Easing the transition of first year undergraduates through an immersive induction module

Entry into higher education (HE) is recognised as a challenging time for undergraduates as they negotiate the norms and practices of new academic communities and foster relationships with peers and academics. Given the significance of this time period, our University has piloted a new four-week module that immerses students in their discipline and provides them with the academic skills and networks to support them through this period and beyond. Here we report a comprehensive evaluation examining academic and student experience of this immersive module. We explore its impact on essential aspects of the transition experience e.g. social integration, academic literacies and the sense of preparation for HE. Whilst this new approach did have positive impacts on students’ sense of integration, questions were raised around the extent to which it matched or even raised expectations, and the extent to which this prepared students for the rest of their studies.     

Fair use versus fair return: copyright legislation and its consequences.

The purpose of this article is to examine the ramifications of legislative recognition of the concept of fair use in the Copyright Act of 1976. The fair use concept, while of small consequence in its normative origins, has turned out to be the foundation of the most perplexing and divisive issues in the new legislative guidelines governing copyright. Legislative recognition of the concept of fair use, coupled with enormous growth of a new technology--extending from xerography to on-line database systems--creates de facto exemptions to both the intent and content of new copyright guidelines. The issue is not one of limiting use or suppressing information, but of mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of copyright holders, be they authors or publishers, and insuring the free flow of information by providing a proper return on both intellectual creativity and capital expenditures. The authors argue that the elimination, or at least curtailment of fair use doctrine, coupled with an increase in technological approaches to reporting of secondary use of copyrighted material, will benefit all sections of the knowledge industry. Authors will receive proper royalties on use; publishers will be able to sell more books and journals at lower prices; and librarians will be liberated from extensive chores such as monitoring usage or determining fee schedules and transferences. The issue is one of fair return--an issue obscured and ultimately subverted by fair use.     

Perceptions of the usefulness of the IEP by teachers of learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children

The present study used questionnaires to examine the perceptions of the usefulness of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) by teachers of emotionally disturbed and learning disabled children. Teachers surveyed indicated that the IEP does have some general utility for them and their students. However, the majority of respondents also indicated that the IEP does not usually assist them in planning day-to-day instruction. Additionally, they do not refer to the actual IEP document very often, nor is it particularly accessible to them. It was concluded that the IEP will not qualitatively affect the education of handicapped students unless it guides the delivery of services on a daily basis.     

Huitzilopochtli: The Will and Resiliency of Tucson Youth to Keep Mexican American Studies Alive

In response to the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, students in the newly formed Chican@ ¹ Traditionally the term “Chicano” would be used for individuals of Mexican descent in the United States, and “Latino” is a pan-ethnic term that is inclusive of the people of South American and Central American descent. Due to the gendered nature of languages, the use of Chican@ and Latin@ have become more commonly used in Educational, Feminist, and Ethnic Studies scholarship as a representation of both Chicanas/Chicanos and Latinas/Latinos. It is a way to embrace equality and respect toward everyone. View all notes Literature, Art, and Social Studies program displayed their resiliency in the face of the oppressive actions of the Tucson Unified School District and the state of Arizona. This article serves as a platform for the voices of these dedicated youth who continued their educational and activist journey on Sundays throughout the 2012–2013 academic school year. The students share their impressions of why the Chican@ Literature, Art, and Social Studies program was important to them and how the curriculum, pedagogy, and relationships with classmates and their teacher shaped their continued struggle to revive Mexican American Studies for future generations and the transformation of the world.     

What helps and hinders indigenous student success in higher education health programmes: a qualitative study using the Critical Incident Technique

Tertiary institutions aim to provide high quality teaching and learning that meet the academic needs for an increasingly diverse student body including indigenous students. Tātou Tātou is a qualitative research project utilising Kaupapa Ma¯ori research methodology and the Critical Incident Technique interview method to investigate the teaching and learning practices that help or hinder Ma¯ori student success in non-lecture settings within undergraduate health programmes at the University of Auckland. Forty-one interviews were completed from medicine, health sciences, nursing and pharmacy. A total of 1346 critical incidents were identified with 67% helping and 33% hindering Ma¯ori student success. Thirteen sub-themes were grouped into three overarching themes representing potential areas of focus for tertiary institutional undergraduate health programme development: Māori student support services, undergraduate programme, and Ma¯ori student whanaungatanga. Academic success for indigenous students requires multi-faceted, inclusive, culturally responsive and engaging teaching and learning approaches delivered by educators and student support staff.     

菌必治在剖宫产术中的应用

目的 :观察在剖宫产术中应用菌必治预防术后感染发生的效果。方法 :将 2 74例接受剖宫产术的患者随机分为两组 ,其中一组在麻醉诱导期使用单次剂量的菌必治和甲硝唑 ,比较两组在术后感染发生率、临床表现等方面的差异。结果 :手术开始前使用菌必治能显著降低术后感染发生率 ,对于容易发生感染的高危患者更加有效 ,术中及术后分离出的 64株细菌对菌必治的敏感率为 93.8%。结论 :在剖宫产术开始前预防性应用菌必治能有效降低术后感染的发生 ,值得推荐在高危患者手术时应用。