Journal articles on the topic 'Acacia College of Technical and Further Education'

This research work investigated the attitude of students towards Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) using the descriptive survey research design. The research was conducted among undergraduates students of the Kogi State College of Education (Technical), Kabba, 40 students were randomly sampled from the school of Vocational and school Technical education. The instrument was the questionnaire in likert type response format; Strongly Agree (5), A =Agree (4), U= Undecided (3), DA= Disagree (2), and SD =Strongly Disagree (1). the research questions were analyzed using the mean rating, and the findings are that: School equipment were not found replicating those in the industries, the schools lack adequate infrastructures that discouraged students further in showing concern for industry’s based training, Knowledge of I.T was found to be valuable in giving students an idea of industrial management and SIWES enhance student’s ability to tackle technical problems. It was observed that student attitude toward SIWES has improved over time, regardless of challenges on ground. It was however recommended that ITF should ensure regular visitation of the IT officers to supervisors, agencies, institution, employers and students on attachment. Also, checking of log –book issued to students at place of attachment by institutions is recommended so that the average vocational students can develop a good sense of work commitment.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a joint study carried out with groups of colleges in England and technical and further education (TAFE) institutes in Australia. It looks at the factors which promote the delivery of higher technical skills and the infrastructure arrangements that are needed for success. It relates these to the debate concerning the promotion of higher and degree apprenticeships (HAs and DAs) in England. Design/methodology/approach The report is derived from a series of interviews with college and TAFE staff. A policy comparison is also included to provide context. Findings The outcome of the study suggests that similar factors affect the decision to offer, pursue and contribute to the development of higher technical skills in both countries. HAs and DAs are an English construct and the experience of colleges involved in HAs adds a valuable contribution to discussions surrounding the marketing and delivery of DAs. The Australian decision not to pursue either structure encourages reflection on what it is that governments are trying to achieve and what lessons can be learned from their approach. Research limitations/implications The study was carried out within the non-university sector in both countries. Colleges and TAFE institutes are more likely to offer practice-based higher education (HE), have teaching staff with industry backgrounds and have long-established engagement with employers that may be found within universities. The paper was therefore written from a distinctive environment. However, it is likely that the issues identified apply to universities and private providers of HE as much as to colleges and TAFEs. Practical implications The findings suggest that developing HAs or DAs should not be seen merely as just another marketing opportunity. The hybrid nature of both structures requires a holistic approach to delivery on the part of institutional leaders that leads to significant overhaul of internal communications networks, quality assurance schemes and staff development. Originality/value The paper is one of relatively few published documents which focus on the role of dual sector colleges and TAFE institutes in the delivery of HE and higher technical skills. It offers insight into how government pressure for a particular style of HE, deemed necessary for the national economic interest of both countries, can be made into a reality. By using the expertise that already exists within the college and TAFE sectors and their established links with employers, more effective changes can be made at a faster pace.

The Community Options Program Employment (COPE) Project, was initiated in October 1985 by the Consultant for Students with Intellectual and/or Physical Disabilities at Blacktown College of TAFE (New South Wales Department of Technical and Further Education). It is a cooperative program in on-site training and competitive employment support, for workers with an intellectual disability.

Alternatives to the traditional four-year public and private university include a sector of higher education that offers a more advanced curriculum than secondary school and serves as a local and often lower-cost pathway that gives options for university overflow for adult learners, displaced workers, life-long learners, workforce learners, developmental learners, and non-traditional learners (Raby and Valeau 2009). These institutional types are known by several names including College of Further Education, Community College, Polytechnic, Technical College, and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and are found on all continents. Based on a literature review of 1,083 academic publications these institutions share a mission that views educational access as necessary for growing the economic and social capital that is needed to help students improve lives. Central to this mission is the belief that any amount of post-secondary education is life-enhancing, regardless of length of study or level of completion. This article examines application of this mission at community colleges and global counterparts throughout the world.

The article raises the issue of readiness for teaching in the Ukrainian Technical College of specialists who do not have pedagogical education. It is determined that the motivating factor is an important factor influencing the work of a young teacher, the formation and development of future professionals, and the problem of determining the readiness of a specialist with engineering education to teach, his motivation for a new activity, ability to acquire knowledge and skills is extremely relevant and needs attention from the head of scientific and methodological work. It is proposed to introduce the primary scientific and diagnostic development of the mechanism of differentiated psychological and pedagogical influence on teachers of special disciplines of the technical college, which will determine the types of teachers, taking into account the level of their motivation for teaching. The algorithm of application of methods, including author’s, is considered, methodical recommendations concerning their application, calculation, use of results of research are given. It is concluded that the application of primary scientific and diagnostic development of the mechanism of differentiated psychological and pedagogical influence in the technical college will help to adjust group and individual scientific and methodical work with beginning teachers and teaching staff as a whole, to plan further stages of development of psychological and pedagogical competence.

This article contributes to the debate on the efficacy of traditional forms of education versus vocational training. The effects of technical education (leading to an engineering degree or diploma) and vocational training in engineering on the performance of Indian firms are analysed using regression models based on the Cobb–Douglas production function, enhanced to incorporate education and training. Instrumental variable approach is used to establish the direction of causality. It is found that that when a larger share of workers in a particular sector has a college or university-level technical education or vocational education in technical fields, there is a positive impact on firm performance in those sectors. Further, higher education in a general field seems to consistently benefit the organised manufacturing sector, while some levels of school education appear to benefit the unorganised sectors. JEL codes: I-23; L-60; M-53

Education policy reform in England, as enabled by successive governments, has supported the liberalization and supply of an increasing number and diverse range of provision with varying structures and governance models. As such, these reforms have generated a portfolio for parents to exercise school choice. This article explores the discourses surrounding the liberalization of education provision and its implications for technical education, by adopting Hodgson and Spours’ (2012) conceptualization of localism as a lens through which to empirically research one of the former government’s flagship technical institutions – the University Technical College (UTC). Drawing on a series of interviews, the study examines and analyses the concept of localism within the context of a UTC and identifies emergent themes. Importantly, the study’s findings challenge the assumption that institutions will, of their own volition, come together and put aside institutional self-interest for the greater good of the learner and the local and regional skills agenda. The study concludes with recommendations for further research to determine whether the tensions, competitive practices and competition identified at a single institution may be indicative of those experienced more widely across UTCs.

Lifelong Education has changed the old view of the end of education, and promoted sustainable development of education, which is a strategic goal of social development. Lifelong education exhibit new features to further achieve educational equity with the technical support of MOOC/SPOC. In recent years, teaching reform of applied chemistry profession promoted by Department of higher education has gradually gone deeper, but there are still some problems and difficulties, such as contradictions among basic of specialized subject, teaching hours and teaching content, difficulties of lifting of the teaching content and improvement of teaching quality, which restrict teaching reform process. Teaching practice experience of SPOC in applied chemistry profession is simply introduced, proposing countermeasure for SPOC in college teaching applications designed to enhance the quality of teaching for reference.

In this fast-changing and globalized world, English study is more and more important for Chinese college students. Nevertheless, the differences between English and Chinese and the influence of mother tongue have caused great trouble in English study of Chinese college students, especially vocational college students. Among the problems, Chinglish is the most serious one which hinders them in making progress in English study. The author has carried out a study in Leshan Vocational and Technical College about vocational college students’ Chinglish problem. Hopefully, the paper is to help vocational college students to avoid Chinglish and further to provide some advice for English teaching and learning in colleges and universities, on the basis of the findings of the study like the types and causes of Chinglish.

This paper investigates how personality education can be improved among technicians in Korea, proposing a methodology for improving personality education of technicians of Korea Polytechnics. The personality education course for technicians is implemented to improve and reinforce the current liberal arts education in Korea Polytechnics. The methodology proposed in this study includes comparing the personality education at Korea Polytechnics with that of other junior colleges. Furthermore, it included selecting the best volunteer club at college, participating in technical volunteer work abroad, awarding best readers at college, and introducing the best teaching program for enhancing student motivation in the English class. Based on the findings of implementing this methodology, the study recommends nine suggestions for improving personality education, drawing on four case studies from two campuses of Korea Polytechnics, Further research is required in this field before implementing these recommendations.

The main thrust of this research is to measure the relative technical efficiency of the six (6) colleges of San Pedro College from school year 2004-2014. The technical efficiency of the academic units can be derived based on its ability to produce the optimum number of output (number of research outputs, number of graduates, and number of community extension conducted) based on a given set of inputs (budget allocation and ratio of the full-time and part-time faculty) using data envelopment analysis. The Nursing/Respiratory Therapy Department is consistent as the highest for the ratio of full-time to part-time faculty while the lowest ratio was observed by Medical Laboratory Sciences Department in 2016, Arts and Sciences in 2015 and Accounting and Business in 2014. In terms of technical efficiency, all departments are technically-efficient during 2014. The Nursing/Respiratory Therapy Department, Physical Therapy Department and Medical Laboratory Sciences Department did not obtain 100% efficiency. In 2016, only the Accounting and Business Management Department did not obtain full technical efficiency score. Further, using the Tobit model, the age of the department, number of baccalaureate teachers, proportion of faculty members with doctorate degree with those who are masters’ degree holders, and the dean’s qualification were found to be insignificant as sources of inefficiency.

At present, when the whole world is struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to address both the issue of flexibility when educating the younger generation and the issue of further professional education, which contributes to the development of competences that are directly relevant to life and everyday activities in the 21st century. The common denominator of these competences is digital competence. It is the aspect of education that is of primary and crucial importance for digital literacy development. This re-search study aims at establishing the availability of digital media and atti-tudes towards one’s own technical aids and digital literacy among students of two higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. Empirical research involved 1233 college students. The set research hypotheses were tested with a questionnaire-based survey using the Likert scale. A cluster analysis was conducted in the SPSS program. In view of the ordinal nature of data, the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test conducted at significance levels of 5% and 1% in SPSS was applied to test the dependence of competence self-assessment on the specialization of the higher education institutions/ study level/ study form. The research has unequivocally proven that digital literacy is influenced by education, in terms of the specific study programme special-ization, study level and study form.

The purpose of the research was to discover the views of three groups of International students who were undertaking their Higher Education (HE) in a publicly-funded college, rather than a university setting. A comparative survey was undertaken by International students attending an American Community College, an Australian Technical and Further Education Institute and a group of English colleges which offer Higher Education. All three groups were satisfied with their provision. The college setting was perceived to offer higher levels of support than would have been available at a university, plus enhanced employability prospects and lower fees than those charged by a university. The status of an Australian, English or American HE qualification was important, as was the reputation of their particular college. The market for International students is highly competitive and largely driven by universities. The English experience suggests that colleges should focus on the marketing of specialist courses. In all cases, the fact that teaching staff were primarily teachers, rather than researchers was highly valued by respondents, as was their currency in their subject. However, there were strong feelings about value for money and the ability to engage with Home students and wider Australian, British or American culture. International students choose to study abroad because they want to broaden their own horizons and learn more about other cultures: many respondents found these opportunities to be limited. In order to help address this, an International student recruitment Checklist for senior college staff is presented as part of the research findings. Keywords: Higher Education, International students, colleges, value-for-money.

In 2003, the Harvard Educational Review published a controversial article by Roy Freedle that claimed bias against African American students in the SAT college admissions test. Freedle's work stimulated national media attention and faced an onslaught of criticism from experts at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the agency responsible for the development of the SAT. In this article, Maria Veronica Santelices and Mark Wilson take the debate one step further with new research exploring differential item functioning in the SAT. By replicating Freedle's methodology with a more recent SAT dataset and by addressing some of the technical criticisms from ETS, Santelices and Wilson confirm that SAT items do function differently for the African American and White subgroups in the verbal test and argue that the testing industry has an obligation to study this phenomenon.

