Every student counts: promoting numeracy and enhancing employability

This three-year project investigated factors that influence the development of undergraduates’ numeracy skills, with a view to identifying ways to improve them and thereby enhance student employability. Its aims and objectives were to ascertain: the generic numeracy skills in which employers expect their graduate recruits to be competent and the extent to which employers are using numeracy tests as part of graduate recruitment processes; the numeracy skills developed within a diversity of academic disciplines; the prevalence of factors that influence undergraduates’ development of their numeracy skills; how the development of numeracy skills might be better supported within undergraduate curricula; and the extra-curricular support necessary to enhance undergraduates’ numeracy skills

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 13, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2012 (complete isue)

Honors Around the Globe: Countries and Contributors Australia—Deirdre Barron and Margaret Zeegers Brazil—Eunice M. L. Soriano de Alencar, Aderson Luiz Costa Jr., and Denise de Souza Fleith Chile—Frederick J. Conway, Carlos Alberto Cioce Sampaio, and Juan Carlos Skewes China—Ikuo Kitagaki and Donglin Li Mexico—Mohammad Ayub Khan and Ruben Morales-Menendez Netherlands—Vladimir Bartelds, Johannes Boonstra, Trijntje van Dijk, Lyndsay Drayer, Pierre Van Eijl, Stan van Ginkel, Bouke van Gorp, Nelleke de Jong, G. Johan Offringa, Anton Peeters, Albert Pilot, Karin Scager, Ron Weerheijm, Jeske Weerheijm, Fred Wiegant, Marca V. C. Wolfensberger, and John Zubizarreta Qatar—Byrad Yyelland Switzerland—Michaela Ruppert Smith United Kingdom—Margaret Lam

Real-World Outcomes y pensamiento crítico: análisis diferencial por área y género

The Real-World Outcomes is an inventory that measures everyday problematic behaviors that represent decisions where critical thinking is presumably absent; assessing the negative outcomes of poor daily decisions helps to infer the degree of critical thinking that mediates everyday reasoning. In the present paper, we describe the process of translation and cultural adaptation of this inventory to Portuguese. We present evidence of its administration to 259 college students concerning reliability, and differences based on academic major and gender. No statistically significant differences were found, either due to academic major or gender. Results suggest the value of this instrument to assessing daily decision making and life outcomes, and also, to estimate the quality of critical thinking in everyday life.O Real-World Outcomes é um inventário que avalia comportamentos problemáticos do dia-a-dia que representam decisões onde se presume que o pensamento crítico está ausente; ao avaliar os resultados negativos de decisões quotidianas pobres, permite inferir o grau de pensamento crítico que medeia o raciocínio no quotidiano. Neste artigo, descreve-se o processo de tradução e adaptação cultural deste inventário para a língua Portuguesa. Apresentam-se dados da sua administração a 259 estudantes universitários relativos à consistência interna, e as diferenças de acordo com a área académica e género. Não foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas, nem decorrentes da área académica, nem do género. Os resultados sugerem a relevância deste instrumento para avaliar a tomada de decisão no dia-a-dia e seu impacto na vida dos sujeitos, e também, para estimar a qualidade do pensamento crítico usado na vida quotidiana.El Real-World Outcomes es un inventario que evalúa comportamientos problemáticos del cotidiano que representan decisiones en que se presume la ausencia de pensamiento crítico; al evaluar los resultados negativos de malas decisiones cotidianas, permite inferir el grado de pensamiento crítico que media el razonamiento en el cotidiano. En el presente artículo, describimos el proceso de traducción y adaptación cultural del inventario para la lengua Portuguesa. Se presentan datos de su administración a 259 estudiantes universitarios relativos a consistencia interna, y a diferencias en función de la área científica de estudios y del género. No fueron encontradas diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los participantes, ni decurrentes de la área, ni del género. Los resultados sugieren la relevancia de este instrumento para evaluar la toma de decisión en el cotidiano y su impacto en la vida de los sujetos, y además, para estimar la cualidad del pensamiento crítico utilizado en la vida diaria.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/76372/2011

