Professional development and teaching quality in higher education

This dissertation aims to contribute to the debate on what constitutes quality teaching in higher education and, subsequently, how professional development (PD) can improve it. While the first chapters focus on operationalizing teaching quality in six observable teaching behaviour domains that are known to impact student achievement, the latter chapters turn to how PD programmes affect teachers’ outcomes. In chapter 2, the results of 203 classroom observations indicate differences in detected teaching behaviour. In chapter 3, the observed behavior reveals a hierarchical ordering, suggesting that teachers develop their teaching skills gradually. Chapter 4 explores the development of teachers’ teaching self-efficacy beliefs and teaching conceptions throughout a formal PD programme. While there was a significant increase in reported self-efficacy beliefs towards the end of the programme, only some participants developed their teaching conception from a teacher- to a more student-centred one. Finally, chapter 5 examines to what extent collaboration patterns of teachers change throughout an informal PD initiative. Towards the end of the project, teachers appeared more directly and more closely connected to each other. Furthermore, teachers who are in close physical proximity to each other are more likely to collaborate with each other. Besides the individual focus of each chapter, this dissertation has four overarching themes: (1) moving towards a common language and a shared understanding regarding teaching quality in higher education, (2) measuring teaching quality using classroom observations, (3) exploring whether teaching skills develop along a hierarchical path, and (4) facilitating collaboration between lecturers to improve teaching quality

Genome-wide linkage analyses identify Hfhl1 and Hfhl3 with frequency-specific effects on the hearing spectrum of NIH Swiss mice

BACKGROUND: The mammalian cochlea receives and analyzes sound at specific places along the cochlea coil, commonly referred to as the tonotopic map. Although much is known about the cell-level molecular defects responsible for severe hearing loss, the genetics responsible for less severe and frequency-specific hearing loss remains unclear. We recently identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) Hfhl1 and Hfhl2 that affect high-frequency hearing loss in NIH Swiss mice. Here we used 2f1-f2 distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) measurements to refine the hearing loss phenotype. We crossed the high frequency hearing loss (HFHL) line of NIH Swiss mice to three different inbred strains and performed linkage analysis on the DPOAE data obtained from the second-generation populations. RESULTS: We identified a QTL of moderate effect on chromosome 7 that affected 2f1-f2 emissions intensities (Hfhl1), confirming the results of our previous study that used auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds to identify QTLs affecting HFHL. We also identified a novel significant QTL on chromosome 9 (Hfhl3) with moderate effects on 2f1-f2 emissions intensities. By partitioning the DPOAE data into frequency subsets, we determined that Hfhl1 and Hfhl3 affect hearing primarily at frequencies above 24 kHz and 35 kHz, respectively. Furthermore, we uncovered additional QTLs with small effects on isolated portions of the DPOAE spectrum. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies QTLs with effects that are isolated to limited portions of the frequency map. Our results support the hypothesis that frequency-specific hearing loss results from variation in gene activity along the cochlear partition and suggest a strategy for creating a map of cochlear genes that influence differences in hearing sensitivity and/or vulnerability in restricted portions of the cochlea

Les plus-values pédagogiques liées à l’intégration du numérique (formapéro)

Présentation du projet de thèse et synthèse des premiers résultats (revue de littérature, représentation des étudiants de Master en Sciences de l’Éducation et représentations d'enseignants du secondaire)Les plus-values du numérique : théorisation, typologie et analyse d’activités d’apprentissage intégrant des usages du numériqu

Analysis of the photosynthetic apparatus in transgenic tobacco plants with altered endogenous cytokinin content: a proteomic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cytokinin is a plant hormone that plays a crucial role in several processes of plant growth and development. In recent years, major breakthroughs have been achieved in the elucidation of the metabolism, the signal perception and transduction, as well as the biological functions of cytokinin. An important activity of cytokinin is the involvement in chloroplast development and function. Although this biological function has already been known for 50 years, the exact mechanisms remain elusive.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To elucidate the effects of altered endogenous cytokinin content on the structure and function of the chloroplasts, chloroplast subfractions (stroma and thylakoids) from transgenic P<it>ssu</it>-<it>ipt </it>and <it>35S:CKX1 </it>tobacco (<it>Nicotiana tabacum</it>) plants with, respectively, elevated and reduced endogenous cytokinin content were analysed using two different 2-DE approaches. Firstly, thykaloids were analysed by blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by SDS-PAGE (BN/SDS-PAGE). Image analysis of the gel spot pattern thus obtained from thylakoids showed no substantial differences between wild-type and transgenic tobacco plants. Secondly, a quantitative DIGE analysis of CHAPS soluble proteins derived from chloroplast subfractions indicated significant gel spot abundance differences in the stroma fraction. Upon identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, these proteins could be assigned to the Calvin-Benson cycle and photoprotective mechanisms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, presented proteomic data reveal that the constitutively altered cytokinin status of transgenic plants does not result in any qualitative changes in either stroma proteins or protein complexes of thylakoid membranes of fully developed chloroplasts, while few but significant quantitative differences are observed in stroma proteins.</p

Investing in employability interventions? : methodological challenges and economic evaluation results

At some point, we will all experience work limitations due to health issues. In some cases, these limitations can lead to a reduction in work efficiency or absenteeism. In the Netherlands, the cost of absenteeism weighs most heavily on employers, who are expected to pay 70% of the absent employee’s salary for a maximum of two years. Various employability interventions have been developed to help minimise costs and facilitate reintegration. Interventions that focus on cooperation are the most cost-effective and therefore the most recommended. These include interventions that focus on the prevention and early detection of work-related health problems by encouraging an active role by company doctors and interventions that focus on employee-employer cooperation with the help of a mediator

Les plus-values pédagogiques liées à l’intégration du numérique

Lors de cette intervention, différents points ont été abordés en lien avec la plus-value pédagogique du numérique : 1) Présentation du projet de thèse 2) Définition de la notion, des types de plus-values identifiables et présentation d'exemples 3) Quelles sont les représentations d’enseignants du secondaire, lauréats d’un appel à projet EN ? (présentation des résultats du questionnaire soumis l'an passé) 4) Comparaison avec les représentations d’étudiants du master en sciences de l’éducationLes plus-values du numérique : théorisation, typologie et analyse d’activités d’apprentissage intégrant des usages du numériqu