Implementation Of Course Research Articles

The IS Core: An Integration of the Core IS Courses

This paper describes an innovative, integrated implementation of the core Information Systems courses. While the published IS curriculum provides standards on course content, it gives little direction on the implementation of the courses. At Brigham Young University, we have reengineered the traditional topics of analysis, database, design, development, networking, etc. into an integrated, 24-hour course block called the “IS Core”. Instead of students moving from class to class, professors now rotate through integrated subjects in a common classroom environment. The IS Core has allowed the department to increase the rigor and integration between subjects so students see the entire systems process and has provided opportunities for cross-topic assignments and integrated exercises. Finally, it has resulted in unintended, additional benefits like increased student culture and student ownership of the major.

知的障害高等特別支援学校(特別支援学校高等部)における「流通・サービス」の実施状況についての調査研究

現行の学習指導要領から、知的障害養護学校高等部では専門教育に関する教科として「流通・サービス」が新設された。そこで、軽度の知的障害生徒を対象に職業教育を重視する高等特別支援学校等70校に対して、教科「流通・サービス」の設置や他の教科や作業学習の中での「流通・サービス」の実施状況についてのアンケート調査を行った(回収率82.9%)。その結果、「流通・サービス」科を設置していたり、他の教科等で「流通・サービス」のいずれかの分野(「販売」「清掃」など)をかなり実施している学校は25校(43.1%)で、逆にあまり実施していないという学校も多かった。実施している学校について、分野の選択・選定にあたり、生徒の目標設定や実態に合わせた作業活動の進め方についてはよく考慮されているが、一般社会で通用するサービス業務等の水準には至っていない。一方、あまり実施していない学校は、「職業教育の中心が製作や生産などの作業活動であるため」という理由が多かった。

Current trends in library and information studies curricula around the world

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to identify current trends in library and information science (LIS) education related to the user‐centred approach adopted by libraries and information professionals in response to the advent of the internet.Design/methodology/approachCourse descriptions of 30 LIS departments around the world were analyzed based on Wilson's map of information science that proposes five basic foundations fields: information content, information systems, people, organizations, and policy. The analysis focused on the user‐centred people field and on the interactions between this field and the other four fields proposed by the model. Course descriptions found in the departments' web sites were analyzed using the content analysis method and eight categories were revealed in the analysis that represent the different interactions between the fields.FindingsFindings show that LIS departments have been successful in infusing the traditional information‐related curricula with a user‐centred approach but they have yet to develop areas of study that strengthen the students' social skills.Research limitations/implicationsThe data collection method limited the scope of the study. By restricting the data collection to course descriptions as advertised in the departments' web sites the study could only analyze the departments' intent and not their actual work in the field.Originality/valueThe study recommends the implementation of courses dealing with social or personal skills.

Teaching to the Masses: The Design and Implementation of a Large Lecture Hispanic Culture Course

ABSTRACT: Due to an increase in enrollment in upper‐level Spanish classes that posed staffing problems, the Spanish section of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Tennessee decided to combine three sections of Spanish 331, “Introduction to Hispanic Culture,” into one large lecture course, which was offered for the first time in the spring of 2004. This study is devoted to analyzing the design of Spanish 331 in the light of recent pedagogical research as well as to discussing the successful implementation of this course. Special attention is paid to the distinguishing features of Spanish 331, in particular to the effective use of PowerPoint presentations as a means of managing a large lecture course taught in a target language, the integration of a variety of Hispanic cultures into one course, and the creation of assessment techniques and follow‐up activities.

Prevention and Management of Aggression Training and Violent Incidents on U.K. Acute Psychiatric Wards

Reports of violence and injuries to staff and patients in acute psychiatric inpatient settings have led to the development and implementation of training courses in the Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression (PMVA). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between PMVA training of acute psychiatric ward nursing staff and officially reported violent incident rates. A retrospective analysis was conducted of training records (312 course attendances) and violent incident rates (684 incidents) over two-and-a-half years on 14 acute admission psychiatric wards (5,384 admissions) at three inner-city hospitals in the United Kingdom as part of the Tompkins Acute Ward Study. A positive association was found between training and rates of violent incidents. There was weak evidence that increased rates of aggressive incidents prompted course attendance, no evidence that course attendance reduced violence, and some evidence that attendance of briefer update courses triggered small short-term rises in rates of physical aggression. Course attendance was associated with a rise in physical and verbal aggression while staff were away from the ward. The failure to find a drop in incident rates after training, coupled with the small increases in incidents detected, raises concerns about the training course's efficacy as a preventive strategy. Alternatively, the results are consistent with a threshold effect, indicating that once adequate numbers of staff have been trained, further training keeps incidents at a low rate.

