No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Up to 1998, the Institutes of Nursing in the United Arab Emirates have been using the traditional lecture-based teaching/learning process in their graduate-nursing program. In 1998, however, these Institutes adopted a new approach; namely, the case-based learning (CBL) for the education of their nursing students. This approach emphasizes the use of self-directed and cooperative learning that is supposed to help students increase their critical thinking (CT) level. As the students were experiencing changes in the teaching practices, it was important to determine the effect of the teaching and learning approaches on students' CT abilities, and to describe suggestions needed for improvement. Empirically, very little is known regarding the influence of CBL on a student's CT. The question then remains, as to whether students who have undergone case-based learning, differ significantly in their CT abilities from those who studied in the traditional method. This study investigates the critical thinking skills in relation to two types of nursing educational programs: (a) the traditional teaching and (b) the case-based learning. The professed purpose of the study in hand is to measure and compare the level of critical thinking in participants from each of the two programs. The instrument of measurement guiding this study is the model developed by Facione and Facione (1998). The design has been a comparative descriptive survey. The critical thinking abilities were measured by the CCTST, which was administered to 38 participants from the traditional curriculum and 65 from the case-based learning curriculum who agreed to participate in the study. When the scores were analyzed by using the independent sample 1- test, this study found that, in general, participants from both programs performed badly on the CCTST. Nevertheless, the CBL program participants performed significantly better when compared to the traditional program participants in all aspects of the CCTST. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

The Center for Information and Communication Sciences graduate program commenced at Ball State University in 1986 with a specific focus to train graduate students to be leaders in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. The Center is the manifestation of a vision birthed out of creativity and resourcefulness. This study examined the creative pedagogy approach at CICS based on instruction, social learning culture, professional development, academic achievements, and collaborative interaction among students, faculty, alumni, and colleagues in ICT industries. The distinctiveness of this graduate program that combined in-class and out-of-class learning experiences was the focus of this study. This study employed a qualitative method, specifically a descriptive case study design with the intent to understand and explain the academic, social, and cultural phenomena of the graduate program at CICS. The central research questions of this study focused on the impact of the teaching, learning, social and leadership outcomes of the iv program. The data collection methods used for this inquiry were semi-structured interviews in combination with evidence from archival document data. The twelve participants were selected through purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The data analysis consisted of open coding techniques that produced eight themes. The findings were organized in relation to the study’s three central research questions and indicated that the educational, technical, and social learning experiences of the masters program at CICS impacted the current students and alumni in a variety of ways. All the participants considered the program intense and comprehensive. They also agreed that the program was built around professional development. The existence of elements such as, the Student Social Learning Program (SSLP), teamwork, group projects, close-knit alumni community, well qualified faculty members, enrollment diversity, and studentcentered immersive learning made CICS distinct from other programs. The educational philosophy used in the program was described as effective, deliberate, consistent, clear-cut, invasive, multidisciplinary, integrated, and a culture of success. Key recommendations for further studies include study on the feasibility of replicating the success of CICS by adopting their pedagogical philosophies and practices and a comparative study of similar programs. / Department of Educational Studies

This thesis identified competencies required by the South African, entry-level library and information science graduate. It took into account the development of the information society and resultant proliferation of information and communication technologies and how these developments have given rise to new roles for the library and information worker. This thesis also looked at developments within the South African library and information environment and how these have affected the library and information science profession.