ABSTRACT Purpose— The purpose of this research is to better understand learning outcomes essential for college students to be effective entry-level healthcare facility managers, establishing a healthcare FM education framework to further open FM academic programs as a sustainable source of new talent for the healthcare FM industry. Design/methodology/approach— A Delphi method was used for this research to draw upon the collective knowledge and experience of 13 experts over three iterative rounds of input. Phone interviews were also employed. Findings— This study shows that gaps exist in student learning outcomes for a comprehensive healthcare FM education; key technical topics specific to the healthcare industry are not being addressed by organizations accrediting construction and facility management academic programs. Many of these student learning outcomes could be readily combined into existing learning outcomes or used to develop a comprehensive healthcare FM education covering accreditation, regulatory and code compliance, infection control, systems in healthcare facilities, healthcare construction project management and methods, and clinical operations and medical equipment. Interestingly, academics in the field of FM generally disagree with industry professionals that these technical topics are important student learning outcomes. Consequently, FM academics prefer to teach students general FM principles with the expectation that specific technical knowledge will be gained in the workplace after graduation from college. Nevertheless, candidates attempting to enter healthcare FM without industry specific knowledge are disadvantaged due to industry perceptions and expectations. University-industry linkage must be improved to successfully attract students into the field of healthcare FM and open colleges and universities as a sustainable recruitment source in helping address FM attrition. Originality/value— This paper is valuable in establishing a healthcare FM education framework to elucidate college student learning outcomes upon graduation for successful employment as an entry-level healthcare facility manager. These student learning outcomes provide a framework for healthcare FM education to be used by industry and academia in preparing future professionals.

Entrepreneurship is important in generating economic growth and social capital. Although entrepreneurship programs have been conducted in educational institutions, there seems to be uncertainty on components of entrepreneurship required in the curriculum. In addition, there has been very few successful entrepreneurs from these programmes. Further, there has been few studies onentrepreneurship in Malaysian Vocational Colleges and hence the implementation of programmes related to teaching entrepreneurship needs to be investigated to determine the skills required for entrepreneurship.A survey among 71 students and teachers at a premier vocational college to investigate current practices and EE components required was administered using a questionnaire and analysed using percentages and cross-tabulation while the open-ended responses were analysed according to emerging themes. The findings indicate that although EE was implemented in all colleges, the stakeholders required autonomy to design the curriculum according to the needs of the local community. Lack of resources and teacher preparedness were the main challenges in implementing EE. Marketing skills were required in most of the courses related to technology (Industrial Machinery Technology, Construction Technology and Computer and Networking System) whilesales management was important for Computer and Networking System, and Accountancy courses. Innovation was important for Electronic Technology. Further, some suggestions for the improvement of the vocational and technical courses in relation to entrepreneurship skills, were made.

The purpose of research is to study and illustrate the main stages of implementing distance learning (DL) in schools, colleges, and universities using examples of real educational organizations. Materials for the study were the results of the authors’ work on the implementation of DL in the educational process of their organizations. The methodological work was based on the DL theoretical foundations of E.S. Polat scientific school and her followers. To achieve this goal and solve problems, the following groups of research methods were used:– theoretical: analysis of psychological, pedagogical, methodological literature, regulatory documents in the aspect of the problem under study; modeling of distance learning in educational organizations, systematization of scientific and theoretical and experimental data; classification of selected components and characteristics;– empirical-diagnostic (survey); observational (observation-direct and indirect, long and short-term);– statistical: measurement of the obtained data (collection of statistical material); determination and processing of quantitative and qualitative indicators of the experiment.The theory and practice of DL in Russia has been going on for over 20 years. When implementing DL in an educational organization, it is important to study the main concepts of DL in Russian and foreign scientific schools, determine the implementation strategy, but not to act “blindly”. A huge problem comes to the fore: the lack of readiness of the teaching staff to comprehend and master modern pedagogical and information technologies for organizing the distance learning process. The absence of the development concept of a pedagogical system for the majority of heads of educational organizations allows for some confusion in the submission and control of educational material, the process is aggravated by the lack of full-fledged consultations, as a result of which many participants in the educational process are dissatisfied with the results. Instead of the stage of serious system design, lecturers limit themselves to digitizing ready-made traditional lectures, conducting them in the “talking head” mode with reading the theory from the screen, introducing an automated testing system or any number of tasks “from the textbook” with the message “send a photo of the completed task”, which, of course, cannot lead to a high-quality learning process. Most lecturers try to transfer all the elements of the full-time learning system to the distance learning system automatically when changing the form of training, which is basically impossible when changing the environment. The new learning environment has different capabilities and requires the lecturer to plan differently, present information, and organize monitoring and record results.The results of the study allowed us to identify general trends in the organization of DL at all levels of education and specific problems typical for particular levels. The main issue in organization DL at school was the creation of the learning environment (technical support, Internet, organization of DL pedagogical system) as well as methodological support of DL process (training lecturers in DL methodology). In higher education institutions and colleges, the main problem turned out to be stimulating the teaching staff to master the methodological and technical foundations of DL, since the majority of lecturers clearly lacked motivation to provide a high-quality DL. In conclusion, it should be noted that for further development of distance learning, the management of organizations needs to think about developing economic mechanisms for paying developers of distance learning courses and lecturers, working out copyright protection for created distance learning courses, training lecturers in the methodology for developing and conducting distance learning courses, purchasing professional DLS (distance learning systems) with a guarantee of technical support from developers for several years and customization for the needs of the organization. There is also a need for a system of benefits and incentives for distance lecturers on health protection and incentives for further high-quality work.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the role aural imitation ability, jazz theory knowledge, and personal background variables play in the development of jazz improvisation achievement. Participants ( N = 70) included 26 high school and 44 college instrumentalists with varying degrees of jazz improvisation experience. Data were collected using four researcher-designed instruments: (a) Participant Improvisation Experience Survey (PIES), (b) Improvisation Achievement Performance Measure (IAPM), (c) Aural Imitation Measure (AIM), and (d) the Jazz Theory Measure (JTM). Results indicate that aural imitation ability and technical facility are fundamental skills supporting jazz improvisation achievement. Other contributing factors include improvisation experience, jazz experience, practicing improvisation, perceived self-confidence, self-assessment, and jazz theory knowledge. Further analysis of results led to improvisation being viewed from a developmental perspective and achievement levels being distinguished on a developmental continuum (i.e., novice, intermediate, advanced) based on performance evaluations within musical categories (i.e., rhythm/time feel, harmony, melody/rhythmic development, style, expressivity, and creativity).

For college graduates to be successful in today’s global economy there has been an increasing demand for them to possess business knowledge as well as technical knowledge. To meet the demand, curriculum designers have sought to integrate new technologies, applications, data, and business functions into classrooms so that non-information technology (IT) majors can realize the benefits of IT. This paper discusses the results of research conducted on the use of multimedia case studies to address the curriculum designers’ challenge. The authors have found that students, who are taught using multimedia case studies, perceived a comparatively greater improvement in their higher-order cognitive skills, ease of learning, team working skills, attitude toward information technology, and self-efficacy. This suggests a need for further research into adopting such instructional materials for teaching non-IT majors and for developing other innovative instructional materials.

Abstract Young adulthood is a critical time for catch-up HPV vaccination. We assessed predictors of vaccine recommendation and initiation among college students. We analysed cross-sectional surveys from 2397 students using multivariable logistic regressions. Guided by the Socio-ecological and Health Belief Models, measures included socio-demographic characteristics, intrapersonal measures (e.g. vaccine beliefs), interpersonal measures (e.g. doctor’s recommendation) and institutional-level measures (e.g. college settings). The sample included students from private, public, technical and historically black colleges/universities. Of the sample, 64.5% were White; additionally, 48.3% of women (n = 750/1552) and 18.8% of men (n = 159/845) received a doctor’s recommendation. Among women, predictors included older age, US-born, higher parental education and attending private schools. Among men, predictors included younger age, being homosexual and attending private schools. HPV vaccine series initiation was low—43.3% of women (n = 672) and 16.7% of men (n = 141). Doctor’s recommendation predicted initiation for both sexes. Younger women, women attending technical colleges and men of ‘multiple/other’ race had lower odds of initiation. Common initiation barriers for both sexes included a lack of doctor recommendation and sexual inactivity. These barriers and the associations between nativity, race and socio-economic status with vaccine recommendation and initiation should be further investigated. Interventions should improve patient–provider communication around HPV vaccine.

This study explored how Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL) system is enhancing employment creation and extreme poverty eradication in Zimbabwe. Poverty is a challenge in developing countries in the presence of unemployment and lack of education. This study aimed to put into perspective the strides made by ODeL institutions in Zimbabwe towards extreme poverty eradication through TVET in the education system. Data were collected from purposively selected 20 ODeL graduates including; entrepreneurs, street vendors, and individuals, formally and informally employed, by using interviews and observation, in this case study. The study employed thematic analysis for the narrative qualitative data. The study revealed that poverty can be reduced through skills empowerment to learners at all educational levels. Exposure to a bouquet of vocational subjects in technical-vocational institutions has enabled entrepreneurs to create employment, applying acquired skills. The major barriers to effective entrepreneurship and employment creation were the scarcity of resources and natural disasters. The study is also significant that educational planners and policy-makers may formulate policies that encourage school and college graduates to be innovative, self-reliant, and may guard against extreme poverty in their communities. It can be concluded that possession and application of vocational skills may create employment and eradicate extreme poverty. It is, therefore, recommended that TVET starts early in life for innovativeness and effective use of available resources. Further research could be carried out on the nature of programmes in learning institutions that empower learners with skills for employment creation, sustainable development, and extreme poverty eradication.

Conducting cutting-edge biomedical research in schools and further education college laboratories has its challenges, but these are not insurmountable. In 2008, we established a successful cutting-edge research project into a debilitating human disease, in a secondary school environment. Here we provide a narrative describing the process behind the project, and then reflect not only on the process, but also on the benefits for school students, teachers and university researchers from engagement in such a collaborative project. We describe how, with significant financial input from a major biomedical charity, we were able to expand the initial project into Authentic Biology, a national programme of research in schools across the UK. Authentic Biology has resulted in six schools establishing their own novel research projects, mainly relating to human disease, and working in collaboration with their local university. Authentic Biology is a model for longterm school/college/university collaboration that is highly effective, productive and measurable through outcome. The challenge ahead is how to sustain the technical and financial support for such programmes.

The importance of part-time work has been growing in recent years, due to its significant increase in today's societies, and higher education institutions have not been alien to this trend. The present research tries to study the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction with the intention to leave the institution, comparing part-time and full-time faculty. An empirical research, grounded in the model proposed by Currivan (1999), has been undertaken, with a sample of faculty of ETSEIAT, a college of the Technical University of Catalonia. Results show the existence of the relationships with organizational commitment, job satisfaction and intention to leave predicted in the literature, and significant differences in job satisfaction and organizational commitment between part-time and full-time faculty. The paper ends with some proposals of further research.

Innovation entrepreneurship is the extremely important strategic decision subject at the background of university reform, and it is the benchmark in the transformation, which will play a great role in the core talent competitiveness and comprehensive promotion. In the article we first analyze nature of the research university. On the basis we further analyze the current status of innovation entrepreneurship. Based on this we sum up their features, and collect influence factors of college students' employment. We introduce DMC algorithm to construct new research university innovation and entrepreneurship education system model of prediction control. In order to verify the validity of this model, we use MATLAB to do simulation. The results show that the model is practical, and it provides theoretical and technical support for the research in this field in a certain extent.

