USA in Modern Times: society, State and law. Part 2. 1800-1877 years

The textbook examines the processes of development of American civilization in the XIX century, assesses various aspects of the life and activities of the American state. Special attention is paid to the most important periods, such as "Jeffersonian democracy", "the era of good consent", "Jacksonian democracy", "the brewing of inevitable conflict", the Civil War and Reconstruction. The political activities of American presidents, various parties and movements are analyzed. A separate chapter is devoted to the development of law in the XIX century . It is intended for students of historical faculties studying the academic discipline "History of regions (on the example of the USA)", students of historical and law faculties studying the history of the USA in Modern times, the history of international relations, the development of the state and law of this country, the constitutional law of foreign countries, as well as for students of cultural studies, students of foreign language faculties and anyone interested in the history of the USA.

Reconnecting Dance and Physical Education through Dance Science

This article traces the development of dance as an academic discipline from its infancy in physical education programs to its present state, noting the significance of the burgeoning field of dance science and how it is a catalyst for the reconnecting of dance to physical education. The academic discipline of dance originated in the early 20th century in American academe, particularly in women’s physical education programs. By the 1920s, dance emerged as a discrete discipline with Margaret H’Doubler’s founding of the first baccalaureate degree in dance at the University of Wisconsin. By the 1960s, the academic discipline of dance had shifted from its original mission of movement education for everyone to focus more on professional dance training for highly skilled performers. This philosophical shift saw many dance programs move from homes in physical education to the fine arts. During this time, dance also saw an increasing disciplinary emphasis on choreographic and performance projects, a trend still evident today. Dance science began to develop as an academic field in the early 1980s, and shortly after publications and conferences in the area were born. The professional association the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science was founded in 1990. With dance science’s emergence, dance and physical education began to realign, albeit often in departments of kinesiology. Today, with the development of dance science as a burgeoning field, dance and kinesiology are coming full circle, rejoining through their historical roots.

The Predictive Effects of Gender and Academic Discipline on Foreign Language Enjoyment of Chinese High School Students

Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) plays a facilitative role in FL learning and its contributing factors have been the object of scholarly attention in the Positive Psychology approach to second language acquisition (SLA). The present study examined the predictive effects of gender and academic discipline on overall FLE and each of its subcomponents in a specific Chinese EFL context. Statistical analyses based on a sample of 1,718 high school students showed that: (1) female students scored significantly higher in overall FLE, FLE-Private, and FLE-Atmosphere than their male counterparts, but no significant difference was found in their FLE-Teacher; (2) students of Humanities and Social Sciences scored significantly higher in overall FLE, FLE-Teacher and FLE-Atmosphere than students of Natural Science, though no significant difference was identified for FLE-Private. Reasons for the statistical variations and their implications were also discussed.

Institutionalizing service-learning as a social work pedagogy: experiences, challenges and contributions to acquisition of competencies

Social Work Education (SWE) in the Philippines is a competency-based academic discipline that focuses on the development of student practice behaviors. The goal of SWE is to demonstrate the integration and application of the competencies in practice with various client systems. This is where the SWE of Southern Christian College (SCC) saw the need to adopt service-learning (SL) as a pedagogy that would aid, assess, and enhance students’ readiness for professional practice. Since it is a combination of academic instruction and community service to address identified community needs, SL is viewed to be an effective vehicle to ensure that students apply what they learn from their classes to address real-world problems in communities. This paper will present the process of how SL had been introduced as an academic framework in one of the social work courses in SCC in 2010 and will particularly highlight the experiences, challenges, gains and learning insights. Experiences of students and faculty revolved around their engagements, challenges encountered, personal and professional learning, and social and psychological gains. Based on the data gathered, an SL framework was developed to reflect the practice of SL in the SCC-SWE. In conclusion, SL as a pedagogy in social work education has contributed to the acquisition and development of basic competencies in terms of knowledge, values and attitudes and skills. The gains which service-learners identified superseded the challenges which they encountered along the various phases.