Real-World Outcomes e Pensamento Crítico: Análise Diferencial por Área e Género

El Real-World Outcomes es un inventario que evalúa comportamientos problemáticos del cotidiano que representan decisiones en que se presume la ausencia de pensamiento crítico; al evaluar los resultados negativos de malas decisiones cotidianas, permite inferir el grado de pensamiento crítico que media el razonamiento en el cotidiano. En el presente artículo, describimos el proceso de traducción y adaptación cultural del inventario para la lengua Portuguesa. Se presentan datos de su administración a 259 estudiantes universitarios relativos a consistencia interna, y a diferencias en función de la área científica de estudios y del género. No fueron encontradas diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los participantes, ni decurrentes de la área, ni del género. Los resultados sugieren la relevancia de este instrumento para evaluar la toma de decisión en el cotidiano y su impacto en la vida de los sujetos, y además, para estimar la cualidad del pensamiento crítico utilizado en la vida diaria.The Real-World Outcomes is an inventory that measures everyday problematic behaviors that represent decisions where critical thinking is presumably absent; assessing the negative outcomes of poor daily decisions helps to infer the degree of critical thinking that mediates everyday reasoning. In the present paper, we describe the process of translation and cultural adaptation of this inventory to Portuguese. We present evidence of its administration to 259 college students concerning reliability, and differences based on academic major and gender. No statistically significant differences were found, either due to academic major or gender. Results suggest the value of this instrument to assessing daily decision making and life outcomes, and also, to estimate the quality of critical thinking in everyday life.O Real-World Outcomes é um inventário que avalia comportamentos problemáticos do dia-a-dia que representam decisões onde se presume que o pensamento crítico está ausente; ao avaliar os resultados negativos de decisões quotidianas pobres, permite inferir o grau de pensamento crítico que medeia o raciocínio no quotidiano. Neste artigo, descreve-se o processo de tradução e adaptação cultural deste inventário para a língua Portuguesa. Apresentam-se dados da sua administração a 259 estudantes universitários relativos à consistência interna, e as diferenças de acordo com a área académica e género. Não foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas, nem decorrentes da área académica, nem do género. Os resultados sugerem a relevância deste instrumento para avaliar a tomada de decisão no dia-a-dia e seu impacto na vida dos sujeitos, e também, para estimar a qualidade do pensamento crítico usado na vida quotidiana

CNS Connections, Winter 2010-11

Inside this issue: -- Message from the Dean-- Wind-solar hybrid power station in operation-- Carver grants strengthen Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry--Google-funded workshop for teachers held at UNI-- Applause-- Transitions-- CNS News in Short-- CNS Students in the News-- Conversation with a UNI graduate-- Faculty Research-- Three CNS grads awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships-- North American Prairie Conference hosted by Tallgrass Prairie Center-- Physics Department partners with Ankeny High School-- From one generation to another...-- Alumni News-- Clifford McCollum, first CNS Dean, dies-- CNS Advisory Boardhttps://scholarworks.uni.edu/cnsconnections/1005/thumbnail.jp

The effects of prior education and engagement on success in engineering studies: do women and men differ?

Background In Dutch engineering education, female students outperform male students. Using an interactionalist framework, this study explores factors that contribute to this gender-based difference. Purpose This study aims to answer two questions: Do female and male students differ in background characteristics, engagement factors, and academic success? Are differences in the relationships among background characteristics, engagement factors, and academic success gender-specific? Design/method Data on male and female engineering undergraduate students from five Dutch universities were subjected to linear structural modeling to compare potential gender differences in the relationships among the focal variables. Two structural models were considered. Results Female students spent more time on independent study, reported more social inte- gration, completed more credits, and were more likely to stay in engineering than were male students. Academic integration and intention to persist were important for comple- tion of credits for both genders. Social integration was only important for men’s academic success. Females seemed to benefit less from good preparation through active learning during secondary education, and the effect of a high grade point average on math was neg- ative for females but positive for males. Conclusions Interactionalist concepts can explain academic success, but the relationships among concepts vary by gender. Males’ intentions to persist in engineering are an outcome of engagement processes during the first year, whereas females’ intentions to persist in engineering are manifest at the start of the first year

Developing Translation Competence of Undergraduate Translation Students under Computer-aided Translation Technology

College students who major in translation often face psychological and physiological challenges that affect their learning experience. They have a particular interest in learning translation, but their level is not high; their enthusiasm for translation learning is not high, and they lack confidence. This paper divided them into control and experimental groups comprising 50 students. Before introducing computer-aided translation (CAT), students in both groups were given the same basic training, including language, translation theory, and professional knowledge, thus ensuring that both groups had similar essential competencies. The experimental group introduced CAT and provided them with the necessary training and guidance to ensure their complete understanding and familiarity with CAT technology. Regular translation tests were conducted on two groups of students, mainly examining their performance in vocabulary translation, grammar translation, and discourse cohesion. Meanwhile, feedback and discussion with the experimental group of students can help them improve the quality of their translations. Before the introduction of CAT technology, 25% of vocabulary omissions occurred, while after the introduction of CAT technology, 7% of vocabulary omissions occurred. This article contributed to the cultivation of translation competencies of undergraduate translation students