This research aimed to draw in perspective dejourian, the demographic profile and professional teachers who work in the program of post-graduate studies in specific master; identify factors that generate pleasure and pain at work this faculty, as well as the reasons encourage and support the participation of teachers in graduate programs. This is an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative, conducted with 06 university professors, the permanent framework of post-graduate studies centers of Health Sciences and Social Sciences and Humanities of a public higher education institution, the state of Rio Grande do Sul For data collection instrument was developed in two parts, the first containing the survey questions for sociodemographic data and professional and the second part consists of an interview guide with semi-structured questions. Data were analyzed using content analysis of Bardin. The categories originating from the data analysis are described in three articles, which together comprise the essence of this study. Results showed reflective understandings about the role of teaching in a university setting capitalist productivity, which are affected by work pressure, which triggers pain. The recognition of suffering is not described explicitly. Identifies a dichotomous relationship between pleasure and pain at work and such conditions manifest themselves due to the tasks of a university teacher as well as the demands and poor working conditions. Moreover, the participation of teachers in graduate programs in the School in which they operate may confer national and international prominence in some situations. For this it is necessary to highlight meet the guidelines dictated by the funding agencies, in particular the Coordination of Improvement of Professional Level (Capes), in which the demands of production, publication and research are intense. Thus, there is emphasis on teaching grounded in tripod Teaching, Research and Extension. The management also appears as another important role of teachers in public higher education institutions. We find that teachers are put under strong pressure to achieve the required levels of productivity, as well as seek to advance the construction of knowledge and prestige, and situations that point to the experience of the dichotomous relationship between pleasure and pain in this context. / Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo descrever a dimensão laboral dos docentes de programas de pósgraduação stricto sensu em Instituição de Ensino Superior Pública. E para isso buscou-se traçar o perfil sociodemográfico e profissional de docentes que atuam em programa de pós-graduação stricto sensu em específico mestrado acadêmico; identificar os fatores geradores de prazer e sofrimento no trabalho destes docentes, bem como compreender a relação entre docente de pós-graduação e a Capes. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório descritivo, de natureza qualitativa, realizado com 06 docentes universitários, do quadro permanente de programas de pós-graduação em nível de mestrado acadêmico dos centros de Ciências da Saúde e Ciências Sociais e Humanas de uma instituição de ensino superior pública, do interior do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Para coleta de dados foi elaborado um instrumento composto por duas partes, a primeira contendo questões para levantamento dos dados sociodemográficos e profissionais e a segunda composta por um roteiro de entrevista com questões semiestruturadas. Para análise dos dados foram utilizados duas formas de compreensão, para os dados sociodemográficos e profissionais a análise estatística descritiva (frequência e percentual) associada à discussão teórica qualitativa e para os dados da entrevista a análise de conteúdo de Bardin. As categorias originárias das análises de dados estão descritas em três artigos que juntos compõem os resultados do estudo. Os resultados apontaram para compreensões reflexivas sobre o perfil e atuação do docente universitário em um cenário capitalista de produtividade. Desta forma compreende-se que o os docentes se caracterizam genericamente por mulheres, casadas e/ou com união estável, com filhos, com tempo de atividade em docência universitária expressivo (média de 22 anos), todos doutores com contrato de dedicação exclusiva e intenso envolvimento em atividades da prática docente. Quanto à relação dicotômica de prazer e sofrimento no trabalho encontrou-se ações claras e explícitas de que aperfeiçoamento pessoal e profissional, compartilhamento do saber e reconhecimento são fatores que geram satisfação e prazer na atividade docente. Em contrapartida, observa-se a negação do sofrer na prática docente e assim, identifica-se hesitação em apontar sofrimento como conseqüência do cenário e contexto atual do trabalho do docente universitário e a repercussão que isso infere na prática. Assim, se esclarece alguns dos motivos da participação de docentes em programas de pós-graduação, para obter destaque faz-se necessário atender as diretrizes ditadas pelas agências de fomento, em especial da Capes, na qual as demandas de produção, publicação e pesquisas são inerentes. Há destaque para o trabalho docente embasado no tripé Ensino, Pesquisa e Gestão, esta aparece como mais uma importante função deste no ensino superior público. Por fim, identifica-se há cobrança em atingir os índices de produtividade, bem como prestígio, situações estas que apontam para a ocorrência da dicotomia do prazer e sofrimento no trabalho.

