Reflections on the impact of social technologies on lecturers in a pathway institution

Education has evolved over time from face-to-face teaching to computer-supported learning, and now to even more sophisticated electronic tools. In particular, social technologies are being used to supple- ment the classroom experience and to ensure that students are becoming increasingly engaged in ways that appeal to them. No matter how educationally beneficial, however, new technology is affected by its users. To investigate this, lecturers at the Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT)—a Higher Education pathway provider—were surveyed to determine their perception and application of social technolog(ies) in their personal, but predominantly ‘professional’ lives. Utilising a qualitative and autoethnographic approach, one author provides an insight into their own attitude toward social technologies, coupled with responses to three open-ended questions. Thereafter, the same questions were posed to EIBT academic staff to understand their willingness or reluctance to use social technologies in their practice as part of their first-year pathway course(s)

BcB_c spectroscopy

In the framework of potential models for heavy quarkonium the mass spectrum for the system ($\bar b c$) is considered. Spin-dependent splittings, taking into account a change of a constant for effective Coulomb interaction between the quarks, and widths of radiative transitions between the ($\bar b c$) levels are calculated. In the framework of QCD sum rules, masses of the lightest vector $B_c^*$ and pseudoscalar $B_c$ states are estimated, scaling relation for leptonic constants of heavy quarkonia is derived, and the leptonic constant $f_{B_C}$ is evaluated.Comment: IHEP 94-51, LATEX, 39 page

Turning Managers into Leaders: The Art of Mentoring

Fostering stable, reliable and knowledgeable leaders is one of today\u27s top priorities in many organizations. Leadership is generally considered the ability to influence others. There is a widespread, generally accepted belief that mentoring should be an integral factor within the leadership development paradigm to recognize and train protégés in the art of exerting influence over others. The mentoring experience may also have a significant impact on manager development, given the operational, regulatory, and economic constraints placed on managers in today\u27s fast-paced, technology driven environment. Understanding how mentors acquire the requisite knowledge, wisdom and communication skills that allow them to positively influence others to engage, build and maintain leadership skills is necessary to a successful mentoring relationship. There is a plethora of mentoring models and programs available today. Understanding the needs, wants, desires and expectations of the various organizational stakeholders will aid in deciding which mentoring program may be right for any two individuals seeking to engage in the mentoring process