Studying Islam and Its Adherents in Australian Universities

Islamic Studies is a relatively new, yet growing phenomenon in Australian universities. With an increased focus on Islam and Muslim in the age of War on Terror and with Australian Muslim population fast increasing, Islamic Studies is an important intellectual tool to better understand, Islam and Muslims and many challenges facing them. This paper is an investigation of the recent trends and developments in Islamic Studies as an academic discipline in Australian universities. This is an important intellectual task because Islamic Studies continues to play a significant role in Australian academia. The data were collected from literature review and are analysed descriptively. The findings of the study show that the intellectual tools developed in Islamic Studies can be deployed to build relationship between fragmented Muslim communities and between Muslims and non-Muslims particularly in multicultural Australia. Islamic Studies draws on a variety of fields making it a crossdiscipline. As such, it offer a rich and analytic investigation of world’s second largest religion and its multiple expressions. Australian universities offer Islamic studies ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate program. The topic studied include Islamic philosophy, jurisprudence, education, history, and Arabic.

Paraxis on Geography Education in Nepal

This paper attempts to analyze the paradoxical view on geography education in Nepal. Praxis interplays the relationships between theory and practice-reflection in action in any academic discipline, like geography education. Geography education demonstrates the strategic linkages of content and pedagogy in teaching and research activities. Even now, geography occupies an important place not only in schools but also in university curricula. However, the easier it is to define geography, the harder it is to define geography education. Butt (2011) includes both parameters of geography (as a discipline) and education (as an activity) in the definition of geography education. This paper fulfills the objectives through systematic reviews of appropriate literature related to geography education. For this purpose, 50 documents were searched from different sources, such as Google, abstracts, keywords, and books. Only 15 papers and books were selected that gave pace to theories, methods, and pedagogical practices in geography education. The findings of this paper show that the definition of geography education is limited only to teaching geography in schools and colleges. In addition, teaching requires content knowledge (subject matters) related to geographic concepts, themes, traditions, tools and techniques, and contemporary issues related to climate change, environmental degradation, disasters, etc., in the curriculum. Pedagogical knowledge is also equally essential to deliver that content effectively to learners. Thus, geography provides the basis for choosing what content to teach at a particular level and, geography education helps to select teaching methods. It shows that the first is focused on the content and the second on pedagogy.

Formation of valeological competence in non-medical students

Competence approach is generally accepted in modern education. Competence is the ability to perform a variety of practical tasks in life and professional activities at a sufficient professional level, which is due to cognitive abilities and skills, social interaction, motivation and will. There are lingual, informational (digital), communicational, cultural, ecological, valeological (health saving) and other competencies should be formed in the student, regardless of the profile of his education. In Ukrainian legislation, valeological competence is referred to the category of "civic and social competences". Valeological competence in educational standards given less importance than, for example, ecological competence. We have not found a clear definition of valeological competence. In our opinion, valeological competence is the ability to lead a healthy lifestyle, practice safe behavior and provide emergency care. For its formation in students of non-medical higher educational institutions we have proposed the initial academic discipline "Health Pedagogy". The study is theoretical, based on the analysis of scientific sources and regulations of Ukraine, including national educational standards. Preliminary data on the introduction of the author's program of the discipline "Pedagogy of Health" in the educational process of the Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy for students of "011 - Educational, Pedagogical Sciences" specialty "Bachelor" and "Master" educational levels are also taken into account. Requirements for valeological competence formation in non-medical students on accordance with the level of education, the proposed components of the curriculum and components of competence (cognitive, activity, motivational-value and personal) are formulated. The author's definition of valeological competence is supplemented with a list of its components subject to qualimetric assessment. The list of competencies, necessary for the valeological competence formation, as well as those competencies that are formed or improved simultaneously with the valeological competence during the study of valeological discipline "Health Pedagogy" by non-medical students.

Comparative and correlation analysis of experimental work on the formation of readiness to conduct intra-university quality monitoring

The problem of the formation of the teacher's readiness to conduct intra-university monitoring of the quality of students' education is considered. On the basis of the developed system for the formation of a teacher's readiness to conduct intra-university monitoring of the quality of student learning, it is currently a mechanism for managing this process. The article presents the materials of the correlation analysis of the results of experimental work on the formation of a teacher's readiness to conduct intra-university monitoring of the quality of student learning, considered as an integrative personality trait, a system-forming information-research, operational-activity, analytical, reflective and managerial components reflecting the level of knowledge and skills to apply methods, technologies and means of conducting intra-university monitoring of the quality of student learning, to assess the quality of mastering an academic discipline. Based on the materials of experimental work, the relationship between the components of readiness and between the dominant indicators in their structure is proved. In the course of a comparative analysis of the results of the ascertaining and formative experiments, a connection was established between the types of teacher's readiness to conduct intra-university monitoring of the quality of student learning, which proves its integrative nature, and their compensatory role was also revealed due to the dominant indicators. In the course of the implementation of the developed system, the teachers' need for solving innovative problems increased (an indicator of the managerial type of readiness). The results obtained indicate the development of all components of readiness in the process of professional development. The analysis carried out allows us to speak about the possibility of forming the types of teacher readiness to conduct intra-university monitoring of the quality of student learning due to the compensatory properties of the types of readiness.