Radiology Nurses' Awareness of Radiation

The purpose of this study was to explore the awareness level of radiation risks and protection among radiology nurses in Kuwait. The results showed that the vast majority of these nurses were not aware of radiations risks and the most important aspects of radiation protection. In addition, they expressed their fear of radiation and their interest to learn more about it. Implementation of courses on radiation for nurses was recommended.

A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA GEOLOGIA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UM PADRÃO DE REFERÊNCIA DO MUNDO FÍSICO NA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA

As geologic issues were included in the National Curriculum Parameters of the Brazilian Basic Education, this paper intends to discuss how the geological approach can provide better formation to basic education students, developing their abilities and skills through a better understanding of natural processes. It presents a reference standard of the physical world to be built under Geosciences approaches, providing a real and contextualized knowledge. It also shows the results of evaluation tests on Basic Education's teachers, in charge to teach geologic issues. This text also suggests measures to improve the Basic Education teaching of Natural Sciences, like the implementation of courses of formation for teachers in Geosciences, that the Ministry of Education should include geologists whenever it decides to establish guidelines for the elaboration or evaluation of programs on Natural Sciences teaching, as well as in the elaboration and execution of projects in the schools. It suggest also the incentive to activities for teachers and students of the Basic Education in Museums, centers of research and in the Geology courses.

A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA GEOLOGIA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UM PADRÃO DE REFERÊNCIA DO MUNDO FÍSICO NA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA

As geologic issues were included in the National Curriculum Parameters of the Brazilian Basic Education, this paper intends to discuss how the geological approach can provide better formation to basic education students, developing their abilities and skills through a better understanding of natural processes. It presents a “reference standard” of the physical world to be built under Geosciencies approaches, providing a real and contextualized knowledge. It also shows the results of evaluation tests on Basic Education’s teachers, in charge to teach geologic issues. This text also suggests measures to improve the Basic Education teaching of Natural Sciences, like the implementation of courses of formation of teachers in Geosciences, that the Ministry of Education should include geologists whenever it decides to establish guidelines for the elaboration or evaluation of programs on Natural Sciences teaching, as well as in the elaboration and execution of projects in the schools. It suggest also the incentive to activities for teachers and students of the Basic Education in Museums, centers of research and in the Geology courses.

Evaluation of an established course of hospital management through structured telephone survey of former participants

Participation in courses for health and hospital management is increasingly becoming a conditio sine qua non for candidates for executive positions in the health professions. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the two-semester university course for health and hospital management offered by the University of Innsbruck since 1994. A structured telephone survey was conducted to poll the participants (n = 184) of previous courses concerning time invested, cost-benefit ratio, quality of the course as well as implementation of course content. The university courses (n = 7) for health and hospital management of the University of Innsbruck evaluated in this study were rated in the upper half of the of the five-part scale (scores 2 to 3) for overall quality, cost-benefit ratio and implementation of course content. Only approx. 25 % of the course participants reported that the course had a positive influence on their career. The relatively high course fee was borne in part by the local hospital operator, a fact that had a certain influence on the selection of course participants. Participation in the course was largely made possible by exemptions from job duties (approx. 75 %) and to a lesser extent by vacation time (approx. 20 %) or time off for overtime (approx. 5 %). Of total absences from the course (3.18 +/- 3.41 d) 75 % was for job-related reasons, 6 % for illness and 19 % for other reasons. Overall, participants were absent more often, the larger the number of personnel in their department or clinic. All in all, the courses were considered important and recommendable, particularly with regard to communication, organization, time management and cost awareness. Streamlining (i. e. more content in less time), stronger practical orientation and a switch from mainly local to more international speakers would be important steps toward improving course quality. Thanks to its demonstrated quality, it can be said that the university course for health and hospital management held by the University of Innsbruck and evaluated in this study is certainly a worthwhile course offered in a still emerging market, namely one that will come under increasing pressure from the candidates for executive positions in the health professions to provide what is best for their careers and the health services industry in general.

