Current Teaching Methods Research Articles

Students' perceptions of competence development in undergraduate business-related degrees

ABSTRACT Degree courses are increasingly being designed to develop students' competences as well as their subject-specific knowledge. What competences do students perceive as being developed, and to what extent? Do work placements and academic studies have different patterns of competence development, and how well do these patterns match employers' priorities in selecting graduates? The study reported in this article addresses these issues, using data from a total of 269 second and final year students on retail and financial management degrees at five English universities, and 45 representatives of employers in the retail and financial sectors. Results indicate quite positive perceptions of development of a range of competences in academic work and even more positive perceptions of placement work. However, of the competences developed, most were not necessarily those that employers value most in selecting graduates, and this was true of placement work as well as academic work. It is suggested that current teaching methods and goals offer much scope for the development of a range of competences, but that attention could usefully focus on the further development of students' teamworking skills and on clearer distinctions between second and final year academic work in terms of competence development.

‘Let's hear and say’: current overview of auditory-verbal therapy

Never before in the history of deaf education has there been such potential for hearing. Professionals caring for hearing-impaired children need to re-evaluate speech/language teaching methods in the light of the new technology. This article gives an overview of current philosophy and teaching methods of auditory-verbal therapy. With its focus on residual hearing, auditory-verbal therapy is an ideal point of first intervention, followed by diagnostic teaching. Early diagnosis, optimal fitting of audiological devices (e.g. hearing aids, cochlear implants) and assisting the parents to create a listening environment are emphasized. Expectations are for oral speech and full integration. Regardless of level of hearing loss, hearing-impaired children can learn to function as hard-of-hearing rather than deaf and to become full members of the hearing community.

Dip.S.W. Students and Anti-Discriminatory Practice: Questions of Learning Outcomes and Assessment

There is great public interest in issues of discrimination and prejudice and, while this interest leads to changes in public and professional behaviour and sometimes to legislative changes, it is not at all apparent that these changes achieve the stated intention, which is to eliminate negative and oppressive discrimination. It is argued that current methods of education for anti-discriminatory practice, while successful in terms of imparting understanding and compet ence in relation to structural and societal issues such as racism, power and inequality, may be less successful at the individual level of personal attitudes. An argument is put forward which suggests that anti-discriminatory practice (ADP) education may sometimes result in hidden or unrecognized, unmeasured, and possibly unwanted learning outcomes. This is discussed in relation to social work education, and two possible unforeseen outcomes are proposed: first, the individual may shift the focus of prejudice from one subject to another; secondly, the individual may unrealistically interpret their attitudes as anti-discriminatory, despite evidence to the contrary. In addition, it is suggested that social workers may hold conflicting discriminatory attitudes towards a single subject, depending on whether they see themselves, at that time, as an individual or as a professional.

‘Not too much, not too little, but just enough?’: observations on continuing professional development in Public Health in the North of England

Three inquiries about Public Health continuing professional development were undertaken in the Northern and Yorkshire Region of the National Health Service during 1995–96. Public Health Physicians were asked about their experience of continuing education and for their views on a regional policy for continuing professional development. Health Authority Chief Executives were asked about their reactions to Public Health Physicians continuing educational needs. The overall response rates for the Public Health Physicians were very disappointing. Most of the Chief Executives (a much smaller group) responded to the inquiry. A large minority of Public Health Physicians believed that their continuing education in the preceding two years had been adequate. Most wished their future continuing education activities to be multi-disciplinary. One finding with considerable significance for those managing Public Health education, both specialist and continuing, was that many of those with teaching responsibilities had not been trained to teach. Despite apparent concordance between the views of Chief Executives and those of Public Health Physicians; on some important points there were inconsistencies in the comments of Chief Executives, which suggested lack of understanding of both the roles of their professional colleagues and the need for their continuing education. The inquiries gave rise to a sense of apathy and under-confidence, manifested in some reluctance to accept policing of continuing education. There is a need to experiment with learning and teaching approaches in order to progress from the current traditional educational methods. Although there are signs of promise for the future, much more is still needed.

