Accreditation Of Courses Research Articles

Social Emotional Learning in arts teacher education policy: a content analysis of assurance standards and course descriptions

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a unifying framework for essential life skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsible decision-making. In this article, we examine the intersection of SEL competencies with national accreditation policy, state standards, and course descriptions using curricular mapping and content analysis. Our findings revealed conceptual connections with differing degrees of alignment but no explicit mention of SEL. Arts accreditation standards had SEL intersections with foundations, development, communication and relationship building, curriculum and improvement. We recommend a closer synthesis between arts teacher education and SEL through greater attention to teacher identity, mental health awareness, self-awareness, self-management, diversity, and social justice in arts teacher education policy and recognize the possibilities for enhancing K-12 arts learning.

Reflection of the Specifics of the Supervision Process in the Environment of Social and Legal Protection of Children

The article presents a selected part of the research that was carried out in 2019 in Slovakia the aim of which was to assess feedback on the perception of the supervisory process in social protection entities as offered by the supervisor. The basic set consisted of supervisors in helping professions operating under Act No. 305/2005 Coll. They are specialists with a second degree education in the humanities or social sciences who have completed an accredited supervision course in the minimum range of 240 hours and have appropriate practice. 10.68 % of Slovak supervisors participated in the research. A probing research was used, which carried elements of quantitative strategies, but has not been moved to the area of verification, comparative or correlation investigation. The secondary benefit of this study is the depiction of the structure of supervisors in Slovakia and its longitudinal development. The primary method of collecting empirical data was a questionnaire created by the authors. More than 90.0 per cent of respondents stated a positive perception of the supervision provided by Social and Legal Protection (hereinafter SLP) employees. Among the dominant themes of supervision in the SLP were clearly “relational areas”, reflection of workflow including case supervision and burnout. Our findings confirmed that active listening and its essence concentrates on an interview from a methodological point of view. According to our findings and assuming a reasonable degree of generalization, it can be stated that the supervision is primarily performed according to the established standards and codes of ethics.

Health and wellbeing in design studio briefs – Architecture and engineering graduating students’ motivations and approaches

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon architecture and environmental engineering students’ approaches to health and wellbeing issues in design studio project briefs. The design studio project is a key aspect of the students’ fourth year programme in a dual accredited (RIBA/ARB and CIBSE) BEng course in the SW of England. Whilst the overarching site and brief are set by the studio leader, each student develops their own project agenda drawing on extensive urban and site analysis as well as precedent research. Particular detailed aspects of the brief are then further analysed and researched as part of an engineering report study. The research draws on first author’s earlier work on effects of non-prescriptive briefs on transdisciplinary studio working in architecture and engineering programmes. Drawing on visual ethnography methods, the preliminary observations drawn out of the study begin to consider key intrinsic/extrinsic motivations and assumptions students draw on to develop a health and wellbeing agenda in their projects and the way these motivations further inform analysis in the engineering reports. The implications of the research are twofold. First, the preliminary analysis enables new insights into assumptions graduating architecture and engineering students draw on to develop a health and wellbeing motivated agenda. Second the study has benefits for design studio education brief setting approaches in particular, increasingly drawn upon in engineering and multidisciplinary built environment pedagogy. Practical application: This paper enables new initial insights into ways designers (architects and building services engineers) approach health and wellbeing issues at early stages of design, drawing on a higher education empirical setting. It is particularly relevant to professionals as well as educators in the built environment.

International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) Global: international accreditation scheme of the competent anthropometrist

Abstract The anthropometric assessment of a person or population is used by professionals from different areas (health, sports, education, ergonomics, engineering), and the quality of the measures obtained by them determines the success of their interventions. This point of view aims to underline the importance of training these professionals through The International Anthropometry Accreditation Scheme (IAAS) implemented by The International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK), which aims to create and maintain an international network of professionals updated continuously from the practical and scientific point of view in the anthropometric measurement of excellence. We describe the four-level hierarchical structure of IAAS, which is guided by the rules defined in the ISAK Handbook and the anthropometric procedures described in the ISAK manuals, as well as the importance and functionality of the ISAK website. It is suggested that an ISAK mobile app be developed to, among other things, facilitate communication among its members, streamline data management of accreditation courses and increase the organization’s international projection.

