scholarly journals Evaluation of faculty engagement in professional learning activities : a mixed-methods study on communication processes, value, and barriers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nancy Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Midwest United States ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Faculty Center

This study was a developmental evaluation of a faculty center at a state funded, public non-research university focused on undergraduate and graduate degree programs that is located in the Midwest United States. The purpose of the study was to investigate effective communication processes utilized by the faculty center, faculty perceptions of value placed on professional learning activities, and perceived barriers to participate in such professional learning activities. Effective communication processes were identified as well as frequent barriers for faculty participation.

Productivity and Professional Development

2020 ◽  
pp. 165-184
Author(s):  
William I. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Support Materials ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs

There are numerous ways in which technology can improve the productivity of music educators, helping to make administrative and organizational tasks more efficient and effective. This chapter describes a variety of technological tools that can be used to facilitate overall organization, communication, public relations and advocacy, the creation and acquisition of instructional support materials, data management, travel, and maintenance of financial records, all of which are typical responsibilities of music teachers. Technology can also be useful for continuing professional development. From informal Personal Learning Networks to formalized graduate degree programs, technology can empower music educators with personalized, sustained, flexible, and social professional learning opportunities. Taken together, these approaches to professional development can help music educators continually develop and refine their TPACK, facilitating an ongoing upward spiral of the knowledge and skills necessary for music learning today.

scholarly journals Public health platforms: an emerging informatics approach to health professional learning and development

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Gray
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Health Informatics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Design Of Learning Environments

Health informatics has a major role to play in optimising the management and use of data, information and knowledge in health systems. As health systems undergo digital transformation, it is important to consider informatics approaches not only to curriculum content but also to the design of learning environments and learning activities for health professional learning and development. An example of such an informatics approach is the use of large-scale, integrated public health platforms on the Internet as part of health professional learning and development. This article describes selected examples of such platforms, with a focus on how they may influence the direction of health professional learning and development.

scholarly journals Faculty perceptions of teaching information literacy to first-year students: A phenomenographic study

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 545-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorna Dawes
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Research University ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Information Use ◽  
First Year ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Information Behaviors ◽  
Perceptions Of Teaching ◽  
Teaching Information

This study examines faculty perceptions of teaching information literacy and explores the influence of these perceptions on pedagogy. The study adopted an inductive phenomenographic approach, using 24 semi-structured interviews with faculty teaching first-year courses at an American public research university. The results of the study reveal four qualitative ways in which faculty experience teaching information use to first year students that vary within three themes of expanding awareness. The resulting outcome space revealed that faculty had two distinct conceptions of teaching information literacy: (1) Teaching to produce experienced consumers of information, and (2) Teaching to cultivate intelligent participants in discourse communities. When information experiences are intentional, and involve using and teaching information use while learning the discipline content, this becomes “informed learning”, which is a pedagogical construct developed by Christine Bruce (Bruce and Hughes, 2010) that involves experiencing information in new ways while learning disciplinary information behaviors and content. This study gives new insight into the nature of this “informed learning” in first-year college courses and reveals that faculty create cultures of inquiry in their classes and, in so doing, treat information literacy as central to their disciplines. In addition to providing a more substantial understanding of faculty perceptions of teaching information use, the study indicates that the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and the changes to SCONUL Framework reflect an approach to teaching information literacy that will be welcomed in the college classroom.

scholarly journals An Examination of the #NGSSchat Storify Database

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conrad Borchers ◽  
Joshua Rosenberg ◽  
Christian Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Educational Stakeholders ◽  
Synchronous Chat ◽  
Selection Of

Teachers frequently use Twitter to engage in professional learning activities. A prominent example of teachers’ use of Twitter for such purposes is evident within the #NGSSchat community, which encouraged synchronous (at the same time) conversations between teachers and other educational stakeholders regarding the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) curriculum reform in the United States. Notably, #NGSSchat moderators archived the chats via the Storify platform, which has subsequently been used by researchers to understand science teachers’ professional learning activities on Twitter. However, what has not been established is the representativeness of this archive of #NGSSchat tweets. In other words, whether those who archived #NGSSchat content selected only a (potentially biased) selection of tweets is as yet unknown. Thus, in this study, we examined the Storify #NGSSchat database and compared it with raw data requests using the Twitter API. We found that the synchronous chats most data was adequately achieved. Contrarily (but as anticipated given what distinguishes the #NGSSchat community-synchronous conversations), the Storify #NGSSchat database did not capture most data outside these synchronous chat sessions. Importantly, we did not find an indication of systematic content- or user-driven tweet exclusion within the synchronous NGSS chat sessions on Storify, suggesting that the #NGSSchat archive via Storify (and potentially others like it) may be used by researchers for most research-related purposes.