D.Phil. (Curriculum Studies) / The study highlights the conceptual and practical challenges in providing initial teacher education that promotes, amongst other factors, coherence with the prescribed school curriculum. It investigates a History Teaching Methods (HTM) course offered by a university in Kenya to clarify how course related documents, lectures, students’ microteaching lessons, and perceptions about these three aspects obtained from interviews with a teacher-educator and students addressed what the course had to provide as possibilities for the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills that would enable students to teach effectively the secondary school History and Government (H&G) subject. Through a review of literature on curriculum coherence and theories on ethical pedagogic practice and communication combined with primary data collected in Kenya, I explain the nature of the challenges in the HTM course. The challenges, I argue, are primarily a result of overlooking the disciplinary requirements of History. The findings suggest that misconceptions about professional responsibilities of the teacher-educators are largely responsible for the descriptive approach that characterises the pedagogical practices they promoted. The absence of engagement with disciplinary requirements in lectures contributed to the nature of the devices that were used by students to teach. In order to clarify the nature of these pedagogic challenges, I adopted a generic qualitative approach to the research. The direct contact and discussion with a teacher-educator and students enabled me to explore their understanding of the requirements of teaching history at school level. Through observations of lectures I established how the teacher-educators considered these requirements as important to the teacher education they provided. Through observing students’ microteaching lessons I was able to establish their understanding of the nature of historical knowledge and how it ought to be approached when teaching. The study contributes to the general field of teacher education by having devised a conceptual orientation that can be drawn on to establish what is necessary to teach school history effectively, namely, the importance of normative critical thinking and contextual sensitivity. In this study, I indicate the pedagogic processes that need to be considered and constantly in place to teach history by drawing on relevant paradigms and conceptual orientations belonging to the discipline. I found that teacher-educators underplay the importance of these factors and view them as having to be considered by academic entities that are directly involved with history as a discipline. It is due to this oversight that the programme seemed to emphasise descriptive and procedural orientations in initial teacher education. I conclude by suggesting that a course that educates student teachers for, amongst other reasons, teaching H&G at secondary school in Kenya, has to consider firstly, what is essential to history teaching and learning as a discipline and secondly that effective history teaching has to be informed by reasoning that is not only relevant to History as a discipline but also its practicality to the objectives of school history.

This study assessed alumni of the College and University Teaching Program at the University of North Texas and how they perceived the training they received. Three hundred sixty alumni holding a college and university teaching degree were surveyed. One hundred forty-two usable questionnaires were returned. A response rate of 39.4 % was achieved. A survey instrument was used to gather alumni perceptions of learning experiences, academics, and professional benefits as a result of earning a doctorate in the major of college and university teaching at the University of North Texas. Alumni were asked their perceptions on the following: 1) the quality of graduate professional education in college and university teaching degree program, 2) whether they thought the goals and objectives of the program were met, and 3) their recommendations regarding the college and university teaching degree program. It is the overall opinion of the alumni that the quality of the graduate education in college and university teaching degree program was high. The majority of alumni indicated that the program should be reinstated and continued and if the program was still available they would recommend it to others.

Educators, authors and policymakers continue to address the quality and focus of higher education in the United States. Some have noted the unprecedented number of students entering professional colleges and universities as a gateway to promising careers, while others have suggested that our schools lack the wherewithal to reconstitute the idea of a liberally educated person. Yet, over the past 16 years there has been considerable growth in the number of institutions that have established new graduate programs in Liberal Studies. This study examined the growth associated with those programs and addressed the issues of why the programs were started; whom they served; and, how they fit and operated within their host institutions. The methodology encompassed survey and case study research. The population consisted of the total number of schools actively affiliated with the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP). / Ed. D.

Accompanist is the old term. Collaborative pianist is the new one. Accompanist implies a mostly subservient role, whereas collaborative pianist gestures toward a more equitable relationship between the soloist and pianist, no longer a mere follower. Degree programs that prepare collaborative piano skills are growing rapidly in higher education since their inception five decades ago, encouraging a wider range of pianists to pursue an intentional career path. Becoming a seasoned collaborative pianist takes time, however. Little empirical research has investigated the preparation process. What is it like for collaborative piano majors to accumulate collaborative skills and practical knowledge? How is collaboration defined and experienced, and how helpful do students find their programs? Without understanding student experiences, the artistic well-being of collaborative pianists is at stake, and so is the field’s own ability to do its work. This qualitative study examines lived experiences of collaborative piano students in conservatory and university degree programs. As researcher, I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews exploring topics including, but not limited to, professional identity, attitudes and dispositions, competencies and skills, struggles and challenges, power dynamics as well as teamwork with four recent graduates in the United States. It seems that issues of professionalization, an unclear definition of “collaboration,” and a lack of student agency are central to all lived experiences. An examination of these phenomena would contribute to the growth of the field, empowering its ability to do its job more efficiently and sustainably.

