The use of ICT tools by academic teachers in the international comparative context

The article sets out to analyze the professional competencies on the standard European e-Competence Framework. The survey of information technology teachers of Ukrainian universities concerning the necessity of forming and development of European e-Competence Framework competencies allowed defining the priority areas for training and forming the content component of a model of professional competencies development of information technology university teachers. The proposed model distinguishes stages, factors, and resources for training teachers. Teachers’ attitude to motivation, time and money allocation for professional development was researched. The content component of the development of professional competences of teachers of information technologies is offered. Recommendations for training and advanced training of teachers of information technologies, assessment of the level of development of professional competence, was proposed

Inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training for patient safety: Description and impact of a programmatic approach

© 2015 Zimmermann et al.Background: Inter-professional teamwork is key for patient safety and team training is an effective strategy to improve patient outcome. In-situ simulation is a relatively new strategy with emerging efficacy, but best practices for the design, delivery and implementation have yet to be evaluated. Our aim is to describe and evaluate the implementation of an inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training in a teaching hospital with a programmatic approach. Methods: We designed and implemented a team and resuscitation training program according to Kerns six steps approach for curriculum development. General and specific needs assessments were conducted as independent cross-sectional surveys. Teamwork, technical skills and detection of latent safety threats were defined as specific objectives. Inter-professional in-situ simulation was used as educational strategy. The training was embedded within the workdays of participants and implemented in our highest acuity wards (emergency department, intensive care unit, intermediate care unit). Self-perceived impact and self-efficacy were sampled with an anonymous evaluation questionnaire after every simulated training session. Assessment of team performance was done with the team-based self-assessment tool TeamMonitor applying Van der Vleutens conceptual framework of longitudinal evaluation after experienced real events. Latent safety threats were reported during training sessions and after experienced real events. Results: The general and specific needs assessments clearly identified the problems, revealed specific training needs and assisted with stakeholder engagement. Ninety-five interdisciplinary staff members of the Childrens Hospital participated in 20 in-situ simulated training sessions within 2 years. Participant feedback showed a high effect and acceptance of training with reference to self-perceived impact and self-efficacy. Thirty-five team members experiencing 8 real critical events assessed team performance with TeamMonitor. Team performance assessment with TeamMonitor was feasible and identified specific areas to target future team training sessions. Training sessions as well as experienced real events revealed important latent safety threats that directed system changes. Conclusions: The programmatic approach of Kerns six steps for curriculum development helped to overcome barriers of design, implementation and assessment of an in-situ team and resuscitation training program. This approach may help improve effectiveness and impact of an in-situ simulated training program

Modern approaches to assessing the learners’ achievements in training programs in economics

Training in economics is one of the relevant scholarly problems in terms of theory and practice. The rapidly developing information technologies, the digital document circulation and other recent aspects of professional activities in economics require new approaches not only to training and learning content, but also to new assessment methods. Assessment is no longer limited to determining the level of knowledge and of skill acquisition: it also comprises the individual trajectory of one’s professional development. Among the most pressing challenges in present-day higher education is training of professionals who satisfy the requirements of the job market, the employers’ demands and national development strategies. Finding answers to this challenge will allow university graduates to get involved in resolving the most complicated problems related to national economic development in general and to national needs. Teaching students to evaluate their professional level and to make decisions on developing their professional competencies is one of the new assessment methods in master programs training highly qualified specialists. The present article examines the assessment of the learners’ achievements in training programs in economics and presents the didactic assessment model entitled ‘The Thematic Assessment Set’, based on the competence approach.peer-reviewe

Application and Utility of the Guskey Professional Development Evaluation Model in a Community College Setting

The purpose of this study was to understand how effective the Guskey professional development evaluation model would be in a community college setting and determine how well the model serves the needs of the key college stakeholders. The study used the Guskey model to evaluate a professional development activity at a community college. The need for this type of research is evident in the current limitations of formal assessment of professional development activities at the community college. Accordingly, this study sought to determine the effectiveness of the Guskey’s evaluation model of professional development training from a broader perspective, including participants reactions, determining if the training met the target goals, resulted in administrative support for the training and subsequent implementation, and finally assessing to what extent the training was transferred to the classroom setting. Data were gathered through seven different instruments: professional development training evaluations, semi-structured interviews with participants and administration, engagement survey results, review of policy and procedures, classroom observations and embedded assessment. Data were analyzed through statistical and qualitative methods. The data analyses revealed the training was effective on all five evaluation levels identified by Guskey. The model provided a systematic approach to evaluation; beginning with training and ending with improvement of student learning. A report generated from the data served as a basis for an assessment report for community college stakeholders. The report provided appropriate data to make informed decisions. The knowledge gained in this study will add to the professional development assessment literature and will contribute to the culture of assessment in the community college setting

Development of Professional Competencies of Information Technology University Teachers: Motivation and Content

