Evolving patterns of working: do they matter?

We consider how changing attitudes to computer use may alter the habits of students in the use of location and times of the day. We discover for one community the extent to which they absent themselves from the physical university and see some trends. We suggest that this is a deep change of habit, influenced by the ‘digital generation’, and seek qualitative results on what determines the modern student's keyboard behaviour. We present early evidence that, while students are indeed absenting themselves from formal computer facilities, some understanding of the benefits of the physical university remains intact.     

继承发扬优良传统 精心打造精品课程——中国地质大学“岩石学”课程发展历程

本文回顾了中国地质大学“岩石学”课程自著名的岩石学家、教育家池际尚院士开创至今的59年光辉历程,包括“岩石学”课程开创和奠基（1950～1966）,“文化大革命”的破坏及其后的复苏（1966～1980）、“岩石学”课程全面发展（1981～1996）和面向21世纪“岩石学”课程的新变革、新发展（1997～）等四个阶段。重点叙述了第四阶段在全球化时代背景下,继续继承和发扬重教学、重实践、重改革的优良传统,进一步精心打造“岩石学”精品课程的变革和发展。     

Mother–Infant Vagal Regulation in the Face-To-Face Still-Face Paradigm Is Moderated by Maternal Sensitivity

Parents' physiological regulation may support infants' regulation. Mothers ( N = 152) and 6-month-old male and female infants were observed in normal and disrupted social interaction. Affect was coded at 1-s intervals and vagal tone measured as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Maternal sensitivity was assessed in free play. Mothers and infants showed opposite patterns of RSA change. During disrupted interaction, mothers' RSA increased and infants' decreased, suggesting self-regulation of distress. During reunion, although the typical pattern was for infants to return to baseline levels, infants of sensitive mothers and sensitive mothers both showed a significant decrease in RSA from baseline. Mothers' and infants' physiological responses may be a function of mutual responsiveness.     

A macro-level analysis of SRL processes and their relations to the acquisition of a sophisticated mental model of a complex system

In this study, we used think-aloud verbal protocols to examine how various macro-level processes of self-regulated learning (SRL; e.g., planning, monitoring, strategy use, handling of task difficulty and demands) were associated with the acquisition of a sophisticated mental model of a complex biological system. Numerous studies examine how specific micro-level SRL processes such as judgments of learning or prior knowledge activation are related to learning outcomes. However, it is also valuable to look at these processes in macro-level aggregates because efficacy and use of micro-level strategies can vary due to individual differences. Two hundred and nineteen high-school and middle-school students produced think-aloud protocols while learning with a hypermedia environment. We transcribed and coded participants’ learning sessions for the use of micro- and macro-level SRL processes. Participants’ developmental level, prior knowledge, and monitoring behaviors were associated with posttest mental model sophistication. These results illustrate that monitoring is a key SRL process when developing an understanding of a complex science topic using hypermedia.     

Why is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning such a hard sell?

Advocates have difficulty convincing colleagues Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a worthwhile use of time and resources. This article highlights problems impeding SoTL. First, scholarship of teaching gets used as a synonym for other activities. Second, Boyer’s definition was conceptually confused. Third, SoTL is difficult to operationalize. Fourth, much discourse concerning SoTL is anti‐intellectual and located in a narrow neoliberalism. Fifth, there is uncritical over‐reliance on peer review as the mechanism for measuring scholarship. Each impediment makes SoTL a hard sell – particularly in research‐intensive universities. Taken together, they constitute a formidable problem for SoTL advocates and contain incendiary implications for promotion candidates and committees.     

Teachers’ sanction in the classroom: Effect of age,experience, gender and academic context

The moral judgement of sanction in teaching and disciplinary practices was studied in a group of 222 teachers to determine the factors that affect sanction in the classroom. Factors studied included pupils' intent, consequences, recidivism, pupils' academic level, and family stability in two contexts: discipline and schoolwork. Results showed the significant effects of these factors for each context. Age of teachers, gender and teaching level (primary or secondary school) were also investigated in the judgement of sanction. Results showed a significant main effect of age, and specific differences in the moral algebra of teachers according to gender and teaching level.     

Developing performance data for making useful faculty and leadership decisions: Needs assessment as a vehicle

This article develops a methodology, based on the concepts of a results‐referenced needs assessment, to determine and prioritize perceived areas of existing or potential concern in an academic institution. The results were used to develop a baseline against which progress in addressing those concerns can be measured over time for the purpose of assessing continual improvement. The perceived areas of concern were identified by analyzing soft data—perceptions about performance and consequences—collected using questionnaires. These data reflected the personal, not independently verifiable judgments of needs based on the perceptions of the institution's engineering faculty. There is nothing in the methodology that is unique to academic institutions. It applies to any organization that considers human resources a valuable asset.     

Self-efficacy and prior domain knowledge: to what extent does monitoring mediate their relationship with hypermedia learning?

While research has documented the key role of monitoring processes during hypermedia learning, limited empirical research has used process data to examine the possibility that these processes mediate the relationship between motivational constructs (such as self-efficacy) and cognitive factors (such as prior domain knowledge) with hypermedia learning outcomes. This multi-method study addressed this issue by examining: (1) The extent to which the relationship between self-efficacy and hypermedia learning outcomes is mediated by the use of specific monitoring processes and; (2) The extent to which the relationship between prior domain knowledge and hypermedia learning outcomes is mediated by the use of specific monitoring processes. Participants included 68 education majors. A self-report questionnaire was used to measure self-efficacy, a pretest was used to measure prior domain knowledge, a posttest was used to measure learning outcomes, and a think-aloud protocol were used to identify the deployment of monitoring processes during a 30-min hypermedia learning task. Results indicated that the relationship between self-efficacy and specific monitoring processes (Monitoring Understanding, Monitoring Environment, and Monitoring Progress Towards Goals) was significantly detectable. Additionally, the relationship between prior domain knowledge and Monitoring Understanding was significantly detectable. Lastly, regression analyses revealed that the relationship between self-efficacy and hypermedia learning outcomes was mediated by the extent to which participants monitored their understanding and the environment.