Protean career processes in young adults: Relationships with perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment

Protean career processes of vocational identity awareness, career adaptability, and career agency have been hypothesized to mediate the relationships between protean career orientation and career-related outcomes. To date, the role of these process mechanisms has not been assessed directly in young adults, and little attention has been paid to educational outcomes, which are important career-related goals for young people on the way to their desired career. To address this gap, we tested this indirect-effects model in a sample of young adult undergraduates (N=396; Mage=20.19, SD=2.99; 72.2% women) and included career-related goals (perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment) as outcomes. Identity awareness and career adaptability partially explained the relationship between protean career orientation and perceived future employability and completely explained the relationships with educational performance and commitment. Contrary to protean career theory, there were no significant indirect paths via career agency to any of the outcomes

Abortions in sheep associated with Arcobacter skirrowii infection

The history, circumstances, clinical signs, post mortem lesions, morbidity, mortality and laboratory findings are described in an abortion storm in sheep that occurred in Mpumalanga, South Africa, associated with infection with Arcobacter skirrowii. Altogether, about 200 Suffolk Down ewes lost 60 lambs in late pregnancy or at term. Although only three foetuses were submitted for investigation, two had signs consistent with a diagnosis of A. skirrowii infection and the organism was isolated from the placentas of both specimens. No abortions had occurred in previous years, or have subsequently. There were no animal introductions prior to the outbreak that could have indicated a source of infection. One stillborn lamb submitted subsequently had lesions consistent with dystocia, and the history and circumstantial evidence indicated that dystocia had been a factor in several more losses. No ewes or rams had shown signs of diarrhoea or other diseases associated with A. skirrowii infection. Twenty-two faecal, preputial and vaginal swab specimens taken from six rams and 13 ewes after the abortion event were all negative for A. skirrowii. This is the first report of abortions in sheep associated with A. skirrowii in South Africa. Because the genus Arcobacter is similar to Campylobacter, it is possible that infection has gone unrecognised in the past. Veterinarians and laboratories should take note and include this genus in the list of potential abortifacient organisms. The possible role of Arcobacter species in other diseases like enteritis and mastitis, as well as the potential role as a zoonosis, must be borne in mind.http://www.jsava.co.zaam2013ab2013ab201

The role of the scientist-practitioner model in the teaching of psychology: preliminary results from the AUTC funded project Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in Psychology

The Australian Universities Teaching Committee (AUTC) is committed to the identification of ‘examples of best practice in teaching and learning in Australian universities at the level of discipline or field of study’. The AUTC funded project Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in Psychology was awarded this year to a team representing a diverse cross-section of Schools and Departments of Psychology in Australia. The project brief demands ‘an evaluative overview of courses… with a focus on the specification and assessment of learning outcomes and must identify strategic directions for universities to enhance teaching and learning in these areas’. Although the final project outcomes will include a discussion of the teaching of psychology beyond that taking place within Schools and Departments of Psychology, this preliminary report will consider only information relevant to the teaching of psychology in core programs within Australian Psychological Society (APS) accredited academic organisational units (AOUs)

How do introductory psychology texts present science, and the scientist-practitioner model?

The design of psychology programs in Australian universities is guided by the principles of the ‘scientist-practitioner’ model. According to this model, practicing psychologists are expected to be able to contribute to the creation of knowledge through research as well as utilising effective, evidence-based, procedures. Accreditation guidelines thus emphasise research-skills development throughout undergraduate psychology programs, and the importance of the honours-level fourth year as a capstone experience for Australian students. The AUTC-funded project, Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in Psychology, will provide an analysis of various sources of influence upon undergraduate curricula, curriculum design, and student outcomes. A starting point for this analysis is to examine how the scientist-practitioner model is portrayed within introductory psychology texts, which form the basis for students’ understanding of the nature of psychology during their initial contact with the discipline. We will also be considering the treatment of the general nature of science in these texts, since the meaning of the phrase ‘scientist-practitioner’ is not clarified unless the meaning of the term ‘scientist’ is first known. The results of our initial survey of introductory texts will be provided, along with a description of our intentions to further

Educational development between faculty and administration

This essay employs Identity Theory to explore the professional identities of educational developers, arguing that it is important to pay attention to the different saliences, or weights, that developers attach to the faculty and administrative sides of their identities

Evaluation of a university-wide strategy providing staff development for tutors: effectiveness, relevance and local impact

In this article we report on the results of an evaluation of a two‐tiered strategic approach to the development of sessional teaching staff in one Australian university. Analysis of the data reveals a tension between the institutional imperatives underpinning the strategy and its local implementations. This tension ultimately undermines the effectiveness of such development strategies. We identify and describe various dimensions of this tension and its impact on programme quality and effectiveness and make recommendations for future strategic initiatives and their implementations

Developing and evaluating authentic integration between research and coursework in professional doctorate programs

Integration has always been a prominent issue debated in the burgeoning literature on professional doctorate programs. This focus on integration, however, has largely involved the integration between theoretical and practical understandings of various professions. Exploring the integration between research and coursework components of professional doctorate programs has received less attention. This article explores the character of the integration between coursework and research in several professional doctorate programs at a number of Australian research-intensive universities and universities of technology. Using a content analysis methodology, this research charted the various models for sequencing research and coursework and established whether integration was an explicit or implicit goal of the espoused curriculum. It also sought to explore whether there were differences in the levels of integration in professional doctorate programs across different types of universities or patterns of variation across disciplines

Replication of the learning alliance inventory to blended student populations

The therapeutic working alliance by Bordin has been demonstrated as a ‘common ground’ variable attributable to change in identified change enterprises, including education. In this context, working alliance (renamed learning alliance) has been empirically demonstrated to predict positive on-campus student outcomes. However, minimal research investigating whether learning alliance predicts blended student outcomes has been conducted. A measure of on-campus student teaching alliance (the learning alliance inventory, LAI; Rogers), which operationalises (measures) learning alliance using three subscales (collaborative bond, teacher competency and student investment) was administered to 199 Australian tertiary students, enrolled in a counselling program delivered in the blended learning modality (online learning coupled with synchronous tutorials and an on-campus intensive). The aim of the study was to investigate if this on-campus measure of learning alliance can validly measure learning alliance in blended student populations as well. Results revealed that learning alliance in the blended student population is best operationalised as a two-factor model (collaborative bond and student investment) only. Thematic analysis of an open question revealed learning alliance in the blended teaching environment is understood as four themes: qualities of the teacher, teacher style, mastery of the technology and unique online factors. These results were interpreted as evidence that the bond factor of the original learning alliance construct as operationalised by Bordin (1979) continues to be important in the blended teaching space, but other factors unique to blended learning are important for online learning alliance, including content relevancy, currency and validity, as well as a transparent and structured course delivery style, flexibility when technology fails and online objectivity. Study limitations, implications and future research recommendations are discussed