The Philippine experience on the ‘basic training course for rehabilitation workers on the assessment and management of drug dependence’, 2013–2016

ABSTRACTRehabilitation for persons who use drugs in the Philippines is premised on a multidisciplinary team approach to treatment, where delivery of services is collaboratively undertaken by physicians and rehabilitation practitioners. In 2013, a government-academe-civil society collaborative developed a customized training program for nurses, psychologists, social workers and other personnel involved in rehabilitation work. This 10-day accreditation course covered modules on understanding drug dependence, assessment, management of drug abuse and dependence, and drug rehabilitation work. Participants also had the opportunity to handle cases through a practicum. Between 2013 and 2016, eight training sessions were implemented for 252 rehabilitation practitioners from almost all of the Philippines’ administrative regions. A paired-samples t-test showed that there was a significant difference in the pre-test (24.58 ± 4.08) and post-test scores (30.37 ± 4.66) of participants to the training, t(152) = 16.5949, p = <0.0001.

Experiential Learning: the field study trip, a student-centred curriculum.

Drawing from student-centered learning theories, this paper identifies key issues related to active participation of students, collaboration and independent learning. It draws from the author’s experience of developing and delivering a student-centered curriculum delivered around a field study trip. It explores approaches to active and experiential learning in Higher Education through the various stages of the curriculum development and the identification of the pedagogical benefits. The student-centered curriculum is part of a professional accredited course in Landscape architecture. The Field study trip is an opportunity to actively explore the topics of study in real settings and to learn through hands on experience, which is essential to form professionals confronted with making places through planning and design. More generally the field study trip module is an opportunity to understand how to practically embed experiential learning approaches in Higher Education. The paper also discusses the merits of field trip to address some issues related to the learning experience and participation in the context of the internationalisation of the students’ cohort.

Licenciatura em Educação do Campo na UFT: perspectivas e desafios na construção de um curso

Socializamos uma pesquisa sobre a Licenciatura em Educação do Campo na Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT). Analisamos os processos de implantação em seus aspectos políticos e pedagógicos. Debatemos sobre o protagonismo dos movimentos sociais nas lutas pelo direito à educação e nas questões direcionadas às políticas de Educação Superior para o meio rural no Brasil. No percurso metodológico, inspiramo-nos na História Oral, na perspectiva da abordagem qualitativa. Entrevistamos docentes que vivenciam o processo de implantação do curso na UFT, para apreender as expectativas e construções empreendidas na materialização da Licenciatura. A fundamentação teórica deste estudo se deu mediante o diálogo com diversos teóricos como: Caldart, Santos, Molina, Arroyo, Silva, Alberti. Discorremos sobre a Pedagogia da Alternância como referência para a alternância pretendida para a Licenciatura em Educação do Campo, assim como as proposituras para a sua efetivação. Depreendemos que a implantação da Licenciatura em Educação do Campo configura uma conquista para a população que vive no e do campo e encontra-se em processo de construção, que demanda, por parte dos seus executores, novas posturas em frente aos conflitos e enfrentamentos para a sua efetiva materialização.

Reality of demonstrative Writing of Science and Engineering Students - Mainly with &lt;Report creation and presentation&gt; -

본 논문은 글쓰기 교육은 생각하는 인간, 표현하는 인간을 만드는 인문학적 실천이다. 여기에 글쓰기 교육이 취직의 수단이 아니라 전공수업과 긴밀한 상호작용이 이루어지는 실천일 필요성이 강조된다. 그에 따라 전문 분야에 대한 이해와 지식의 부족은 이공계 특성에 맞는 교육 방안을 강구하고 있다. 이에 자기 주도적인 학습과 문제해결력을 기르는 우선적인 방안 중의 하나로 실용적인 글쓰기, 논증적인 글쓰기가 대안이 될 수 있을 것이다. 따라서 <보고서 작성 및 발표>는 공학인증교과목으로 반드시 이공계열 학생들이 반드시 이수해야 하는 교과라는 점에 착안하여 이공계 글쓰기의 실제를 확인하고자 하였다. <보고서 작성 및 발표>의 교과목표는 ‘발표’ 및 ‘발표를 위한 글쓰기’의 다양한 형식을 익혀 전공수업에 대비하는 것에 있는 만큼 글쓰기의 중요성 강조하고 있다. 특히 전공과목과 대중 사이를 중재하는 지식인의 참된 면모 갖추며, 인문학적 소양을 키워 ‘교양 있는 지식인’의 가능성을 마련하고자 한 측면에서 글쓰기는 필수적이다. 이에 이공계 학생들의 논증적 글쓰기의 실제를 확인하고 제시함으로써 향후 글쓰기 교육의 개선 방안을 마련하는데 일조하고자 하였다.The writing education in this study is a humanistic practice which makes human being think and express. Here the writing education is not a means of getting a job but a necessity of practice closely interacted with major course, is emphasized. Accordingly the education plan which is suitable to the nature of science and engineering area, is required due to lack of understanding and knowledge on professional field. So practical writing, demonstrative writing might be alternatives as one of the plans which can improve self-directed study and problem solving ability. Therefore, this study intends to identify the reality of science and engineering writing based on the fact that they should complete <report creation and presentation> as engineering accreditation course. The goal of <report creation and presentation> course is to prepare the major course by learning various types of ‘presentation’ and ‘writing for presentation’ so the importance of writing has been emphasized. In particular, writing is essential in order to equip the true aspects of intellectuals who mediate between major subjects and the public, and to provide the possibility of educated intellectuals by developing humanistic literacy. Accordingly, this study intends to contribute to the provision of writing education improvement plan in the future by identifying and suggesting the actual practice of demonstrative writing of science and engineering students.