Plastic surgical training and the Internet: how plastic surgeons learn

We intend to create a Distance Learning Resource for Plastic Surgeons using all the capabilities of the Internet including video Internet. In order to assess the suitability of current plastic surgery teaching methods for adaptation for use on the Internet we were obliged to ask the fundamental question 'how do surgical trainees learn plastic surgery?' Although plastic surgery training methods are well documented there appears to be no published data on surgeons and learning. A search of the last 10 years of Medline data reveals nothing about surgeons and their learning styles. However, we know that surgeons are educated formally for a relatively long period and then are supposed to continue learning from experience. It is clear that some do this well and become regarded as expert and successful. Others presumably will do less well. How, for instance, could we explain the best ways of learning to a new surgeon working entirely on their own in a hospital in Uganda. If we wanted to set up some kind of a 'distance learning resource' what would it have to provide in addition to information? These are the questions we were posing ourselves at the start of this research.

The education of out-of-hospital emergency medical personnel in pediatrics: Report of a national task force

In the last ten years there has been considerable interest in the development of curricula in pediatric emergency care for out-of-hospital emergency medical personnel.1-4 At the same time, there has been notable controversy in regard to the design and content of the curricula. Traditionally paramedic instruction has been diagnosis-driven: emergency medical services (EMS) educators had instructed out-of-hospital providers by modifying the “medical school” approach and incorporating information based on the scope of practice of the out-of-hospital provider. Although there are few data evaluating current educational methods, many instructors and students have found the diagnosis-based approach impractical for providers in the out-of-hospital setting when implemented in the field setting. The reasons for this are multifactorial and may include the following: 1) establishing a diagnosis in the field is problematic because physical assessment may be hampered by the unpredictable ambient conditions (poor lighting, increased noise, and inclement weather) and safety issues (gunfire or criminal activity); 2) few cost-effective, portable diagnostic resources are available for field use; and 3) the provider spends a limited time with the patient. The solution to this educational dilemma has been the development of the educational strategy that is assessment-based with management schemes driven by the clinical presentation of the patient. The advantages of the assessment-based approach are 1) it is a simple, easy-to-teach method that can be taught to basic and advanced levels of providers and 2) it allows for subsequent management strategies to be based on patient assessments and not a list of possible diagnoses. The disadvantage is that some educators believe it may be too simple and that by deemphasizing diagnoses, this educational method will decease the ability of the out-of-hospital and in-hospital-based providers to communicate information about the patient quickly.

Electronic Instruction at Carlson Library

In this age of increasing electronic instruction in academic libraries, the University of Toledo's Carlson Library, like many other academic libraries, is trying to come of age. The library's instruction program has traditionally used a paper-based instructional format. However, with the introduction of the library's OPAC, CD-ROMs, the Internet, and OhioLINK in recent years, we are faced with a number of challenges which this paper will discuss. The main challenge is that we are trying to teach electronic resources without a mediated classroom in the library. We need to bridge the gap between the paper-based instruction program and electronic resources because our current teaching methods do not always allow for patron interaction with the technology. Increasingly, instruction is having to take place at the Information Desk, where there are time constraints and library users are unclear about the kinds of information they want or which electronic resources they need. Adapting to these new and growing resources and developing the skills needed to teach them are among the important challenges librarians at Carlson Library face.

The incorporation of construction history in architectural history: the HISTCON interactive computer program

Current teaching methods for architectural history seldom embrace building technology as an essential component of study. Accepting the premise that architectural history is a fundamental component to the overall architectural learning environment, it is argued that the study of construction history will further enhance student knowledge. This hypothesis created an opportunity to investigate how the study of construction history could be incorporated to strengthen present teaching methods. Strategies for teaching architectural history were analyzed with the determination that an incorporation of educational instructional design applications using object-oriented programming and hypermedia provided the optimal solution. This evaluation led to the development of the HISTCON interactive, multimedia educational computer program. Used initially to teach 19 th Century iron and steel construction history, the composition of the program provides the mechanism to test the significance of construction history in the study of architectural history. Future development of the program will provide a method to illustrate construction history throughout the history of architecture. The study of architectural history, using a construction oriented methodology, is shown to be positively correlated to increased understanding of architectural components relevant to architectural history and building construction.