High Tech, High Touch, High Context

2014 ◽  
pp. 30-48
Author(s):  
Matthew Eichler ◽  
Carrie J. Boden-McGill ◽  
Tennille Lasker-Scott
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
The Social

In this chapter, the authors explore the challenge of maintaining a “high touch” learning environment in online and hybrid adult graduate degree programs. The literature suggests that although online degree programs are popular, the retention rate in online classes is low, and online courses may not meet the social needs of adult learners. Few interventions thus far have been successful. The authors used learning pods, small, geographically-oriented teams of students working on individual learning projects as self-directed communities of scholars, as an intervention. Student perceptions of learning pods are explored in this chapter, and suggestions for practice based on student feedback are offered.

scholarly journals Empowering Women: Moving from Awareness to Action at the Immunology of Fungal Infections Gordon Research Conference

Pathogens ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Elizabeth R. Ballou ◽  
Sarah L. Gaffen ◽  
Neil A. R. Gow ◽  
Amy G. Hise
Keyword(s):  
Minority Groups ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Scientific Meeting ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Magic Bullet ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
Academic Advancement

Despite the high prevalence of women in graduate degree programs and equal or more women earning PhDs, MDs, and MD/PhDs, and despite efforts at individual and institutional levels to promote women in STEM fields, there remains a disparity in pay and academic advancement of women. Likewise, there is a paucity of women in top scientific and academic leadership positions. The causes of this gender disparity are complex and multi-factorial and to date no “magic bullet” approach has been successful in changing the landscape for women in academic and scientific fields. In this report we detail our experiences with a novel mechanism for promoting discussion and raising awareness of the challenges of gender disparity in the sciences. The Gordon Research Conferences (GRC) launched the Power Hour at its meetings in 2016: a dedicated, scheduled session held during the scientific meeting to facilitate discussion of challenges specific to women in science. Here we share our experience with hosting the second Power Hour at the 2019 GRC Immunology of Fungal Infections (IFI) meeting held in Galveston, TX. We will discuss the overall structure, key discussion points, and feedback from participants with the aim of supporting future efforts to empower women and underrepresented minority groups in science.

Survey of Graduate Degree Procedures in Atmospheric Sciences

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-274
Author(s):  
Roland Stull ◽  
Steven Businger
Keyword(s):  
Program Planning ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Atmospheric Sciences ◽  
Master Of Science ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
University Departments ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Doctor Of Philosophy

To document the inner workings of graduate degree programs, the authors surveyed the 67 American and Canadian universities that grant Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and/or Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in the atmospheric sciences and related fields. Topics included (a) admission standards such as graduate record exam scores and grade point averages; (b) start-up issues such as course requirements and computer programming skills; (c) M.S. attributes such as thesis length, years until graduation, and thesis versus nonthesis options; (d) Ph.D. procedures such as exam sequences and timing, thesis page length, workplace ethics and teamwork, and development of teaching skills; and (e) employment after graduation. This information could aid university departments in their future program planning.

scholarly journals Student Services in China

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Arnold ◽  
Hong Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Student Development ◽  
Student Services ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Administrative Positions ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
New Graduate ◽  
Development Movement ◽  
Career Advising

The profession of student affairs in Chinese higher education is expanding and taking on new forms in response to increased postsecondary participation and changing economic and social conditions. Universities throughout China are establishing new and reconfigured administrative positions and structures charged with non-academic student services such as career advising, mental health counseling, and financial aid advising. Government statements, new graduate degree programs, and research on college students point to an emergent student development movement in China whose contours are still forming.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document