Factors influencing academic success or failure of first-year and senior university students: do education students and lecturers perceive things differently?

South African universities are changing in several very important ways; their entry standards are changing, their programmes are focusing more specifically on the outcomes that learners are required to achieve, and their student populations are becoming more diverse. These changes are occurring in a climate of increased accountability. It is, therefore, important for universities to be concerned about the standards of their academic programmes and about the success rates of students. Together, these factors have produced a range of opinions about what needs to happen in universities if the diverse range of students is to be successful in outcomes-based programmes that maintain high standards. Some educators argue that entry standards are the most important determinants of success at university; others maintain that non-academic factors must also be considered. There is considerable evidence that the views and expectations about success held by lecturers and stud ents are not always consistent. This article presents the results of a recent empirical investigation at the University of Pretoria that attempted to identify the post-enrolment factors that lecturers and students perceived as having important influences on students' success in their university studies. The study investigated the different expectations of first-year students, senior students and lecturers and identified numerous important similarities and inconsistencies. Most notably, there was a high and significant correlation between the rankings the three groups (lecturers, first-year students and senior students) gave to 52 factors linked to successful university study. There was also a high and significant correlation between the rankings of lecturers and senior students on 55 factors suggestive of unsuccessful university study. However, the perceptions of first-year students were not strongly correlated with either lectures or senior students. This suggests that First-year students may have unrealistic expectations about the non-academic factors that could reduce their chances of successful study. The results of the research could be used in three ways. University administrators could provide more supportive learning environments to enhance the chances that students will be successful and lecturers could also use the information to enhance the influences of positive factors on student learning. The influence of negative factors could also be minimised accordingly. Finally students could also be assisted and supported to approach university studies in a way that will increase their chances of success. South African Journal of Education Vol.23(4) 2003: 254-26

A Small, Remotely Operated, Coronagraph located at Small Observatory to obtain Frequent Low-cost Remote Observations of the Lunar Exosphere

The sodium in the lunar exosphere is a marker for the study of the lunar exosphere because the sodium possesses two strong resonance transitions from the ground state whose wavelengths fall in the visible spectrum near 590 nm. Emissions at these wavelengths are thus, observable from Earth. Observations have shown that the exosphere responds in a complex way to the external processes (impact vaporization, sputtering, and photon stimulated desorption) that weather the lunar regolith to produce the sodium (Sarantos et aI., Icarus, 205, 2010). Unraveling the sodium production allows us to study the processes that weather the regolith. Obtaining the extensive time sequence of observations required to unravel the sources of sodium using conventional observatories is impractical, and too expensive. Effectively imaging the lunar sodium exosphere close to the Moon requires an off-axis rejection of scattered light that can only be obtained with a coronagraph sited at an observatory dedicated to remote robotic observing (the Winer Observatory in Sonoita Arizona) that can obtain the quality and quantity of lunar sodium observations needed to answer these questions, and at modest cost. The design uses Commercial Off the Shelf Technology (COTS). We are working to begin routine the observations before the launch of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission

Coronagraphic Observations of the Lunar Sodium Exosphere January-June, 2017

In order to observe the lunar sodium exosphere out to one-half degree around the Moon, we designed, built and installed a small robotically controlled coronagraph at the Winer Observatory in Sonoita, Arizona. Observations are obtained remotely every available clear night from our home base at Goddard Space Flight Center or from Prescott, Arizona. We employ an Andover temperature-controlled 1.5-angstrom-wide narrow-band filter centered on the sodium D2 line, and a similar 1.5-angstrom filter centered blueward of the D2 line by 3 angstroms for continuum observations. Our data encompass lunations in 2015, 2016, and 2017, thus we have a long baseline of sodium exospheric calibrated images. During the course of three years we have refined the observational sequence in many respects. Therefore this paper only presents the results of the spring, 2017, observing season. We present limb profiles from the south pole to the north pole for many lunar phases. Our data do not fit any power of cosine model as a function of lunar phase or with latitude. The extended Na exosphere has a characteristic temperature of about 22506750 degrees Kelvin, indicative of a partially escaping exosphere. The hot escaping component may be indicative of a mixture of impact vaporization and a sputtered component

LPS modulates the expression of iron-related immune genes in two Antarctic notothenoids

The non-specific immunity can induce iron deprivation as a defense mechanism against potential bacterial pathogens, but little information is available as to its role in Antarctic fish. In this study the response of iron metabolism related genes was evaluated in liver and head kidney of the Antarctic notothenoids Notothenia coriiceps and Notothenia rossii 7 days after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. Average plasma Fe2+ concentration was unaffected by treatment in any of the species. The gene expression response to LPS varied between tissues and species, being stronger in N. coriiceps and more prominent in the head kidney than liver. The reaction to LPS was marked by increased individual variability in most genes analyzed, even when the change in expression was not statistically significant, suggesting different individual sensitivity and coping responses in these wild fish. We found that iron related genes had an attenuated and homogenous response to LPS but there was no detectable relationship between plasma Fe2+ and gene expression. However, overall in both tissues and species LPS exposure set a multilevel response that concur to promote intracellular accumulation of iron, an indication that Antarctic Notothenoids use innate nutritional immunity as a resistance mechanism against pathogens.FCT-NSFC/0002/2016; CCMAR/Multi/04326/2013; PTDC/BIAANM/3484/2014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improving Teaching Through Reflective Partnerships

The purpose of this paper is to explain how both experienced and inexperienced faculty can improve their teaching and their students\u27 learning through a systematic process of reflecting on their day-to-day teaching by collaborating with a reflective partner. The suggestions are based on the author\u27s experiences as a teacher, teacher educator and faculty developer, and on the belief that good teachers are those who help students to learn and to achieve their full potential as individuals. The reflective teaching techniques in this paper have a strong focus on the technical aspects of teaching. However, the techniques also provide faculty with opportunities to reflect on broader issues such as the beliefs that guide their teaching practices. By following the suggestions in this paper, faculty can identify their teaching strengths and limitations, develop the confidence to experiment with new teaching strategies to overcome these limitations, and gain a better understanding of all aspects of their teaching

Validity in outcomes-based assessment

Because validity is universally accepted as one of the most important aspects of sound assessment practices, it is important that educators understand the concept and know how to use it as a quality control measure in their teaching. This paper outlines the evolving definition of the concept of validity, considers different types of evidence of validity and suggests how the concept might be applied in outcomes-based education. It argues that the common view that test items are valid if they measure what they are intended to measure, provides a necessary, but insufficient basis for considering validity. The paper develops the idea that test item per se can never be valid or invalid and explains why it is necessary to focus on evidence from which valid inferences can be made about learning

Effective teaching straregies: lessons from research and practice

This book four introductory chapters provide a strong theorical base for quality teaching and learning.x, 374 p. ; 24 c

Effective teaching strategies: lessons from research and practice

This boo has been written for teacher education students and for practicing teachers. It describes the key features of a variety of teaching strategies and explains when and how they can be used individually or in combination.xii, 178 p.: ill.; 29 cm

Effective teaching straregies: lessons from research and practice

This book four introductory chapters provide a strong theorical base for quality teaching and learning.x, 374 p. ; 24 c