Strengthening Collegiality to Enhance Teaching, Research, and Scholarly Practice: An Untapped Resource for Faculty Development

Collegiality lies at the intersection of various aspects of academic practice, including teaching as well as research. As such, assisting junior faculty in learning to build their collegial networks becomes a powerful point of intervention for faculty developers, even for those who focus on teaching development. Data from interviews with faculty engaged in both teaching and research, plus our experiences in conducting a series of career building initiatives are analyzed to identify junior faculty perceptions of the role of collegiality and barriers to establishing collegial ties. Two main barriers are identified: 1) knowing that collegiality and networking is important, and 2) knowing how to go about establishing oneself as a colleague. Recommendations are then offered to faculty developers for working with junior faculty to help address each of those barriers, drawing on the authors’ experiments with various workshops and forums

Mindfulnessbehandling i grupp för personer med ADHD

The aim of his pilot study is to investigate changes regarding attention, impulsivity and activity in individuals with ADHD who have participated in a seven-weeks mindfulness based group therapy by using an objective test. The degree of mindfulness and self-concept has also been investigated. Method: Changes were investigated from the self-rating scales Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale – self-report: short version (CAARS-S:S) and Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionaire (FFMQ) and from more objective data through the Quantified Behavior Test (Qb Test). Analyzable data ware collected from seven participants, six women and one man, in the ages 23 to 58 years. Results: On a group level two significant changes were found. Qb Test Reaction Time Variation decreased and CAARS-S:S subscale Problems With Self-Concept increased. A large effect-size was also found at the FFMQ subscale Acting with awareness. On an individual level positive as well as negative changes were found. Conclusions: In all a mildly positive change was found, suggesting that mindfulness based therapy could be a valuable complement to pharmacological treatment for individuals with ADHD. However the study was made on a small sample and the lack of control-group implicates that the changes also might depend on other factors than the treatment.Syftet med denna pilotstudie är att undersöka förändringar avseende uppmärksamhet, impulsivitet och aktivitet hos personer med ADHD som genomgått en sjuveckors mindfulnessbaserad gruppbehandling med hjälp av en objektiv testmetod. Graden av mindfulness och självbilden har också undersökts. Metod: Förändringar undersöktes både genom subjektiva självskattningar med Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale –självskattning: kort version (CAARS-S:S) och Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionaire (FFMQ) samt mer objektiva data med Quantified Behavior Test (Qb Test). Analyserbara data fanns för sju deltagare, sex kvinnor och en man, i åldrarna 23 till 58 år. Resultat: På gruppnivå noterades två signifikanta förändringar. Qb Test Reaktionstidsvariation minskade och CAARS-S:S subskala Problem med självbilden ökade. En stor effektstorlek uppmättes på FFMQ-subskalan Acting with awareness. På individnivå fanns så väl positiva som negativa förändringar. Samanfattning: Sammantaget fanns en försiktigt positiv förändring, vilket antyder att mindfulnessbaserad terapi skulle kunna vara ett värdefullt komplement till farmakologisk behandling för personer med ADHD. Deltagarantalet i studien är emellertid lågt och avsaknaden av kontrollgrupp innebär att förändringarna även kan tänkas bero på andra faktorer än behandlingen

Feed intake, milk yield and metabolic status of early-lactation Swedish Holstein and Swedish Red dairy cows of different parities fed grass silage and two levels of byproduct-based concentrate