Problems of integration of pedagogical technologies and digital resources in the educational process

Актуальность статьи обусловлена проблемами, связанными с необходимостью разработки эффективных способов интеграции педагогических технологий и открытых образовательных ресурсов (ООР) в образовательном процессе. В статье раскрыты перспективы и преимущества использования ООР и массовых открытых онлайн-курсов (МООК), показана их роль в развитии и непрерывном обновлении компетенций в области использования цифровых технологий в образовании. Цель статьи заключается в оценке потенциала ООР, выявлении основных проблем интеграции педагогических технологий и цифровых ресурсов в образовательном процессе, систематизации барьеров использования открытых образовательных ресурсов, разработке способов преодоления трудностей цифровой трансформации учебного процесса. Анализ проведенного опроса преподавателей позволил определить особенности применения ООР в образовательном процессе вуза; выявить группы барьеров, с которыми сталкиваются преподаватели в использовании ООР. В качестве важного дидактического средства интеграции образовательных и открытых цифровых ресурсов рассматривается технология смешанного обучения. Описаны варианты проектирования моделей смешанного обучения, которые были разработаны и внедрены в программах повышения квалификации преподавателей КНИТУ. Проанализированы результаты реализации моделей смешанного обучения, которые различаются приемами использования ООР для изучения учебной дисциплины, а также степенью реструктуризации образовательного процесса. Полученные результаты исследования позволили предложить рекомендации по проектированию моделей смешанного обучения, по разработке методической поддержки ООР, которые являются инновационными инструментами широкого распространения и использования образовательных материалов. Статья предназначена для преподавателей вузов и организаций, осуществляющих повышение квалификации педагогических работников. The relevance of the article is due to the problems associated with the need to develop effective ways to integrate pedagogical technologies and open educational resources (OER) in the educational process. The article reveals the prospects and advantages of using OER and massive open online courses (MOOCs), shows their role in the development and continuous updating of competencies in the use of digital technologies in education. The purpose of the article is to assess the potential of OER, identify the main problems of integrating pedagogical technologies and digital resources in the educational process, systematize the barriers to using open educational resources, and develop ways to overcome the difficulties of digital transformation of the educational process. The analysis of the survey of educators made it possible to determine the features of the use of OER in the educational process of the university; identify groups of barriers that educators face in using OER. Blended learning technology is considered as an important didactic means of integrating educational and open digital resources. Variants of designing blended learning models are described, which were developed and implemented in advanced training programs for educators of KNRTU. The results of the implementation of blended learning models are analyzed, which differ in the methods of using OER for studying an academic discipline, as well as in the degree of restructuring of the educational process. The results of the study allowed us to propose recommendations for the design of blended learning models, for the development of methodological support for OER, which are innovative tools for the wide distribution and use of educational materials. The article is intended for educators of universities and organizations that provide advanced training for educational workers.

Online Learning in the Era of COVID-19: Computer Anxiety and Mental Health Among College Students

The recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought significant changes to higher education. In response to the pandemic, many colleges, and universities around the world, especially in developed countries, are embracing online or distance education. Transitioning to online learning that involves the use of information technology such as the internet and digital platform for course delivery has increased dramatically (World Economic Forum, 2020). However, these sudden changes have left some to speculate that the shift to online learning will change students’ level of anxiety, stress, which could result in poor academic performance and low achievement of learning objectives. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study is to investigate undergraduate and graduate students’ perceptions of their mental health and computer anxiety in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages and averages were calculated. Also, a one-way ANOVA was used for analyzing the collected data. Results indicate that general mental health was significantly correlated with computer anxiety. The results also indicate that computer anxiety and perceived stress predicted poor general health. Demographic factors, such as sex, and academic discipline were significant predictors of computer anxiety, but age was not a significant predictor of computer anxiety. Also, the results show that chronic physical disabilities are a significant predictor of computer anxiety, and overall mental health, however, the presence of learning disabilities was not a significant predictor of computer anxiety. Implications and considerations for future research are discussed.