Promoting Collaborative Learning Strategies in Aging and Public Policy Courses

Multidisciplinary collaboration is one of the hallmarks of gerontological education and led to the development of the current article. Using a case study approach based on the 2000 summer workshop, Getting Aging Public Policy into the Curriculum hosted by the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University, the authors discuss some of the pedagogical implications for cooperative learning and collaboration among faculty teaching aging and public policy courses. Consistent with cooperative learning strategies, three modules have been developed on grandparents, public policy and the law; Social Security reform; and international aging policy and women. Each module includes class activities and flexible cooperative learning approaches to use in the development and implementation of courses that include aging and public policy content.

Impact of Generalist Physician Initiatives on Residency Selection

Objective: To compare the residency selection choices of students who experienced courses resulting from generalist physician initiatives to choices made by students prior to the implementation of those courses and to describe the characteristics of students selecting primary care residencies.Background: In the fall of 1994 a first year Community ContinuityExperience course was initiated and in the summer of 1995 a third year Multidisciplinary Ambulatory Clerkship was begun at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. These courses were inserted into the curriculum to enhance and promote primary care education.Design/Methods: We examined the residency selections of cohorts of graduating medical students before (1992-1996) and after (1997-1999) the implementation of the primary care courses. Survey information on career preferences at matriculation and in the fourth year of medical school were available for students graduating after the programs began. We compared the career preferences and characteristics of those students who selected a primary care residency to those who did not.Results: Prior to the implementation of the programs, 45%(425/950) of students graduating selected primary care residencies compared to 45% (210/465) of students participating in the programs (p=0.88). At matriculation, 45% of students had listed a primary care discipline as their first career choice. Among the students who had indicated this degree of primary care interest 61% ended up matching in a primary care discipline. At year 4, 31% of students indicated a primary care discipline as their first career choice and 92% of these students matched to a primary care residency. By univariate analysis, minority students (53%) were more likely to select a primary care residency than non-minority students (40%); students in the two lowest grade point average quartiles (55% and 50%) selected primary care residencies compared to 37% and 38% of students in the top 2 quartiles; and students who stated that income potential had little or no impact on their choice were more likely to select a primary care residency (48%) than those who said income potential was important (37%).Conclusions: We observed no significant trend towards higher proportions of graduating students selecting primary care discipline residencies as a result of implementing courses that emphasized primary care. Those students expressing an interest in a primary care discipline at their entrance into medical school were more likely to select a primary care residency. A more significant impact on graduating students interested in primary care may be made through the medical student selection process than by altering the curriculum.

Managing the change from face-to-face to distance training for SMEs

FADxPMI is a project aimed at supporting the evolution from a training system firmly based on the face-to-face approach into one where Open and Distance Learning (ODL) techniques are widely used, especially to reach the staff of SMEs at their workplace. Within this project, the development of know-how among course designers and trainers in the design of distance training events was achieved through a course called Design of Distance Training. This paper focuses on this course and discusses its design principles as well as the problems related to the development and implementation of courses of this kind. The Design of Distance Training course covered a wide range of ODL techniques and, since participants themselves were mostly SMEs staff members, it provided an interesting picture of the kind of problems that may be faced in developing distance training for SMEs. Among these, the most important issue concerns the compatibility of training and job commitments. The low degree of acquaintance with the new methods can also be a problem, especially at the beginning. In spite of these problems, the course managed to boost the desired process of introducing ODL techniques in SME training and to raise awareness among participants about the main positive and negative features of these methods.

Development and implementation of a leadership skills course for the charge nurse.

Formal education in leadership behaviors and skills is paramount to the development of staff nurses as effective leaders. The need for effective leadership during the present transformation of healthcare, and the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organization's mandate to educate and train staff as appropriate to their job responsibilities, resulted in the development and implementation of a leadership skills course for the staff charge nurse. A literature review, input from experienced charge nurses, and clinical nurse managers' perspectives of what is effective leadership for a charge nurse played key roles in development and implementation of the course.

Teachers' degree of satisfaction concerning the implementation of an inquiry-oriented secondary biology course

The Web of Life has gained a virtual monopoly in Australian biology classrooms since its introduction in 1967. Recently, Increases in upper school retentivity have brought a greater diversity of student interests, academic abilities, attitudes and vocational aspirations. These factors have generated formal evaluation and informal debate among Australian biology teachers regarding the appropriateness of the present course. This study sought to investigate this debate by gauging the degree of satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the Web of Life course as indicated by 60 experienced biology teachers. Perceptions and opinions about the implementation of the course were collected using an instrument where each item comprised two parts, which respectively elicited teachers' perceptions and opinions. A tally of the response patterns for each item determined the degree of satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Highest satisfaction was related to the curriculum materials and highest dissatisfaction was related to the externally-set examination, the current population of students, and the knowledge and skills of biology teachers. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving inquiry teaching, and for developing an alternative course to cater for the diverse range of students studying biology in upper school.

