An Efficient and Coherent Pipeline for Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Educational Development

As higher education shifts toward a culture of evidence-based teaching practices, future faculty are seeking opportunities to develop their pedagogical knowledge and skills. Many centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) have not proportionally grown in resources to meet the demand for graduate student and postdoctoral scholar programming (e.g., teaching certificates and pedagogy seminars). This article presents a model of a wide-ranging, coherent pipeline of educational development for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars managed by a CTL with modest staffing.

Evidence-Based Policies in Education: Initiatives and Challenges in Europe

Purpose: This article examines the state of progress of evidence-based educational policies in Europe and identifies organizations for the generation and dissemination of evidence. Further, it discusses some of the most relevant challenges facing the development of evidence-informed education policies in Europe. Design/Approach/Methods: This article analyzes official documents by the European Commission (EC) and other organizations. Literature in the field of evidence-based education worldwide is examined to identify the primary challenges and issues related to the development of a culture of evidence in Europe’s education sector. Findings: The EC has recently prioritized evidence-informed policy and practice in education, increasingly encouraging member states to utilize evidence in the policy decision-making process. According to official documents, this process began in 2006 and has since enjoyed remarkable progress through several initiatives intended to spread a culture of evidence in education. However, several challenges and issues remain regarding the promotion of evidence-informed policymaking. Originality/Value: Having prioritized evidence-informed policy and practice, the EC strongly encourages the adoption of evidence in the policymaking process. This article provides a point of reference regarding the initiatives already undertaken and the challenges facing evidence-based educational policies and policymaking in Europe.

The Impact of an Assessment Certificate on Faculty Perceptions and Knowledge

Administrators are struggling to understand how to best promote and implement a culture of evidence-based decision making to stakeholders. The research study presented explored best practices on creating meaningful professional development experiences using both direct and indirect evidence of learning -- this article will describe the effectiveness of a certificate program designed to educate faculty about assessment and its impact on faculty learning gains, perceptions, and self-efficacy. The study used a pre-/post-test design to measure participant knowledge using quizzes for each of the four modules of the certificate and participant perceptions using a survey. The modules covered writing student learning and program outcomes, curriculum mapping, developing assessment methods, creating assessment instruments, collecting data, analyzing and reporting results, and using results for improvement. Certificate completers demonstrated increased knowledge of assessment terminology, procedures, and best practices, as well as improved assessment-related self-efficacy. However, their perception regarding assessment did not change. Data gathered through this study can help inform decisions on needed assessment-related faculty professional development activities.

Simulation study on regionalization of esophagectomy using data of 27,576 patients with esophageal malignant tumor.

151 Background: The culture of evidence-based policy making in the field of cancer surgery is still at a developing stage. Although the volume-outcome relationship with esophagectomy has been recently recognized in Japan, there is no regionalization policy. This study was aimed to simulate regionalization of esophagectomy in Japan using data registered in a nationwide clinical database. Methods: The National Clinical Database (NCD) covers more than 95 per cent of all surgical procedures in Japan. The study used data of 27,476 patients with esophageal malignant tumor registered in the NCD as having undergone esophagectomy at 1040 hospitals between 2012 and 2016. The following four scenarios were tested; in scenario 1, 2, 3, and 4, a minimum volume standard was set as 2, 5, 10 and 15 cases per year. The risk-adjusted operative mortality rates after regionalization and travel distances according to patients’ place of residence were estimated for each scenario. Results: Current operative mortality rates according to hospital volume were < 2 cases: 4.8%, 2-4: 3.7%, 5-9: 2.4%, 10-14: 2.1%, and ≥15: 1.6%. In scenario 1 to 4, 598, 791, 896, and 939 hospitals, and 1,982, 4,740, 7,996, and 10,419 patients were affected by regionalization. The risk-adjusted operative mortality rates after regionalization in target patients were estimated to decrease to 2.7, 2.1, 1.8, and 1.7% in each scenario. The median travel distances after regionalization in metropolitan areas were calculated as 4 kilometer (km) in scenario 1 and 7 km in scenario 4. However, those in provincial cities and depopulated areas were 8 and 36 km in scenario 1, and 28 and 65 km in scenario 4. Conclusions: Regionalization of cancer surgery services could be simulated using the comprehensive clinical database covering almost all surgeries in the nation. The simulation showed that operative mortality rate could decrease to less than 2 % by regionalization but a minimum volume standard should be determined considering regional characteristics.

Assessment as Action Research: Bridging Academic Scholarship and Everyday Practice

"This introductory essay demonstrates that action research has a vital role in evidence informed practice in academic libraries. Scholarly projects like the ones described in thisspecial issue can support the development of a culture of evidence-informed decision making. Through the articles in this issue, readers can come to a deeper understanding ofaction research as a productive, appropriate, and rigorous way of knowing and generating knowledge. Action research studies, such as these, are effective means of buildinga profession’s ways of knowing, nurturing a community of practice, and generating legitimate and rigorous scholarship. We invite you to learn, through the thoughtfulcontributions of these authors, the value of this research approach as well as their results."

What Works? The Culture of Evidence in University Teaching

This article analyses the culture of evidence in university teaching and its implications in the professional training of teachers in higher education. The new culture of organisation and assessment introduced into university teaching has brought about the configuration of a management model geared towards results and accountability based on solid evidence. Its implementation means that both administrators and teachers are asking themselves: what works? This study shows that the implementation of a culture of evidence requires the adoption of a pluralist vision of evidence, as well as clear criteria for determining the validity of evidence. In addition, teachers should be trained to mobilise systematic pedagogic knowledge and transform their practice, using available institutional support, the systematic analysis of their own experience, and the promotion of best practice.