Adapting, not adopting: Barriers affecting teaching for critical thinking at two Rwandan universities

A recent study of student learning at three of Rwanda’s most prestigious public universities has suggested that Rwandan students are not improving in their critical thinking ability during their time at university (Schendel, 2015). This paper reports on a series of Faculty-level case studies, which were conducted at two of the participating institutions in order to investigate some of the reasons behind these results. Although educational practices likely to foster critical thinking skills are required elements of the undergraduate curriculum at both institutions, the case study analysis suggests that these practices are being fundamentally altered during implementation, due to a limited understanding of the rationale for pedagogical change and low levels of faculty motivation to implement more labor-intensive teaching methods. The findings suggest that teaching and learning policies are only likely to be effective if accompanied by pedagogical training and support for ongoing faculty development

Constructing departmental culture to support student development: Evidence from a case study in Rwanda

In recent years, there have been numerous attempts to improve the quality of higher education in Africa, but there is limited knowledge about the impact of these initiatives on student learning. The results of a study published in 2015 offered some initial data in this regard by identifying a lack of improvement in the critical thinking ability of students enrolled at three of Rwanda's public universities, despite extensive pedagogical reforms across the sector. However, subsequent analysis of the study data suggests that this lack of improvement is not a general phenomenon, as students graduating from the KIST Faculty of Architecture & Environmental Design appear to exhibit deeper approaches to learning and stronger critical thinking skills than graduates with similar backgrounds from other Faculties involved in the study. This paper examines the factors that appear to have contributed to this outlying Faculty's success and argues that departmental culture has played a crucial role, by fostering the conditions necessary for pedagogical innovation

Henri Mitterand, Le roman à l’œuvre – genèse et valeurs

Henri Mitterand, Le roman à l’œuvre – genèse et valeurs

2008 Illinois State University New Music Festival:Contrapunctus Brass Trio

Kemp Recital Hall Tuesday Morning March 18, 2008 11:00a.m

Qualitative and quantitative screening of side-chain profiles of cereal grain arabinoxylans

Arabinoxylans are the major hemicellulosic component of grasses\u27 cell walls. Side-chain profile differences between arabinoxylans alter their functionality in foods and biomaterials. Therefore, both knowledge of the side-chain elements present and quantification of these elements are important. In this work, new arabinoxylan structural elements were identified, and chromatographic and spectroscopic screening methods for both previously-described and novel side-chain components were developed

Albrecht Dürer: changes in his artwork during the Reformation

poster abstractThe research conducted is to explain the stylistic changes that occurred in Albrecht Dürer’s art during the transitioning period from medieval to Renaissance. By acquiring Dürer’s Nachlass [private diary] from the IU Lily Library and reading literature from the top medieval and Renaissance specialists, such as David Price, Andrew Morrall, and Erwin Panofsky, the influence stemmed from Dürer’s new found faith in Lutheranism. No longer did Dürer focus solely on monograms, he introduced the art of triptychs. Studies believe that Dürer only created triptychs while working in Giovanni Bellini’s workshop, but this study allots reasoning to the Reformation