Media education technologies in developing students' professional competence

While pervasive healthcare systems bear the potential to provide patients with a new quality of medical homecare, the complexity of such systems raises fundamental questions of behavior, communication and technology acceptance. This is especially important, as users of future healthcare systems will be increasingly characterized by diversity. Relying only on highly experienced and technology-prone user groups, which might have been typical users in the last decades, is not sufficient anymore. Rather, elderly users, users with a completely different upbringing and domain knowledge, and ill or handicapped people will have to use the systems. Today, the understanding, in which way physical, emotional and cognitive abilities, caused by individual learning histories and health states, may impact the usage and acceptance of pervasive healthcare technologies, is restricted. This research contributes to this topic by investigating the acceptance motives of aged users with different health states regarding three different implementation concepts for medical technologies: medical technology implemented in mobile devices, smart environments and smart clothing. Using the questionnaire method, a total of 82 users between 40 and 92 years of age were examined regarding their usage motives and barriers with respect to the different technology concepts. Overall, it was revealed that acceptance issues and users' needs and wants should be considered in order to successfully design new medical technologies

A dialogical approach to developing professional competence in assessment

Improving the students learning experience is closely connected with the promotion an implementation of an assessment strategy whose effectiveness relies on the quality of the formative aspect. Assessment can promote or hinder learning and it is therefore a powerful force to be reckoned within Education. The literature on assessment makes it quite clear that assessment shapes and drives learning in powerful, though not always helpful, ways (Ramsden, 1997). If we assume that assessment should maximise the opportunities for those assessed to learn and develop, the tendency to reduce assessment purely to a classification device should be counteracted. The demonstration of knowledge should reflect deeper forms of learning rather that regurgitation and parroting of undigested information. Furthermore while traditional forms of assessment such as essays and end of term examinations -which are still predominantly used in higher education in Ireland as the sole assessment methods- may be valid and reliable methods for collecting evidence of acquisition of theoretical knowledge, they rarely afford students the opportunity to apply knowledge to key professional scenarios. Recent studies (Hyatt, 2005; Juwah & al., 2004; Bryan & Clegg; 2006; (Swinthenby, Brown, Glover, Mills, Stevens & Hughes, 2005; Nicol, 2010; Torrance & Prior 2001) have advocated the encouragement of dialogue around learning and assessment as a means to enhance the formative aspect of assessment. Pedagogical dialogue and formative assessment share common principles such as the emphasis on the process (MacDonald, 1991); the need for negotiation of meaning and shared understanding of assessment criteria (Boud, 1992; Chanok 2000; Harrington & Elander, 2003; Harrington & al., 2005; Sambell & McDowell ;1998; Higgins Hatley& Skelton, 2001; Norton, 2004; Price & Rust, 1999; O’Donovan, Price & Rust 2000; Rust, Price & O’Donovan, 2003) and the development of reciprocal commitment between assessors and assesses (Hyland 1998; Taras, 2001). This chapter describes the introduction of an assessment portfolio for module “Curriculum Assessment” informed by the above principles. The key outcomes from the three implementation and evaluation phases of the portfolio suggest that the format adopted promoted a shift of emphasis from assessment product to assessment process, the development of a shared understanding of assessment criteria, the establishment of a mutual relationship between assessors and assesses based on commitment and trust and heightened students and teachers’ self-awareness both in personal (efficacy) and professional (competence) terms. The research also highlights how multiple voices within the reflective evaluation process can contribute significantly to the restructuring and development of the future curriculum and assessment method that closely meets the need of learners

Структура та способи оцінки рівня розвитку професійної компетентності вчителів природничих спеціальностей

У статті здійснюється аналіз змісту таких понять як „професійна компетентність”, „розвиток професійної компетентності” та „розвиток професійної компетентності вчителів природничих спеціальностей”. Визначається структура та способи оцінки рівня розвитку професійної компетентності вчителів природничих спеціальностей. The article is focused on the analysis of the notions "professional competence", "development of professional competence" and "development of professional competence of natural science teachers". evaluation structure and methods of professional competence development of natural science teachers have been represented

The Influence of Instructional Leadership on Professional Competence Mediated by Self-Efficacy and Social Capital

The term of professional competence is regarded as a crucial variable in human resource theory, especially in education. Empirical data have shown that professional competence affected teacher quality; hence, it influenced learning’s effectiveness. The role of principal leadership is notable in the development of teacher professional competence. Some researchers argued that the school principal leadership model, which links to the development of teacher professional competence, is 'instructional leadership.' Some studies concluded that 'self-efficacy' influenced the development of teacher professional competence. Accordingly, some experts presented 'social capital' as a construct that has a good impact on teacher professional competence.  It is essential to dedicate a novelty to respond to this theoretical gap related to the study of all the constructs stated above. Therefore, this paper is intended to present a proposition model of the influence of instructional leadership on professional competence mediated by self-efficacy and social capital

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF EFL TEACHERS AT SMA NEGERI 1

Teacher’s professional competence development becomes very important in the general area of study of education, it is probably because the professional competence development of the teacher plays an important role in their performance in teaching and the interaction with the students and other members of the school community. So, the problem statement of this research are: (i) What are the EFL teacher’s at SMA Negeri 1 Parepare Perspectives on the meaning of professional competence development. The research applying a qualitative descriptive method in the form of a phenomenological study approach. The findings indicate that (i) EFL teacher’s perspectives on the meaning of professional competence development in SMA Negeri 1 Parepare are: English teacher’s professional competence development is very necessary and very helpful it feels like a re-fresh and recharge program, English teacher’s professional competence development is very influential in increasing them self-confidence at teaching and influential to the teaching quality for both professional and pedagogical competence, Professional competence development very much helped to improve their professional and pedagogical competence, EFL teacher’s professional competence development has very good and a lot of positive effects for their profession as a teacher, EFL teacher’s professional competence development is really feel indeed greatly help improve their quality in teaching