Australian academics’ perspectives on quality and accountability

Abstract

Universities have been challenged as teaching as well as research institutions. On the one hand, universities have been required to teach more students and pay more attention to quality of teaching and educational programmes; on the other hand, there has been increasing focus on faculty research performance. This paper examines whether these are conflicting demands, or whether university faculty are able to fulfil these requirements simultaneously. In Norway, the number of university students almost doubled between 1987 and 1995. Norway is, therefore, a sound case to examine the impact of massification on university research.     

Design,implementation, and evaluation of a multi-disciplinary professional development program for research mentors

ABSTRACT

Undergraduate research experience has been shown to enhance student learning and improve persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Researchers studying undergraduate research experiences have largely focused on student outcomes and have seldom investigated the outcomes of graduate and postdoctoral mentors. Here, we report a non-credit, year-long mentor professional development program designed for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and research staff in STEM. Mentors attended a series of six interactive and discussion-based workshops and mentored first-year undergraduate students in independent summer research projects. We report evaluation findings for three mentor cohorts using a combination of qualitative analysis of mentoring philosophies and quantitative assessment of pre- and post-surveys about mentoring objectives and skills. Results indicate that mentors gained self-efficacy in some objectives and skills. However, many other objectives and skills remained unchanged. We explore possible explanations for the lack of more broad-scale gains across survey items and present ideas for program improvement.     

我国高校科研人员Altmetrics评价需求差异研究

[目的/意义] 随着Altmetrics研究日益深入，有效识别Altmetrics评价的利益相关方需求对评价指标设计及数据基础设施建设具有重要意义。[方法/过程] 以高校科研人员为对象，利用半结构访谈法识别我国高校科研人员的Altmetrics评价需求，采用问卷调查法获取数据并检验识别出高校科研人员Altmetrics评价需求的差异性。[结果/结论] 研究发现，我国高校科研人员主要有7类Altmetrics评价需求，分别是：研究评价，成果展示，需求发现，学术认可，交流传播，成果操作，学科发展；不同年龄组别高校科研人员在"研究评价"方面有差异，"51-60岁"年龄组较其他年龄组在"研究评价"方面的需求明显偏低；除"交流传播"外，人文学科的6个Altmetrics评价功能需求强度均低于社会学科和自然学科，自然科学与社会科学间的评价需求完全一致；除"研究评价"功能需求在教师与学生存在差异外，6个Altmetrics评价需求对所有不同身份类别高校科学人员没有差异；7类Altmetrics评价需求对高校科研人员具有较高的普遍适用性。     

Researching Researchers: Meeting Changing Researcher Needs in a Special Collections Environment

ABSTRACT

In the competitive Higher Education environment, it is no longer sufficient for special collections to rely on the “uniqueness” of a collection as its unique selling point—it must be supported by a service and strategic plan that is both proactive in anticipating the demands of future researchers and responsive to current researchers’ changing needs. Edinburgh University's Centre for Research Collections (CRC) is addressing this challenge for the first time in a coordinated manner, employing a suite of research methods that allow staff to take an evidence based approach to service development and strategic planning. These include ethnographic observation, structured surveys, object-based learning initiatives, comprehensive data interrogation, and active engagement with the University's academic schools. This article examines how these approaches have been utilized in the development of CRC services, and its benefit to long-term planning.     

New Directions for Academic Libraries in Research Staffing: A Case Study at National University of Ireland Galway

ABSTRACT

New research needs, global developments and local shifts in emphasis are demanding a broader range of interactions by librarians with researchers and are challenging previous staffing structures. Research has a higher institutional profile and academic libraries have responded by creating new roles and staffing models, with stronger linkage across campus as partners rather than supporters. Particular circumstances at National University of Ireland Galway have shaped its Library's staffing configuration for research. These include the emergence of digital scholarship across campus, opportunities offered by a new research building, the growing importance of archives and the publication of a new institutional strategy. Significant reductions in staffing and budget are influential too. Distinctive features in the revised staffing model are organization by function instead of subject, prioritization of engagement with digital scholarship, distributed management of archives and special collections, and a particular emphasis on contribution across multiple teams. This case study reports early gains and challenges.     

