Bringing together knowledge and capabilities: a case study of engineering graduates

In contemporary times there is a renewed focus on the purposes of university education in science or engineering, especially inemerging economycontexts like South Africa where the massification of higher education is in its early stages. The contributions by Muller (High Educ 70(3):409–416, 2015) and Walker (High Educ 70(3):417–425,2015) both recognise the crucial importance of expanding epistemological access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but their visions offer different emphases on howto proceed.Muller (2015) argues for the centring of disciplinary knowledge, while forWalker (2015) it is the concerns of society that should be central. In this article we argue that both of these are partial answers.We draw on a longitudinal study with ten South African engineering graduates, who were interviewed both in their third year and then approximately a decade later. Our analysis shows how the engagement with disciplinary knowledge is at the heart of the shaping of ‘graduateness’. Thus we argue for a coming together of the two perspectives in this issue towards a nuanced perspective on graduateness that recognises the significance of disciplinary knowledge but that also holds a space for the development of student agency in higher education.IBSS, ISI & Scopu

Exploring pedagogical possibilities for transformative approaches to academic literacies in undergraduate Physics

How can research on academic literacies throw light on the challenge to widen access to undergraduate science studies? This article explores what an academic literacies approach might mean in the context of undergraduate physics. The study examines the pedagogical practices and student learning in two undergraduate Physics courses, a mainstream and an extended course, with a particular focus on the disciplinary practice of problem-solving. Concepts from the sociology of knowledge, specifically Legitimation Code Theory, offer a useful analytical framework for characterising the movement between abstract principles and concrete contexts in problem-solving and understanding how meaning is encapsulated in the dense representations of physics. The study shows that with more time and careful pedagogical attention, the extended course was able to make more explicit the literacy practices and epistemological functioning of the discipline. The study found that the extended course adopted a more explicitly normative approach to academic literacy, i.e., inducting students into the disciplinary knowledge and norms of the discipline, but elements of a transformative approach were also evident, i.e., opening up opportunities for these norms to be critiqued and contested

Does gene dosage really matter?

Mechanisms to compensate for dosage differences of genes on sex chromosomes are widespread in animals and have been thought to be critical for viability. However, in birds, compensation is inefficient, implying that for many genes dosage compensation is not critical, and for some genes, dosage differences have even been selected for

Conference Papers

“Voodoo and the Black Vernacular as Weapons of Resistance: Liberation Strategies in Their Eyes Were Watching God” Dr. Babacar M’Baye, Associate Professor, Kent State University “Love and Marriage in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Tell My Horse” Dr. Jennifer Freeman Marshall, Assistant Professor, Purdue Universit

Going to University

Around the world, more young people than ever before are attending university. Student numbers in South Africa have doubled since democracy and for many families, higher education is a route to a better future for their children. But alongside the overwhelming demand for higher education, questions about its purposes have intensified. Deliberations about the curriculum, culture and costing of public higher education abound from student activists, academics, parents, civil society and policy-makers. We know, from macro research, that South African graduates generally have good employment prospects. But little is known at a detailed level about how young people actually make use of their university experiences to craft their life courses. And even less is known about what happens to those who drop out. This accessible book brings together the rich life stories of 73 young people, six years after they began their university studies. It traces how going to university influences not only their employment options, but also nurtures the agency needed to chart their own way and to engage critically with the world around them. The book offers deep insights into the ways in which public higher education is both a private and public good, and it provides significant conclusions pertinent to anyone who works in – and cares about – universities

Sniffer-dog Searches in the United States

We present here a complement to Judge Wayne Gorman’s article on the law of sniffer-dog searches in Canada found on page 52. Similar to Judge Gorman’s article, we examine U.S. Supreme Court cases about the use of police dogs in searches. The U.S. Supreme Court first addressed the issue of dog sniffs in U.S. v. Place 1 pursuant to the Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable government searches and seizures and requirements for obtaining a search warrant.2 We start with a brief historical 3 reminder of Fourth Amendment case law to provide context for current sniffer-dog questions. Next, we provide an overview of U.S. Supreme Court cases that have addressed what role sniffer dogs should have in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence

The Impact of Social Support and the Number of Searchers on Perceptions of Consent Searches

Consent searches require voluntariness of consent for validity under the 4th Amendment. Social situational factors may affect perceptions of voluntariness, but their importance is minimized in court decisions about searches. Participants (N = 328) rated perceptions of a consent request in a consent search situation in which social power dynamics (i.e., number of searchers and the amount of social support) were manipulated. Social support affected perceptions of pressure to say yes to the search. Significant differences in perceptions between the third-person and first-person perspective were observed, indicating that judges may overestimate consent voluntariness. There was also a significant three-way interaction between gender of the participant, number of searchers, amount of social support and how they influence first-person perceptions of coerciveness of a search request

Massage therapy for symptom reduction and improved quality of life in children with cancer in palliative care: A pilot study

Background: For children with cancer in palliative care, pain and worry are common and frequently under-managed, which negatively impacts quality of life (QOL). Massage therapy (MT) can lead to reduced pain in children with chronic illnesses. Children with cancer have experienced lower anxiety after MT. No studies have examined the effects of MT in pediatric oncology patients receiving palliative care. Objective: Conduct a MT intervention to determine intervention acceptability and initial effects on ratings of pain, worry reduction, and quality of life. Design: Pre-post single group pilot study. Setting/Subjects: Eight children with cancer (age 10–17) and one of their parents were recruited from a palliative care service. Procedure/Measurements: Baseline (one week prior to intervention): demographics, MT expectations, QOL, and pain measures. Intervention (one month): MT was provided once per week, with children\u27s pain and worry ratings occurring immediately before and after each MT session. Follow Up (4–6 weeks after baseline): QOL, pain, and MT/study acceptability questionnaires. Results: Participants reported significant decreases in pain following two MT sessions, and worry following one session. No significant changes in pain symptoms and QOL were found between baseline and follow up. Participants positively endorsed the study and the MT intervention, and there were no adverse effects reported. Conclusions: MT may lead to immediate decreases in pain and worry in children with cancer who are receiving palliative care, however the effects may not be sustained long term. Difficulties regarding protocol feasibility including recruitment and study compliance remain important considerations for future work