Librarians as Advocates of Social Media for Researchers: A Social Media Project Initiated by Linköping University Library,Sweden

ABSTRACT

Librarians at Linköping University help researchers keep abreast of developments in their fields and to increase the visibility of their work. Strategic, professional use of social media ought to be an essential part of a researcher's communication strategy. This article investigates the level of awareness of the professional use of social media among LiU researchers. The investigation showed that use of social media was not significant; however, a small number saw potential. The purpose of this article is threefold. The first purpose was to evaluate the potential of using social media as a tool for communicating research outside LiU. Second, the article presents a study in which views of LiU researchers on social media were ascertained via seminar discussions, informal feedback, and interviews. The study has a case study approach involving eight researchers. Third, the article covers how LiU Library created a web-based information package to support researchers in social media use.     

Relationship of prior knowledge and working engineers’ learning preferences: implications for designing effective instruction

Continuing engineering education (CEE) is important to ensure engineers maintain proficiency over the life of their careers. However, relatively few studies have examined designing effective training for working engineers. Research has indicated that both learner instructional preferences and prior knowledge can impact the learning process, but it has not established if these factors are interrelated. The study reported here considered relationships of prior knowledge and three aspects of learning preferences of working engineers at a manufacturing company: learning strategy choices, verbal-visual cognitive styles, and multimedia preferences. Prior knowledge was not found to be significantly related to engineers’ learning preferences, indicating independence of effects of these variables on learning. The study also examined relationships of this finding to the Multimedia Cone of Abstraction and implications for its use as an instructional design tool for CEE.     

农村小学语文教师专业发展现状调查与对策

通过对农村小学语文教师专业发展现状的调查,分析当前农村小学语文教师专业发展存在的问题,提出农村小学语文教师专业发展的对策与建议:建立教师成长的管理机制、教学科研激励机制是教师专业发展的保障;构建学习型教研组织、开展校本教研是教师专业发展的平台;博览群书、厚实积淀是教师专业发展的基础。     

开展“名师网上授课教研” 构建远程培训体系

在福建省高中教师的远程研修中,福建教育学院开展了＂名师网上授课教研＂活动,用全省一流的名师、一流的教研、一流的资源,利用《福建基础教育网》的技术支持,为全省的高中教师提供免费、开放、及时、优质、高效、灵活的备课研修平台,为提高一线教师的教育教学能力服务,为高中新课程的推进性实施服务,为提高全省高中的教学质量服务。     

‘Please remember we are not all brilliant’: undergraduates’ experiences of an elite,research‐intensive degree at a research‐intensive university

Undergraduate research experiences are being incorporated into degree programs with increasing frequency. However, there has been little study into their effectiveness in preparing students for research or into the learning gains that students realise from one or more research experiences. We surveyed science students in an elite, research‐based undergraduate degree program at a research‐intensive university. These students complete six research projects during their degree and we aimed to delineate factors that students perceive as leading to either good or bad experiences. Two factors stand out as contributing to a successful research experience: the supervisor, with students reporting both pedagogic and affective benefits of good supervision; and the feeling that they are doing authentic science. Surprisingly, given the research‐intensive nature of this degree, the learning gains students report relate to both an appreciation of what research is like and life skills, such as time management, rather than scientific thinking skills.