日本国际化研究人才培养策略——以东京农工大学推进“国际化研究人才培育项目”为例

进入21世纪以后,日本的高校面对国际竞争出现种种困境。其中,学者的国际流动性差、研究成果的国际影响力低以及研究创新性不足的状况迫使日本政府和高校采取了各种措施,2014年推出“国际化研究人才培育项目”即是其中之一。该项目力图通过促进日本与海外的高校或研究机构间进行学者互派与交流,进而开展合作研究并发表相关研究成果,从而培养日本的年轻研究者使其达到世界顶尖水平,提升大学和国家的科研竞争力。以东京农工大学为例,实施该项目以后,在学者的国际交流、合作研究成果的发表以及开拓国际尖端研究等方面取得了一定成效,促进了年轻研究者的成长。但该项目也存在其局限性和不足,对我国有较好的启示意义。     

高等教育研究领域研究人员科研绩效评价

本文运用Hirsch指数(简称h指数)方法,通过对中国知网(CNKI)中国引文数据库收录的中国大陆地区高等教育研究领域的15个学术期刊在1998-2007年所刊发论文的被引用情况进行统计分析,对高等教育研究领域1998-2007年研究人员的科研绩效进行了评价,评选得出"1998-2007年高等教育研究领域最具影响力的47位学者",从一个侧面反映了中国大陆地区高等教育研究领域近10年来的研究现状。     

哲学对科技工作者的指导作用

从理论和定量两方面分析了学习哲学有助于科技工作者树立起正确的自然观和科学观，掌握科学的方法论，指导科技工作者在科学领域里攀登科学高峰。     

教育技术研究领域研究者派系分析与可视化研究

随着教育技术学术研究的不断发展,学术交流越来越频繁,合作研究也越来越多,研究者之间相继形成了规模不一的派系.本研究采用文献计量法以及社会网络分析方法,以合著学术论文为依据来发现目前存在于教育技术研究领域的研究者派系,并通过计算不同年段的各种指标,如合著指数、合著率、密度等来发现教育技术研究领域合作研究的变化,从一个侧面揭示教育技术研究领域的发展程度,最后借助社会网络分析软件UCINET将研究者派系及其变迁可视化.研究结果表明,教育技术研究领域科研合作关系越来越密切,但还 处于较低水平;科研合作类型主要为师生合作;随着研究团队的扩大,整体合作关系渐渐疏远,但开始形成小团体.     

欧洲博士后研究人员的职业规划与培训

欧洲社会对知识教育高度重视,持续对人才培养进行投资,以推动社会创新进步和可持续发展。作为人才培养基地,研究型大学不仅为欧洲社会输送了大量人才,更在全球知识交流体系中发挥了重要作用。一些博士后研究人员可能继续在大学里从事学术工作,也有很多研究人员离开学术界去公共、私营部门等其他领域寻求发展。尽管学术界以外的劳动力市场就业良好,但博士后研究人员仍期待更具吸引力的职业前景。欧洲研究型大学联盟由此提出,建议大学、研究机构等最高教育层完善政策措施,提高博士后研究人员的职业吸引力,以促进学术创新和知识交流;充分肯定博士后研究人员作为不断增长且日益重要的独特研究群体的重要作用;在招聘、晋升等职业发展中满足博士后研究人员多样性的需求;公共、私营部门可与大学、研究机构展开合作,促进博士后研究人员的技能迁移,并消除职业流动的障碍;采取研究资助计划和就业支持政策,帮助博士后研究人员获取研究能力之外的职业技能,促进博士后研究人员在学术界与公共、私营部门之间的流动性。