scholarly journals IMPACTS OF INSUFFICIENT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN TEACHING BIOLOGY

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-121
Author(s):  
Sutuma Edessa

The research was conducted on the impacts of insufficient instructional materials and higher education systems of teaching biology on the qualification of graduates as outputs. Data collection methods were through variables of in-depth interview questions and face-to-face observations, whereas both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze evidences comparatively. Data sources were graduates of biology of different universities, who joined the post graduate diploma in teaching (PGDT) teachers training program of Addis Ababa University to be biology teachers, and evidences were gathered while the trainees were attaining the course biology teaching methods. Interview questions were distributed to 200 trainees and respondents provided their judgments both in written or oral forms. The face-to-face observations were conducted on 20 of the trainees while conducting the tasks of biology teaching methods using observation checklists. As a result, the impacts of the insufficient instructional materials and higher education systems were accounted for 56.83% and impacts on competence of the graduates of biology in performing expected biological tasks were accounted for 71% that made learners at an average 63.915% unsuccessful. The research was concluded with great divorce of theory and practice due to the impacts of insufficient inputs of instructional materials and poor education systems, in which graduates ended with incompetence and joblessness. Keywords: biology teaching, instructional materials, higher education.

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 02-08 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sutuma Edessa

The purpose of this study was to assess and determine impacts of insufficient instructional materials and ineffective lesson delivery methods on teaching in biology higher education. The participants of this study were 60 trainees who graduated in Bachelor of Sciences from eight public universities in majoring biology. Data for the study was collected while these trainees were attending the course of Biology Teaching Methods in the Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching, both in the regular and summer 2015/2016 training programs at Addis Ababa University. The study employs a mixed method design of both qualitative and quantitative data evaluations.  Data was collected through classroom observations and interviews with the trainees. The findings indicated that insufficient instructional materials and ineffective teaching methods in higher education had negative impacts; that have affected the skills of performing biological tasks of graduates 71%. In the course of the Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching training, trainees were unsuccessful to conduct essential biological tasks expected from graduates of biology upon the completion of their undergraduate study program. The study was concluded with emphasis on the need to integrate theory and practice through using adequate instructional materials and proper teaching methods in the higher education biology teaching. Keywords: systems, instruction, materials, insufficient and soft data.


Author(s):  
Jane Kotzmann

This chapter explores the real-life operation of six higher education systems that align with the theoretical models identified in Chapter 2. Three states follow a largely market-based approach: Chile, England, and the United States. Three states follow a largely human rights-based approach: Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. The chapter describes each system in terms of how it aligns with the particular model before evaluating the system in relation to the signs and measures of successful higher education systems identified in Chapter 3. This chapter provides conclusions as to the relative likelihood of each approach facilitating the achievement of higher education teaching and learning purposes.


2016 ◽  
pp. 27-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Brajkovic

Due to the lack of systematic data collection on national and institutional levels, the higher education systems in the Western Balkans have remained under-researched. This article aims to describe and analyze some of the most salient challenges facing academic sectors in these countries, such as structural issues, growth of the private sector, and EU funding.


2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S7-S33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Bennion ◽  
William Locke

The expansion of higher education systems, new demands on institutions and growing pressures on resources have become common trends across most developed countries. They bring increased expectations of academic staff and appear to lead to greater differentiation in their work roles and activities. At the same time, the backgrounds of some academics are changing and they are developing new specialisms and interdisciplinary collaborations, becoming more mobile domestically and internationally and, for some, the profession is becoming increasingly insecure. The Changing Academic Profession study has produced a rich set of data on the preparation of academics for their roles and the individual circumstances of their working lives, among other aspects of the profession. Respondents to the survey reported on the degrees they have attained, the countries in which they studied for them, the age at which they qualified and the nature of the doctoral training they received. This paper explores the early career paths of academics, makes initial comparisons between different higher education systems and begins to explore how some of these national systems interrelate with each other through academic mobility. Respondents also reported on the disciplines they studied and now teach, the number of institutions worked in and their contractual conditions and income. These data give an indication of the various degrees of flexibility and mobility required of – or chosen by – academics in the early and later stages of their careers and the stability, or perhaps rigidity, of different higher education systems and national career patterns. The data also supplement other evidence of the employment conditions and remuneration of scholars in an increasingly globalised academic labour market.1,2 The conditions of academic work are explored through analysis of the views of survey respondents on the facilities, resources and personnel needed to support it and the degree of research collaboration undertaken. Academics from the 17 countries in the study seem more content with the physical and technical resources provided by their institutions than the personnel and funds available to support teaching and research. Finally, it is suggested that the propensity for collaborative or individual research may be partially related to national differences in academics’ mobility during their training for the profession.


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