Developing teaching and learning programmes for new lecturers in higher education to allow for exploration of the link between research and teaching: a collaborative UK/Canadian project

This is an ESCalate development project led by Lisa Lucas of the University of Bristol and completed in 2009. It looks at teaching and learning programmes for new lecturers in the UK and Canada, specifically the link between research and teaching. The aim of this project was to develop innovative materials and activities, and collect best practice examples that focus on the link between research and teaching that can be utilised within university Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programmes for new lecturers. A comparison between the UK and Canada was taken in order to provide an international perspective on this issue and to help develop materials that would be relevant in different national contexts. It looks at the policy contexts in the UK and Canada, reviews some example teaching and learning programmes and explores the views of early career academics in terms of linking teaching and research. It includes a final project report and colloquium paper, both presented as PDF file

Health Insurance in Nonstandard Jobs and Small Firms: Differences for Parents by Race and Ethnicity

Focuses on the higher rates of small-firm and nonstandard employment and of uninsurance regardless of job type among Latino/Hispanic and African-American parents. Considers healthcare reform provisions' effects on their insurance costs and coverage rates

Researching the role of the PhD in developing an academic career: does it make a difference?

This single paper builds on the arguments developed through the think piece by Bak (2013) in that it will report on research that explored academics’ experiences of the role of the PhD in developing their academic careers. Bak (2013) questions the ‘conventional way of approaching the PhD´ in South Africa (p.1) and proposes reconsideration of how doctoral education is conceptualised, delivered and valued. The current study, undertaken in Australia and the UK, commenced from the premise that it is commonly assumed that the PhD prepares people for academic careers, yet little is known about how academics are influenced and developed through doctoral study. Early findings demonstrate that the PhD has not been particularly effective in preparing academics for independent research and teaching and that changes in doctoral education are neede

Predicting Social and Psychological Adjustment from the Importance and Restrictiveness of Religion in Late Adolescence

In working with Renee Galliher, I had the opportunity to administer a questionnaire to 118 college students. This questionnaire included the Personal and Relationships Profile (Strauss & Mouradian, 1999), as well as questions assessing religious attitudes and activities. From these questionnaires, a data set was compiled and I presented this research at the recent conference of the Society for Research on Child Development

Character education as perceived and implemented by selected middle school teachers of one rural county in West Virginia

This qualitative phenomenological study examined selected middle school teachers\u27 perceptions of character education in one rural county in northwestern West Virginia. It investigated how they think about and implement character education, what they consider to be obstacles that interfere with the teaching of character education, as well as factors that may foster delivery. Research questions include: (1) What are selected middle school public school teachers\u27 perceptions of character education in terms of how do teachers define character education? How important is character education? (2) How do selected middle school teachers implement character education? (3) What fosters and inhibits the implementation of character education?;Study design consisted of 12 semi-structured teacher interviews. Six of the teachers were randomly chosen from the school\u27s Character Development Team with the remaining six randomly chosen from the balance of the instructional staff. Classroom lesson observations and document analysis of lesson plans and instructional materials were also employed. Observations and document analysis sought to identify Kagan\u27s (2002) five approaches (curricular, extracurricular, spotlight, contextual, and structural) to integrating character education.;Emerging results of data analysis revealed that teachers appeared to highly value character education, yet they struggled to articulate a verbal definition of it despite the school\u27s emphasis on the Character Counts! Program with its defined six traits of respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, caring, fairness, and citizenship. They feel personally responsible for delivering it. They overwhelming cited teacher modeling as the means by which they implement it. Teachers maintain that they have good students and have always taught character education. The school was rich in Kagan\u27s contextual as well as extracurricular approaches. Kagan\u27s curriculum, structural, and spotlight approaches were nearly non-existent, but teachers claimed to use the spotlight approach, which utilizes teachable moments that naturally occur within the classroom. Teachers cited their own backgrounds consisting of parents, religion, and the teachable moment, respectively, as elements that foster delivery of character education. Poor student value systems consisting of poor parenting, lack of parenting, and societal influences, respectively, such as television, music, and electronic games emerged as the primary inhibiting factor to delivering character education

“Pass the Remote…! Interactive Classroom Review for the 21st Century: Bringing Remote Response Pads into Your Classroom

This project describes a form of computer-assisted interactive classroom instruction, which is particularly useful in the ESL context. Not only does this project show how to integrate instruction with ever advancing technology, it also demonstrates how to integrate interactive class work with the diverse and relevant learning styles of each learner in the classroom. This project will show how easy it is to use this technology in conjunction with thematic units or projects-whatever the level of the ESL student. Enclosed are examples of instructional materials, created for the ESL High Beginner and examples of how they relate to the paper and pen tests given in class. Also included are examples of the quarter-schedules events to show how I integrated this mode of instruction into my planning. A PowerPoint presentation given at a Sandanona Conference, School for International Training. at Brattleboro, Vermont, summer 1999, concludes this project

Positioning ourselves for research and teaching: a cross-country analysis of academic formation

This paper presents early findings emerging from an international collaborative research project that addresses the key question of the nature of academic work, how academics make decisions regarding teaching and research and how they develop their academic identities. Drawing on survey data and pilot interviews administered in Australian and English Universities, the paper considers emerging evidence in relation to factors that contribute to success in research as well as contextual factors that discourage it. The paper begins to illuminate how academics in different countries, university contexts and with different career orientations, interpret and position themselves in relation to those contexts and how structural and agential factors may influence the formation of academic identity. The findings emerging from this research will provide new in-depth understandings about how institutions might most effectively support, develop and encourage world-class teaching, and the capacity for high quality research

The Dental Hygienist’s Role in Management in Oral Lichen Planus.

PosterObjective: To understand the dental hygienist’s role in the management of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). Signs of OLP are clinically seen as lacy white, raised patches of tissue and/or as red, swollen, tender patches of tissue. These lesions are most commonly visible on the buccal mucosa; other common locations are the gingiva, tongue, alveolar mucosa, and the palate. Patients with OLP typically experience a burning sensation or pain in the area. Our patient presented with generalized slight to moderate plaque induced and localized non-plaque induced gingivitis evidenced by hypersensitivity involving the papilla, white and pale pink gingiva, blunted, and sloughing papilla. Raised white patches were clinically noted on the left buccal alveolar mucosa, the left buccal mucosa, and with similar but fewer patches on the right buccal tissues. Patient indicated being more symptomatic a couple weeks prior to her visit, but she was unsure why. She expressed that the inside of her cheeks felt very painful and these symptoms “come and go.” Patient reported no history of medication. Her oral hygiene habits consist of brushing once a day with an electric tooth brush, flossing once a day, and using Listerine mouth rinse once a day. While there is no cure for OLP, current treatment includes systemic and topical corticosteroids. Palliative care during a dental hygiene appointment would include the use of topical and local anesthetics. When treating a patient with OLP, it is important that the dental hygienist recognizes the signs and symptoms in order to determine an appropriate care plan while keeping pain and discomfort to a minimum; and to provide the patient with the knowledge to care for lichen planus at home