Main reasons for student dropout from higher education may be low academic performance, poor socialization skills, low confidence levels, busy social life and financial issues. As students’ dropout from higher education has been rising, there is a need to understand this problem for finding suitable solutions. Research objectives for this institutional research are to explore patterns in dropout data at Foundation program, establish criteria for identifying students at-risk of dropout and identify areas of improvement for reducing dropout rate, as the dropout problem is high at Foundation level of the college. Research methodology includes application of exploratory study based on analysis of secondary data pertaining to 22 semesters, Spring 2012 to Summer-I 2017. Findings revealed that 1966 students dropped out from Foundation program during the study period with an average of 94 students per semester. Dropout rate was higher among males and was more at Levels I and IV. Though dropout happened in Foundation, academic departments would also experience major loss, as Foundation is the ‘feeder program’ for other bachelor’s programs. It is recommended to have a dropout process flow-chart not only to understand the exit journey of dropping students, but also to reverse the journey. It is recommended to set up a dropout committee, design an early warning system for creating alerts and bifurcate Foundation department into Language sub-department and Technical sub-department (Math and IT courses). It is further recommended to have an effective data management system that would enable administration to reduce dropout rates and create a ‘feel good’ environment for the students.

Purpose A coalition of students, professors, administrators and operational staff at Lafayette College designed an environmental module to integrate in-class curricular education with out-of-class environmental engagement. The purpose of this study was to improve the ethos of sustainability across campus. Design/methodology/approach The research reported here draws from qualitative and quantitative assessments to corroborate previous evidence that institution-wide collaboration is a necessary prerequisite for the successful development of such environmental campus programming. Findings It adds to those prior conclusions with the finding that three intertwined factors are critical keys to success. One is attention in the design process to coalition building between the academic, administrative and operational units of campus; second is a strong focus on organizational capacity; and third is explicit attention to preparing long-term management. Practical implications The particularities of college campuses, where student residence is temporary while the campus environment is continuous, require attention to organizational sustainability as much as the more common technical features of sustainability (e.g. energy, water, food, transportation systems, etc.). For small colleges seeking to implement similar programming to foster a culture of sustainability on their campuses, that commitment to organizational sustainability demonstrates that maintenance, durability and invested personnel are essential factors when similarly seeking interdisciplinary environmental education initiatives. Originality/value This paper describes the original program structure of Greening Lafayette. The program was built on the campus of Lafayette College through specific co-curricular, administrative, academic and facilities efforts. The paper details the approach Lafayette College students and faculty took to draw from best practices in campus sustainability, analyze their campus’ baseline engagement in and awareness of sustainability and leverage their college’s structures to design a program that generates a campus ethos of sustainability. It further elucidates the importance of ensuring the organizational sustainability of the program itself. While Greening Lafayette was designed for the context of a specific undergraduate campus, the program offers a model for faculty, students and administrators of other colleges and universities to build coalitions, design sustainability programming and develop an ethos of sustainability on their campuses.

Institutions of higher learning struggle to supply enough Registered Nursing Professionals to meet demands in today’s healthcare environment. Hundreds of thousands of students are accepted into nursing programs each year, though many fall short of program completion. High attrition and low retention in registered nursing programs is a problem. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate attrition and retention of registered nursing students over a four-year period at a Technical College in Georgia to determine factors impacting successful completion of the Associate of Science in Nursing Program (ASN). It further proposed to identify possible solutions to reduce attrition among nursing students. This study analyzed nursing student and nursing faculty perceptions on the causes of high attrition and low retention and perceived solutions to attrition rates. This study provides insight in the development of steps to decrease attrition in registered nursing programs, and other higher education programs of study.

While Indigenous peoples have long urged attention to Six Rs (respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, relationality, and representation) that are important to community-engaged work, application of these principles has been sporadic within the filmmaking industry. Many Indigenous communities do not have the technical expertise and/or resources needed to support professional quality audiovisual production. As a result, they rely on predominantly White filmmakers from beyond the community. Unfortunately, mainstream filmmaking practices have historically demonstrated a disregard for Indigenous ways of knowing, and a scarcity of meaningful relationships between filmmakers and community members has further contributed to a legacy of insensitive filmmaking within Indigenous contexts. In addition, internet-based distribution of cultural content raises questions about post-production sovereignty. In this project, Tribal College (TC) students and faculty partnered with students and faculty from a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) to develop culturally sustaining and revitalizing documentaries using storywork, digital storytelling, ethnocinema, and community-centered participatory research. Throughout the Digital Histories Project, TC participants gained technical expertise, PWI participants learned about culturally sustaining/revitalizing filmmaking, and faculty leaders identified ways to support use of the Six Rs within social science, history, and teacher education. Results offer methodological and pedagogical insights for scholars, educators, tribal leaders, and filmmakers.

This article reports on the findings of an industry workplace experience project involving lecturers in South Africa's technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, against the backdrop of new legislation and the realization that college lecturers' industry-related skills are in question. Its focus is on the nature of TVET lecturer industry-based workplace learning and the internal dynamics of its implementation in the college and employer systems. The article provides background on workplace-based learning for TVET lecturers and contrasts this form of workplace learning with forms used for students. After providing a critical analysis of methods used to theorize workplace-based learning, a model is employed to describe and analyse lecturers' experiences, with the aim of informing national and international knowledge and practice. The study supports the argument that workplace-based learning for TVET lecturers is not the same as for students. While students are exposed to workplaces to provide them with orientation and initial skills for future careers, workplace-based learning for lecturers is designed to improve knowledge development competencies. TVET lecturers undertake workplace-based learning to improve their knowledge of practice and so improve their theorization and teaching skills. The article points to the need for further research on and theorizing of industry-based workplace learning for lecturers.

A Value-Achievement-Cost (VAC) Survey was psychometrically tested to continue to establish its predictive utility for future research with 12th grade female Career and Technical Education (CTE) health science classroom cohorts of less than 50 students. In this study, a 10-construct, 46-item VAC Survey was administered to 31 college-bound 12th grade female students who had self-selected themselves to participate in a year-long, dual enrollment, CTE health science program. The VAC Survey was used to measure student motivation associated with science in general, health sector science learning, and playing health sciences-related games. Convergent validity was established in nine of the ten constructs by comparing the Cronbach alpha coefficients of the 10-construct, 46-item VAC Survey compared to the same instrument previously tested with a similar CTE health science student cohort (n = 37). Internal consistency for these nine VAC Survey constructs were strong with Cronbach alpha coefficients between 0.80 and 0.93. This study has provided additional psychometric evidence that reinforces the VAC Survey's construct validity and internal consistency. The study further supports the predictive utility of the instrument to measure 12th grade female CTE health sciences student motivation associated with science in general, health sector science learning, and playing health sciences-related games.

Introduction. In recent years, the structure and content of training of specialists of further education have significantly improved. The increased popularity of the secondary vocational education system is evidenced by the fact that more than half of the Russian teenagers after graduating from the main stage of secondary school become applicants of technical schools and colleges. In order to manage students’ education more effectively, among other measures, it is necessary to diagnose the motivation of enrolled students at the stage of admission to the educational institution and to identify the degree of awareness of their future career choice, as these factors directly depend on the success of educational programmes.The aim of the article was to reveal the trends of influence of students’ results at the Basic State Exam (OGE – the exam, which is taken when finishing education in the 9th (final) form of comprehensive school) on the level of knowledge of Computer Science in colleges and to find out the subjective reasons of students’ preferences for the secondary vocational education system to continue studies and to enter a profession.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the study, a review and generalisation of the content of scientific sources related to the problems of professional choice and training motivation were used. Diagnostics of motivation of college students in Moscow, Moscow region and the regions of Russia was conducted through the methods of testing, surveys and anonymous questioning. Processing of the obtained data was carried out by the methods of correlation, variance and regression analysis; the degree of statistical reliability of the results was evaluated by calculating the Student’s t-test and the Fisher’s F-test.Results and scientific novelty. The authors have calculated the numerical indicators of relationship between students’ academic performance in computer science and the Basic State Exam taking, the reasons for choosing the secondary vocational education and the specialty. Constructed graphs and approximating curves prove the fact that the success degree when learning the certain discipline in college results from the assessment within the discipline taken at the Basic State Exam in school. In the regions of Russia, this factor guarantees a higher level of knowledge on Computer Science – by about 20%, and in the Moscow region – by 10%. The statistics on respondents’ professional orientation were collected. A regression model, demonstrating the impact of students’ motivational attitudes on their training in the subject discipline, is presented. It was found out that the motives “subsequent admission to a specialised university”, “obtaining a profession”, “business attitude to a profession” and “prestige of a profession” have the most positive influence in this context. The variance analysis confirmed the determinism of the learning outcomes by the reasons for the choice of secondary vocational education and profession. It is concluded that the reasons for the low or medium students’ performance include not only their weak motivation for education, but also the state of the entire education system, including the institutions of the Basic State Exam (OGE) and the Unified State Exam (EGE – high school final and university entrance exam taken upon completion of the 11th form), as well as the lack of clear criteria for the admission of applicants to the institutions of secondary vocational education. To get a specific specialty, the desire to study, its informed choice and prestige of profession positively affect students’ learning outcomes in Computer Science education.Practical significance. The research materials can be useful for teachers of secondary vocational education and for specialists involved in career guidance.

The study explores students’ perspectives towards virtual classes and the impact of such classes on EFL learners’ communication skills. Such study is valuable due to the lack of research works that investigate EFL students’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of such classes. Also, the findings can substantially improve the Saudi virtual education. Regarding the questions of the study, it answers two main questions: What are EFL learners’ attitudes towards virtual classes? What is the impact of virtual classes on EFL learners’ communication skills from students’ perspectives? To achieve the objectives of this study, a questionnaire was administered to 50 EFL students of levels seven and eight in English Department at the College of Sciences and Humanities at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. The findings indicated that students had positive attitudes toward virtual classrooms. Such classes could enhance their communication, and improve their technical and self-learning skills. Based on these results, some recommendations were suggested that could be taken into consideration in future studies. First, further studies should be done to investigate the impact of virtual classes on other science classes such as Chemistry and Medicine in the COVID- 19 period. Second, such study should be conducted with a different sample of students (male). Finally, the same research can be applied to faculty members to explore their attitudes toward virtual education and its effect on communication skills.

Purpose: The demand for accountants is increasing from time to time because of the increase in the complexity of the business environment. Higher education institutions are responsible for producing well qualified and ethical accountant required by different organisations. Specifically, Technical and Vocational education and Training (TVET) colleges play a great role in training middle and lower level accountant in Ethiopia. However, academicians, practitioner and employers are raising concern on the excellence and significance of training given in TVET colleges. The objective of this research is to evaluate the education and training in accounting offered by public and private colleges in West Oromia region, Ethiopia. Research Methodology: This study used the cross-sectional survey to obtain the opinion of the trainee, trainers and college deans on how TVET in accounting program is performing about each of the components of CIPP model and identify the knowledge and skill gap as compared to the actual work environment. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used in the analysis. Findings: Examination of the existing TVET in accounting curriculum found that it has a limitation concerning relevance and content. The study further found that there is a lack of sufficient inputs such as an adequate number of qualified trainers, computers and Reference books. Trainers mainly use lecture methods, and there are various problems associated with continuous and summative evaluation. Therefore, it is recommended that the existing curriculum should be revisited, sufficient training inputs should be availed and cooperative training should be strengthened.Research Limitations: This research is based on the respondent’s opinion from a limited part of the country. The nationwide survey is required to conclude at the country level. Practical Implication: the finding and recommendation given in this study can be used in strengthening TVET in accounting education and training in Ethiopia. Originality / Value: Previous studies investigated the challenges of TVET education and training in general terms, and this specific study which focuses on TVET in accounting is the first attempt in Ethiopia.

