On defining coherence and integrity in the curriculum

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43597/1/11162_2004_Article_BF00991778.pd

Superhuman? Perceptions of accelerated students and graduates working in health care

Background: Accelerated university courses were developed in response to consumer demand and educational advances, yet a lack of research exists related to the impact of accelerated health care courses in the United Kingdom. Objectives: This study explored clinicians' perceptions of accelerated pre-registration courses in physiotherapy. Method: Senior clinicians were recruited by purposive sampling from several National Health Service hospitals across northeast England. Data from face-to-face semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Findings: Findings from fourteen participants indicated their admiration of accelerated students’ attributes to complete what they considered to be an intense and in-depth course. Such graduates were described as ‘superhuman.’ Participants noted that accelerated graduates were likely to ‘hit the ground running’ in clinical settings. However, concerns were raised that some accelerated graduates' over-confidence affected team dynamics and/or affected some aspects of clinical reasoning. Conclusions: Participants valued the varied routes to graduation while recognising their strengths and limitations. Findings from the study suggested the need for different types of clinical supervision to support each route

Getting it from the Web: why and how online resources are used by independent undergraduate learners

Undergraduate students access the Internet for a range of purposes, many unrelated to their studies. Increasingly, learners are using the Internet to find information and resources for coursework, whether or not this is promoted or endorsed by their teachers. This article reports an interview study that investigated why and how independent learners use Web-based resources, exploring not only the academic context of the courses studied, but also any relevant personal, domestic and employment-related circumstances. Factors were identified which enhanced or competed with study activities, acting as incentives or disincentives for learners. The findings suggest that it is not technologies per se, but a combination of various contextual factors that determine students’ use of Web resources for learning. Of the academic factors that emerged from the interviews, assessment requirements and pedagogic approach were particularly important

Realizing General Education: Reconsidering Conceptions and Renewing Practice

General Education is widely touted as an enduring distinctive of higher education in the United States (Association of American Colleges and Universities, [11]; Boyer, [37]; Gaston, [86]; Zakaria, [202]). The notion that undergraduate education demands wide‐ranging knowledge is a hallmark of U.S. college graduates that international educators emulate (Blumenstyk, [25]; Rhodes, [158]; Tsui, [181]). The veracity of this distinct educational vision is supported by the fact that approximately one third of the typically 120 credits required for the bachelor\u27s degree in the United States consist of general education courses (Lattuca & Stark, [120]). Realizing a general education has been understood to be central to achieving higher education\u27s larger purposes, making it a particularly salient concern

Faculty reflect on course planning

Faculty members' beliefs about educational purpose and the nature of their academic fields strongly influence how they plan introductory courses. Interviews with 89 faculty members teaching in diverse colleges and representing eight fields also identified faculty attention to student preparation, available textbooks, and locally important factors, but little attention to alternative instructional strategies during course planning. Based on the findings, the authors have developed a tentative general model of course design and related questions to guide future study.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43602/1/11162_2004_Article_BF00992924.pd