randomised controlled trial with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up test, we compared 35 experimental group with 33 control group. The consultancy programme comprised three consultations in total. Analysis on the items that were specifically targeted during the consultancy showed a significant improvement on these targeted items between pretest and posttest and between posttest and follow-up. The effect of the consultancy programme on the total scores (including the non-targeted items) was not significant.     

Gender Differences,Family and Psychological Factors Affecting School Performance in Greek Secondary School Students

High rates of school failure have been reported for secondary school students, with boys presenting more schooling difficulties. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between school performance and family and psychological factors. A sample of 1315 male and female secondary school students was recruited from 54 classes randomly selected out of a total of 534 classes in the Greek region of East Macedonia and Thrace. School performance was measured dichotomously according to the final school results (pass or fail). Family and sociodemographic data were collected and psychological problems were measured using the Youth Self Report (YSR). Male gender, low socioeconomic status, low parental education and parental separation were all positively associated with school failure. Those who failed scored higher on the YSR problem scales than those who passed, and boys were more affected by adverse circumstances than girls. The results indicate that students, especially boys, with psychological problems and those coming from families of low socioeconomic and educational status are at high risk of school failure.     

Mechanisms of the relation between perinatal problems, early childhood illness, and psychopathology in late childhood and adolescence

Data on perinatal and early childhood somatic and psychological risk factors of a random sample of children were gathered in early to middle childhood and employed to examine the long-term risk of emotional and behavioral problems of late childhood and adolescence. 3 issues were addressed: First, can syndromic specificity of such effects be identified on scaled and diagnostic measures of syndromes? Second, are these effects attributable to excess risk of low-income children for both perinatal and later childhood problems? Third, are the intervening mechanisms identifiable as intellectual impairment, vulnerability to poor health, poor maternal caretaking, maternal rejection, or maternal stress associated with marital problems? Findings indicated that elevated risk was present for all syndromes, both at the scale level and at the diagnostic level. None of the examined intervening mechanisms fully accounted for the effects of early risks.     

Improving the compositions of students with learning disabilities using a strategy involving product and process goal setting.

This study was conducted to determine if a planning and writing strategy would improve the essay writing of students with learning disabilities. Four participants were taught a strategy designed to facilitate the setting of product and process goals, generation and organization of notes, continued planning during writing, and evaluation of goal attainment. Training effects were investigated using a multiple probe design across subjects. Strategy instruction had a positive effect on students' essay writing performance and knowledge of the writing process, and effects were maintained over time.     

The Will,the Wit,the Judgement: The importance of an early start in productive and successful creative writing

Most traditional concepts about creative writers include the idea that creative talent is evident early - that productive and talented writers began their careers at a young age. Yet few empirical studies have actually examined this supposition. A study of 986 creative writers from the twentieth century investigated the relationship between the age at first publication and measures of productivity (numbers of works produced) and success (winning a Nobel or Pulitzer prize). While significant relationships were found between an early debut and increased productivity in poetry and total number of works, it is more noteworthy that a writer's age at first publication was not significantly related to total productivity in fiction or success. Implications for creative writers and teachers of creative writing are discussed, along with how these findings might be incorporated into the current standards-based reform efforts.     

Impact of Anatomy Boot Camp on Students in a Medical Gross Anatomy Course

Lincoln Memorial University‐DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU‐DCOM) offers an optional three‐week summer Anatomy Boot Camp course (ABC) to facilitate students' transition into medical school and promote retention of anatomy subject matter. The pre‐matriculation program is a supplemental instruction course that utilizes a small group learning format. Boot camp instruction is led by teaching assistants and two anatomy professors. Enrollees gain early exposure to Medical Gross Anatomy (MGA) course subject matter, which is taught in the fall semester, and learn study skills necessary to excel in medical school. No grade is assigned for the course, therefore participants can study without the fear of potentially affecting grades. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the LMU‐DCOM ABC course using data from four consecutive summers. Independent two‐sample t‐tests were used to compare ABC to non‐ABC students for the following variables: incoming grade point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) scores, MGA written and laboratory practical examination grades, and final MGA course grade. Additionally, a 26‐question survey was administered to 2012–2014 boot camp participants. There were no significant differences in incoming GPA and MCAT scores. However, boot campers scored significantly higher on the first two lecture and laboratory examinations (P < 0.05) for each year of the study. Thereafter scores varied less, suggesting a faster head start for boot camp participants. Mean MGA final grade was on average 3% higher for the boot camp cohort. The survey feedback supports that the ABC course assists with the academic and social transition into medical school. Anat Sci Educ 10: 215–223. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.