Purpose: Maintaining a sufficient and competent rural nursing workforce is an important goal of the Chinese health delivery system. However, few studies have investigated the health training status or conducted a needs assessment of rural Chinese nurses during this time of great transformations in health policy. This study was conducted to explore the current health training status of nurses working in rural Chinese township health centers (THCs) and to ascertain their perceived needs.Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire was conducted among 240 THC nurses in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China from March 2014 to August 2014. The survey questionnaire was adapted from the Second Chinese Survey of Demographic Data and Training Demand for Health Professionals in THCs developed by the Ministry of Education.Results: The nurses in THCs were young, with a low educational level. Their perceived needs for health training included further clinical studies at city-level hospitals to improve their skills and theoretical studies at medical universities in emergency medicine and general practice. Overall, 71.9% of the nurses with a secondary technical school background expected to pursue junior college studies, and 68.5% of the nurses with a junior college education expected to pursue a bachelor’s degree. A decentralized program with theoretical studies at medical universities and practical studies at county hospitals was regarded as feasible by 66.9% of the respondents.Conclusion: Health-training programs for nurses in Chinese THCs must be improved in terms of coverage, delivery mode, and content. A decentralized degree-linked training program in which medical universities and city hospitals collaborate would be an appropriate mode of delivery.

Purpose Enrolling in an academic discipline or selecting the college major choice is a dynamic process. Very few studies examine this aspect in India. This paper makes a humble attempt to fill this gap using NSSO 71st round data on social consumption on education. The purpose of this paper is to use multinomial regression model to study the different factors that influence course choice in higher education. The different factors (given the availability of information) considered relate to ability, gender, cost of higher education, socio-economic and geographical location. The results indicate that gender polarization is apparent between humanities and engineering. The predicated probabilities bring out the dichotomy between the choice of courses and levels of living expressed through consumption expenditures in terms of professional and non-professional courses. Predicted probabilities of course choices bring in a clear distinction between south and west regions preferring engineering and other professional courses, whereas north, east and NES prefer humanities. Design/methodology/approach The present paper follows the same approach as that of Turner and Bowen (1999). The Multinomial regression is specified as P ( M i = j ) = ( exp ( β j × X i ) / ∑ j − 1 5 exp ( β j × X i ) ) , where P (Mi=j) denotes the probability of choosing outcome j, the particular course/major choice that categorizes different disciplines. This response variable is specified with five categories: such as medicine, engineering, other professional courses, science and humanities. The authors’ primary interest is to determine the factors governing an individual’s decision to choose a particular subject field as compared to humanities. In other words, to make the system identifiable in the MLR, humanities is treated as a reference category. The vector Xi includes the set of explanatory variables and βj refers to the corresponding coefficients for each of the outcome j. From an aggregate perspective, the distribution of course choices is an important input to the skill (technical skills) composition of future workforce. In that sense, except humanities, the rest of the courses are technical-intensive courses; hence, humanities is treated as a reference category. Findings The results indicate that gender polarization is apparent between humanities and engineering. The predicated probabilities bring out the dichotomy between the choice of courses and levels of living expressed through consumption expenditures in terms of professional and non-professional courses. Predicted probabilities of course choices bring in a clear distinction between south and west regions preferring engineering and other professional courses, whereas north, east and NES prefer humanities. Research limitations/implications Predicted probabilities of course choices bring in a clear distinction between south and west regions preferring engineering and other professional courses, whereas north, east and NES prefer humanities. This course and regional imbalance need to be worked with multi-pronged strategies of providing both access to education and employment opportunities in other states. But the predicted probabilities of medicine and science remain similar across the board. Very few research studies on the determinants of field choice in higher education prevail in India. Research studies on returns to education by field or course choices hardly exist in India. These evidences are particularly important to know which course choices can support student loans, which can be the future area of work. Practical implications The research evidence is particularly important to know which course choices can support student loans, which can be the future area of work, as well as how to address the gender bias in the course choices. Social implications The paper has social implications in terms of giving insights into the course choices of students. These findings bring in implications for practice in their ability to predict the demand for course choices and their share of demand, not only in the labor market but also across regions. India has 36 states/UTs and each state/UT has a huge population size and large geographical areas. The choice of course has state-specific influence because of nature of state economy, society, culture and inherent education systems. Further, within the states, rural and urban variation has also a serious influence on the choice of courses. Originality/value The present study is a value addition on three counts. First, the choice of courses includes the recent trends in the preference over market-oriented/technical courses such as medicine, engineering and other professional courses (chartered accountancy and similar courses, courses from Industrial Training Institute, recognized vocational training institute, etc.). The choice of market-oriented courses has been examined in relation to the choice of conventional subjects. Second, the socio-economic background of students plays a significant role in the choice of courses. Third, the present paper uses the latest data on Social Consumption on Education.

This study examined the impact of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on Korean TAFE (Technical and Further Education) college students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading classroom in terms of their perceptions of learning environment and their reading performance. The study compared CALL and traditional reading classes over one semester by measuring students’ reading performance. A group of 74 first year English major students were divided evenly into two classes. Both groups were taught by the same teacher and covered the same topics in their weekly two-hour reading lessons. A reading comprehension test was given at the beginning and the end of the semester to measure the students’ performance. A written survey was also administered at the end of the semester. Classroom observations and group interviews with students supplemented the data obtained from the surveys. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for the performance test to explore the differences between the two classes while statistically controlling for the pre-test (covariate). The questionnaires were analyzed by a principle component factor analysis, a repeated-measure ANOVA and a discriminant analysis whereas the interviews with students were analyzed by a content analysis. Students’ performances in the pre-test and the post-test were not significantly different between the two classes. However, the students in the CALL-based English class were more positive in their perceptions of their learning environment than were those in the traditional English class. This study shows that computer technology had a positive impact on students’ perceptions of their learning environment, especially in relation to learning materials and tasks, and with regard to interaction and collaboration with the tutor and other students.

Internships, externships, field experiences, cooperative work experiences, apprenticeships, practicums—There are probably as many combinations and adaptations of these terms in educational institutions as there are states and provinces in the United States and Canadal Yet all exist for the same purpose: to provide students opportunities to apply knowledge and skills learned in those educational institutions to the real world of work in the hospitality industry and to find out first-hand what a job in this industry really entails. Whether at entry level or supervisory level, students and industry benefit from this sometimes misunderstood, and often mismanaged, practical on-the-job experience. The Ohio Board of Regents, as with other state governing bodies, issues definitions and guidelines for a variety of industry work experiences. These give some uniformity within Ohio two year colleges, but even with this the structure and effectiveness of these experiences differ from college to college. The following chart summarizes the Ohio guidelines: The Columbus State Community College curriculum for Hospitality Management students includes two courses, Hospitality Management Cooperative Work Experiences I and II, requiring a minimum of 20 hours per week in employment during each of two 10-week academic quarters. The student receives two credits for each course. Ninety percent of the hospitality students have worked in the industry, so it is recommended they do not enroll in these courses until their last two quarters. Therefore, they can receive maximum opportunity to apply principles learned in previous coursework and work experience. Until two years ago, our hospitality co-op experiences were loosely structured with varying degrees of benefit to students. It was left almost totally to industry personnel to determine the jobs students would perform. Even though graduate follow-up surveys indicated that graduates felt their required work experiences were among the more valuable aspects of their courses of study, we felt we needed to make some changes to assure that all students were able to grow professionally as a result of the experiences. Our industry advisory committee reached impasse after impasse on essentials such as payment or non-payment, actual jobs to be performed, qualifications of the work site, and critical skills of graduates. It was commonly accepted, however, that there must be some opportunity to sharpen skills in human relations, communication skills, and problem solving if students are to become effective first-line supervisors. It was reinforced that the college cannot teach everything in two years and that we should rely on applied work experience to supplement the formal education. The community colleges offer open access, and the profile of the student differs from the traditional college student in the baccalaureate program. This must be considered in outlining requirements for an industry work experience. The student is usually from the local area and commutes within a 30 mile radius, is an adult learner who averages 27 years of age, is likely to have a family and financial responsibilities, and is already employed at least part-time and probably full-time. It is unrealistic to assume one can take this student away from a job necessary to pay the bills and require a non-paid or lower paid experience strictly for the educational benefits to be derived. A compromise was finally reached with our advisory group and it has worked well for students and for industry. A student already employed in a hospitality job may stay at that site—even continue to perform the same job duties at the current rate of pay, but additional opportunities are created. At the beginning of each quarter the instructor, student, and job supervisor together examine a set of expected educational program outcomes or competencies and evaluate the current strengths and weaknesses of that student. An individualized learning contract is negotiated to supplement and reinforce the expected outcomes based upon each student's career objective. Training objectives for the student are then established which can be achieved either within the current job, by transfer to another department within the organization, or by allowing the student to gain additional experience at the same site on a non-paid basis over and above the regular job for which the student would normally be paid. This assures that there will be career growth, and the student maintains the planned income. At the same time it does not place an unrealistic expectation upon the employer. Industry personnel are most cooperative, and rarely would a student need relocation. The instructor has weekly contact with each student in a seminar accompanying the co-op experience. In this seminar students discuss experiences and observations and there is further opportunity to participate in case studies and supervisory skill development. Unless problems develop, the instructor often makes interim follow-ups by telephone only, and will return to the site only for the final evaluation session with the student and supervisor. A grade is determined jointly by the instructor and supervisor including scores for job performance, achievement of established training objectives, and seminar participation. In those infrequent instances where a student was not already employed, job seeking skills are part of the co-op grade determination. Assistance is given by the instructor and college job placement personnel, but the student is ultimately responsible for obtaining employment. A student does have the option for a non-paid experience, arranged by the college, in which case there will be a set rotation of job stations within an organization. This required a more specific work schedule and a formal agreement outlining responsibilities of the student, college, and work site because of the liability involved. Instructor workload for coordinating work experiences is calculated by assigning one contact hour per week for the seminar and one quarter contact hour per week for each student enrolled in the co-op course. The college full-time faculty workload is 20 contact hours per week. One faculty person is assigned organizational responsibility for the seminars, but the student follow-up is completed by each student's faculty advisor. This works well because it gives all faculty the opportunity for interaction with industry personnel and provides variety in the teaching experience. And, of course, the advisor who has worked closely with the student through his or her academic career knows that student's abilities and needs best. What is the future of internships? Whether credit or not-for-credit, whether paid or non-paid, whether tightly, loosely or non-structured, industry internships are her to stay. Graduate surveys reinforce the fact that students find them invaluable. Industry personnel agree that applied work experience should supplement and reinforce classroom learning. There is no doubt that the experiences could often be better structured and executed, but they cannot be replaced! For the past several years, college educators have participated in serious discussions and conducted studies about the quality of American higher education. The American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) has assumed leadership in the focus on assessment and outcomes of students' educational experiences. The emphasis on “value-added” education and assessment programs has pervaded our campuses. It is crucial that the education experience adequately prepare students for the workplace and for career mobility. The question arises as to how to measure whether a program actually meets this objective. An AACJC Policy Statementon Student Assessment suggests that colleges will be better able to meet diverse population needs and improve the overall rate of student success if they provide a comprehensive assessment program for all students using effective measures and tools. It suggests that traditional testing alone is inadequate and other appropriate measurements of program strengths and weaknesses must be developed. It is possible that at least one industry work experience or internship course, if taken during a student's last academic term and based on agreed upon objectives and mastery standards, could serve as a summative assessment measure to determine the effectiveness of learning that has taken place over the student's entire program. It could perhaps serve as the “capstone” course. As we grapple with this and other issues, perhaps the CHRIE Internship Technical Committee can delve into how we can more effectively make the industry internships an integral part of the teaching and learning process.

