University Teaching Practice Research Articles

Master and student in French higher education: Academic language and pedagogical distance

Academic Discourse is a contemporary study of the language of teaching in the Arts faculties of France in the mid-1960s. It was originally published asRapport pedagogique et communication (1965). Carried out during a time of mounting tension, it captures the breakdown in the social assumptions governing teaching practice in French universities. This empirical study of how students use academic language in their essays and exams brings out the implicit cultural expectations underlying scholastic success and the social functions served by the traditional pedagogical regime of the French university.

Potential impact of high speed networking on teaching and learning in universities

In 1992 a report was commissioned by the UK Universities and Research Councils Joint Network Team on the potential impact of the high speed SuperJANET network on the teaching and learning practices in universities. The report used structured interviews with staff at the universities of Cambridge and Kent to predict and identify any inhibitors and actions necessary to ensure effective takeup. The costs of providinginfrastructure within sites was estimated. In 1994 follow‐up interviews were carried out to identify progress and update the findings with a view to seeing how attitudes had changed. One main difference is an increased optimism. This is more pronounced where there are more demonstrators readily to hand. Another clear trend is the increased feed of active research into teaching using high speed network resources.

DOES A BOOKLET ON BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION IMPROVE SUBSEQUENT DETECTION RATES?

Of 28 788 women aged 40 to 74 registered at 28 university teaching practices in greater Belfast, half were randomly selected to receive a booklet on breast self-examination from their general practitioner at the start of the study and 1 year later. The frequency of breast abnormalities was identical in both groups (0·83%) during the 2-year follow-up. Early malignant breast cancers (stages T x, T o, T 1a) were significantly more frequent in the intervention group (53·6%) than in the control group (24·3%). Among women in the intervention group with malignant lesions, 2 sites, left nipple and left inner/upper quadrant, were significantly less frequently involved. These findings in relation to staging and site were confirmed by multivariate comparisons. The intervention group also had a smaller average tumour size (24·0 mm compared with 32·6 mm) due to significantly smaller benign tumours and the absence of the relationship between delay and tumour size evident in the control group.

Planning and monitoring courses: University teachers reflect on their teaching

Seven university lecturers were interviewed about the progress of one of their courses each week during one semester. The interview invited them to reflect on their planning and monitoring concerns as the course proceeded. Interviews were transcribed and content analysed using an emergent category system. Three topics recurred throughout the interviews: communication with students, ongoing course planning activities, and processes in class. The distribution of material in the other nine categories tended to be more idiosyncratic. This article provides a descriptive account of how and what these teachers thought, as a group, about the progress of a course, and it identifies the major issues on which their attention was focussed. The results are discussed in terms of how the teaching role of academic is primarily concerned with the communication of theoretical material to students. It is suggested that the debriefing interview technique is a useful tool for gathering data which can throw light on the educational beliefs and principles that underlie the practice of university teaching

Teacher Preparation in England

Abstract The following article gives a concise description of teacher preparation in England. Supported by official data, the article is based on the observation and experience of the author (B.A., Goddard College; M.A., Michigan State) while on a half year study in England of student teaching practices in the English universities and training colleges. He is a member of the psychology and education faculty at Central Michigan University.