Dairy cows can produce highly nutritive food products (milk, meat etc.) from fibrous feed e.g. grass and different byproducts from the food and fuel industry, that cannot be consumed directly by humans. However, as there are limited amounts of byproducts available, decreasing the amount of byproduct-based concentrate in the diet could be a strategy for improving sustainability within dairy production if high milk production should be maintained. In this study, 26 multiparous (n = 14) and primiparous (n = 12) dairy cows of the breeds Swedish Red (n = 14) and Swedish Holstein (n = 12) were followed between lactation weeks 1 and 6. They were fed either a low-concentrate (n = 13; LC) or high-concentrate (n = 13; HC) byproduct-based (sugar beet pulp, rapeseed meal, distiller's grain, wheat bran) ration, in combination with highly digestible grass-clover silage ad libitum. To achieve similar concentrate intake per kg body weight in primiparous and multiparous cows, multiparous cows were offered 5 kg concentrate on the LC diet and 15 kg concentrate on the HC diet, while primiparous cows were offered 4 kg concentrate on the LC diet and 14 kg concentrate on the HC diet as target concentrate rations. We found no overall differences in dry matter intake, energy-corrected milk yield, energy balance, blood plasma metabolites, blood hormones or milk fatty acids between cows on the LC and HC diets. However, HC cows had a higher yield of ECM in lactation week 6 and gained body weight compared with LC cows. As expected, multiparous cows had higher dry matter intake and energy-corrected milk yield, but we found no difference in energy balance between parities. However, multiparous cows lost more body condition and had higher blood plasma concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, indicating that they used more body tissue to support milk production. In conclusion, both multiparous and primiparous Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein dairy cows seem able to adapt to low-concentrate diets in early lactation when the diets are based on byproducts and grass-clover silage, providing the potential to increase sustainability in dairy production