Preterm birth occurs at excessively high and disparate rates in the United States. In 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program to investigate the influence of early life exposures on child health. Extant data from the ECHO cohorts provides the opportunity to examine racial and geographic variation in effects of individual- and neighborhood-level markers of socioeconomic status (SES) on gestational age at birth. The objective of this study was to examine the association between individual-level (maternal education) and neighborhood-level markers of SES and gestational age at birth, stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, and whether any such associations are modified by US geographic region. Twenty-six ECHO cohorts representing 25,526 mother-infant pairs contributed to this disseminated meta-analysis that investigated the effect of maternal prenatal level of education (high school diploma, GED, or less; some college, associate’s degree, vocational or technical training [reference category]; bachelor’s degree, graduate school, or professional degree) and neighborhood-level markers of SES (census tract [CT] urbanicity, percentage of black population in CT, percentage of population below the federal poverty level in CT) on gestational age at birth (categorized as preterm, early term, full term [the reference category], late, and post term) according to maternal race/ethnicity and US region. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cohort-specific results were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. For women overall, a bachelor’s degree or above, compared with some college, was associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61–0.86), whereas a high school education or less was associated with an increased odds of early term birth (aOR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.21). When stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, there were no significant associations between maternal education and gestational age at birth among women of racial/ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic white. Among non-Hispanic white women, a bachelor’s degree or above was likewise associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.74 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.94) as well as a decreased odds of early term birth (aOR 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.95). The association between maternal education and gestational age at birth varied according to US region, with higher levels of maternal education associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth in the Midwest and South but not in the Northeast and West. Non-Hispanic white women residing in rural compared to urban CTs had an increased odds of preterm birth; the ability to detect associations between neighborhood-level measures of SES and gestational age for other race/ethnic groups was limited due to small sample sizes within select strata. Interventions that promote higher educational attainment among women of reproductive age could contribute to a reduction in preterm birth, particularly in the US South and Midwest. Further individual-level analyses engaging a diverse set of cohorts are needed to disentangle the complex interrelationships among maternal education, neighborhood-level factors, exposures across the life course, and gestational age at birth outcomes by maternal race/ethnicity and US geography.

Preterm birth occurs at excessively high and disparate rates in the United States. In 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program to investigate the influence of early life exposures on child health. Extant data from the ECHO cohorts provides the opportunity to examine racial and geographic variation in effects of individual- and neighborhood-level markers of socioeconomic status (SES) on gestational age at birth. The objective of this study was to examine the association between individual-level (maternal education) and neighborhood-level markers of SES and gestational age at birth, stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, and whether any such associations are modified by US geographic region. Twenty-six ECHO cohorts representing 25,526 mother-infant pairs contributed to this disseminated meta-analysis that investigated the effect of maternal prenatal level of education (high school diploma, GED, or less; some college, associate’s degree, vocational or technical training [reference category]; bachelor’s degree, graduate school, or professional degree) and neighborhood-level markers of SES (census tract [CT] urbanicity, percentage of black population in CT, percentage of population below the federal poverty level in CT) on gestational age at birth (categorized as preterm, early term, full term [the reference category], late, and post term) according to maternal race/ethnicity and US region. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cohort-specific results were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. For women overall, a bachelor’s degree or above, compared with some college, was associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61–0.86), whereas a high school education or less was associated with an increased odds of early term birth (aOR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.21). When stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, there were no significant associations between maternal education and gestational age at birth among women of racial/ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic white. Among non-Hispanic white women, a bachelor’s degree or above was likewise associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.74 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.94) as well as a decreased odds of early term birth (aOR 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.95). The association between maternal education and gestational age at birth varied according to US region, with higher levels of maternal education associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth in the Midwest and South but not in the Northeast and West. Non-Hispanic white women residing in rural compared to urban CTs had an increased odds of preterm birth; the ability to detect associations between neighborhood-level measures of SES and gestational age for other race/ethnic groups was limited due to small sample sizes within select strata. Interventions that promote higher educational attainment among women of reproductive age could contribute to a reduction in preterm birth, particularly in the US South and Midwest. Further individual-level analyses engaging a diverse set of cohorts are needed to disentangle the complex interrelationships among maternal education, neighborhood-level factors, exposures across the life course, and gestational age at birth outcomes by maternal race/ethnicity and US geography.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the training of college librarians, academic and management staff, IT managers and students on how to organise, manage and use a user-friendly library. In Uganda, as in many countries, the problem is that school and/or college libraries are managed by librarians who may have good cataloguing and management skills, but who do not have the pedagogic skills and knowledge of the school curricula that are necessary for librarians to be able to guide and mentor both teachers and students or organise curriculum-related activities or facilitate research. The development of user-friendly libraries contributes in improving education quality through nurturing the interest of students and teachers in literacy activities and active search for knowledge. Under the stewardship of the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Education in Uganda, library stakeholders were trained on how to put users – rather than themselves – in the centre of the library’s operations and introduced to active teaching and learning methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections. Several measures, short and long term were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. Given the disparities in the trainees’ education level and work experience, the training was delivered in seven modules divided into three units for over eight months in 2015. By the end of the training, trainees developed unique library strategic plan, library policies and procedures, capacity to use library systems, physical design and maintenance systems, partnerships, library structure and staff job descriptions. Design/methodology/approach To effectively engage the participants each topic was conducted using active teaching and learning (ATL) methodologies, including: lecture with slides and hands-on practice – each topic was introduced in a lecture form with slides and hands-on exercises. The main goal was to introduce the participants to the concepts discussed, offer opportunities to explore alternative approaches, as well define boundaries for discussion through brainstorming. The question-answer approach kept the participants alert and to start thinking critically on the topic discussed – brainstorming sessions allowed thinking beyond the presentation room, drawing from personal experiences to provide alternatives to anticipated challenges. The goal here was for the participants to provide individual choices and approaches for real life problems; group discussions: case study/ scenario and participant presentations – participants were provided with a scenario and asked to provide alternative approaches that could solve the problem based on their personal experience at their colleges. By the end of the group discussion, participants presented a draft of the deliverable as per the topic under discussion. More so, group discussions were an excellent approach to test participant’s teamwork skills and ability to compromise, as well as respecting team decisions. It was an opportunity to see how librarians will work with the library committees. Group discussions further initiated and cemented the much-needed librarian–academic staff – college management relationship. During the group discussion, librarians, teaching staff, ICT staff and college management staff, specifically the Principals and Deputy Principals interacted freely thus starting and cultivating a new era of work relationship between them. Individual presentation: prior to the workshop, participants were sent instructions to prepare a presentation on a topic. For example, participants were asked to provide their views of what a “user-friendly library” would look like or what would constitute a “user-friendly library”; the college library of HTC-Mulago was asked to talk about their experience working with book reserves, challenges faced and plans they have to address the challenges, while the college librarian from NTC-Kaliro was asked to describe a situation where they were able to assist a patron, the limitations they faced and how they addressed them. Doing so did not only assist to emotionally prepare the participants for the training but also helped to make them start thinking about the training in relation to their libraries and work. Take-home assignment: at the end of each session, participants were given home assignments to not only revise the training material but also prepare for the next day training. Further the take-home assignments provided time for the participants to discuss with their colleagues outside of the training room so as to have a common ground/ understanding on some of the very sensitive issues. Most interesting assignment was when participants were asked to review an article and to make a presentation in relation to their library experiences. Participant reports: participant reports resulted from the take-home assignments and participants were asked to make submission on a given topic. For example, participants were asked to review IFLA section on library management and write a two-page report on how such information provided supported their own work, as well as a participant report came from their own observation after a library visit. Invited talks with library expert: two invited talks by library experts from Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association with the goal to share their experience, motivate the participants to strive higher and achieve great things for their libraries. Library visitation: there were two library visits conducted on three separate days – International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Library, Makerere University Library and Aga Khan University Hospital Library. Each of these library visits provided unique opportunities for the participants to explore best practices and implement similar practices in their libraries. Visual aids – videos, building plans and still photos: these were visual learning aids to supplement text during the lectures because they carried lot of information while initiating different thoughts best on the participants’ past experience and expertise. The training advocated for the use of ATL methodologies and likewise similar methodologies were used to encourage participants do so in their classrooms. Findings Addressing Key Concerns: Several measures, both long and short term, were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. The measures taken included: selected representative sample of participants including all college stakeholders as discussed above; active teaching and learning methodologies applied in the training and blended in the content of the training materials; initiated and formulated approaches to collaborations, networks and partnerships; visited different libraries to benchmark library practices and encourage future job shadowing opportunities; and encouraged participants to relate freely, understand and value each other’s work to change their mindsets. College librarians were encouraged to ensure library priorities remain on the agenda through advocacy campaigns. Short-term measures: The UFL training was designed as a practical and hands-on training blended with individual and group tasks, discussions, take-home assignments and presentations by participants. This allowed participates to engage with the material and take responsibility for their own work. Further, the training material was prepared with a view that librarians support the academic life of teaching staff and students. Participants were tasked to develop and later fine-tune materials designed to support their work. For example, developing a subject bibliography and posting it on the library website designed using open source tools such as Google website, Wikis, blogs. The developed library manual includes user-friendly policies and procedures referred to as “dos and don’ts in the library” that promote equitable open access to information; drafting book selection memos; new book arrivals lists; subscribing to open access journals; current awareness services and selective dissemination of information service displays and electronic bulletins. Based on their library needs and semester calendar, participants developed action points and timelines to implement tasks in their libraries at the end of each unit training. Librarians were encouraged to share their experiences through library websites, Facebook page, group e-mail/listserv and Instagram; however, they were challenged with intimate internet access. College libraries were rewarded for their extraordinary job. Given their pivotal role in the management and administration of financial and material resources, on top of librarians, the participants in this training were college administrators/ management, teaching and ICT staff, researchers and student leadership. Participants were selected to address the current and future needs of the college library. These are individuals that are perceived to have a great impact towards furthering the college library agenda. The practical nature of this training warranted conducting the workshops from developed but similar library spaces, for example, Aga Khan University Library and Kampala Capital City, Makerere University Library, International Hospital Kampala Library and Uganda Christian University Library. Participants observed orientation sessions, reference desk management and interviews, collection management practices, preservation and conservation, secretarial bureau management, etc. Long-term measures: Changing the mindset of librarians, college administrators and teaching staff is a long-term commitment which continues to demand for innovative interventions. For example: job shadowing allowed college librarian short-term attachments to Makerere University Library, Uganda Christian University Library, Aga Khan Hospital University Library and International Hospital Kampala Library – these libraries were selected because of their comparable practices and size. The mentorship programme lasted between two-three weeks; on-spot supervision and follow-up visits to assess progress with the action plan by the librarians and college administration and college library committee; ensuring that all library documents – library strategic plan, library manual, library organogram, etc are approved by the College Governing Council and are part of the college wide governing documents; and establishing the library committee with a job description for each member – this has strengthened the library most especially as an advocacy tool, planning and budgeting mechanism, awareness channel for library practices, while bringing the library to the agenda – reemphasizing the library’s agenda. To bridge the widened gap between librarians and the rest of the stakeholders, i.e. teaching staff, ICT staff, college administration and students, a college library committee structure and its mandate were established comprising: Library Committee Chairperson – member of the teaching staff; Library Committee Secretary – College Librarian; Student Representative – must be a member of the student Guild with library work experience; and Representative from each college academic department. A library consortium was formed involving all the four project supported colleges to participate in resource sharing practices, shared work practices like shared cataloguing, information literacy training, reference interview and referral services as well a platform for sharing experiences. A library consortium further demanded for automating library functions to facilitate collaboration and shared work. Plans are in place to install Koha integrated library system that will cultivate a strong working relationship between librarians and students, academic staff, college administration and IT managers. This was achieved by ensuring that librarians innovatively implement library practices and skills acquired from the workshop as well as show their relevance to the academic life of the academic staff. Cultivating relationships takes a great deal of time, thus college librarians were coached on: creating inclusive library committees, timely response to user needs, design library programmes that address user needs, keeping with changing technology to suite changing user needs, seeking customer feedback and collecting user statistics to support their requests, strengthening the library’s financial based by starting a secretarial bureau and conducting user surveys to understand users’ information-seeking behaviour. To improve the awareness of new developments in the library world, college librarians were introduced to library networks at national, regional and international levels, as a result they participated in conferences, workshops, seminars at local, regional and international level. For example, for the first time and with funding from Belgium Technical Cooperation, college librarians attended 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress in South African in 2015. College libraries are now members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association and have attended meetings of these two very important library organisations in Uganda’s LIS profession. The college librarians have attended meetings and workshops organized by these two organisations. Originality/value At the end of the three units training, participants were able to develop: a strategic plan for their libraries; an organogram with staffing needs and job description matching staff functions; a Library Committee for each library and with a structure unifying all the four project-support Colleges; a library action plan with due dates including deliverables and responsibilities for implementation; workflow plan and organisation of key sections of the library such as reserved and public spaces; furniture and equipment inventory (assets); a library manual and collection development policy; partnerships with KCCA Library and Consortium of Uganda University Libraries; skills to use Koha ILMS for performing library functions including: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials management, reporting and statistics; skills in searching library databases and information literacy skills; skills in designing simple and intuitive websites using Google Sites tools; and improved working relationship between the stakeholders was visible. To further the user-friendly libraries principle of putting users in the centre of the library’s operations, support ATL methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections the following initiatives are currently implemented in the colleges: getting approval of all library policy documents by College Governing Council, initiating job shadowing opportunities, conducting on-spot supervision, guide libraries to set up college library committees and their job description, design library websites, develop dissemination sessions for all library policies, incorporate user-friendly language in all library documents, initiate income generation activities for libraries, set terms of reference for library staff and staffing as per college organogram, procurement of library tools like DDC and library of congress subject headings (LCSH), encourage attendance to webinars and space planning for the new libraries.

