scholarly journals Development of the School Science Club at Cardiff University

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Blaxland ◽  
Rhys Thomas ◽  
Les Baillie
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
School Science ◽  
The University ◽  
Science Club

Challenges faced by schools include how to make science interesting, relevant and engaging for their pupils. This can perhaps be made more difficult by staff members not having direct experience in many areas of the science they are tasked to teach, and therefore lacking the confidence to teach in these areas (Murphy et al., 2007). Within the higher education sector, there is demand for researchers to actively engage with the local community (Linder and Spear, 2003; Wynne, 2006). Working with eight schools, we co-developed a programme that both highlights academic research and complements the Key Stage 2 national curriculum with the aims of improving science aspirations, knowledge and confidence in Key Stage 2 (Year 6) children, supporting teachers in the delivery of areas of the curriculum identified as challenging, and increasing science communication and engagement within the university. We delivered two separate sessions with all eight primary schools, interacting with approximately three hundred and fifty pupils. Overall, the project had a positive impact on teachers, children and academic staff. Key findings indicated that 92.9 per cent of 348 children surveyed felt that they had learned something new, while 85.7 per cent surveyed felt they were more interested in science, and 14.3 per cent reported no change in their feelings towards science. The School Science Club represents a collaborative engagement project which highlights the requirement of accurate co-development and outcome settings from both the university and school in order to have a positive impact on all those involved. Findings suggested improvements in planning and delivery for future such endeavours.

University as a vehicle to achieve social innovation and development: repositioning the role of the university in the society

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lwando Mdleleni
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of university in promoting, generating and sustaining social innovation (SI). It aimed to understand how higher education institutions have extended their contribution beyond the traditional function of teaching and research to perform in socio-economic problem-solving. It looks at the kinds of contributions which universities potentially make to SI processes, and the effects that this has on the direction and magnitude of SI, and by implication social development. This was done by drawing lessons from a SI project that the University of the Western Cape has been involved in, i.e. Zenzeleni Networks Project. Design/methodology/approach To address the research question with this framework, the author adopted an exploratory research design using a case study. This research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, based on a case study built with secondary data. Findings This paper submits that universities can potentially function as key role players in promoting SI initiatives and fostering social transformations. Universities contribute with different kinds of resources and inputs to foster new SI ideas. Originality/value The paper suggests that socially innovative university projects may contribute to community social sustainability maintaining social cohesion by increasing social capital and providing resources for the empowerment of the marginalised communities. In so doing, they contribute to overcome social exclusion and promote more sustainable forms of development at community level. More research is needed on how universities can build community networks with local community partners, who can use the insights of academic research to replicate interventions and move to scale.

Marketing education at the University of Melbourne

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-106
Author(s):  
Robert B. Ellis ◽  
David S. Waller
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Administrative Positions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the early days of marketing education by observing the first “Marketing” subject in Australia, which was taught at the University of Melbourne, and comparing elements of the early subject to the introductory Marketing subject of today. Design/methodology/approach The information used for this study was obtained from material in the University of Melbourne Archives, including calendar entries, subject descriptions, and university announcements, as well as from interviews and correspondence with various people including those in academic and administrative positions, and former students. Findings The origins of university-level marketing education in Australia can be seen to have been shaped by several influences, including: the external environment of the country at that time; the areas of interest of academic staff; the availability of teaching material – textbooks, academic articles, appropriate case studies, academic research papers, etc.; the academic staff and teaching materials from the USA; and the extent to which the supporting technology of marketing had changed. Practical implications By observing the development in marketing education over the years, from its beginnings in Australia at the University of Melbourne, this paper shows changes in the content which assists in the understanding of what has led to how marketing is taught in Australasian universities and colleges today. Originality/value Marketing education research usually focusses on what is happening at the moment, so the value of this study is that it is one of the few that looks at marketing education from a historical perspective.

scholarly journals Examining the Links Leading to Behavioral Support for Change: An Expectancy Theory Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-08
Author(s):  
Farhan Mehboob ◽  
Noraini Othman
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Behavioral Support ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Implementing Change ◽  
The University ◽  
University Officials

Purpose of the study: An individual’s support for change is a critical factor in successfully and effectively implementing change. Therefore, identifying possible antecedents and mechanisms leading to one’s behavioral support for change is necessary. The study aims to unpack this avenue of research empirically by examining the role of both person and context as factors in promoting behavioral support for change. Methodology: Data was collected from 292 academic staff members of six public sector universities in Pakistan via cross-sectional means. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect responses from the desired sample. SPSS 25 and AMOS were used to analyze the data for its relevance to the objectives of the study.  Main Findings: Results revealed a positive impact of change-efficacy on academic staff members’ behavioral support for change. Moreover, change-valence provides an effective intervening mechanism to translate the effect of change-efficacy on both dimensions of behavioral support for change, that is, compliance and championing behavior. Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to the existing literature on organizational change, particularly in the university setting, by examining and empirically validating the factors of both person and context as significant predictors of behavioral support for change among academic staff. However, more research is needed in other organizational and work contexts to further apply the study’s implications within these diverse contexts. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study offers useful insights for senior university officials intending to build support for change by enhancing academic staff levels of efficacy and positive expectations regarding such change and enables them to successfully execute the change-related tasks into viable actions.

Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
Resultant Increase ◽  
Community Fisheries ◽  
University Of Nebraska Lincoln ◽  
Recreational Benefits ◽  
The University

<em>Abstract.-</em>Numerous community lakes throughout Nebraska were suffering from water quality degradation. Historically, these lakes were focal points within the community park system; however, cultural and natural eutrophication had reduced water clarity and diminished esthetic and recreational benefits. The Community Lakes Enhancement and Restoration (CLEAR) program was created in 2000 to combine the resources and technical expertise of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, and the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in fisheries, water quality and education. With funding totaling $4.97 million from the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local community partners, CLEAR assisted 26 communities improve their park lakes. Pre- and postproject water quality measurements showed improvements in total phosphorus (75% average decline), total nitrogen (39% average decline), turbidity (85% average decline), and chlorophyll a (86% average decline), yielding improvements in water clarity (350% average increase), as measured by Secchi disk. Postproject electrofishing samples and angler surveys demonstrated the positive impact of CLEAR program improvements on the quality of fishing opportunities and a resultant increase in angler use.

scholarly journals Aligning the Stars: Understanding Digital Scholarship Needs to Support the Evolving Nature of Academic Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Hurrell
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Digital Scholarship ◽  
University Of Calgary ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
The University

Digital scholarship centres located within academic libraries are proliferating. This project gathered feedback from library staff and researchers at the University of Calgary to inform the development of a physical space and associated services to support the evolving nature of academic research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the results were analyzed thematically. Common needs identified included access to interdisciplinary collaborators, technologies, and space. The library was beginning to renovate an existing space to support collaboration and, informed by this research, reconfigured and realigned services and expertise to support digital scholarship in a more cohesive manner. This study will be of interest to other academic libraries wishing to develop a digital scholarship centre that is responsive to the needs of their local community.

The German plagiarism crisis

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birte Fähnrich ◽  
Claudia Janssen Danyi ◽  
Howard Nothhaft
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
The University ◽  
Communication In Science

Purpose – Rising public scrutiny has? brought new demands for science communication. Especially, incidents of falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism have recently come to question academic integrity and legitimacy in Germany. Focussing on a prominent plagiarism case that revolved around the former Minister of Science and Education’s dissertation, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the communication strategies of the Düsseldorf University as it navigated the complex challenges of the crisis situation. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a rhetorical analysis of the public discourse of the University Düsseldorf in the context of the plagiarism crisis. Findings – The study finds that the university responded to the crisis by focussing on legitimating the legal and administrative process by which it evaluated Schavan’s dissertation and revoked the degree. In turn, this focus neglected restoring the threatened reputation of graduate education and of scholarship itself. Ultimately, the crisis communication of the university worked to undermine the premises and goals of science communication. Research limitations/implications – Future research should focus on case studies of crisis communication by academic and research organizations as well as on investigating the effects of crisis rhetoric on public trust in and on understanding of academic research. The study suggests that it is worthwhile for crisis and science communication scholars to work to develop distinct frameworks for science communication in crisis and crisis communication in science that account for the unique tensions and duality of needs in this arena. Originality/value – The study contributes to the understanding of the intersections between crisis communication and science communication. Especially, it underlines the importance of developing distinct frameworks for science communication in crisis and crisis communication in science that account for the unique tensions and duality of needs in this arena.

scholarly journals Governance of the research activities in higher educational institutions: factors and outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Musawenkosi Ngibe ◽  
Lawrence Mpele Lekhanya
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

