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Variation in education doctoral students’ conceptions of university teaching
Get PDFThe development of doctoral students as university teachers has received substantially less attention compared with their development as researchers, with a similar deficit extending to research on how they experience and understand university teaching. This article reports the results of a phenomenographic study of education doctoral students’ conceptions of teaching in higher education. Using samples from two education departments in England and Sweden, we conducted interviews to identify variation in doctoral students’ experiences of university teaching. Analysis of the transcripts produced six qualitatively different conceptions of teaching: doctoral students conceptualised university teaching as a means of (A) transmitting knowledge, (B) presenting contrasting concepts of education, (C) communicating and engaging with students, (D) enabling students to apply knowledge and skills, (E) enabling students to interpret and compare concepts of education, and (F) promoting personal, professional and societal development and change. While in broad agreement with previous studies on university teachers’ conceptions of teaching, the study offers a unique insight into how the subject of education is understood by doctoral students who teach. The findings also underline the need to introduce common frameworks of academic development for academics and doctoral students alike that prioritise ways of representing and engaging with the structure of the subject, rather than the acquisition of teaching skills
Why did the Titanic sink? – bridging two disciplines to teach epistemic insight with lower secondary school students
Get PDFThis article describes a workshop to develop students’ understanding of how to investigate a cross-disciplinary question that bridges science and history. The question ‘Why did the Titanic sink?’ is interpreted scientifically and then historically to help students to better appreciate the strengths and limitations of each discipline’s methods, language and norms of thought. Finally, students are encouraged to consider how this question could be further informed by additional disciplinary perspectives to provide a deeper and fuller answer. The results of the intervention, although in the early stages, have been encouraging, working towards the learning outcomes of the Epistemic Insight Curriculum Framework
Normative modes: codes and standards
No full textThis chapter focuses on the production of normative codes or standards in response to ethical issues concerning artificial intelligence (AI). Codes can be a useful part of ethics, but have limits and dangers. Standards can be especially useful in technical achievement of goals and exploring possibilities. However, codes of ethics are embedded within far wider questions of value—values which may not be explicitly included in the codes themselves, but which are assumed or referenced within wider societal values and norms within which the codes are nested. These values themselves can evolve. As such, when it comes to AI, people need to be prepared for even larger shifts in how they think of value. Moreover, given the power of AI to augment or replace human thought and human agency, people need to consider basic philosophical questions about human nature in order to assess how humans might fare in response to AI
Community-enhanced social prescribing: integrating community in policy and practice
Get PDFThe NHS Plan is introducing social prescribing link workers into GP surgeries in England. The link workers connect people to non-health resources in the community and voluntary sector, with the aim of meeting individual needs beyond the capacity of the NHS. Social prescribing models focus on enhancing individual wellbeing, guided by the policy of universal personalised care. However, they largely neglect the capacity of communities to meet individual need, particularly in the wake of a decade of austerity. We propose a model of community enhanced social prescribing (CESP) which has the potential to improve both individual and community wellbeing. CESP combines two evidence-informed models – Connected Communities and Connecting People – to address both community capacity and individual need. CESP requires a literacy of community which recognises the importance of communities to individuals and the importance of engaging with, and investing in, communities. When fully implemented the theory of change for CESP is hypothesised to improve both individual and community wellbeing
Impact of time management behaviors on undergraduate engineering students’ performance
Get PDFEffective time management is associated with greater academic performance and lower levels of anxiety in students; however many students find it hard to find a balance between their studies and their day-to-day lives. This article examines the self reported time management behaviors of undergraduate engineering students using the Time Management Behavior Scale. Correlation analysis, regression analysis, and model reduction are used to attempt to determine which aspects of time management the students practiced, which time management behaviors were more strongly associated with higher grades within the program, and whether or not those students who self-identified with specific time management behaviors achieved better grades in the program. It was found that students’ perceived control of time was the factor that correlated significantly with cumulative grade point average. On average, it was found that time management behaviors were not significantly different across gender, age, entry qualification, and time already spent in the program
Some things are rarely discussed in public – on the discourse of corruption in healthcare; comment on “we need to talk about corruption in health systems”
Get PDFIn an editorial titled “We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems” the authors Hutchinson, Balabanova, and McKee hope to encourage a wider conversation about corruption in the health sector. Such conversations are difficult to hold for at least five reasons; it is hard to define corruption; corruption may allow some fragile health systems to subsist, shifting blame – are those involved in anti-corruption research colluding with corrupt officials; the legitimacy of studying corruption; and, that far too little is known about how to tackle corruption. This commentary explores those reasons and concludes that the authors make a strong case for a more open and directed discussion about corruption
Case study 4.4: Listening to the student voice at Library and Learning Services at Kingston University
No full textThe use of positive behaviour support plans in mental health inpatient care: a mixed methods study
Get PDFAn international drive is to minimise restrictive practices in mental healthcare. Positive behaviour support Plans (PBSPs) help staff prevent behaviour which would require restrictive intervention. Originating in learning disability services, data within mental healthcare are limited. To evaluate PBSPs within a mental health‐inpatient service; understand mental health nurses’ and relatives’ attitudes to them and understand the barriers and facilitators for their use in routine mental healthcare. Mixed methods ‐ quality‐ratings and interviews with relatives and nurses. PBSPs were poorly implemented. Relatives and nurses valued the potential of PBSPs to facilitate holistic care, though no relative had contributed to one and not every eligible patient had one. Barriers to their use included confusion around positive behaviour support, including how, when and for whom PBSPs should be used, and difficulties describing the function of a behaviour. The potential of PBSPs to improve mental healthcare is recognised. However, there are barriers to their use which should be addressed to ensure that PBSPs have been properly implemented before their impact on patient care can be assessed. Mental health professionals implementing PBSPs should engage with relatives and patients, gain organisational commitment and ensure that those involved understand fully the positive behaviour support approach
Diagnosing emerging infectious diseases of trees using ground penetrating radar
Get PDFAsh dieback, acute oak decline (AOD) and Xylella Fastidiosa are Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) that have spread rapidly in European forests during the last decade. Quarantine measurements have mostly failed to repress the outbreaks and millions of trees have already been infected. Identifying infected trees in a non-destructive manner is of high importance for monitoring, managing and preventing EIDs. The aim of this paper is to examine the capabilities of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) on evaluating the internal structure of tree-trunks and detecting tree-decay associated with EIDs. Traditionally used processing schemes tuned for GPR line-acquisitions are modified accordingly to be compatible with the new measurement configurations. In particular, a detection framework is presented based on a modified Kirchhoff and a reverse-time migration. Both of the aforementioned methodologies are compatible with measurements taken along closed irregular curves assuming a homogeneous permittivity distribution. To that extent, prior to migration, a novel focal criterion is used that estimates the bulk permittivity of the host medium from the measured B-Scans. The suggested detection scheme is successfully tested on both numerical and laboratory measurements, indicating that GPR has the potential to become a coherent and practical tool for detecting tree-decay associated with EIDs