After the reform and the opening up, the economy of my country has grown rapidly and people’s lives have become better and better. As a result, there is a lot of time to pay attention to their health, which has promoted the rapid development of my country’s sports industry. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics has been further strengthened. With the rise of the development of sports in our country, the use of machine learning in a large amount of information can process this data and analyze it well. Based on this, this article is aimed at making volleyball players and coaches better understand the technical structure of hiking and the technique of hiking. The paper understands the characteristics of muscle activity over time and uses machine learning methods to analyze a large number of volleyball sports data. In this experiment, 12 volleyball players from a college of physical education were selected. According to the actual situation of the students’ physical fitness and skills, it is more reasonable to divide them into two arms with preswing technology (A type) group and two-arms without preswing technology (B type) group. Mainly study the volleyball spiking action, select the representative front-row 4th position strong attack and the back-row 6th position for comparison and analysis, and analyze the process from the take-off stage to the aerial shot stage in the four stages of the smash through the kinematics, dynamics, and surface electromyography parameters. Experiments have shown that for type A, the left gluteus maximus integral EMG sum value is significantly different between the front and rear rows ( P < 0.05 ). The discharge volume of the left gluteus maximus during the front-row spiking process is greater than that of the back-row spiking. This difference is mainly reflected in the kicking stage and the air attack stage. It shows that volleyball data analysis has a very broad prospect of exploration and application, which can create huge social and economic benefits. How to analyze kinematics is also a very demanding research project and is also part of the future analysis of sports data. Academic value and broad practical significance are important.

From the EditorsHuseyin Uzunboylu, Cigdem HursenIt is an honour for us to welcome you as Editors of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has accepted publications indexed in qualified databases since 2006. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences (CJES) is listed in many scholarly citation indexes; DOAJ, Ulrich's Educational Research Abstracts (ERA), EBSCO, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, Asian Education Index & AWER index. Also our major aim is to increase the quality of the journal day by day. We are ready to publish the new studies of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has 9 full length articles written by authors from, Cyprus, Canada, Nigeria and Turkey.The aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share their academic studies. First of all, I would like to thank all who have contributed to this issue. There are different focuses. For example, Hayat Boz and Sibel Esra Karatasexplored the impact of Internet use on QOL of the elderly by examining available researches in this field. By searching on ADM Digital Library, WEB Science, ERIC, PsycINFO and PubMed databases, this study reviewed 25 studies published after 1990 that investigates the relationship between Internet use and QOL of elderly. The synthesis of the research findings indicates that the functional use of computer and Internet improves QOL for older people. The findings also provide a comprehensive perspective on the current state of knowledge and raises questions for further research.On the other hand, Japo Oweikeye Amasuomo, examined the academic performance of students in the compulsory courses in technical education during the transition period of first and second years of three years Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) Technical programme before choosing their disciplines in the third year. The study established that, students in Electrical/Electronics discipline performed better than their counterparts who made Automobile, Building, Metalwork and Woodwork as their discipline, and the academic performance of the five groups of students differed significantly. Also, Hussain Ali Alkharusi examined students' perceptions of classroom assessment tasks as a function of gender, subject area, and grade level. Results showed that students tended to hold positive perceptions of their classroom assessment tasks in terms of congruence with planned learning, authenticity, student consultation, transparency, and diversity.In addition to these, Johnson Enero Upahi, Ganiyat Bukola Issa and Oloyede Solomon Oyelekan carried out a study on students. This study assesses the classroom activities which are the fundamental process required to determine the extent to which intended learning outcomes has been achieved. Emrah Soykan aimed to identification of views of teachers, students and their parents at Near East College in North Cyprus on use of tablets in education. The research is a descriptive case study. As result of the analysis carried out in this research, it has been seen that teachers, students and parents evaluate the problems related with tablet PCs under the following two sub-dimensions; the experienced problems of during tablet supported education and the benefits of tablet pc usage in education.Zeynep Karatas and E. Tremblay Richard examined the level of depressive symptoms of the secondary school students in Turkey and Canada has been aimed in this study. The research group of the study consists of 1050 secondary school students with the average age of 13. Their socio-economic levels are low in both countries, Canada and Turkey. The study revealed that the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish secondary school students has been found higher than the level of depressive symptoms of Canadian secondary school students. While the levels of depressive symptoms of the Canadian female students have been higher than male students, the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish students has not differentiated in terms of their genders. Behiye Akacan and Gurcan Secim examine the responses of university students in social anxiety situations in order to create a psychological counselling program with a structured group based on Cognitive Behavioural and Existential Approaches. These responses involve the behaviour and thoughts of the university students in situations where they experience or anticipate social anxiety. The findings of the study revealed that the thoughts regarding the social anxiety situations of the final year students studying in Guidance and Psychological Counselling and Pre-School Teaching departments are generally negative and their behaviour usually presents as desertion or avoidance.Also, Halil İbrahim Akyuz and Hafize Keser examined the effect of an educational agent, used in online task based learning media, and its form characteristics on problem solving ability perceptions of students. It is determined that applied method has an important effect on problem solving ability perception of students and that the educational agent in the role of teacher is more effective than the role of friend in the development of problem solving ability perception. Finally Muge Tacman and Nazan Comunoglu examined the way how the primary school class teachers evaluate the candidates, what their expect from the candidates and the effectivenes of the teaching training program being conducted in Ataturk Teacher Training Academy (AOA) to fulfill these expectations. Research findings were studied and interpreted in the framework of 4 main topics which are field knowledge, basic professional attitudes, effective communication and teaching abilities.I would like to express my thanks to all authors preferring Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences to make their articles published, all reviewers working seriously in the process of publishing, and also quest editors supporting us in this process.Best regards,Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu, Editor-in-ChiefAssist. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Hursen, Executive Editor

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to describe the usage of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) by the faculty members of the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), at the College of Basic Education, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. Design/methodology/approach – A survey conducted to collect data from 33 faculty members of whom only 21 members were using SNSs, representing 63.6 per cent of the total sample, and 12 members were not using SNSs, representing 36.4 per cent of the total sample. This study revealed that SNSs are used moderately by the faculty members. Findings – This study showed that faculty members who were using SNSs tend to be males, aged between 41 and 50 years, PhD holders, ranked as assistant professors, full-time members, specialized in information technologies with a relatively new experience of teaching ranged from one to five years, and most of the faculty members who were not using SNSs tended to be also males, aged between 41 and 60 years, PhD holders, ranked as lecturers, full-time members specialized in organization of information with a teaching experience ranged from 16 to 20 years. More than half of the faculty members were using SNSs for three years to less than six years, and a large number of them were using SNSs several times a week and were accessing these sites more from their school office, home and school laboratory. There are no any statistical significant differences between the demographic data of participants (gender, age and education level) and either their use or non-use of SNSs. There are no significant differences between the academic rank, teaching status and teaching experience of faculty and their use of SNSs. However, there is a significant relation between the faculty’s area of teaching and their use of SNSs. Faculty members were interested in the use of SNSs. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and blogs respectively were used mostly by faculty members, but Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were the most famous SNSs they have profiles on. Faculty members have adopted SNSs mainly for the purpose of communicating with others, finding and sharing information with peers and students as well. Tasks on SNSs made by faculty members were mostly to make communication, send/receive messages and find general and specific information. Faculty members’ profiles on SNSs were mostly on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, wikis and podcasting respectively. Faculty members confirmed that the use of YouTube, Facebook, blogs, Twitter, wikis and podcasting respectively was at least effective and the use of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Wikis respectively was at least fairly useful fairly easy to them. Faculty members are in general agreement about the effectiveness of SNSs especially for disseminating and sharing information, communication and informal collaboration. The study showed also that there is no gender-related difference among the faculty in terms of their usage of SNSs. The study revealed also that the time was the most important barrier both SNSs users and non-users faced at PAAET’s SLIS. Other barriers like trust about SNSs, training and skills were significant to SNSs users in this study, and barriers like interests in SNSs, awareness of them and trust about them were respectively the most important barriers to SNSs non-users. The study recommended that a further research is needed to examine more additional aspects of using SNSs among faculty members that may affect their use like the technical, legal, ethical and intellectual aspects. More information is needed to investigate why some faculty members do not use SNSs especially for educational purposes. A qualitative study of the perception and opinions of faculty members would provide much important data about that. A further research is also needed to specify the relation between the use of these sites and each area of study separately. Due to the lack of awareness and knowledge about the use of SNSs, shortage of language skills and training, this study recommended that SNSs non-users should be provided with necessary assistance to foster their skills towards such usage. A future study is needed to compare experiences of faculty members and students regarding the use of SNSs in educational practices and may look at how communicational uses of these sites have influenced educational uses. Research limitations/implications – This study involved a single and certain academic institution, namely PAAET. Therefore, findings, conclusions and recommendations may not be applicable and reasonable to be generalized on all Kuwaiti academic institutions. Social implications – This paper provides valuable insight into the usage of SNSs by a very important client group. Originality/value – This study is the first one of its kind conducted about the usage of SNSs by faculty members at a library school of one of the two public academic institutions in the state of Kuwait to examine and investigate more specific information about SNSs and related innovative topics.