Thesis (MSocialWork)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research investigates the utilisation of group supervision in the practice education with undergraduate social work students. Supervision is an component in practice education, as it is the process whereby students are guided and prepared for beginner practice in social work. The practice educator is responsible to plan and organise the students' work, provide leadership in the group supervision sessions and evaluate the work performance of students as set out in the practice education programme. The practice educators grant students the opportunity to learn to integrate theory and practice in social work. The learning needs of the students are assessed and compiled within an educational assessment. These learning needs become the points for discussion for the content of the educational programme. The educational programme is presented in the supervision sessions. Literature strongly supports the utilisation of group supervision in addition to individual supervision. It is necessary that the practice educator determine the individual learning needs of the group of students. The mutual learning needs of the students are addressed within the group supervision sessions, once the learning needs of the group are determined. Group supervision is not utilised in isolation as the practice educator may have to consolidate the knowledge, skills and attitudes of students gained in the individual supervision sessions. The empirical study involved the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in order to explore the theoretical part of the research. The sample consisted of sixteen practice educators (N=16) who are presently supervising undergraduate students at the Department of Social Work at the University of Stellenbosch. This section can be divided into four sections: the nature of the training of practice educators, the knowledge, skills and attitudes of practice educators with regard to the supervision functions of group supervision, the process in group supervision and the general experiences of practice educators when utilising group supervision in practice education. The findings and responsesof the practice educators were analysed and compared with the findings from previous research undertaken by various authors. The study found that although practice educators have a minimum of training in group supervision, they have positive experiences of group supervision. The important aspects of group supervision: the planning phase, the beginning phase and the ending phase in the processof group supervision are dutifully practiced by practice educators. The utilisation of group supervision links effectively with the education system of outcomes based learning and teaching which has been adopted by the Department of Education in Higher Education. The findings of this study can be utilised to apply group supervision to a greater extent in the practice education with undergraduate social work students. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsingstudie ondersoek die gebruik van groepsupervisie in die praktykonderrig van voorgraadse studente in Maatskaplike Werk. Supervisie is 'n komponent van praktykonderrig waarlangs die studente deur die praktykopleier gelei word tot beginnerspraktyk. Die praktykopleier is verantwoordelik vir die beplanning en organisering van studente se werk; moet die leierskap voorsien in die groepsupervisie sessies en moet ook die studente se werkverrigting evalueer soos saamgestel in die onderrigprogram. Die praktykopleier stel studente instaat om teorie en praktyk in Maatskaplike Werk te integreer. Die leerbehoeftes van die studente word gesamentlik bepaal deur die studente en die praktykopleier en word binne die onderrigevaluering uiteengesit. Die leerbehoeftes van die studente is die punte vir bespreking van die onderrigprogram. Die onderrigprogram word aangebied in die supervisiesessies. Literatuur ondersteun die gebruik van groepsupervisie gesamentlik met individuele supervisie. Die praktykopleier bepaal die individuele leerbehoeftes van die studente in individuele supervisie. Die ooreenstemmende leerbehoeftes van die studente word in die groepsupervisie sessies aangespreek, nadat die leerbehoeftes van die groep vasgestel is. Groepsupervisie word nie in isolasie aangebied nie, aangesien die praktykopleier die leemtes ten opsigte van kennis, vaardighede en houdings in die individuele supervisie sessies assesseer. Die leerbehoeftes word in die groepsupervisie sessies aangespreek. Die teoretiese doel van die navorsingsverslag word uitgebrei in die empiriese ondersoek deur middel van die voltooiing van 'n vraelys. Die steekproef het bestaan uit praktykopleiers (N=16) wat tydens 2001 voorgraadse studente van die Departement Maatskaplike Werk van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch geakkommodeer het vir praktykonderrig. Die empiriese studie word in vier afdelings bespreek: die aard van opleiding in groepsupervisie van praktykopleiers: die kennis, vaardighede en houding van praktykopleiers met betrekking tot die supervisiefunksies van groepsupervisie; die uitvoering van die proses in groepsupervisie en die algemene ervaringe van praktykopleiers wanneer hulle groepsupervisie in praktykonderrig toepas. Die bevindinge en response van die praktykopleiers is geanaliseer en vergelyk met die bevindinge van vorige studies wat deur verskeie outeurs onderneem is. Die studie het bevind dat praktykopleiers groepsupervisie positief ervaar, ten spyte van 'n minimum opleiding in groepsupervisie. Die belangrike aspekte van die beplannings-, begin- en die eindfases in groepsupervisie, word baie deeglik deur die praktykopleiers aangewend in groepsupervisie. Die benutting van groepsupervisie in die praktykonderrig van voorgraadse studente ondersteun die onderrigsisteem van Uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig en leer wat deur die Departement van Onderwys in Hoër Onderwys aanvaar is. Die bevindinge van die studie kan gebruik word om groepsupervisie meer effektief in die praktykonderrig van voorgraadse studente in Maatskaplike Werk te benut.