The state of play of Associate Deans,learning and teaching,in Australian universities, 30 years on

ABSTRACT

Learning and teaching leadership by Associate Deans has struggled for effective acceptance in universities for decades. Various Government reviews, policy changes, and reward and recognition systems have been implemented to encourage universities to focus on learning and teaching leadership, and to assure quality outcomes in a changing global landscape. The role of the Associate Dean was created to lead learning and teaching strategically in local university contexts. Despite many recommendations to support the role, it has been reported for almost three decades that Associate Deans struggle to bring about change in the enhancement of learning and teaching. So, have things changed for the Associate Deans, are they more equipped to lead learning and teaching in university contexts now? In this article, through interviews with 25 Associate Deans, and through a Bourdieusian lens, we explore the Capital they possess in their leadership roles. Such Capital is considered against 35 Hallmarks identified in the literature as key to fully equipping Associate Deans as learning and teaching leaders. Both individual Capital and Capital deriving from how the Field is enabling or inhibiting Associate Deans are explored. It is revealed that many Associate Deans may not have the Capital necessary to fully equip them for their leadership of learning and teaching role, and that the traditional university culture, or Field in which they operate, either purposefully or unconsciously may be contributing to inhibiting their leadership. This article provides a timely opportunity to pause and contemplate the Capital that is required for Associate Deans in their role. It highlights for university administrators and leaders what is required for Associate Deans to be fully equipped to fulfil the role and to lead the learning and teaching change that is necessary for universities to thrive.     

沉浸理论对网络环境下的研究性学习平台构建的指导——基于《教育技术学研究方法》学习平台的实践

构建网络环境下的研究性学习平台已经成为当前教育探索的热点之一,本文在分析沉浸理论的要素和研究性学习的特点的基础上,找出了两者之间的契合点,以此为依据尝试建立了沉浸理论下网络研究性学习的模型,提出了相应的设计策略和应用反思,并通过展示实例来证明其应用价值。     

学案论初探——克服当前教学质量停滞不前的新策略

学案即为教师启发引导学生自主学习的方案,是中西双方教育优势结合的产物。它可彻底打破复习、讲解、巩固、练习、小结和繁重的作业等三环五节所带来的低效重复和层层封锁,实现一种低起点、快节奏、达到一定高难度的教学新格局。从而可在减轻课业负担的前提下大面积大幅度提高教学质量;可适当增加知识的深度、广度、难度;可加快教学进程,三年教学任务可在两年内轻松完成。进而可使中国教育尽快处于世界领先位置。     

Popular histories: ‘education’ and ‘entertainment’ in information books for children

UK government policy has increasingly emphasized the importance of learning in the home; and commercial publishers have not been slow to respond. There is now a growing market in popular information books targeted at parents and children. This article provides an analytical case-study of four such books on a common historical theme: ancient Rome. It addresses three main issues. First, it considers the epistemology or historiography of these texts, particularly in relation to their use of sources and their implicit view of what history (as a subject) is. Second, it discusses the pedagogic style of the texts, as reflected in their mode of address to the reader and their use of narrative and expository language. Finally, it considers the balance between ‘education’ and ‘entertainment’ and the implications of using popular cultural genres as a means of representing the past.     

Stories that stayed "under the skin"

This paper is a critical reflection on students' withholding of relevant personal stories in a college classroom which was uniquely designed to validate and welcome them. The instructor in Stories Under the Skin, an interdisciplinary course in history of science at Harvard, generously shared her own stories in lectures, regularly called upon students' subjective judgement, and engaged them in explicit discussion of the value of personal experience as evidence. Still, students' reactions were those of hesitancy and questioning the appropriateness of personal stories in an academic or scientific discussion. The qualitative lens used in this research not only helps capture the polyphony of student opinions on the subject, but also serves as a key point of debate about the use of interpretive, qualitative data in an academic setting today. The paper calls on students and instructors to acknowledge the difficulty of presenting subjective experiences in the context of academic or scientific discourse, and to consider ways of legitimizing and stimulating the constructive use of personal story in a college classroom.     

Using ESPReSSO to Streamline SSO Access

Establishing Suggested Practices Regarding Single Sign-On (ESPReSSO) is an initiative of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), which is developing a set of recommended practices for the authentication of authorized users to licensed external resources utilizing single sign-on (SSO) technologies. One benefit of SSO authentication is that it significantly reduces the need for IP range management for individual institutions and service providers. The ESPReSSO working group recommendations are intended to facilitate the adoption of SSO authentication for both individual institutions and service providers in order to improve the overall user experience.     

体验式学习在高校思想政治理论课教学中的应用

体验式学习是大卫.库伯在20世纪80年代初提出的理论,可以有效地运用到高校思想政治理论课教学当中。通过体验式学习,让马克思主义理论和思想道德修养的教育真正走进学生的内心精神世界,促进其精神构建和个性的健康成长。     

Perception of competence: risk and protective predictors following an e‐self‐advocacy intervention for adolescents with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of competence among adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) who participated in a virtual supported self‐advocacy programme within the risk and protective paradigm. The sample consisted of 374 adolescents with and without learning disabilities, students of the 7th to 9th grades, at 15 schools across Israel. The adolescents were divided into three groups, matched by age and gender: 111 adolescents with LD who participated in a five‐month virtual‐supported intervention, and two comparison groups: adolescents with LD (N = 115) who did not participate in the program and adolescents without LD (N = 148). The self‐perceptions of adolescents were assessed using the following questionnaires: basic psychological skills (competence and relatedness); hope and loneliness. Following the intervention, higher competence scores were reported by students with LD who participated in the programme. At that time (the end of the academic year), the predictors of the groups of students with LD for the competence measure were their level of competence at the beginning of the period, their belonging to the group who participated in the intervention, their loneliness and hope. Comparisons with predictors of the group of students without LD, and with predictors of competence at the beginning of the year, emphasized the importance of risk factors (loneliness) and the protective factors (hope) for students with LD. In addition, the results focused attention at the contribution of the participation in an e‐supported self advocacy programme for enhancing competence among students with LD.     

教师资源均衡配置的有效方案——BlendingLearning研究

教师是学校教学的主体力量，是知识的传授者、学生的引导者。教师资源的合理配置不仅关系到教学质量的高低，还对学生身心素质的提高、对学校未来的发展都有着重要的作用。笔者从BlendingLearning这个概念出发，分析了在不发达地区实施BlendingLearning的可行性和必要性，并在此基础上探讨了运用BlendingLearning解决教师资源配置问题的架构设计。