A review of: Line, Maurice B. “The Information Uses and Needs of Social Scientists: An Overview of INFROSS.” Aslib Proceedings 23.8 (1971): 412-34. Rpt. in Lines of Thought: Selected Papers. Ed. L.J. Anthony. London: Bingley, 1988. 45-66. Objective – The study reported in this article was conceived in order to answer a question of very large scope: What are the information systems and services requirements of social scientists? Inherent in this question was the correlative question: How do social scientists tend to use such systems and services, and what resources and information access approaches do they by choice employ? The choice for such an approach was well-considered, given that 1) there were at the time almost no research results available in this area; 2) the investigators feared that approaches developed earlier for the natural sciences and technology would be uncritically adopted for the social sciences as well; and 3) “the social science information system was developing anyway, and if it was to develop in appropriate ways, some guidance had to be provided quickly” (412). The Investigation into Information Requirements of the Social Sciences (INFROSS) project team believed that there was “no point” (412) in embarking first on a series of more narrowly focused studies. The express intention was to derive findings that would be usable “for the improvement of information systems, or for the design of new ones” (414). For more on the project's conceptual underpinnings, see Line’s “Information Requirements.” Design – Exploratory study employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches over a period of three and a half years, beginning in the autumn of 1967. Setting – The whole of the United Kingdom. The project was funded by that country’s Office for Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), which had been established in 1965. Subjects – Almost 1,100 randomly selected academic social science researchers, plus a substantial number of government social science researchers and social science “practitioners” (“college of education lecturers, schoolteachers, and individuals in social work and welfare” [413]). For the purposes of the study, the social sciences included anthropology, economics, education, geography, political science, psychology and sociology, but numerous historians and statisticians ultimately participated. Methods – Three methods were employed: surveys, interviews, and direct observation. A “very long” (413) questionnaire was sent to 2,602 of the identified ca. 9,100 social science researchers in the United Kingdom, with 1,089 (41.8%) completed questionnaires returned. Two pilots were conducted with the questionnaire before a definitive version was finalized for the study. Seventy-five interviews were conducted (individually or in groups) with researchers, some of whom had received but not responded to the questionnaire, and some of whom were not included in the questionnaire sample. The interviews with non-responding persons in the sample were for purposes of determining “whether they were non-typical” (413). Fifty additional interviews were conducted (individually or in groups) with practitioners. Day-to-day observation of a small number of social scientists was undertaken in the context of a two and a half year-long experimental information service at Bath University – the first time any UK university had employed information officers for the social sciences. Main results – The results showed a pronounced perception among social scientists that informal “methods of locating references to relevant published information” (416-8, 426-7, 431) are more useful than formal methods (such as consulting the library catalogue, searching library shelves, or searching in indexing and abstracting publications), and an even more pronounced inclination to actually use such informal methods – something of a revelation at the time. Less than one sixth of all sociologists, for example, made use of Sociological Abstracts. On both counts, “consulting librarian” (418) scored worse than all the other ten options. Forty-eight percent of respondents never did it, and only 8% perceived it as a “very useful” (418) method. Nonetheless, 88% of respondents were in principle prepared to delegate at least some of their literature searching, and approximately 45% all of it, “to a hypothetical information officer” (425). More than 75% of the experimental service clients also responded affirmatively to the question: “Should a social science information officer be a high priority,” given limited available resources? (Line, Cunningham, and Evans 73-5). Most subjects found, in any case, that their major “information problems” (427-8) lay not in discovering what relevant documents might exist, but rather in actually getting their hands on them. In only around 20% of the cases were they ultimately successful in doing so. The younger the researcher, the greater the dissatisfaction with her/his own institution’s collection. This study also revealed that academic social scientists drew little distinction between information needs for their research and those for their teaching. There was one social science discipline which clearly stood out from the rest: psychology. Psychologists were the heaviest users of abstracting and indexing (A&I) publications, as well as of the journal literature, published conference proceedings, and research reports. They were also the least tolerant of time lags in the A&I services’ coverage of new publications. Further significant findings were: • A librarian’s way of categorizing research materials was not very meaningful to the researchers themselves. • A&I services were generally used more often for ‘keeping up’ than for retrospective searching. • Consultation with librarians was more common in the less scholarly and more intimate college environment than at research institutions. • A large percentage found library cataloguing insufficiently detailed. The same was true for book indexes. • There was considerable enthusiasm for the idea of a citation index for the social sciences. (N.B.: the SSCI began publication two years after the appearance of this article.) • Among informal methods of scholarly communication and information transfer, conferences (to the investigators’ surprise) rated remarkably low. • Researchers with large personal collections made more use of the library and its services than those with small collections. • Social scientists had little interest in non-English-language materials. Line speaks of “a serious foreign language problem” (424). The INFROSS study produced an enormous amount of data. Only 384 of the computer tables produced were made available in 4 separate reports to OSTI. Only 3 tables, 2 of which were abbreviated, appeared in this article. The further raw data were available on request. Conclusion – Line himself was exceedingly cautious in drawing explicit positive conclusions from the INFROSS results. He even stated that, “No major patterns were detected which could be of use for information system design purposes” (430). He was freer with his negative and provisional assessments. Two years earlier he had written: “It still remains to be established that there is an information problem in the social sciences, or that, if there is, it is of any magnitude” (“Information Requirements” 3). However, it was now clear to Line that information services and systems for the social scientist were indeed quite inadequate, and that (potential) users were not satisfied. He was, furthermore, prepared to go out on a limb with the following assertions and inferences: 1) It was a great strength of INFROSS that it had – in marked contrast to previous science user studies – generated “a mass of comparable [his italics] data within a very broad field, so that every finding can be related to other findings” (430). 2) There are discernable – and exploitable – differences in the information needs and use patterns among the different social science disciplines (which he often also refers to as the different “subjects”). 3) INFROSS had likewise made more evident the nature of similarities across disciplines. 4) There is indeed, from an information/library perspective, a continuum from the ‘harder’ to the ‘softer’ social sciences. 5) Social scientists showed too little awareness, made too little use, and even displayed “insufficient motivation” (431) to make use of available information systems/services. He elsewhere (“Secondary Services” 269, 272) characterizes them as “remarkably complacent,” “even apathetic.” 6) There is good reason to doubt the wisdom of libraries’ investing in user education, since it is bound to have little effect (for further discussion of this matter, one can consult his “The Case for” 385-6 and “Ignoring the User” 86). 7) User-friendly systems amount inevitably to underdeveloped and ineffective systems – and therefore “personal intermediaries,” in sufficient numbers, will remain essential if we wish to offer social scientists really good information services (426, 431). Line believed that INFROSS was only a beginning, and he had already, even before writing this article, begun follow-up research aimed at attaining results really of use for information system design purposes (e.g., the DISISS project). He complained many years later, however, that all this research “indicated means of improvement, but led to no action” (“Social Science Information” 131). In any case, “Bath” (the common shorthand subsequently used to refer to all this research) became, and has remained, the starting point for all subsequent discussions of social science information problems. Several years ago, there was a well-argued international call for “a new and updated version of the INFROSS study” – with an eye to finally using the findings for practical purposes, and aiming “to extend and follow up the research agenda set by the original study” (Janes “Time to Take”).

<div>As an ardent cancer researcher, Dr. Smita Asthana has a vision to create wider awareness on cancer and its prevention, and aims to work on translational research to benefit the general public through the implementation of evidence-based research. “I have been associated with the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) and Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICPO) since November 2004 and have progressed over a period of time from being a staff scientist to the current role of a senior scientist,” says Dr. Asthana, who is presently with NICPR’s Biostatistics and Epidemiology division.</div><p> </p><p>“I have been working in various positions that deal with the design, execution, and evaluation of medical projects. Recently, we have concluded two major cervical cancer screening projects and conducted a screening of 10,000 women in rural areas,” she tells AMOR. One project, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, was carried out 100 km west of New Delhi in the rural town of Dadri “as part of an operational research to see the implementation of VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) and VILI (visual inspection with Lugol's iodine) screenings with the help of existing healthcare infrastructure,” she explains.</p><p> </p><p>As a leading researcher in cervical cancer screening, she completed an Indo-US collaborative project on the clinical performance of a human papillomavirus (HPV) test, used as a strategy for screening cervical cancer in rural communities, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation via the international non-profit global health organization PATH. “The primary objective of the project was to observe the performance of careHPV, a new diagnostic kit, in a rural setup,” she says.</p><p> </p><p>CareHPV is a highly sensitive DNA test, which detects 14 different types of the human papillomavirus that cause cervical cancer, providing results more rapidly than other DNA tests and is designed especially for use in clinics that lack reliable clean water or electricity. It is an incredibly cost-effective option for low-resource countries seeking to develop national cervical cancer screening and treatment programs according to PATH.</p><p> </p><p>“Both projects were completed successfully and brought out research conclusions in the form of national and international publications,” Dr. Asthana says. In addition to the projects, she had also developed health education materials to create cervical cancer awareness among the women of rural Indian community, while providing training to auxiliary nurses and midwives for cervical cancer screening.</p><p> </p><p>Dr. Asthana graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from King George Medical College (KGMC), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, before pursuing her Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Community Medicine from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College, Kanpur, India. Throughout her career, she has published over 40 articles in national and international journals. As a result of her hard work and dedication toward the medical field, she has been awarded first prizes for oral presentation in international conferences such as Indian Cancer Congress (ICC 2014) and Asia Oceania Research Organisation on Genital Infections and Neoplasia (AOGIN 2012).</p><p> </p><p>She is an active member of various scientific associations and societies such as the Indian Association for Cancer Research (IACR), Indian Society for Medical Statistics (ISMS), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), and International Epidemiological Association (IEA). In her effort to provide impactful messages via research publications, she is currently working on remodeling the cancer registry data, which includes a diversified field for incidence of childhood cancer, breast and cervical cancer, trends of major cancer, cancer burden in Northeast of India, among other things.</p><p> </p><p>According to Dr. Asthana, her vision is the utilization of voluminous cancer registry data to produce comprehensive reports in the form of research communication to give a clearer picture of different cancer burden in various Indian registries. “I have also proposed a project for establishing cancer registry at NICPR, which was approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in principle, but we are currently still waiting for funding,” says the medical scientist.</p><p> </p><p>Focusing on the area of cancer epidemiology and research methodology, Dr. Asthana has faced many challenges commonly encountered by any researcher with a vision to improve medical research. “Gradually, with time and experience, I have overcome these limitations and I now conduct research methodology workshops to help clinicians have a better orientation toward research,” she says. Dr. Asthana is the coordinator of research methodology workshops, which is a series of training courses that started in 2007. Training courses/workshops are being conducted on a regular basis — two to three times a year at ICPO — and on an invitation basis, she has held workshops at other institutions such as her previous visit to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in Malaysia to train 30 PhD students.</p><p> </p><p>“The main aim or idea is to educate scientists/researchers and medical faculties about the basics of research methodology, which consist of descriptive statistics, statistical analysis, and clinical trial sampling, as well as research protocol development and scientific reporting/writing,” she elaborates. “The curriculum was formed and executed in such a way that new scientists gain an overall knowledge on how a research project should be planned, executed, and the results communicated,” she adds. The courses, according to her, are targeted for medical faculty members, medical post-graduate students, undergraduate students, and PhD students with a basic science background from various medical institutions.</p><p> </p><p>As a researcher with almost 14 years of experience in medical research, her passion for research does not end there. Dr. Asthana has also ventured into various other new areas that are currently lacking presence in India and other low- and middle-income countries. One such area is palliative care, where she has undergone specialized training in palliative care from the Indian Association of Palliative Care. Additionally, Dr. Asthana is working on a global systematic review project that studies smokeless tobacco attributable risk for oral cancer. She further adds, “As an officer in the district technical support team and in collaboration with World Health Organization, I have devoted quite some time in serving the rural community for leprosy monitoring.”</p><p> </p><p>When asked for her opinion about the future of cancer research, Dr. Asthana believes that targeted therapy is the future of cancer therapy, as it kills only cancer cells and not normal cells, which leads to lesser side effects. “However, the major concern is the cost of it,” she says, “and it doesn’t appear to be affordable in the near future.” Hence, “developing countries like India should focus on the prevention of cancer through the modification of risk factors and adopting healthy lifestyles,” she concludes.</p>

