Articulation and Transfer for Career and Technical Students: Best Practices for Dealing with Real and Perceived Barriers to Baccalaureate Degree Attainment for Applied Science Students

ABSTRACT

Community colleges produce large numbers of high quality graduates from career and technical programs. These programs are often of high academic rigor and quality. However, most universities view these Applied Associates of Science (AAS) as being terminal associate's degrees that are not appropriate for transfer. Regional accrediting standards are often cited as the reason for this differentiation. The reality is that institutional policies often simply dismiss AAS courses by their prefix to simplify the process. This study and presentation will explore the reality of what is allowed by accrediting bodies in transferring AAS courses and best practices for facilitating the maximum allowable course transfer.     

“Dangerous Work”: Improving Conditions for Faculty of Color in the Community College

This qualitative investigation of the experiences of faculty of color at community colleges identifies current conditions for this population and suggests potentials for ameliorating conditions that inhibit their job satisfaction. We argue that the current conditions for faculty of color, based upon their expressed experiences at the community colleges, are deleterious to their professional performance, to their positive self-image, and to their contributions to their institutions. Alterations to these current conditions are unlikely without systemic institutional change. Indeed, without improvement to these conditions, the job satisfaction of faculty of color is not likely to change.     

The influence of squat depth on maximal vertical jump performance

Abstract

An increase in the period over which a muscle generates force can lead to the generation of greater force and, therefore, for example in jumping, to greater jump height. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of squat depth on maximum vertical jump performance. We hypothesized that jump height would increase with increasing depth of squat due to the greater time available for the generation of muscular force. Ten participants performed jumps from preferred and deep squat positions. A computer model simulated jumps from the different starting postures. The participants showed no difference in jump height in jumps from deep and preferred positions. Simulated jumps produced similar kinematics to the participants' jumps. The optimal squat depth for the simulated jumps was the lowest position the model was able to jump from. Because jumping from a deep squat is rarely practised, it is unlikely that these jumps were optimally coordinated by the participants. Differences in experimental vertical ground reaction force patterns also suggest that jumps from a deep squat are not optimally coordinated. These results suggest there is the potential for athletes to increase jump performance by exploiting a greater range of motion.     

Where to go: Computational and visual what-if analyses in soccer

ABSTRACT

To prepare their teams for upcoming matches, analysts in professional soccer watch and manually annotate up to three matches a day. When annotating matches, domain experts try to identify and improve suboptimal movements based on intuition and professional experience. The high amount of matches needing to be analysed manually result in a tedious and time-consuming process, and results may be subjective. We propose an automatic approach for the realisation of effective region-based what-if analyses in soccer. Our system covers the automatic detection of region-based faulty movement behaviour, as well as the automatic suggestion of possible improved alternative movements. As we show, our approach effectively supports analysts and coaches investigating matches by speeding up previously time-consuming work. We enable domain experts to include their domain knowledge in the analysis process by allowing to interactively adjust suggested improved movement, as well as its implications on region control. We demonstrate the usefulness of our proposed approach via an expert study with three invited domain experts, one being head coach from the first Austrian soccer league. As our results show that experts most often agree with the suggested player movement (83%), our proposed approach enhances the analytical capabilities in soccer and supports a more efficient analysis.     

Negotiating reassurance: parents’ narratives on follow-up after cochlear implantation

This study presents an analysis of parental experiences on follow-up after cochlear implantation. Data were constructed in semi-structured, individual interviews with the parents of 14 children who use cochlear implants. Drawing on narrative analysis, the study explores parental responses to insecurity concerning children’s learning and development, as well as the meaning professional support holds for parents. In their response to insecurity, the parents handle the ‘trouble’ of insecurity through constructing two narratives of self: the parent-as-learner and the parent-as-teacher. The parents use these narrative constructions to negotiate reassurance, holding themselves responsible for future outcomes. The parents’ stories reflect a language of instrumentality, inducing a burden of responsibility. The study addresses the need to question to which extent parents should act as teachers and cautions that, while acknowledging the importance of parents’ involvement for children’s learning and development, this should not reduce the relationship to a functional, pedagogical one. The contribution of the study is to bring into conversation how the language of instrumentality affects the parents and how this invokes a need for rethinking parent support. Suggestions for further research are given.     

On Establishing Norms in a Large City System

This article reports a study using the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) and grade point average as predictors of performance in a performance-based teacher education course. While the results of the study established statistical significance for the use of the developed regression model, practical significance is limited. These results are consistent with other research and lead to suggestions for using a different technique in predicting performance of candidates.     

The “1984” Macintosh Ad: Cinematic Icons and Constitutive Rhetoric in the Launch of a New Machine

The “1984” Macintosh ad was broadcast only once in 1984 to launch a personal computer that could easily be used by non‐expert consumers, but the ad has remained in the public eye via numerous television and advertising award ceremonies. Applying a theory of constitutive rhetoric with analysis of the ideological codes and cinematic narratives that construct the ad, this essay explores the integral role ads play in the cultural discourse of new technologies. Ultimately, the ad's rhetoric of freedom and revolution is used to constitute consumers, not rebels, leaving intact capitalism's ideological investment in the technological realization of social progress.     

Tertiary teachers and student evaluations: never the twain shall meet?

Internationally, centralised systems of student evaluation have become normative practice in higher education institutions, providing data for monitoring teaching quality and for teacher professional development. While extensive research has been done on student evaluations, there is less research-based evidence about teachers’ perceptions of and engagement with student evaluations, the focus of the research reported in this paper. An interpretive approach framed the study in which data were gathered through questionnaire and interview responses from teaching staff at three New Zealand tertiary institutions. Results highlighted the general acceptance of the notion of student evaluations, recurring ideas about the limitations of evaluations and significant gaps in the way academics engage with student evaluation feedback. Recommendations for enhancing teacher engagement with student evaluation are made to optimise the potential for student evaluations to inform teaching development and to improve students’ learning experiences.     

Estonian preschool teachers’ views on supporting children’s school readiness

ABSTRACT

Transition from early childhood education to primary school is a complex phenomenon. This situation, moving from one educational system to another, is exciting, but can also be stressful for the child, her family and preschool teachers. Smooth transition to primary school helps children feel secure, relaxed and comfortable in their new environments. The current study, highlighting how Estonian preschool teachers comprehend their pedagogical activities in supporting children’s school readiness, was conducted using semi-structured interviews. There were 15 participants, preschool teachers, who at the moment of research taught in groups where children were between the ages of 6 and 7. As a result of completing the above procedure, research findings highlight that there is a lack of collaboration between preschools, schools and local neighbourhoods, but teachers try different methods individually when introducing school environment to children.