Representações sociais e identidade docente: um estudo de caso na formação de professores em ciências sociais da UFRN

A presença hodierna da Sociologia na educação básica brasileira é um elemento novo para os sujeitos a ela relacionados e, para o grupo de licenciando(a)s do curso de Ciências Sociais da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), a situação não é diferente. Com o intuito de compreender como os elementos apreendidos durante a formação inicial de professores influenciam o processo de construção identitária, investigou-se as representações sociais acerca da identidade docente, buscando compreender como estes sujeitos representam os professores de Sociologia. Para tanto, procedeu-se uma comparação entre os elementos que compuseram os núcleos centrais das representações sociais dos licenciandos ingressantes e dos estagiários do referido curso. Adotou-se a Teoria das Representações Sociais e a Abordagem Estrutural como aporte teórico e da Técnica de Associação Livre de Palavras como recurso metodológico. Ao se proceder a análise dos dados obtidos durante a pesquisa, tornou-se evidente que a memória desempenha um papel crucial nos processos de construção representacional e identitário, pois a familiaridade com a disciplina de Sociologia no Ensino Médio trouxe novos e importantes elementos para a composição do perfil dos atuais ingressantes na licenciatura investigada.

An accredited course in facial aesthetics

An accredited course in facial aesthetics

EXPLORING TENNIS COACHES’ INSIGHTS IN RELATION TO THEIR TEACHING STYLES

Background. The aim of this study was to explore junior tennis coaches’ insights in relation to teaching styles they employ as well as the motivations and reasons that underpin these practices. Methods. The research consisted of implementing interviews with the 13 tennis coaches. It employed purposive or theoretical sampling. Semi-structured interviews commenced with a prearranged group of questions to permit scope in direction so that the interviewer may follow what is considered as pertinent to the interviewee. The coaches were filmed during three 30 minute sessions. Prior to the interviews, each of the coaches was requested to view a portion of their video-recorded sessions. The interview data were analysed via deductive content analysis. Results. The results highlighted a lack of knowledge concerning the theoretical and practical application of various teaching styles required for coaching tennis to junior players. The coaches lacked self-awareness with regard to their own coaching performance and were incapable of accurately describing the reasons why they implement particular ways of coaching. Coaches used an assortment of terms to identify the way they coach and that their decision to employ certain ways of coaching did not alter as a function of the age group, skill level or ability of the players they were coaching. Observing and/or discussing aspects of coaching with a mentor as well as playing experience had a greater influence on current coaching behaviour than attending an accreditation course. Conclusion. The finding from this study is that the personally anticipated coaching behaviour of the coach was not what they realised upon observation of their coaching.

Skill development of beginner sonography students using high-fidelity simulators: Initial experiences

Background The training of Australian sonographers is shared between accredited course providers and clinical training providers. Scanning skills are mostly developed in a real-life setting environment by the clinical training provider. Sonographer training is burdensome on clinical training providers due to increasing service delivery demands. Accredited course providers should therefore investigate innovative methods of skill training that can be undertaken outside of the clinical environment. Aims This report evaluates four sonographer skill development activities for novice students that used high fidelity ultrasound simulators. Results All students reported positive experiences and outcomes of simulator based learning activities and believed that simulated skills development sessions help them develop scanning skills. Students perceived their skills level after simulation sessions to be at levels where they could scan in a real clinical setting with supervision levels ranging from moderate to no assistance. Supervisor ratings ranged from students being able to scan with large amounts of assistance to being able to scan with minimal assistance. A self-directed learning package was introduced which was well received by students. Conclusions The results of the evaluations of the reported simulated learning activities are promising for a self-directed and student centered learning curriculum to be ‘wrapped’ around the use of high fidelity simulators to develop student skills in the early stages of training.