University teachers’ training and its influence on professional development

[ES] El perfil del profesorado universitario se va definiendo y transformando a partir de las exigencias que los sistemas de evaluación e incentivación establecen para el acceso y la promoción dentro de la profesión. En esta línea, la formación del profesorado universitario se constituye como un factor clave para crear ese perfil y contribuir al desarrollo de una determinada identidad profesional. El trabajo que aquí se presenta tiene por objetivo determinar en qué grado diferentes modalidades de formación están influyendo en el desarrollo de la actividad profesional que el profesorado desempeña y analizar si existen diferencias significativas en las respuestas en función de determinadas variables descriptivas (sexo, edad, rama científica, categoría profesional, etc.). Este trabajo, que se encuadra dentro de una investigación más amplia, combina el uso de la metodología cuantitativa, a través de un cuestionario inédito, y la metodología cualitativa, a través de la entrevista biográfico-narrativa. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la formación permanente ejerce mayor influencia en el desarrollo profesional que la formación inicial, pues esta última es prácticamente inexistente, especialmente para el desempeño de la actividad docente. Asimismo, atendiendo a diversas variables descriptivas, se perciben diferencias significativas en las respuestas del profesorado. Las conclusiones llevan a resaltar la necesidad de plantear sistemas de formación más adecuados a las exigencias requeridas en las evaluaciones, especialmente durante la fase previa e inicial de la carrera profesional. Y, también, se insta a los departamentos a ofrecer un mayor apoyo formativo al profesorado, posibilitando la transformación de éstos en comunidades de aprendizaje.[EN] The University Faculty profile is defined and transformed by the demands that evaluation and incentive systems establish for those wishing to gain access to and promotion within the profession. In this regard, university teachers’ training is a key factor in creating this profile and contributing to the development of a particular professional identity. The aim of this article is to determine how different types of training are influencing the development of the professional activity that university teachers carry out and to analyze if there are significant differences in responses based on certain descriptive variables (gender, age, scientific branch, academic rank, etc.). This work, which is part of a wider research project, combines the use of quantitative methodology, through a survey, and qualitative methodology, through the biographical-narrative interview. The results obtained show that continuous training has greater influence on professional development than initial training, because the latter is practically non-existent, especially in teaching. Also, according to various descriptive variables, significant differences in university teachers’ responses have been perceived. The conclusions lead us to highlight the need to consider systems of training appropriate to the evaluation’s requirements, especially during the preliminary and initial phase of the career. And, also, it urges departments to offer more training support to university teachers, transforming them into learning communities.Caballero Rodríguez, K. (2013). La formación del profesorado universitario y su influencia en el desarrollo de la actividad profesional. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 11(2):391-412. https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2013.5582OJS391412112Åkerlind, G. S. (2003). Growing and developing as a university teacher. Variation in meaning. Studies in Higher Education, 28(4), 375-390.Åkerlind, G. S. (2007). Constraints on academics' potential for developing as a teacher. Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 21-37.Bolívar, A. (2002). "¿De nobis ipsis silemus? Epistemología de la investigación biográfico-narrativa". Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa (REDIE), 4(1), 1-26.Bolívar, A., Domingo, J. y Fernández Cruz, M. (2001). La investigación biográficonarrativa en educación. Enfoque y metodología. Madrid: La Muralla.Dall'Alba, G. y Sandberg, J. (2006). Unveiling professional development: A critical review of stage models. Review of Educational Research, 76(3), 383-412.Demazière, D. y Dubar, C. (1997). Analyser les entretiens biographiques. París: Nathan.Gewerc, A. y Montero, L. (2000). "Víctor: ¿profesor, médico o científico? Un estudio de caso de catedráticos de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela". Revista de Educación, 321, 371-398.González, M. y Raposo, M. (2008). Necesidades formativas del profesorado universitario en el contexto de la convergencia europea. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 26(2), 285-306.Kalivoda, P., Sorrell, G.R. y Simpson, R.D. (1994). Nurturing faculty vitality by matching institutional interventions with career-stage needs. Innovative Higher Education, 18(4), 255-272.Kelchtermans, G. (2012). Teachers and their careers story: A biographical perspective on professional development. En C. Day, J. Calderhead y P. Denicolo (Eds.) Research on teacher thinking. Understanding professional development. London: Routledge, 198-220.Kugel, P. (1993). "How professors develop as teachers". Studies in Higher Education, 18 (3), 315-328.Marcelo, C. (2009a). Los comienzos en la docencia: un profesorado con buenos principios. Profesorado: Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado, 13(1), 1-26.Marcelo, C. (Coord.) (2009b). El profesorado principiante. Inserción a la docencia. Barcelona: Octaedro.Mas, O. (2012). Las competencias del docente universitario: la percepción del alumno, de los expertos y del propio protagonista. REDU - Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 10(2), 299-318. Recuperado el 5 de septiembre en http://redaberta.usc.es/redu/index.php/REDU.Mayor, C. (Coord.) (2003). Enseñanza y aprendizaje en la Educación Superior. Barcelona: Octaedro-EUB.Nyquist, J. D. y Sprague, J. (1998). Thinking developmentally about TAs. En M. Marincovich, J. Prostko y F. Stout (Eds.), The professional development of Graduate Teaching Assistants (pp. 61-68). Londres: Anker Publishing Company.Polkinghorne, D. (1995). "Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis". Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1), 5-23.Robertson, D.L. (1999). Professors' perspectives on their teaching: a new construct and developmental model. Innovative Higher Education, 23(4), 271-294.Sánchez, M. y Mayor, C. (2006). Los jóvenes profesores universitarios y su formación pedagógica. Claves y controversias. Revista de Educación, 339, 923-946.Tardif, M. (2004). Los saberes del docente y su desarrollo profesional. Madrid: Narcea.Tejedor, F. J. (2009). Evaluación del profesorado universitario: enfoque metodológico y algunas aportaciones de la investigación. Estudios sobre Educación, 16, 79-102.Trigwell, K., Caballero, K. y Feifei, H. (2011). Assessing the impact of a university teaching development programme. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(4), 499-511.Zabalza, M. A. (2009). Ser profesor universitario hoy. La cuestión universitaria, 5, 69- 81

Identification of different interests related to logging - a basis for assessing the need for FSC-consultation

