scholarly journals Nanocourses: A Short Course Format as an Educational Tool in a Biological Sciences Graduate Curriculum

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Bentley ◽  
Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas ◽  
Jennifer S. Stanford

Traditional courses for graduate students in the biological sciences typically span a semester, are organized around the fundamental concepts of a single discipline, and are aimed at the needs of incoming students. Such courses demand significant time commitment from both faculty and course participants; thus, they are avoided by a subset of the academic science community. Course length and the high barrier to course development are inhibitory to the creation of new courses, especially in emerging areas of biology that may not merit a full-semester approach. Here, we describe the implementation of a new, graduate-level course format, created to allow for rapid development of courses, provide meaningful educational experiences for both junior and senior graduate students and other members of our community, and increase the breadth of faculty involvement in teaching. These courses are greatly abbreviated, and thus termed “nanocourses.” Based on experience from the first three semesters, nanocourses seem to accomplish the initial goals that we set. Importantly, nanocourses engaged students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and others, thus providing a new mechanism to educate our community in response to rapid advances in biology. In our view, nanocourses are a useful tool that can supplement graduate-level curricula in varied ways.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig J. Vickio ◽  
Martha W. Tack

Although colleges and universities are increasingly expanding their graduate programs, many institutions continue to focus too little attention on orienting new graduate students after they arrive on campus. Orientation programming at the graduate level, however, can serve many functions such as reducing anxieties, familiarizing students with new academic challenges, and orienting graduate students' spouses. While serving these functions, orientation programming also can heighten student retention, satisfaction, and success. 1% authors offer several guidelines for developing programs responsive to the diverse needs of graduate students.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (13) ◽  
pp. 104-112
Author(s):  
Karen A. Ball ◽  
Luis F. Riquelme

A graduate-level course in dysphagia is an integral part of the graduate curriculum in speech-language pathology. There are many challenges to meeting the needs of current graduate student clinicians, thus requiring the instructor to explore alternatives. These challenges, suggested paradigm shifts, and potential available solutions are explored. Current trends, lack of evidence for current methods, and the variety of approaches to teaching the dysphagia course are presented.


Science ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 158 (3801) ◽  
pp. 583-583
Author(s):  
P. H. Abelson

2000 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie ◽  
Qun G. Jiao

Approximately 95 percent of college students procrastinate on academic tasks such as writing term papers, studying for examinations, and keeping up with weekly reading assignments. At the graduate level, an estimated 60 percent of students procrastinate on academic tasks. Academic procrastination stems primarily from fear of failure and task aversiveness. It has been theorized, though not tested empirically, that highly anxious graduate students typically procrastinate while engaged in library-related tasks. This study investigated the relationship between academic procrastination and library anxiety at the graduate level. Participants included 135 graduate students enrolled in three sections of a required introductory-level educational research course. Findings revealed that, overall, academic procrastination was significantly positively related to the following dimensions of library anxiety: affective barriers, comfort with the library, and mechanical barriers. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that academic procrastination resulting from both fear of failure and task aversiveness was related significantly to barriers with staff, affective barriers, comfort with the library, and knowledge of the library. Implications for library anxiety reduction as a procrastination intervention are discussed.


1982 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-342
Author(s):  
Warren Rose ◽  
George C. Fowler

This article features an imaginative use of graduate students in developing a computer-based information system to assist an administrative unit of a university. The project involves the development of a dual, automated, fiscal reporting system to handle the budgetary problems associated with funded research contracts by the College of Medicine. The roles and contributions of graduate students, faculty members, and users are assessed as they relate to improving the learning and serving functions of a university. The case example also identifies the problems to be overcome as well as the benefits to be gained from incorporating this technique in computer science instruction and programs at the graduate level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e1006039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E. Saunders ◽  
Cynthia Y. He ◽  
Patrice Koehl ◽  
L. L. Sharon Ong ◽  
Peter T. C. So

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512505140p1-7512505140p1
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Henton ◽  
Acacia Gambrel ◽  
Jerome Klah ◽  
Catherine Rink ◽  
Caroline Targonski ◽  
...  

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The exploratory mixed-methods study of 490 OT graduate students revealed that high levels of reported stress along with limited coping strategies impacted students’ perceived occupational engagement and quality of life. Students identified mindfulness as an effective coping mechanism; however, its reported use did not appear to alter quality of life. The study supported a link between mindfulness and occupational engagement and has broad implications for the field of OT. Primary Author and Speaker: Patricia A. Henton Additional Authors and Speakers: Acacia Gambrel, Jerome Klah, Catherine Rink, Caroline Targonski, and Sarah Wirtz


Author(s):  
Sanja Tatalović Vorkapić ◽  
Lidija Vujičić ◽  
Željko Boneta

The evaluation of the new graduate study program Early and Preschool Care and Education (EPCE) was conducted recently in Croatia. Preschool teachers and graduate students were asked about their motivation for enrolling, the level of competencies developed during their study, and the predictive power of three significantly connected motives in relation to those competencies. Statistical analysis revealed highly positive perception of relevant competences gained. This finding confirmed the hypothesis that continuing professional development through formal higher education contributes significantly to improved preschool teachers' performance while coping with changing and growing job demands. Moreover, subjects demonstrated highly intrinsic motivation for enrolling. Extrinsic motives were indicative of a more negative, while intrinsic motivation led to more positive, perception of learning outcomes and gained competencies. Overall, the evaluation was highly positive and the findings confirmed the importance of satisfying the professional needs of preschool teachers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 661-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Miner

Purpose The term STEM often remains an undifferentiated category, especially at the graduate level. Conceptualizing STEM as a monolithic category, rather than as a combination of distinct fields, prevents researchers from understanding and documenting the full range of persistent inequality within scientific disciplines at the graduate level and throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this paper is to address two oversights prior to degree completion within the context of the USA by asking two specific questions: To what extent is gender associated with choice of discipline within STEM graduate education? In the USA, do gender differences in STEM fields depend on citizenship status? Design/methodology/approach Using data from the 2015 International STEM Graduate Student in the US Survey, this study employs multinomial logistic regression analyses and presents predicted probabilities to assess differences of enrollment in STEM fields by gender and citizenship status. Findings Results show that domestic women were less likely to enroll in computer sciences and engineering when compared to domestic men. However, in contrast to domestic students, there were no gender differences among international students’ enrollment in engineering. Research limitations/implications This paper shows the importance and complexity of how gender intersects with citizenship status in enrollment patterns in STEM graduate fields. The survey included the top 10 universities in the USA based on the total enrollment of international students, and it is unclear if there exists differences in these selected students and schools when compared to students at colleges and universities that enroll less international graduate students. Originality/value The author makes the case to disaggregate STEM to better assess how specific fields can be modified to attract graduate students worldwide. This paper accentuates the significance of gender and citizenship status for understanding differences in choice of discipline among graduate students in STEM.


Author(s):  
Katy Jordan

<p>The past two years have seen rapid development of massive open online courses (MOOCs) with the rise of a number of MOOC platforms. The scale of enrolment and participation in the earliest mainstream MOOC courses has garnered a good deal of media attention. However, data about how the enrolment and completion figures have changed since the early courses is not consistently released. This paper seeks to draw together the data that has found its way into the public domain in order to explore factors affecting enrolment and completion. The average MOOC course is found to enroll around 43,000 students, 6.5% of whom complete the course. Enrolment numbers are decreasing over time and are positively correlated with course length. Completion rates are consistent across time, university rank, and total enrolment, but negatively correlated with course length. This study provides a more detailed view of trends in enrolment and completion than was available previously, and a more accurate view of how the MOOC field is developing.</p>


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