South African higher education institutions, specifically, universities of technology have been faced with an arduous battle of increasing postgraduate students enrolment (masters and doctoral) and improve their completion rate. However, the situation is exacerbated by inadequate number and inexperience of supervisors to supervise these postgraduate students. The Durban University of Technology has formulated research structures to administer and co-ordinate research activities in order to improve the number of staff members with doctoral qualifications in order to aid the current challenges. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the circumstances and factors hindering the academic staff throughput rates and the impact it has on the university. The use of qualitative and quantitative approach was used for this study, with closed and open-ended questionnaires used to collect data from 278 academic staff members using a probability sampling. The respondents 9 (4.9%) indicated that lack of external funding and project management skills proved to be major contributory factors hindering academics staff to complete their postgraduate degrees within the required time. The study recommends that funding should be made easily available to academics pursuing doctoral studies, while project management workshops should be organised regularly to help academics appropriately management their studies. This can have a positive impact which will benefit the university and aid to the current crisis of lack of supervisor for masters and doctoral studies.

scholarly journals Collecting and Analyzing Academic Publication with UTeMAIR

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 2357-2363
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Journal Article ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Publication Data ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Main Components ◽  
The University

Academic publication has been one of the main requirements in academic research and university ranking to seek research funding and scholarship. Mostly, the publication is published as academic journal article, book or thesis in offline and online distribution. There are variety of tools and services available today to understand academic publication data. However, existing tools is still very limited in the terms of specific institute and academics. In this study, we propose a practical tool, UTeMAIR which retrieve publication information for academic staff of specific institute from online publication repositories sites such as Google Scholar and Scopus. Specifically, UTeMAIR consists of three main components namely, crawling engine, statistical analysis and keywords analysis. The objectives of this system to retrieve and store publication record of academic staff, to continuously update the collected information and to analyze publication data for all academic staff. With the availability of an effective retrieval and analysis tool for publication data, the university can monitor scholarly information in a better way and plan towards increasing the publication index among academics and ultimately improve university visibility.

scholarly journals Partnering with postdocs: a library model for supporting postdoctoral researchers and educating the academic research community

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen H. Gau ◽  
Pamela Dillon ◽  
Teraya Donaldson ◽  
Stacey Elizabeth Wahl ◽  
Carrie L. Iwema
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Research Community ◽  
University Of Pittsburgh ◽  
Academic Communities ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Virginia Commonwealth University ◽  
The University ◽  
Postdoctoral Researchers

Background: A mutually beneficial need exists between postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) who want to grow their science communication, networking, and teaching skills and those in the general health sciences research community who want to learn more about specialized topics. Recognizing this need, interdepartmental teams at two public universities began offering postdocs a teaching opportunity at their health sciences libraries, which serve as discipline-neutral learning spaces for researchers.Case Presentation: At the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), postdocs are invited to submit talk proposals on “how to do something” related to the health sciences. Selected postdoc speakers conduct one-hour talks, get science communication and teaching support, have their talks uploaded to YouTube, and receive feedback from attendees.Conclusions: Postdoc participants appreciated being able to participate in this program, and attendees strongly indicated that the talks are of value. At VCU, surveys of the 25 talks from 2015–2018 showed that 91% of attendees believed they had a better understanding of the topic because of their attendance, and 85% planned to use the knowledge they gained. More than a year after their talks, several postdocs across both institutions informed the coordinators that they were subsequently contacted for advice or further discussion, with 2 postdocs stating that it helped them with job opportunities. This model can be easily adapted at other health sciences libraries to benefit their academic communities.

Extending HIV/AIDS-Prevention Efforts in Kenya: Primary Schools as Community-Based Organizations

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Luginaah ◽  
Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale ◽  
Wambui Kairi ◽  
Janet Wildish ◽  
Chris Brouillard-Coyle
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Head Teacher ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Community Ties ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hiv Aids

The question of whether primary schools in Kenya can take on community-based activities beyond their day-to-day functioning, emerged from a larger HIV/AIDS education and prevention program—Primary School Action for Better Health (PSABH). The methodology involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component was based on 163 schools, which were involved in the larger PSABH program. Qualitative analysis was based on consultative meetings with twenty key informants and follow-up focus-group discussions with representatives from eight schools involved in community-based activities. The results suggest that in this context schools have strong community ties, with most of them willing to take up community-based organization (CBO)-related activities beyond their day-to-day functioning. Schools were more likely to take on CBO-related activities, such as support for orphans, if they had a higher proportion of female teachers, a school sponsor that was involved in the selection of the head teacher, more Parent Teacher Association meetings, and if HIV/AIDS was incorporated into community festivals. A school's involvement was reinforced if it performed well in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination, if the school's head teacher was committed, and if most of the teachers were from the local community. Despite several challenges, the findings point to the need to take schools seriously in their duty as CBOs which can have a positive impact in mitigating not only the effects of HIV/AIDS, but also other community-development activities in ravaged sub-Saharan African countries. The proposed expansion of PSABH further puts Kenyan schools in a stronger position to be involved in their communities through CBO-related activities.

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