‘It's more flexible’: persistence of women engineers in the academy

The under-representation of women in engineering is an issue of concern for policy-makers. While much of the existing literature has focussed on understanding reasons for women's under-representation in engineering and related technical fields, there is a paucity of research that examines why women who are already in engineering persist. This study aims to answer the question, why do women engineers in academe persist in a discipline that is generally perceived to be inhospitable to women. Three main challenges, namely gender discrimination, lack of institutional and disciplinary support, and the rigid nature of the workplace, emerged as key impediments to women engineers in the private sector. In contrast, women engineers in the academy identified the flexibility offered by academic environments, the presence of personal support networks, and a passion for teaching and students as critical factors that influenced their decision to remain in academia.     

Evaluating the impact of an academic teacher development program: practical realities of an evidence-based study

This study aimed to assess the impact of an entire academic teacher development programme at a Midwestern masters comprehensive university in the United States over a period of five years by examining changes in teaching and student outcomes of nine randomly selected programme participants. Researchers analysed syllabi, course evaluations, grade distributions, programme activity reports, interviews and vita, and concluded that the centre’s impact was greatest on tenure-track faculty who struggled with their teaching. Far more useful to future improvement, however, were the insights gained from reflection on study methods, the researchers’ emotional responses to their findings, their struggle to make sense of the data and grappling with the definition of ‘impact’. In this paper, the researchers share useful lessons learned and illustrate the difficulties inherent in evaluating academic development programmes, with a view to qualifying recommendations currently prevailing in the literature.     

普通高校新办专业师资队伍建设问题探究

为满足社会对专业人才的需求,高校将不同学科、不同专业进行整合,新办专业随社会需要而逐渐增多。新办专业师资队伍建设关系到学校学科建设的持续发展和专业结构的合理布局。通过对某综合大学新办专业师资队伍的年龄结构、学历结构、职称结构、学缘结构等的分析发现,普通高校新办专业还存在着师资队伍结构发展不均衡、缺少高水平的学科带头人、对青年教师培养培训力度不够等问题。为此,学校要在优化教师队伍结构、营造良好环境、引进高层次人才、培养在职师资、重视青年教师、整合梯队结构、完善用人机制、保证充足经费等方面作出努力。     

A comparison of online versus traditional student end‐of‐course critiques in resident courses

This study outlines the intraclass differences between online and traditional student end‐of‐course critiques (EOCCs) only in the context of resident courses. Previous research into these differences appears limited to studies that compare entire classes rather than studies within any given class. Hypotheses are stated that the administration method has an effect on: how students will rate EOCCs, EOCC response rates, and, the detail level, favourability level and number of EOCC comments. In this field experiment, students in resident business courses at a large university comprised the sample. Individuals from within each class were randomly assigned either to a control group that completed a traditional paper‐based EOCC or to an experimental group that completed a similar EOCC online. Comments were coded with regard to the level of detail, favourability and total number of comments. Analysis of variance was used to compare the two groups with regard to ratings, comments and response rates. Online EOCCs had lower response rates, lower overall ratings, but more detailed comments. The methodology had no significant effect on the number or favourability level of comments.     

Changes in instructors' assessment thinking related to experimentation with new strategies

Formative assessment has been recognised as a critical element in teaching for conceptual development. A case study research design was employed to: (1) characterise the assessment thinking of three science instructors at a research‐based university; and (2) examine the complex relationship between instructor thinking and practice by encouraging experimentation with alternative assessment strategies. Interviews, reflective journals, field notes and course documents were the data sources used to create a single case study that documented the development of these university instructors’ assessment thinking during their experimentation with formative assessment strategies. Throughout two semesters of experimentation, the instructors’ assessment thinking became more sophisticated; they grew to view the purpose of assessment less as a summative activity used for the assignment of marks and more as a tool for diagnosing student learning. However, more sophisticated thinking was not associated with revisions in teaching practice based on formative assessment data. Further investigations are needed to more completely understand the nature of assessment thinking and how assessment thinking influences assessment practices. Implications for professional development of university‐level science instructors include personalised experiences through which instructors can become active participants in gathering evidence of student learning that promotes growth in assessment thinking.     

Teaching practices prior and subsequent to 1998 in Turkey: Gazi University Vocational Education Faculty case

This study aimed to compare teaching practice before and after 1998 in Turkey. Participants were 10 academics from the Department of Educational Sciences, Vocational Education Faculty, Gazi University and nine vocational high school cooperating teachers. Semi‐structured interviews were analysed by using content analysis. The most significant findings were that the preparation, practice, observation, counselling and evaluation processes were more efficient before 1998 due to the smaller number of preservice teachers. After 1998, the cooperating teachers were legally included in the process and took more responsibility. A new model which combines the positive aspects of both practices is suggested in the article.     

SMART原则在教师顶岗实践管理中的应用研究

组织教师到企业顶岗实践,是培养"双师素质"教师队伍、专业带头人和骨干教师的一条重要途径,是教师锻炼实践动手能力、提高业务水平和教学质量的有效方法,同时也是学校更好地服务企业、服务社会的一种有效途径。本文提出了运用目标管理中的SMART原则来对教师顶岗实践进行管理,制定规范的管理流程,从而发挥教师主动性,取得企业的积极配合。     

哈佛大学博克教学和学习中心——美国大学教师发展机构的标杆

哈佛大学博克教学和学习中心是美国最早的教师发展和教学促进中心之一。自创建以来,博克中心致力于哈佛大学全体教师与研究生助教教学水平的提升,中心的活动主要是支持课堂教学和教学评价,采取个体辅导、工作坊、习明纳等多种形式以满足教师的多元化需求。博克中心还开展与教学相关的研究,出版的研究成果直接服务于教师教学,具有较高的应用价值。博克中心成为美国大学教师发展机构的一个标杆。     

加强大学生环保教育之思考

加强大学生环保教育,培养大学生环保意识、素质、品德是高等学校贯彻落实科学发展观,实现可持续发展的一项重要任务和责任,应将其纳入教学计划、学生素质综合测评和相关评优之中。     

民国时期大学中教授治校的制度化分析——从北京大学到清华大学的历史考察

教授治校是一种源自于西方的大学内部管理模式,中国的大学教育在向西方学习的过程中,移植、借鉴了教授治校制度。它先是由北大开始,后来在清华大学被发扬光大,清华大学的教授治校制度能够长期延续和维持,是有其特定的历史情境和内在原因的。教授治校制度直到今天仍然是大学改革的方向。