The implementation of a mental health nursing clinical course in a rehabilitation setting.

Locating clinical sites for psychiatric/mental health nursing students had become increasingly difficult due to deinstitutionalization of mental health patients. The rehabilitation setting provides a unique opportunity for student nurses to learn about adjustment to disability and other psychosocial issues related to disability. A clinical course was developed and implemented by two rehabilitation clinical nurse specialists at a 55-bed regional rehabilitation center at the request of an associate degree nursing program. The clinical course helped nursing students meet the requirements for their psychiatric/mental health nursing course. The objectives and content for the clinical course are described in this paper. Implementation of the course was successful and the program has been repeated for three years.

Teaching new technologies (Panel Discussion)

One of the more difficult tasks in this era of adopting curriculums, is to keep a program current with technology. There is a growing number of new hardware, software, and concepts that emerge each year. The speakers will share their experiences in bringing to the classroom the new technology that the students will face or should be facing as professionals in the marketplace. The discussions will focus on implementation of courses in Computer Graphics, Decision Support Systems, and Artificial Intelligence. These courses have been taught at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, Executive MBA) in Computer Science and Business environments. The speakers will also hold a discussion on questions from the audience.

GDR Film in Cultural Context

In the 1977 Monatshefte special surveys of The Democratic Republic: Courses and Curricula and German Film Courses and Resources,' thirty-one colleges and universities reported the implementation of courses committed to the study of GDR literature, culture and civilization, while twenty-three institutions reported the creation of film courses taught either in or in English translation. A Monatshefte follow-up study in 1980 concluded that the trend towards incorporating courses on the GDR and film has continued to gain significantly in momentum since the 1977 study.2 In light of these separate yet parallel developments, it is worthwhile to consider strategies by which the study of the GDR and film can be integrated more effectively. Not only has the GDR Deutsche-FilmAktten-Gesellschaft (DEFA) produced over 600 films with a wide variety of themes and forms since 1946, but the ready availability of high-quality, representative feature films by the major GDR filmmakers, coupled with an expanding body of GDR film scholarship, has now made it possible to evaluate in the classroom the contributions which GDR filmmakers have made to film art and to socialist

Student intrinsic motivation, science teaching practices and student learning

This paper has been concerned with the application of basic understandings about intrinsic motivation and curiosity behaviour to the teaching of science, and in particular senior high school biology. The important role of student knowledge in the generation, maintenance and resolution of cognitive conflict is congruent with the renewed interest in studying students' everyday knowledge of curriculum content. However the study of classroom teaching processes in terms of their facilitation of intrinsic motivation is not common. Yet the data collected in this study demonstrates the importance of closely examining the implementation of courses such as the Web of Life, if the arousal of intrinsic motivation is an intended student outcome. Both interview and observational data indicated that the teaching styles adopted by teachers in this study were not likely to engender curiosity amongst students. Perhaps this should be expected. The use of a wide range of reference materials to investigate problems that arise in the classroom, the encouragement of students to do additional work on a topic if they are particularly interested, and a willingness on the part of the teacher to allow students sufficient time to formulate their own solutions to problems are classroom processes which necessitate a greater flexibility in curriculum presentation than can be often tolerated by teacher and school management. Such processes may be incompatible with organisational properties of the school and the pressures often placed upon students to perform to a high standard on rigidly defined examinations.

A software package for computer managed instruction

A software package is described which is used by six universities in the Netherlands for Computer Managed Instruction. Special attention is given to the structuring and implementation of courses and blocks in a course. The facilities provided for guiding students through a course and for evaluation will also be discussed.

An Intensive Approach to Culture and Civilization: The German Semester at USC

The two most frequently mentioned problems in the design and implementation of courses on culture and civilization are these: first, the subject matter to be covered is extensive; for whether the concept of culture underlying the course is spelled with an upper-case or lower-case c, it is clear that a large number of disciplines ought to be included,1 and this raises the second problem, that of expertise. However justified such a far-ranging multi-disciplinary course may be, there are probably very few who can teach it single-handed without the danger of dilettantism, well-intentioned though it may be. It seems unlikely that many scholars of German, indeed teams of such scholars, can give a truly expert picture of the totality of cultural life, either from a contemporary or an historical perspective, dealing with politics, economics, education, history, the arts, music, literature, folklore, science and philosophy, without short-changing several of them.2