FEATURES OF ELITE AND LEADER TRAINING IN THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER ENGINEERING EDUCATION

the meaning and tasks of the professional activity of a modern engineer are revealed. The content and nature of its preparation in the system of higher education are substantiated. The need for a clear focus of this training on identifying potential leaders among students and the subsequent purposeful development of their leadership potential is shown. It is proposed to focus the rest of other students on their training as representatives of the national humanitarian and technical elite. The characteristic features of the training of the elite and leaders in the conditions of institutions of higher engineering education are analyzed. The experience of such training, accumulated at the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, is given. The importance of forming students’ innovative thinking and development of their creative abilities as a condition for the implementation of the paradigm of education 4.0 and staffing industry 4.0 is emphasized.

San Jose City College Peer Leaders Share Peer-to-Peer Observation and Feedback Processes

San Jose City College offers a comprehensive Certificate of Specialization in Peer Leader Training for students who are gainfully employed in Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and/or Supplemental Instruction (SI) programs. Led by veteran Peer Leaders (PLs), faculty and support staff, newly hired PLs begin their intensive training at two biannual orientations scheduled during summer and winter intersessions. PLTL & SI PLs are also expected to concurrently enroll in one of three 0.5 unit training courses over three semesters and attend monthly one-hour meetings with faculty coordinators and staff, while facilitating weekly PLTL and/or SI workshops. Additionally, PLTL PLs enroll in a 0.5-unit directed studies course and meet weekly with their Lead Faculty PLTL Practitioner to ensure course material and workshop activities are aligned. Among their employment responsibilities, PLs are expected to also engage in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) observations, both as observees and observers. Their active participation in P2P duty plays an important role in maintaining the quality of student participants’ experiences in workshops while simultaneously furthering their professional development and is the focus of this paper.

LANDInG (Leadership Academy and Network for Diversity & Inclusion in Geosciences): AGU’s New Program to Build, Develop, and Sustain DEI Leaders

<p>An equitable and inclusive geosciences discipline requires a systemic cultural shift. Despite four decades of consideration and federal investment, persons identifying as both white and men overwhelmingly outnumber people from marginalized groups in geosciences courses of study and professions. Cultural shifts can be facilitated by leadership, and research indicates that diversity and inclusion initiatives are more often effective when championed from the top. AGU, in strong partnership with other organizations and institutions, created the LANDInG program based on the rationale that both increasing capacity for DEI leadership within the geosciences and fostering recognition for the value for DEI champions are needed to significantly improve DEI outcomes across geosciences. LANDInG comprises: (1) a sustainable DEI Community of Practice Network, to engage and support a broad representation of DEI champions within the geosciences; and (2) a DEI Leader Academy, to build the DEI leadership capacity of select cohorts of DEI champions in the geosciences through intensive, cohort-based professional development tailored for them. The LANDInG DEI Leader Academy will include opportunities for direct experience leading DEI initiatives in the geosciences. Also part of the LANDInG program will be increasing the visibility and recognition of DEI champions and leaders in order to elevate their value within the discipline. Our model for change draws from research and theory spanning social and organizational sciences, including the literatures on professional networks/mentoring, and implementing effective diversity and leader training. Our methods for enacting change are evidence-based and framed by national models for cohort-based professional development within higher education/STEM. A steering committee and an advisory board of leading DEI scholars, social scientists, and representatives of other geoscience societies will broaden the expertise and diversity perspectives over the project’s life.</p>

“Mommy and Me”: raising implicit followership theories

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents to implicit followership theories (IFTs) and make recommendations for developing positive IFTs. Female transformational parenting is highlighted, showing that although followership is typically associated with one’s role in an organization, its development is not relegated to that context. Accordingly, this paper encourages transformational-parenting training and features activities for current leader-training programs to enlighten trainees about their IFTs. Design/methodology/approach Through one online and one paper survey, participants self-defined “follower,” rated their female primary caregivers’ transformational leadership during adolescence, reported their IFTs and provided demographic information. Findings Qualitative and quantitative data analyses found that the degree to which female primary caregivers demonstrated transformational leadership related to children’s positive IFTs and positive definitions about followers in young adulthood. Research limitations/implications Future research should test female caregivers’ influence on IFTs at more advanced stages of one’s career, examine their influence over participants’ followership behavior and incorporate external ratings of leadership and followership. Practical implications Recommendations for embedding IFTs into transformational-leadership-training programs are provided, falling into the categories of feedback, reflection/introspection and mentoring/coaching. In the spirit of contemporary approaches to leadership, recommendations require trainees to recognize their biases/knowledge of followers and followership and use that knowledge to facilitate collaboration between leaders and followers. Originality/value Findings spotlight female leadership, an often-overlooked source of power in organizations, and go beyond leader/follower dichotomies by insisting on IFTs awareness and development for both parties.

