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"Teaching"

Aim: To map current selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses and to explore the advantages and limitations of current selection and recruitment processes. Background: The need to improve current selection and recruitment practices for newly qualified nurses is highlighted in health policy internationally. Design: A cross-sectional, sequential-explanatory mixed-method design with 4 components: (1) Literature review of selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses; and (2) Literature review of a public sector professions' selection and recruitment processes; (3) Survey mapping existing selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses; and (4) Qualitative study about recruiters' selection and recruitment processes. Methods: Literature searches on the selection and recruitment of newly qualified candidates in teaching and nursing (2005-2013) were conducted. Cross-sectional, mixed-method data were collected from thirty-one (n = 31) individuals in health providers in London who had responsibility for the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses using a survey instrument. Of these providers who took part, six (n = 6) purposively selected to be interviewed qualitatively. Results: Issues of supply and demand in the workforce, rather than selection and recruitment tools, predominated in the literature reviews. Examples of tools to measure values, attitudes and skills were found in the nursing literature. The mapping exercise found that providers used many selection and recruitment tools, some providers combined tools to streamline process and assure quality of candidates. Conclusions: Most providers had processes which addressed the issue of quality in the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses. The 'assessment centre model', which providers were adopting, allowed for multiple levels of assessment and streamlined recruitment. There is a need to validate the efficacy of the selection tools. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adult and continuing education has been part of the education discourse in Ireland for many years, however the Irish Government White Paper "Learning for Life" (Department of Education and Science 2000) was the first significant policy paper setting out national structures, funding streams and regulations for adult education in Ireland. The paper recommended initiatives designed to professionalise the workforce including initial and continuing professional development, nationally recognised posts and structured career paths for adult educators. While there has been significant development in adult and continuing education between 2000 and 2014, including increased funding, a widening of access for adults into further and higher education and a recognition of the unique and diverse needs of the adult learner, the development of adult education as a profession has been slow to materialise. The nature of adult education in Ireland continues to be defined by part time and casual work with little security of tenure, limited opportunities for professional development and a lack of structured career paths for adult educators. Recent policy developments, a new national strategy for further education and training, new regulations introduced by the Department of Education and Skills and the teaching Council of Ireland coupled with significant structural change in the sector have reignited the debate on professionalisation. The current discussion about professionalisation involves regulatory requirements for qualifications, increased centralised control, national standards and performance indicators for stakeholders. The paper reviews the historical development of adult education in Ireland, explores the policy context for the professionalisation of adult educators, the structural changes happening within the sector and reviews the literature underpinning professionalisation to interrogate the actors in the professionalisation system. This paper forms part of a doctoral study which is exploring the question of how professionalisation is informing the development of adult education and adult educators in Ireland. © 2014 Peter Lang GmbH.

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In Switzerland, 99% of teenagers own a mobile phone and use it as their primary spare-time activity. Exploiting the affordances that mobile devices have for fostering learning across contexts is therefore imperative for the educational community. This is especially true in the case of dual vocational education and training (VET) – a field under-investigated with respect to mobile learning – where apprentices alternate between a company and vocational school. After introducing the major issues characterising mobile learning and their relevance to the VET context, the paper presents a project involving apprentice chefs and their teacher, with the aim of exemplifying and exploring VET learning between workplace and classroom, as a conversation between the learner, the teacher and the in-company trainer, and to evaluate the results of its implementation in terms of usability, effectiveness, and satisfaction. © 2016 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.

The process of developing effective science educators has been a long-standing objective of the broader education community. Numerous studies have recommended not only depth in a teacher's subject area but also a breadth of professional development grounded in constructivist principles, allowing for successful student-centered and inquiry-based instruction. Few programs, however, have addressed the integration of the scientific research laboratory into the science classroom as a viable approach to professional development. Additionally, while occasional laboratory training programs have emerged in recent years, many lack a component for translating acquired skills into reformed classroom instruction. Given the rapid development and demand for knowledgeable employees and an informed population from the biotech and medical industries in recent years, it would appear to be particularly advantageous for the physiology and broader science education communities to consider this issue. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a laboratory-based professional development program focused on the integration of reformed teaching principles into the classrooms of secondary teachers. This was measured through the program's ability to instill in its participants elevated academic success while gaining fulfillment in the classroom. The findings demonstrated a significant improvement in the use of student-centered instruction and other reformed methods by program participants as well as improved self-efficacy, confidence, and job satisfaction. Also revealed was a reluctance to refashion established classroom protocols. The combination of these outcomes allowed for construction of an experiential framework for professional development in applied science education that supports an atmosphere of reformed teaching in the classroom.