The article sets out to analyze the professional competencies on the standard European e-Competence Framework. The survey of information technology teachers of Ukrainian universities concerning the necessity of forming and development of European e-Competence Framework competencies allowed defining the priority areas for training and forming the content component of a model of professional competencies development of information technology university teachers. The proposed model distinguishes stages, factors, and resources for training teachers. Teachers’ attitude to motivation, time and money allocation for professional development was researched. The content component of the development of professional competences of teachers of information technologies is offered. Recommendations for training and advanced training of teachers of information technologies, assessment of the level of development of professional competence, was proposed

Professional issues in maternal mental health scale (PIMMHS): The development and initial validation of a brief and valid measure

Introduction:The life-threatening consequences of perinatal mental health problems (PMHP) are well documented. Midwives are ideally placed to effectively identify women at risk and facilitate early intervention. However, a multitude of factors contribute to failure in recognition and treatment. It would be of value for service providers to be able to identify key professional issues in their own context. The present study sought to develop and evaluate a ‘professional issues in maternal mental health’ scale (PIMMHS), explore its psychometric properties and potential application.Methods:A cross-sectional design and instrument evaluation approach was taken to investigate the psychometric properties of the PIMMHS. A total of 266 student midwives from 10 UK institutions completed the PIMMHS via Survey Monkey.Results:PIMMHS comprises two sub-scales of emotion/communication (PIMMHSEmotion sub-scale) and training (PIMMHS-Training sub-scale). Both PIMMHS subscales demonstrate adequate divergent and convergent validity. Sub-optimal internal consistency was observed for the training sub-scale, however, the PIMMHS-Training had a more impressive effect size in terms of known-groups discriminant validity compared to PIMMHS-Emotion.Conclusions:The PIMMHS appears to be a sound psychometric instrument for assessing professional issues that influence the practice of student midwives in PMH. The PIMMHS could support education providers to identify areas for curriculum development, as well as maternity services in proactive assessment of service provision, to identify training and service development opportunities

A Needs Assessment to Explore the Professional Development of Early Childhood Practitioners with Online Resources

For this project, a needs assessment is used to better understand and gauge the target audience of early childhood practitioners currently working with children birth to five years old on Kauai and to gather information about the participant’s background and experiences, if that affects their familiarity of online technology resources, as well as their interest in receiving professional development using various online delivery formats.This needs assessment survey provided quantitative and qualitative data and included ten questions related to participant education, activity in professional development, and technology expertise. The information gathered from this portion of the survey was done so using Google forms.Abstract: Early childhood educators (ECE) on the island of Kauai currently have one localized option for higher education in the field of ECE, a 2-year Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Hawaii system’s Kauai Community College. The State of Hawaii’s Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) is looking to set the “high-quality” programming benchmark for ECE teachers at a Bachelor’s degree with specialized training in pre-kindergarten plus 15 hours of professional development training annually. Gaining access to high quality in-person professional development on Kauai is an ongoing challenge. To assess the growing need for professional development on Kauai, a needs assessment was conducted using Google forms to explore the use of online resources for professional development by early childhood practitioners on Kauai currently working with children birth to 5 years old. All participants in this needs assessment survey were primarily solicited by email to gauge the use of online modes for participation and communication within the ECE professional community. This effort resulted in 13 responses to the needs assessment survey and indicated a willingness to use online resources for professional development

Assessment of work-based reports: an analysis of assessment frameworks

In Britain engineering professional development has traditionally been seen as a three phase process consisting of a period of engineering formation, a period of training and a period during which engineering responsibilities are demonstrated. An individual could submit evidence of these activities and become registered as a Professional Engineer. Increasing numbers of people employed in the role of engineer do not have formal engineering qualifications and a part or all their engineering formation is carried out within engineering companies or organizations. These people therefore do not have the academically authenticated credentials to register as professional engineers but if they are ignored then the pool of registered engineers will cease to be representative of the profession. The Engineering Council, the body responsible for registering engineers in the UK, has acknowledged the changes in the structure of the profession and has introduced an alternative route for assessing the knowledge and understanding that underpins the competence of a professional engineer. Individual engineers can demonstrate that they have an adequate engineering formation through any combination of academic qualifications and a technical report on some aspect of their professional engineering work. The introduction of the technical report requires the Professional Engineering Bodies to carry out an assessment outside the traditional assessment framework of the Universities. This paper reviews and analyses the requirements of assessment systems and derives the components of such a system that will ensure that the results of the assessment of a work-based technical report will be respected and be seen as assuring comparable standards to the academic routes to engineering formation. By examining assessment separately from the processes of teaching and learning, the paper also reveals the extent of an assessment process and its costs

Statutory guidance on induction for newly qualified teachers in England

"Statutory induction is the bridge between initial teacher training and a career in teaching. It combines a personalised programme of development, support and professional dialogue, with monitoring and an assessment of performance against the core standards... This guidance explains the provisions of the 2008 regulations [Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (England) Regulations 2008], which come into effect on 1 September 2008 and provides further advice to help individuals to comply with the regulations. " - pp. 1-2