The purpose of this study was to find a new method for identifying the wide range of interests linked to specific logging sites where there may be a need to perform FSC consultation. The result of the study should be used as a basis for assessing the need to perform FSC consultation on Bergvik Skog´s forest properties before logging. The results were based on material consisting of 136 logging sites in Hagfors. Each site was discussed during meetings with invited local stakeholders such as environmental organizations, hunting clubs and sport associations. The public stakeholders were not invited to any meeting but they could submit their suggestions at a special booth in Hagfors town hall. Of the 136 logging sites included in the study the stakeholders expressed interest in a total of 17 sites. All local stakeholders were satisfied with the evaluated working method incorporating an initial meeting followed by time for reflection and discussion within the different groups, and thereafter submission and processing of comments, as well as a final meeting for feedback. The local stakeholders thought that Stora Enso should introduce this method as a general work routine

Whole-lactation feed intake, milk yield, and energy balance of Holstein and Swedish Red dairy cows fed grass-clover silage and 2 levels of byproduct-based concentrate

Ruminants can produce meat and milk from fibrous feed and byproducts not suitable for human consumption. However, high-yielding dairy cows are generally fed a high proportion of cereal grain and pulses, which could be consumed directly by humans. If high production of dairy cows could be maintained with ingredients of low human interest, the sustainability of dairy production would improve. In the present study, 37 multiparous [Holstein (n = 13) and Swedish Red (n = 24)] dairy cows were followed over a whole lactation. A low-concentrate diet of up to 6 kg concentrate per day (6kgConc) was fed to 27 cows, whereas 10 cows were fed a high-concentrate diet of up to 12 kg concentrate per day (12kgConc). The concentrate was mainly based on byproducts (sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, rapeseed meal, distiller's grain). Grass-clover silage of high digestibility was offered ad libitum. Over the whole lactation, cows on the 6kgConc diet had lower dry matter intake and higher forage intake than cows on the 12kgConc diet. Milk yield and energy balance were not influenced by dietary treatment. However, the cows on the 6kgConc diet numerically produced 2.4 kg less energy-corrected milk than cows on 12kgConc diet. The study lacked the statistical power to identify treatment effects on daily yield below 2.8 kg of milk due to low number of animals per treatment. Feed efficiency (as energy-corrected milk yield/dry matter intake or residual feed intake), body weight change, body condition change, milk fatty acid concentration in total milk fatty acids, plasma nonesterified fatty acids, glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and fertility measurements were not affected by diet, supporting the energy balance results. However, higher plasma concentrations o f insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin were observed in cows fed he 12kgConc diet. These findings show that cows can adapt to a high-forage diet virtually without humangrade ingredients, without compromising feed efficiency or energy balance, thereby contributing to sustainable food production

Full-lactation performance of multiparous dairy cows with differing residual feed intake

Residual feed intake (RFI) is an efficiency trait underpinning profitability and environmental sustainability in dairy production. This study compared performance during a complete lactation of 36 multiparous dairy cows divided into three equal-sized groups with high (HRFI), intermediate (IRFI) or low RFI (LRFI). Residual feed intake was determined by two different equations. Residual feed intake according to the NorFor system was calculated as (RFINorFor) = (NEintake)–(NEmaintenance + NEgestation + NEmilk—NEmobilisation + NEdeposition). Residual feed intake according to the USA National Research Council (NRC) (RFINRC) was calculated as: RFI = DMI − predicted DMI where predicteds DMI = [(0.372× ECM)+(0.0968×BW0.75)]×(1−e−0.192×(DIM/7+3.67)). Cows in the HRFINorFor group showed higher daily CH4 production, CH4/ECM and CH4 yield (g/kg DMI) than IRFINorFor and LRFINorFor cows. Cows characterized by high efficiency (LRFINorFor) according to the NorFor system had lower body weight. Dry matter intake and apparent dry matter digestibility were not affected by efficiency group but milk yield was lower in the low efficiency, HRFINorFor, group. Cows characterized by high efficiency according to the NRC system (LRFINRC) had lower dry matter intake while yield of CH4 was higher. Daily CH4 production and CH4 g/kg ECM did not differ between RFINRC groups. Dairy cows characterized by high efficiency (both LRFINorFor and LRFINRC cows) over a complete lactation mobilized more of their body reserves in early lactation as well as during the complete lactation. The results also indicated great phenotypic variation in RFI between different stages the lactation