Ambiguity in guideline definitions introduces assessor bias and influences consistency in IUCN Red List status assessments

The IUCN Red List is the most widely used tool to measure extinction risk and report biodiversity trends. Accurate and standardised conservation status assessments for the IUCN Red List are limited by a lack of adequate information; and need consistent and unbiased interpretation of that information. Variable interpretation stems from a lack of quantified thresholds in certain areas of the Red List guidelines. Thus, even in situations with sufficient information to make a Red List assessment, inconsistency can occur when experts, especially from different regions, interpret the guidelines differently, thereby undermining the goals and credibility of the process. In such an information vacuum, assessors make assumptions depending on their level of Red List experience (subconscious bias) and their personal values or agendas (conscious bias). We highlight two major issues where such bias influences assessments: relating to fenced subpopulations that require intensive management; and defining benchmark geographic distributions and thus the inclusion/exclusion of introduced subpopulations. We suggest assessor bias can be reduced by refining the Red List guidelines to include quantified thresholds for when to include fenced/intensively managed subpopulations or subpopulations outside the benchmark distribution; publishing case studies of difficult assessments to enhance cohesion between Specialist Groups; developing an online accreditation course on applying Red List criteria as a prerequisite for assessors; and ensuring that assessments of species subject to trade and utilisation are represented by all dissenting views (for example, both utilitarian and preservationist) and reviewed by relevant Specialist Groups. We believe these interventions would ensure consistent, reliable assessments of threatened species between regions and across assessors with divergent views, and will thus improve comparisons between taxa and counteract the use of Red List assessments as a tool

Development of students’ commercial awareness within the curriculum of professionally accredited courses

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of students’ commercial awareness within the curriculum of professional accredited courses. The targeted area of study is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited property courses. This paper also discusses how the curriculum of RICS-accredited courses can be designed to successfully incorporate commercial awareness within them and suitable delivery methods for developing this within the curriculum. Commercial awareness is one of the most important employability skills, however, employers have expressed dissatisfaction with graduates’ performance in this area.Design/methodology/approach– This paper presents the research findings of two sets of questionnaire surveys, as well as interviews and e-mail discussions with the course directors and current students of the RICS-accredited property courses in the UK. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the questionnaire data. Fisher’s exact test was used to identify the statistical significance between academics’ and students’ views on the development of students’ commercial awareness as part of the RICS-accredited property courses’ curriculum. Content analysis was used to analyse the texts in the questionnaire survey, interviews and e-mail discussions.Findings– Academics and students involved with the UK RICS-accredited property courses agreed that commercial awareness is an important employability skill in the property sector and they mostly agreed on the definitions of commercial awareness, except in their “understanding of the wider business environment”. They also agreed that commercial awareness has three components: strategic, financial and process. Academics and students agreed that the commercial awareness components and process sub-components are largely incorporated into the curriculum of RICS-accredited property courses but they have divergent opinions on the level of incorporation of strategic and financial sub-components. A suitable way to deliver commercial awareness in RICS-accredited property courses is to incorporate it into the overall curriculum, ensuring that the components of commercial awareness are closely linked to the RICS APC and match relevant competency levels. They also commented that including practical experience in the curriculum is the most useful way to develop a student’s commercial awareness.Originality/value– This paper is the first to discuss the development of commercial awareness in professional accredited courses such as RICS-accredited property courses and also identifies suitable methods to enhance students’ commercial awareness as part of the curriculum. The research findings can also be applied to other professional accredited courses that have a strong vocational focus, such as nursing, engineering and accountancy. These courses are usually accredited by relevant professional organisations and students studying these courses usually plan to embark on a career in a relevant profession. The design of the course curriculum has a strong focus on equipping students with the essential competencies to develop their careers within the relevant field.

Integrating technology to enhance the assessment of competence to practice and accreditation of courses in physiotherapy

Background: The Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) is the appointed accrediting authority in Australia. In accordance with the relevant National Law, the APC is responsible for the assessment of overseas trained physiotherapists wishing to practice as a physiotherapist/physical therapist in Australia, as well as the accreditation of programs leading to General Registration as a physiotherapist in accordance with the approved accreditation standards for physiotherapy.

A novel electronic assessment strategy to support applied Drosophila genetics training in university courses.