I was glad to read today, on December 16th of 2016, that the Sports Sciences Department of the University of Beira Interior (UBI) appears in an outstanding place in the Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking for Sport Science Schools and Departments. We could indicate that this small department is actually in the top 80 of the sports schools of the world, which is something that should be highlighted.In 2007, the head of the Department of Sports Sciences at UBI and currently president of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (UBI) called for the development of internal research in the field of sports sciences, not only on the national panorama, but above all on an international level. This wish was strongly based on a complete lack of research in the department, in which until 2007 there was no single publication with indexing, much less with ISI or Scopus or any relevant project or book recognized by the scientific community. It was a herculean and risky challenge, but today we think that it has been more than achieved. At that time the cornerstones for the development and sustainability of the investigation in the department were based on three key-vectors: selection and recruitment of more teachers with experience and research potential; acquisition of equipment, laboratory software and reformulation of the advanced training proposal (reformulation of the Master course and Doctoral study plan).As a complement to the quality of the existing teachers, external professors were hired. The rectory was present in the creation of an R & D unit in consortium with UTAD, UMa and 5 Polytechnics Schools, under the designation of CIDESD with headquarters in UTAD and a center in UBI. As far as the equipment is concerned, the department has acquired high quality material and diversification through internal funds (Department / Faculty) and also with the individual scientific production funds of the research unit CIDESD/UBI. Between 2008 and 2013, these acquisitions encouraged the exponential writing of articles, the development of projects and the conclusion with high quality of masters and doctoral theses. This was only possible due to the high scientific production carried out, which was strictly thought in favor of our students and the Department of Sports Sciences. The acquisition of research material had not only a typical laboratory concern but also an ecological one, that is, most of the acquired equipment was portable, allowing us to carry out several studies outside the Department, going to the places where the individuals that composed the samples were. Finally, since 2009, there has been a strong internationalization policy for the Masters course, especially with the arrival of highly qualified teachers from worldwide, which has allowed the promotion of research policies and a significant increase in quantity, but above all in the quality of the published articles. In this research policies project - it was sought to present a line of concrete study that addressed some pertinent problems to which the international literature has not yet shown any final conclusions.In the last two decades, scientific research in Sport Sciences has grown exponentially in the department. Unfortunately, most of the resources, such as critical mass or equipment (laboratories) are still scarce in our country, although some universities have taken important steps in order to reverse this situation. Thus, UBI could not remain unaware of this "revolution". We had a young department with quality and capacity to perform quality research. To this purpose, it was urgent to develop protocols and / or connect with universities and researchers of international reference, which would transport us to higher levels of research. Since our field of study was so vast and complex, we had to focus on the following points of interest: A) preparing research projects in the field of sports performance; B) drawing short - term strategies for the construction of a root laboratory that would be able to transport us to the "front line"; C) helping integrate our young doctoral students (teachers) into the "world" of research. Considering the opening of the European university space resulting from the Maastricht Treaty, one of the pillars of the internationalization policy has been the focus on European cooperation activities. Numerous protocols were developed with the University of Pitesti, the Public University of Navarra, the Pablo de Olavide University, and the University of Barry State. These contacts were a result from the social and academic networks established with members of these universities.After hiring the new professors whose doctorates were concluded between 2007 and 2009, the mission of equating a course development strategy and improving its attractiveness was crucial. Given the fact that, at the level of the 2nd cycle offer, the demand was low, it was therefore necessary to attract students from other schools of the country. It was obvious that this would only be possible with the use of previous personal knowledge networks and the support of the Center for Research in Sport, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), a research center where UBI is an integrated member.The 2nd cycle of studies of the Master’s Degree in Sports Sciences was created in the 1st year of the Bologna Process adjustments of the courses given at the UBI. At that time, the Department's doctoral faculty was exiguous and very little diversified. For this reason, the Curricular Units proposed for the curriculum were based in the possibility of hiring other human resources. National and international teachers of recognized pedagogical and scientific value were recruited, with special emphasis on the prestigious curriculum of publications in the area of Sports Sciences. Provisional calls were launched and readily accepted on the condition that they taught concentrated classes, similar to what already being done in many foreign universities and also in some national ones.In the main scientific area of the cycle of studies (Sports Sciences) all the teachers integrated in the service distribution are effective members or collaborators of CIDESD. CIDESD is a research unit accredited by FCT (since the 12th of December of 2009) with the initial classification of GOOD and nowadays of VERY GOOD. Also worth mentioning is the collaboration with the Center for Excellence in Studies, Research and Sports Medicine and the Navarro Institute of Sport, Government of Navarra.The approach to scientific research has also been a point of honor of this department, carried out in a sustainable way, mainly through teaching / learning methodologies specific to each curricular unit (CU), mostly through research seminars. This approach begins in the 1st semester of the 1st year, encouraging the student to the good practices of scientific research, particularly in his area of interest. However, the ultimate milestone of his effective integration into the scientific research can only be consolidated if the student is qualified to prepare or eventually to submit a scientific paper in an ISI-indexed journal provided by the Seminar CUs. Finally, we must highlight the involvement in the implementation of technical-scientific events allowing contact with basic and applied science, of which the Research Seminar of CIDESD and CIDESD Junior is the best example. It should also be said that the scientific activity produced by teachers and students is strongly implemented in the methodological orientation of teaching / research and in the provision of services and advice to the academic community and to civil society in general. Regarding to the research-community relationship, the type of research developed is powerfully applied by integrating and transmitting immediately the produced knowledge to the stakeholders (e.g., clubs, municipalities, gymnasiums and swimming pools). Therefore, this applied research par excellence in the physical activity context of exercise and sport in its most diverse fields of application brings economic benefits to the partners of the course.It should be mentioned that in the last two years there has been a significant increase in the publication of scientific articles in journals indexed to the ISI Web of Knowledge, a true and successful Case Study at the national level. Also note that part of the articles published during the last years were launched in magazines with an impact factor higher than 1.0. Also noteworthy are the publications in book or chapter format of books with scientific review. There are also dozens of abstracts published in national and international conferences (with scientific review). In fact, we consider this type of publication as an excellent measure of dissemination of the work produced by senior researchers and 3rd cycle students. In some cases, even for the 2nd cycle students.We succeeded in spreading knowledge through the range of articles available in worldwide renowned journals, i.e.: Original Research, Brief Reviews, Reviews, Methodological Reports, Research Notes, and Letters to Editor. In terms of impact, if we consider that the UBI Teaching Activity Regulation defined 0.4 as the impact reference median to the Sports Sciences, the publications in question are clearly above this level with an average close to 1.0 impact, a high value for the sports sciences. It should be emphasized that more than 50 percent of the articles refer to 1.8-1.9 impact journals, and that we have had a review - recently published in the highest impact factor journal of the area (Sports Medicine: 5.2).With this philosophy of publications, it was intended to carry out a large number of scientific studies that addressed a panoply of issues considered more relevant like the ones related to the effectiveness of Strength Training and Physical Condition on performance improvements in High Performance Sports, Public School and Exercise /Health. Consequently, this line of thought / intervention, in addition to discussing in a pragmatic and scientific way different topics related to the methodology of Strength Training and Physical Condition, tried to do a parallelism between theory and practice, that is, most of the abovementioned articles are of a highly practical nature in order to daily assist coaches, physical education teachers and health / sport professionals. We also analyzed the Simultaneous Training of Strength and Aerobic thematic, as well as the problematic of the Detraining. These are two hot topics as both are far from consensus in the scientific community.Since the origin of the Department (1994), the first four experimental studies conducted in our laboratories have been published in two of the best sports training magazines. In the five-year period in question, the level of scientific production was exponential with more 100 international ISI articles published or accepted for publication in journals indexed to international reference databases by the end of 2013. The participation in conferences such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) as well as the positive evaluation of 2 R & D projects by international panels (with emphasis on the project approved in call 2010) seem to indicate that the scientific community recognizes the efforts done to contribute for a better understanding of the sportive phenomenon, both in theoretical as in empirical terms. We should also note the level of involvement in the scientific community with referee reports for international reference journals and with several coauthors affiliated to different universities (national and international).The research networks developed in 5 years and the funding of the international R & D Projects planned for the coming years, will not only allow the renewal of equipment and software, but also bring the possibility of hiring highly qualified human resources, guaranteeing important conditions to continue in the line of international merit investigation. It is also an important incentive to further progress in the worldwide scientific production, recognized by the scientific community as well as helping UBI to consolidate its role in the country and in the world, in this scientific area. However, there are still some teachers who feel some lack of motivation to publish regularly.

Based on demand for professional labor and the growing economy, the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) system has been transformed into a system that works to develop and equip individuals with current technical skills based on industry demand. The government has undertaken various efforts to strengthen the field of Technical and Vocational Education. Among the efforts undertaken was the transformation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. Kurikulum Standard Kolej Vokasional (KSKV) syllabus has been introduced to guide the teaching process at Vocational College. The KSKV was developed based on the latest industry requirements under the National Occupational Skill Standard (NOSS). Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran (JPK) is responsible for ensuring that the skills provided to students meet NOSS standards. However, there are issues and challenges faced in implementing the transformation, which is the level of knowledge and technical skills proficiency that lecturers have that is an important aspect of enabling educators to cope with growing technology. In line with the latest technological advances and industry demands, the issue that has begun among lecturers is the preparation of lecturers in terms of knowledge and technical skills related to the latest technologies updated in KSKV. This will further impact the quality of teaching delivery delivered by lecturers at Vocational College. Finally, the latest technical skills are essential to enable the teaching process delivered by the lecturers to be mastered by the students and thus produce qualified Vocational College graduates according to the latest industry employment standards.

The Triarchic Model of Grit Scale (TMGS), a measure that assesses individuals’ dispositions to show perseverance, passion (or consistency of interests) , and adaptability for long-term goals, had acceptable psychometric properties in Filipino student samples. However, there is scant evidence on the validity of this scale in other societies. This research explored the psychometric validity of the Chinese version of TMGS in selected technical–vocational college students in Shenzen, China. Results demonstrated that the scores from the three-factor model of grit were valid and reliable. In addition, whereas perseverance and adaptability were linked to increased life satisfaction and positive emotions, consistency was not related to such criterion variables. Further, perseverance and adaptability were associated with lower negative emotions, while consistency was linked to increased levels of undesirable emotions.

ABSTRACT This descriptive research study assessed the status of the implementation of the Bachelor of Technical Teacher Education program (BTTE) of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) as basis for enhancement. Descriptive type of research method was used in the study with 104 respondents. Primary data were gathered through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and secondary data were sourced from records. This study was delimited to the BTTE program implemented from Ladder I to Ladder III only. Results revealed that the curriculum offered by this college was above the minimum requirements prescribed by Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The BTTE program was administered by a highly qualified department dean. The college has a modern food laboratory facility; however, the books and journals in the library are not sufficient for BTTE students. The questionnaire is the main instrument in this study. The classrooms are also considered a problem during the program implementation. The college encountered a very fast turn out of faculty handling major subjects during the first two years of implementation. The result of TESDA assessment for the major competencies was low; the Raagas 5-point scale was adopted to determine the competencies of the students. Further results revealed complaints on major subjects, which require students to buy ingredients or materials for their laboratory activities was also low. The Strategic Development Plan of CSPC (2015- 2018) is the reference in creating the strategic development plan of the BTTE program

Student access to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and pathways into higher education are critical issues in South Africa. Powell and McGrath (2014) draw on theories of agency to explain why students access TVET colleges. Using sociological and social–psychological theories of agency, our study explores a theoretical perspective on student access to TVET colleges, their barriers, success, and aspirations to study at university. We selected a TVET college in the Western Cape as our research site and interviewed 30 students who had completed the National Certificate in Educare. Our analysis of the data shows that the students had enrolled at the TVET college as an alternative pathway when barriers prevented their access to universities. Evidence shows that they also encountered barriers during the course of their studies but that, despite these barriers, their desire to study at university persisted. Theoretical insights derived from the empirical evidence suggest that student success at TVET colleges may provide them with prior learning and practical work experience in order to gain access to universities.