52,260 research outputs found
Can acquisition of expertise be supported by technology?
Professional trainees in the workplace are increasingly required to demonstrate specific standards of competence. Yet, empirical evidence of how professionals acquire competence in practice is lacking. The danger, then, is that efforts to support learning processes may be misguided. We hypothesised that a systemic view of how expertise is acquired would support more timely and appropriate development of technology to support workplace learning. The aims of this study were to provide an empirically based understanding of workplace learning and explore how learning could be facilitated through suitable application of technology. We have used the medical specialist trainee as an exemplar of how professionals acquire expertise within a complex working environment. We describe our methodological approach, based on the amalgam of systems analysis and qualitative research methods. We present the development of a framework for analysis and early findings from qualitative data analysis. Based on our findings so far, we present a tentative schema representing how technology can support learning with suggestions for the types of technology that could be used
Centralisation of assessment: meeting the challenges of multi-year team projects in information systems education
This paper focuses on the difficulties of assessing multi-year team projects, in which a team of students drawn from all three years of a full-time degree course works on a problem with and for a real-life organization. Although potential solutions to the problem of assessing team projects may be context-dependent, we believe that discussing these in our paper will allow readers
to relate to their teaching cases and increase the general appreciation of team project related work. Findings discussed in this paper are based on the first cycle of action research in relation to an existing multi-year team project scheme. Based on the interpretivist perspective, this work draws on data from staff and student focus groups, semi structured interviews and surveys.
Team project clients were also asked to comment on their experiences and the way they would like team projects to be
improved in the future. Since issues affecting the success of team projects are quite closely inter-related, a systemic view is adopted rather than analysis of a single issue in isolation. Overall there is a feeling that multi-year team projects are a good idea in theory but can be challenging to implement in practice. It is argued that the main areas of concern are the assessment process, the dilemmas and tensions that it can introduce, and the related inconsistencies in stakeholder involvement, which can compromise the learning experience if not handled well. We believe that the assessment process holds the key to a successful learning experience in team project work
Pathway to Successful Young Adulthood
The Pathway to Successful Young Adulthood assembles a wealth of findings from research, practice, theory, and policy about what it takes to improve the lives of children, youth and families, particularly those living in tough neighborhoods. By laying out a comprehensive, coherent array of actions, the Pathway informs efforts to improve community conditions within supportive policy and funding contexts. The Pathways framework does not promote a single formula or program. Rather, our emphasis is on acting strategically across disciplines, systems, and jurisdictions to increase the number of young people who make a successful transition to young adulthood. The Pathway provides a starting point to guide choices made by community coalitions, services providers, researchers, funders, and policymakers to achieve desired outcomes for young people and their families
Teachers’ emotional intelligence : the impact of training
A growing number of studies have suggested that teachers' personal competencies, and
more specifically Emotional Intelligence (EI), are particularly important for teacher
effectiveness. Recently, there has also been a growing recognition of the importance of
social-emotional competencies to students' learning and academic achievement.
However, there has been a neglect of emotions in the field of teaching, and little is
known about the impact of training aimed at developing teachers' EI on their EI levels
and their practice. The current study investigates the impact of a teacher- centered EI
training on teachers' EI in Israel. The study followed a two-year EI training in one
school, employing group workshops and personal coaching. The study used a mixed
methodology, making use of pre-post EQ-i assessment and semi-structured interviews.
The findings illustrate that the training programme was perceived by the participants to
have enhanced their EI competencies, as defined by the Bar-On model. Most participants
integrated these competencies into their personal, professional and group identities and
modified their EI-related behaviours.peer-reviewe
Race to the Top: Colorado May Be Used to High Altitudes But Can It Compete in Race to the Top?
Outlines expected requirements for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's funding to the states for education reform. Offers strategies for improving teacher quality in Colorado, as well as data infrastructure, low-performing schools, and standards
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Report to HEFCE on student engagement
This study, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), explored the extent and nature of student engagement in the higher education sector in England. The study was concerned with institutional and student union processes and practices – such as those relating to student representation and student feedback – which seek to inform and enhance the collective student learning experience, as distinct from specific teaching, learning and assessment activities that are designed to enhance individual students’ engagement with their own learning.
The study found that institutions view student engagement as central to enhancing the student experience, but the emphasis seems to be placed on viewing students as consumers. For student unions, the emphasis is on viewing them as partners in a learning community. The latter notion seems to be stronger in certain subject areas (for example, Art and Design and Performing Arts) than others.
The majority of HEIs and FE colleges rate their student engagement processes – comprising a basic model of student feedback questionnaires and student representation systems – as reasonably or very effective; student unions are less likely to do so. Detailed discussions with staff and students within a diverse range of HE providers showed that actual practices vary between and within institutions and that their effectiveness could be improved.
Higher education institutions, student unions and further education colleges with significant higher education provision were surveyed to establish a baseline measure of the nature and extent of student engagement processes. Further exploration of institutions’ formal and informal processes and their effectiveness was undertaken through fieldwork with a number of higher education providers and student unions
Evaluation of the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative Year 3 Report
Launched in 2010, the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative supports programs at three flagship Jewish institutions of higher education: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), and Yeshiva University (YU). As part of this initiative, HUC-JIR, JTS, and YU designed and piloted new programs, enhanced existing programs, and provided financial assistance to additional programs.American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting an independent evaluation of the Jim Joseph Foundation Education Initiative. This report is the third in a series of five annual reports that describe progress toward accomplishing the goals of the Education Initiative
Student-adult mentoring relationships : experiences from a Scottish school-based programme
The project on which this paper is based was funded by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), now incorporated as part of the FHI Development 360 LLC (FHI 360) in Washington, DC, USA.Peer reviewedPostprin
Eclectic styles and classical performance: Motivation and self-efficacy belief at two summer music camps
String teachers and scholars have suggested that classically-trained students may
be motivated to engage in eclectic (e.g., rock, pop, jazz, groove, folk) styles. However,
we do not fully understand the ways in which students’ motivations to engage in new
musics might be influenced by their perceptions of competence in those styles. In this
mixed-method study we draw upon quantitative, qualitative, and arts-based data from 120
middle and high school students at two camps (one emphasizing classical music, the
other emphasizing eclectic styles), to explore various ways in which students develop
self-efficacy beliefs and motivation to perform in a variety of musical approaches.
According to analysis of all data, students at both camps generally expressed having
positive musical and social experiences. Negative experiences, while less common,
stemmed from confusion or frustration with music learning, boredom with music that was
too easy or not interesting, and competitive comparison with others. Based on findings
from qualitative and arts-based data, we suggest that these students may have benefitted
from additional teacher support when encountering new musical technique
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