A case-control analysis of risk factors in HIV transmission in South India.

A case-control study was done among patients attending our clinic for sexually transmitted diseases in South India to assess risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Of 5,876 patients tested, 105 (1.79%) were HIV antibody positive (87 men, 18 women) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot. They were compared with an equal number of age- and sex-matched patients without HIV antibody. Risk factors significant in the crude odds ratio analysis were occupation (truck drivers and truck cleaners), age at first exposure, and sexual contact with commercial sex workers. In the logistic regression analysis, only a history of past genital ulcer was a significant risk factor. Other important findings of this study were that (a) the spread of HIV to women is mostly from their infected husbands and (b) regular condom use was reported by less than 8% of patients and controls. Obviously, the current methods of education of the population are far from adequate.

Sugar Smarts: an Educational Guide to Meal Planning with Gestational Diabetes

LEARNING OUTCOME: This guide will improve the management of low-literacy patients with gestational diabetes.An important challenge for healthcare professionals is to develop nutrition patient education materials that improve comprehension and encourage dietary compliance. This problem is compounded when designing materials for low-literacy patients. Despite the availability of these materials, few actively involve the patient We have developed a novel interactive educational guide for low-literacy gestational diabetics to reinforce learning and increase compliance. Gestational diabetes can be effectively treated with dietary therapy, therefore interactive materials are potentially more efficacious than current educational methods. This guide presents the essentials of nutrition during pregnancy and meal planning using graphics with educational and interactive sections. The education section provides an easy to read explanation of gestational diabetes and its implications, plus a discussion of how diet can change blood glucose concentration. The interactive section includes a daily eating plan that can be used to individualize meal and snack options using the different food groups. Each food group is discussed with pictures and descriptions of types of foods to be eaten and avoided. Pictorial sample menus are provided to demonstrate meal planning. After reviewing the interactive section, the patient will have all the essentials to plan meals appropriately. Future uses of this guide may extend past its current scope.

The current nursing procedure for intermittent urinary catheterization in rehabilitation facilities.

The purpose of the research study described in this article was to identify the range of catheterization techniques currently practiced in inpatient care settings and to determine current methods of patient-caregiver education about catheterization in a home setting. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 175 rehabilitation facilities accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF); the return rate was 81%. Data were analyzed on the basis of region of the country, type of practice setting, and number of rehabilitation beds. There were few statistically significant correlations, based on this analysis. These results provide a baseline for current practice and suggest the need for development of a standard for practice based on research. A multicenter study that compares clean with sterile methods needs to be conducted to determine which technique is preferable for inpatient practice and which for patient-caregiver education.

Is it time to improve psychotherapy training?

The practice of psychotherapy is a central activity for clinical psychologists. Accordingly, psychotherapy training is a fundamental part of clinical t of empirical information about the procedures and processes involved in psychotherapy training, and empirical evidence for the effectiveness of current practices is practically nonexistent. The literature on empirical evaluations of therapy training in general, and psychotherapy supervision in particular, is discussed. It is proposed that psychotherapy training can be improved by applying principles and methods from the area of the cognitive sciences concerned with the development and nature of generic expertise. To illustrate this application, a new instructional format, “anchored instruction,” is discussed as a method for providing psychotherapy students with a more thorough comprehension of therapy theories, principles, and procedures than is attainable with current teaching methods.

How Relevant are Primary Science Schemes of Work?

SUMMARY One of the DES principles of quality in science education is relevance. The notion of relevance is ambiguous and confusing. In primary schools, non‐specialist teachers and current teaching methods are likely to need good textual material. The pictures and text of 11 sets of primary/ middle school science textual materials were analysed to assess what provision had been made for showing explicitly the relevance of science to people. In general, there was little indication of such provision. The small amount of provision that was made suggested that primary texts tended to ape secondary school science texts in relating science to society, rather than to individuals. This may not be relevant to young children. Primary teachers need to be aware of the shortcomings of such materials and supplement or modify them as necessary. In‐service courses may be needed to develop this capacity.