Student populations are diverse such that different types of learners struggle with traditional didactic instruction. Problem-based learning has existed for several decades, but there is still controversy regarding the optimal mode of instruction to ensure success at all levels of students' past achievement. The present study addressed this problem by dividing students into the following three instructional groups for an upper-level course in animal physiology: Traditional lecture-style instruction (LI), guided problem-based instruction (GPBI), and open problem-based instruction (OPBI). Student performance was measured by three summative assessments consisting of 50% multiple-choice questions and 50% short-answer questions as well as a final overall course assessment. The present study also examined how students of different academic achievement histories performed under each instructional method. When student achievement levels were not considered, the effects of instructional methods on student outcomes were modest; OPBI students performed moderately better on short-answer exam questions than both LI and GPBI groups. High-achieving students showed no difference in performance for any of the instructional methods on any metric examined. In students with low-achieving academic histories, OPBI students largely outperformed LI students on all metrics (short-answer exam: P < 0.05, d = 1.865; multiple-choice question exam: P < 0.05, d = 1.166; and final score: P < 0.05, d = 1.265). They also outperformed GPBI students on short-answer exam questions (P < 0.05, d = 1.109) but not multiple-choice exam questions (P = 0.071, d = 0.716) or final course outcome (P = 0.328, d = 0.513). These findings strongly suggest that typically low-achieving students perform at a higher level under OPBI as long as the proper support systems (formative assessment and scaffolding) are provided to encourage student success.

InnoEscuela is more than a learning experience, a programmed methodology to implement courses related to Technology and Computing which follows an innovative way of teaching. The methodology focuses on Project-based learning and team work. Students organize themselves in teams which are called innovative enterprises and they have to decide to create a solution to a social disadvantage, technical problem, or any other kind of need they perceive. That's why the core of the courses is focused to practice the whole Technological Innovation process. © 2015 IEEE.

According to Federal Council of Engineering, in Brazil the Engineers deficit is estimated at about 20,000 per year on several areas of engineering. Among other factors, one of the causes of this deficit is the high failure rate in the disciplines within the technical area which causes students to take up to twice the time required to complete the course. This phenomenon is also reflected in the Vocational courses of the Engineering area mainly because the students are teenagers that quickly discourage before traditional classes. Therefore there is a failure to achieve the goal of education and considering the specificities of each student deficiencies. One of the issues that has been extensively studied in recent years is how we can improve the teaching of technical subjects in vocational courses and engineering that, in Brazil, have a failure rate that reaches 40% in some cases. In countries with more developed education, such as Finland, Sweden, Korea and others, they are already using more modern methods aimed at excellence in learning, such as 'Project Based Learning, 'Collaborative Learning', 'Learning by Doing', 'No Child Left Behind', among others. These methods change the educational philosophy and teaching bases, putting the student as a central element of learning and working their specificities and self-development in a participatory and motivating environment. Thus, this paper presents the use of these modern methodologies applied to technical vocational education in the Federal Institute of Amazonas, in Mechanical Areas, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, in subjects in which failure rate reached 40% when using the traditional teaching used by the Campus. The results of using these methodologies in four groups involving about 120 students demonstrated substantial improvement in the learning of technical subjects, with consequent reduction in the failure rate and increase the motivation and self-esteem of students to give continuity to the studies in this area and join Engineering courses. © 2015 IEEE.

Instructional quality can make or break the learning experience, especially in digital environments where the expressional nuances of interpersonal communication are lost. The most effective distance education instructors and experts are those who recognize the educational needs of students and are able to address those needs through creative use of the technological tools available to them. Identification, Evaluation, and Perceptions of Distance Education Experts explores the current and future trends, needs, and priorities that affect the development of distance education in a postmodern world. This premier reference work will be of significance to those interested in online learning, teaching and training, communication, and education across multiple sectors such as universities, colleges, schools, profit/non-profit e-organizations, and e-commerce. © 2015 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to report on the development and implementation of two student-centred teaching approaches, not usually thought to be appropriate for large group situations. These projects involved adapting teaching methods to facilitate a move away from the conventional lecturer-centred approach (the "chalk-and-talk" of earlier generations) and torespondto anenvironment challenged by the perpetually changing requirements of professional bodies, increasingly large classes and high student-staff ratios. Design/methodology/approach - Two student-centred projects were implemented at a South African residential university in the discipline of auditing, and the topic of general controls in the information technology (IT) environment was addressed. This study reports on two cycles of the development and implementation of the projects following an action research methodology. Findings - It was found that "non-standard" teaching practices can be implemented successfully and that active student involvement, even in a large class environment, is achievable and is therefore recommended, not least because this could positively impact on students' overall skills development. The action research methodology was successfully used to incorporate changes, enforced by the challenges accounting academics are faced with. Research limitations/implications - Limitations associated with this study are that it was conducted at only one South African university, and that it was in a specific and technical topic within the single field of auditing. The study also did not measure whether deep or surface learning had taken place. As various factors contribute to learning, it was also not possible to report on whether positive changes to students' normal learning processes have been achieved as a result of the initiatives. Originality/value - The contribution this study makes is twofold. First, it adds to the field of accounting education research by indicating that student-centred projects can successfully address the abovementioned challenges faced by accounting academics. Second, it demonstrates that action research, as a methodology for examining and developing accounting education, can be used effectively by academics to improve their teaching practices. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2049-372X.