Effectiveness of upgraded maternity waiting homes and local leader training on improving institutional births: a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Jimma, Ethiopia

Background Maternity waiting homes (MWHs), residential spaces for pregnant women close to obstetric care facilities, are being used to tackle physical barriers to access. However, their effectiveness has not been rigorously assessed. The objective of this cluster randomized trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of functional MWHs combined with community mobilization by trained local leaders in improving institutional births in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Methods A pragmatic, parallel arm cluster-randomized trial was conducted in three districts. Twenty-four primary health care units (PHCUs) were randomly assigned to either (i) upgraded MWHs combined with local leader training on safe motherhood strategies, (ii) local leader training only, or (iii) usual care. Data were collected using repeat cross-sectional surveys at baseline and 21 months after intervention to assess the effect of intervention on the primary outcome, defined as institutional births, at the individual level. Women who had a pregnancy outcome (livebirth, stillbirth or abortion) 12 months prior to being surveyed were eligible for interview. Random effects logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of the interventions. Results Data from 24 PHCUs and 7593 women were analysed using intention-to-treat. The proportion of institutional births was comparable at baseline between the three arms. At endline, institutional births were slightly higher in the MWH + training (54% [n = 671/1239]) and training only arms (65% [n = 821/1263]) compared to usual care (51% [n = 646/1271]). MWH use at baseline was 6.7% (n = 256/3784) and 5.8% at endline (n = 219/3809). Both intervention groups exhibited a non-statistically significant higher odds of institutional births compared to usual care (MWH+ & leader training odds ratio [OR] = 1.09, 97.5% confidence interval [CI] 0.67 to 1.75; leader training OR = 1.37, 97.5% CI 0.85 to 2.22). Conclusions Both the combined MWH+ & leader training and the leader training alone intervention led to a small but non-significant increase in institutional births when compared to usual care. Implementation challenges and short intervention duration may have hindered intervention effectiveness. Nevertheless, the observed increases suggest the interventions have potential to improve women’s use of maternal healthcare services. Optimal distances at which MWHs are most beneficial to women need to be investigated. Trial registration The trial was retrospectively registered on the Clinical Trials website (https://clinicaltrials.gov) on 3rd October 2017. The trial identifier is NCT03299491.

Promoting an emotional connection to nature and other animals via forest school: disrupting the spaces of neoliberal performativity

PurposeThe concept of children's alienation from, and reconnection to, nature has gained international interest. The purpose of this paper is to explore how forest school as a growing phenomenon in the UK is promoting this reconnection to nature as well as benefiting children's well-being. At the same time, forest school is providing children and young people with a more divergent learning experience, away from the structural pressures of the neoliberal classroom. With its emphasis on play-based learning in wooded areas, and the freedom to make connections and spatially engage with what is around them at their own pace, such engagement in these “alternative” learning spaces can support the development of a post-human discourse and sensibilities. This is fundamental in developing children's emotional connection in promoting pro-environmental behaviours and their attitudes towards valuing and protecting the non-human.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on field notes documented during forest school leader training undertook by the author from April 2017 to May 2018. Further data were collected in the form of participant observations of forest school sessions in three schools; semi-structured interviews with the head teachers of these schools and two forest school practitioners. Supplementary data will also draw on the experiences of a group of second-year education studies university students after completing a module on forest school and outdoor learning, led by the author.FindingsThis article finds that the more children engage with wooded areas and interact with the natural environment and other creatures within that space, the more it affords meaning to them. This in turn promotes a sense of belonging and environmental stewardship, particularly in relation to non-human creatures. This article also finds that where schools provide forest school opportunities on their sites, such provision is conducive to supporting more creative practices within the “spatialities” of the neoliberal classroom.Originality/valueNeoliberal education policy with its focus on high stakes testing and performance outcomes increasingly shapes the spatial practices of school life. Consequently, time spent outdoors and its relationship with intrinsic learning has declined in many schools. With many schools placing less importance on outdoor learning, children and young people have become further alienated from engaging in different ways with their environments. Further, data highlighting the link between forest school and children's interest in plants and other animals have not been the subject of much research.