Prior Learning Assessment at a Small, Private Midwestern Institution

A small college in the Midwestern United States has a prior learning assessment (PLA) program that has never been evaluated from the perspective of the faculty and staff. The problem is that campus leaders have a limited understanding of faculty and staff knowledge and their role in the PLA program. The study was approached from an appreciative perspective while exploring faculty and staff knowledge and perceptions related to PLA to address 3 research questions. The first 2 research questions were developed to better understand how faculty and staff describe their understanding of the PLA program and what they envision for the program. The final research question was a reflection of the descriptive data collected from the responses to the first 2 research questions. This formative program evaluation included an open-ended survey of 36 faculty and staff as self-selected to participate in the study from the entire faculty and staff population. Additionally, formal documents, including catalog, forms, and internet references associated with PLA were evaluated. Analysis was performed through manual methods including axial coding for the surveys, descriptive and axial coding for the formal documents, followed by thematic analysis. Faculty and staff reported that they had a limited understanding of the institution\u27s PLA program and said they would like to have a stronger program than what they have now. Key results from the analysis indicate that the institution can improve the PLA program by clarifying the purpose, enhancing the policy supporting the program, improving processes, and further promoting the program. Positive social change can occur through the college developing improved PLA practices, thus helping to support students\u27 education endeavors

Trends und Tendenzen in der Lehrkräftefortbildung

Neue Herausforderungen wie z.B. die Entwicklung von Schulen mit deutlich heterogener Schülerschaft, die Notwendigkeit Lernprozesse stärker zu individualisieren, die deutlich höheren Anforderungen an Prävention in allen denkbaren Richtungen, die Probleme der Schülerinnen und Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund und deren Eltern – alle diese Themen und Problemlagen, die dahinter stehen, werfen immer wieder die Frage auf, wie die Lehrkräftefortbildung in den Bundesländern aufgestellt ist. D.h.: Welchen inhaltlichen Schwerpunkten folgt die Fortbildung? Wie verbindlich ist die Teilnahme von Lehrkräften an Fortbildungsmaßnahmen? Wie wirksam und nachhaltig ist die Fortbildung mit Blick auf die Verbesserung der Lernsettings und der Lernergebnisse für Schülerinnen und Schüler? Wie wirkt Fortbildung in den Schulen zusammen, welche gestalteten Zusammenhänge gibt es zwischen Schulprogramm, Personalentwicklungskompetenz und schulinterner Fortbildungsplanung? Welche neuen Modelle und Strategien der Fortbildung entwickeln sich im Zusammenhang mit der Unterstützung von Schulentwicklung bezogen auf konkrete Schulen? (DIPF/Orig.

New faculty members' emotions : a mixed-method study†.

The current study developed when new faculty members spontaneously reported discrete emotions during focus groups exploring the factors affecting their success. Qualitative analysis using the framework of Pekrun's control–value theory of emotions revealed 18 different emotions with varying frequencies. A follow-up survey of 79 new faculty members showed significantly more enjoyment, pride, and boredom regarding teaching, whereas more anxiety, guilt, and helplessness were found concerning research. Sixteen of the 20 emotions significantly correlated with perceived success. Regressions revealed that several emotions (enjoyment, pride, and boredom) played a role in teaching success by mediating value; conversely, numerous emotions (enjoyment, pride, shame, and helplessness) mediated the predictive effect of control on research success. Implications for new faculty development and emotion research are discussed

The Achievement Pride Scales (APS).

A growing body of research focuses on the self-conscious achievement emotion pride. However, studies investigating the relations of different types of achievement pride with individual antecedents, such as frames of reference, achievement goals, and achievement values, are largely lacking. This work describes a theoretical model designed to extend and clarify the study of achievement pride and introduces the Achievement Pride Scales (APS), which assess two types of pride, namely self-based pride and social comparison-based pride. The results document the reliability and internal validity of the scales. External validity is demonstrated in terms of relations with students’ frames of reference, achievement goals, and values. More specifically, whereas self-based pride was positively related to individual frames of reference and individual achievement values, social comparison-based pride was positively related to social frames of reference, performance-approach goals, and social achievement values. Implications for future research on achievement pride are discussed

Large carnivore distribution in relationship to environmental and anthropogenic factors in a multiple‐use landscape of Northern Tanzania

Effective management of threatened wildlife, particularly large carnivores, depends on a sound understanding of their spatial distribution and status in relationship to environmental or anthropogenic impacts. Here we analyse data from spoor surveys to investigate occurrence across a multiple-use landscape in the Tarangire-Simanjiro ecosystem in northern Tanzania for four taxa of African large carnivores: lions (Panthera leo), hyaenas (spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) and striped hyaenas (Hyaena hyaena) combined), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and leopards (P. pardus). We analysed our data using occupancy modeling, explicitly accounting for detectability, to identify associations with environmental and anthropogenic variables. Overall occurrence was estimated at 0.85 (SE = 0.06) for hyaena, 0.82 (SE = 0.15) for cheetah, 0.55 (SE = 0.10) for lion and 0.61 (SE = 0.21) for leopard. Lion occurrence was negatively associated with distance to park boundary. Hyaena occurrence was positively associated with human population density and negatively associated with bushland, while cheetah and leopard occurrences were positively associated with grassland. These results suggest that lions may be more vulnerable to human impacts than other species, while hyaenas may benefit from vicinity to humans. Our study demonstrates the value of spoor-based occupancy surveys for understanding distribution and habitat-use of secretive large carnivores

Ambient Green and Creativity

This research examined an important applied question: whether viewing ambient green (relative to red) on the wall of a workspace would facilitate creativity. A methodologically sound experiment revealed no influence of green on creativity. Care must be taken when interpreting a null result, but these data do not provide support for the presence of a relation between ambient green and creativity. This research also highlights the need for more research in the area of ambient color and psychological functioning, and the need for caution regarding the tendency to move to real-world recommendations before a firm empirical base is established

An estimate of the solar cyclic variation of the Martian upper atmosphere

Mathematical model for estimating probable cyclic variations in Martian atmosphere during solar activit

Red - Take a Closer Look

Color research has shown that red is associated with avoidance of threat (e. g., failure) or approach of reward (e. g., mating) depending on the context in which it is perceived. In the present study we explored one central cognitive process that might be involved in the context dependency of red associations. According to our theory, red is supposed to highlight the relevance (importance) of a goal-related stimulus and correspondingly intensifies the perceivers' attentional reaction to it. Angry and happy human compared to non-human facial expressions were used as goal-relevant stimuli. The data indicate that the color red leads to enhanced attentional engagement to angry and happy human facial expressions (compared to neutral ones) - the use of non-human facial expressions does not bias attention. The results are discussed with regard to the idea that red induced attentional biases might explain the red-context effects on motivation

Mindful violence? Responses to the Rambo series' shifting aesthetic of aggression

Rambo (2008) marked the return of Sylvester Stallone's iconic action hero. What is most striking about the fourth film (as the response from reviewers testifies), is its graphic violence. My intention here is to critically engage with Rambo (2008) as rewriting the series' established aesthetic of violence. My overarching aim is to highlight how the popular press has sought to read the 2008 version of Rambo according to the discursive narratives surrounding Stallone's 1980s action films. The negative response to Rambo, I argue, stems from relying on critical patterns that do not fit the film itself