Graduate School and the Self: A Theoretical View of Some Negative Effects of Professional Socialization

Examinations of the professional socialization that accompanies graduate school training generally view this socialization as developmental and do not often explore its effect on the self of students. By proposing a conceptualization of this process as resocialization, this paper discusses the possibility of negative effects on students' self. Structural features of graduate school, including the independence of student/teacher roles and relationships, the subordinate and dependent social status of graduate students, and the expectation that graduate student will be one's primary role, are theorized as interacting with individuals' undergraduate experiences, expectations of graduate school, and current self-images to affect the probability of lowered self-esteem. The possibility of such negative effects raises questions concerning the appropriateness of current methods of graduate education;

Using Observational and Student Learning Data as Feedback

One of the primary responsibilities of faculty members is to design and implement experiences that enhance learning. It is also the teacher's responsibility to determine whether cur rent teaching methods lead to student learning and to make appropriate ad justments so that learning opportunities are increased. Unfortunately, little is known about documenting student learn ing, and there is infrequent practice of evaluating teacher-effectiveness in an objective manner at the post-secondary level. As Humphreys (1984, 3) has indi cated, instruction seems notori ously difficult to define, criteria for quality teaching apparently are less clean cut, and evidence for it at best am biguous. A method that provides accu rate, objective information on the teach ing/learning process can be a valuable tool in improving the quality of edu cation in the classroom. It can also increase the credibility of teaching as a category in the promotion and tenure process. This article presents a model that inte grates the systematic observation of stu dent and teacher behaviors with an anal ysis of student achievement. The model assists teachers by identifying strengths

Anaesthesia and resuscitation in the undergraduate curriculum

Summary Anaesthetists have a wide range of contributions to make in undergraduate education which bring together aspects of physiology, pharmacology, clinical medicine and surgery. Because untoward events often occur quickly, the value of rapid assessment and the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of problems can be highlighted in the operating theatre. Practical skills can be gained daily. The availability of unconscious patients and the use of manikins allow airway management and resuscitative skills to be taught, improving the potential safety of patients. A questionnaire sent to all British medical schools and selected European centres illustrates current teaching practices and methods of assessment of students' performance in anaesthesia and in resuscitation.

Glasgow nurse teacher says change to achieve a more professional role.

Current teaching methods will have to change drastically if nurses are to achieve a more professional role, a recent study reveals.

Surgical anatomy of hepatic venous system

AbstractSurgeons are comfortable with nearly all the intraabdominal structures except the liver. The reason for this is an unfamiliarity with the large intrahepatic venous structures. This arises because current educational methods, illustrations, and prepared casts are relatively unhelpful. The intrahepatic anatomy is best studied by specially prepared dissections that show the vascular structures, with their interrelationships, and the routes of access to these vessels. Forty formalin‐hardened livers were thus dissected. The fissures and portal and hepatic veins have been displayed to emphasize their relations to each other with a view to facilitating their exposure at surgery.

Introducing calculus: an accumulation of teaching ideas?

The accumulation of ideas concerning the teaching of elementary calculus includes recommendations which are still not in widespread use. Research into students’ understanding of calculus suggests that there are many learning difficulties which current teaching methods are not helping students to overcome. The introduction of calculators and microcomputers to school mathematics classes provides us with the illustrative and computational power to practise methods based on practical investigation and intuition which should help to meet the needs of students beginning calculus and lead to greater understanding.

Psychomotor Skills in Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopedic surgery has become increasingly specialized, and with specialization has come a greater need for technical skill in the performance of the procedures. Instrumentation has become more complex and the need for manipulative skills greater. This book sets forth objectives and a curriculum for evaluating and teaching psychomotor skills to orthopedic residents. The authors present the approach of current educational psychology and methods to transferring these skills, and their book is filled with interesting semantic constructions—eg, psychomotor taxonomy, cybernetic cycle, triangulation format, gestalt assessment, and heuristic strategies—applied to problems as complex as how to make a broom handle. No exercises in a dry lab will ever substitute for time spent in anatomic dissection, operating in the animal laboratory, or assisting or being assisted by a patient, knowledgeable preceptor. For those interested in the application of educational theory to training residents in surgical technique, this book represents the state of