The advent of “omic” technologies has revolutionized genetics and created a demand to focus classical genetics on its present-day applications (Redfield, 2012, PLoS Biol 10: e1001356). This demand can be met by training students in Drosophila mating scheme design, which is an important problem-solving skill routinely applied in many modern research laboratories. It promotes a thorough understanding and application of classical genetics rules and introduces to transgenic technologies and the use of model organisms. As we show here, such training can be implemented as a flexible and concise module (~1-day home study, ~8-hour course time) on university courses by using our previously published training package designed for fly researchers (Roote and Prokop, 2013, G3 (Bethesda) 3: 353−358). However, assessing this training to make it an accredited course element is difficult, especially in large courses. Here, we present a powerful assessment strategy based on a novel hybrid concept in which students solve crossing tasks initially on paper and then answer automatically marked questions on the computer (1.5 hours total). This procedure can be used to examine student performance on more complex tasks than conventional e-assessments and is more versatile, time-saving, and fairer than standard paper-based assignments. Our evaluation shows that the hybrid assessment is effective and reliably detects varying degrees of understanding among students. It also may be applicable in other disciplines requiring complex problem solving, such as mathematics, chemistry, physics, or informatics. Here, we describe our strategies in detail and provide all resources needed for their implementation.

Anthropometric Characteristic, Somatotype and Body Composition of Canadian Female Rowers

Canadian female rowers were evaluated for their anthropometrical characteristics including somatotype and body composition to evaluate them with their international counterparts. 31 female rowers with an average age of 28.6 ±3.4 ( range 19-33) yr of different local clubs were assessed during their peak season time. Part of the measurements were done during the fulfilment of assignment for ISAK Kianthropometry accreditation course in Canada and part of the measurements were done during the fitness assessment of rowers at local clubs. Somatotype was assessed using Heath- Carter method and body composition (Fat%) was assessed by surface anthropometry. Endomorphic mesomorph (3.1±0.5 ─4.1±0.6 ─2.3±0.7 ) body type was observed in average with an average 23.4(±2.9) % body fat. Average waist-hip ratio was 0.74 (±0.4) .Canadian female rowers of the present study possessed more than average muscularity with slightly higher body fat % . The present study recommended more muscularity with less body fat % for the Canadian female rowers. The study also recommended a change in body type from endomorphic mesomorph to ectomorphic mesomoeph.

A model of integrated care for people with dementia in Primary Care

A model of integrated care for people with dementia in Primary Care

The Evolution of a Professional Practice Forum: Balancing Peer-to-Peer Learning With Course Objectives.

BackgroundThe Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC) is a mandatory accreditation requirement in New South Wales, Australia, and aims to prepare medical practitioners for the provision of safe and effective Opioid Substitution Treatment to people with opioid dependence. The course has a strong focus on safe prescribing practices and the course design includes a Professional Practice Forum that is engaging for participants and effective at imparting complex ideas and concepts that do not place additional time constraints on already time-poor health professionals.ObjectiveThe study aimed to use participatory action research methods to develop and evaluate an online Professional Practice Forum that is a key component of the OTAC teaching and learning experience.MethodsThree evaluation cycles were implemented with three cohorts of participants (N=40) to inform the design and review of the updated OTAC course. Overall, the study relied on participatory action research methods to enhance a sense of online community and to revise the Professional Practice Forum component of the course. Findings from survey feedback and an examination of Web metrics were used to monitor participant learning and were subsequently subject to thematic analysis in order to identify key themes.ResultsThe use of participatory action techniques in the redesign of the OTAC course was a successful means of engaging with participants and resulted in four revisions based on feedback from facilitators and participants. The Professional Practice Forum was rated highly and received positive feedback from both moderators and participants.ConclusionsThe use of interactive forums in online learning in an educational module for adult learners can prove extremely valuable as a means for participants to share their expertise and improve their learning outcomes. In particular, the use of sticky and welcome threads were significant features that enhanced interactions between participants and facilitators and resulted in increased quantity and quality of postings. These findings can help inform future researchers on how to develop peer engagement modules that are amenable to assessment and that build an online sense of community.

Faculty perceptions of online homework software in accounting education

Abstract Emerging technologies are providing a variety of tools for accounting educators. One of these tools is Online Homework Software (OHS). This study collects survey data from accounting faculty in the U.S.A. who were queried as to the utilization and perception of OHS in undergraduate accounting courses. Analysis of the survey data indicated five differences between OHS users and nonusers: (1) years of teaching, (2) number of course sections taught, (3) Accounting AACSB accreditation status, (4) faculty rank, and (5) courses taught by the respondents. Faculty indicated the tool is helpful when teaching in the online format and that OHS saves faculty time by reducing the time spent grading and processing student work. Users of OHS raised concerns about whether and how the tool helps students learn, how the students view the tool, and the cost of OHS. The data reported in this study are relevant to educators who have never used OHS as well as those who are currently using OHS. The data collected is important in promoting dialog concerning OHS usage and developing recommendations for continued improvements in the software.