Implementing Health-Promoting Leadership in Municipal Organizations: Managers’ Experiences with a Leadership Program

The aim of this study was to analyze how line and middle managers experience and describe barriers and enablers in the implementation of a health-promoting leadership program in municipal organizations. A qualitative case study design was applied to examine the leadership program in a case involving implementation of an organizational health intervention. Data were mainly collected using semi-structured interviews with line and middle managers participating in the leadership program. Interviews with senior managers, notes from meetings/workshops, and written action plans were used as complementary data. The interview data were analyzed using a thematic analysis, and the complementary data using a summative content analysis. The findings show that the interviewed line and middle managers experienced this leadership program as a new approach in leadership training because it is based primarily on employee participation. Involvement and commitment of the employees was considered a crucial enabler in the implementation of the leadership program. Other enablers identified include action plans with specific goals, earlier experiences of organizational change, and integration of the program content into regular routines and structures. The line and middle managers described several barriers in the implementation process, and they described various organizational conditions, such as high workload, lack of senior management support, politically initiated projects, and organizational change, as challenges that limited the opportunities to be drivers of change. Taken together, these barriers interfered with the leadership program and its implementation. The study contributes to the understanding of how organizational-level health interventions are implemented in public sector workplaces

Evaluating strategies to control automotive energy demand growth in China

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-122).As the number of vehicles in China has relentlessly grown in the past decade, the energy demand, fuel demand and greenhouse gas emissions associated with these vehicles have kept pace. This thesis presents a model to project future energy demand, fuel demand and carbon dioxide emissions for the Chinese light duty vehicle fleet. Results indicate that China can offset rapid vehicle energy demand growth with reductions in fuel consumption and new vehicle technologies. These reference scenario results indicate that future light duty vehicle energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions will peak below 400 mtoe and 1700 mmt carbon dioxide, respectively. In addition, a scenario based sensitivity analysis reveals that vehicle stock, vehicle fuel consumption and vehicle fleet electrification are the most significant drivers in determining future light duty vehicle energy demand, fuel demand and carbon dioxide emissions. The Chinese government is concerned with these trends. In a complementary analysis, I investigate existing government policy strategies that may affect future automotive energy demand. I find that policy strategies are fairly well aligned with the significant drivers to reduce automotive energy demand. However, I also find that national government policies are often not implemented as intended at the local government level. Finally, I analyze current domestic and joint venture brand vehicle technology, where I find that domestic car technology lags joint venture car technology.by Ingrid Gudrun Bonde Åkerlind.S.M.in Technology and Polic

Women's perceptions of their healthcare experience when they choose not to breastfeed

Research Question How do women who choose not to breastfeed perceive their healthcare experience? Method This qualitative research study used a phenomenographic approach to explore the healthcare experience of women who do not breastfeed. Seven women were interviewed about their healthcare experience relating to their choice of feeding, approximately four weeks after giving birth. Six conceptions were identified and an outcome space was developed to demonstrate the relationships and meaning of the conceptions in a visual format. Findings There were five unmet needs identified by the participants during this study. These needs included equity, self sufficiency, support, education and the need not to feel pressured. Conclusion Women in this study who chose not to breastfeed identified important areas where they felt that their needs were not met. In keeping with the Code of Ethics for Nurses and Midwives, the identified needs of women who do not breastfeed must be addressed in a caring, compassionate and just manner. The care and education of women who formula feed should be of the highest standard possible, even if the choice not to breastfeed is not the preferred choice of healthcare professionals