Search

Funder: CSC Cambridge Scholarship, In this study, we evaluate the suitability of using DC-biased aluminium resonators as low-frequency kinetic inductance detectors capable of operating in the frequency range of 50–120 GHz. Our analysis routine for supercurrent-biased resonators is based on the Usadel equations and gives outputs including density of states, complex conductivities, transmission line properties, and quasiparticle lifetimes. Results from our analysis confirm previous experimental observations on resonant frequency tuneability and retention of high quality factor. Crucially, our analysis suggests that DC-biased resonators demonstrate significantly suppressed superconducting density of states gap. Consequently these resonators have lower frequency detection threshold and are suitable materials for low-frequency kinetic inductance detectors.

This column examines the benfits and drawbacks of printed papers and digital essays in tutoring scenarios. It considers their roles in the learning of students, and it suggests a compromise by finding the value of both mediums of writing.

Demand for training life scientists in bioinformatics methods, tools and resources and computational approaches is urgent and growing. To meet this demand, new trainers must be prepared with effective teaching practices for delivering short hands-on training sessions—a specific type of education that is not typically part of professional preparation of life scientists in many countries. A new Train-the-Trainer (TtT) programme was created by adapting existing models, using input from experienced trainers and experts in bioinformatics, and from educational and cognitive sciences. This programme was piloted across Europe from May 2016 to January 2017. Preparation included drafting the training materials, organizing sessions to pilot them and studying this paradigm for its potential to support the development and delivery of future bioinformatics training by participants. Seven pilot TtT sessions were carried out, and this manuscript describes the results of the pilot year. Lessons learned include (i) support is required for logistics, so that new instructors can focus on their teaching; (ii) institutions must provide incentives to include training opportunities for those who want/need to become new or better instructors; (iii) formal evaluation of the TtT materials is now a priority; (iv) a strategy is needed to recruit, train and certify new instructor trainers (faculty); and (v) future evaluations must assess utility. Additionally, defining a flexible but rigorous and reliable process of TtT ‘certification’ may incentivize participants and will be considered in future.

This paper is a handout for a Workshop on Thesis Writing Improvement. It was conducted to assist student in enhancing their thesis. Every higher education institution has their thesis writing guidance, but there are universal principles on academic writing. Therefore, the workshop was conducted to stimulate student in improving their thesis. The thesis is not only for a part of requirement for graduation, but also at large, it is a contribution for knowledge development. In addition, six components are among the main unsure in every thesis. Moreover, there are some academic criteria to double-check before submitting the thesis through department office on their university. Finally, to improve the quality of thesis, student should carefully check through items on all pages.

Background: Peer review of university classroom teaching can increase the quality of teaching but is not universally practiced in Australian universities. Aim: To report an evaluation of paired peer-review process using both paper and web based teaching evaluation tools. Methods: Twenty university teachers in one metropolitan Australian School of Nursing and Midwifery were randomly paired and then randomly assigned to a paper based or web-based peer review tool. Each teacher reviewed each other's classroom teaching as part of a peer review program. The participants then completed an 18 question survey evaluating the peer review tool and paired evaluation process. Responses were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Results: Regardless of the tool used, participants found this process of peer review positive (75%), collegial (78%), supportive (61%) and non-threatening (71%). Participants reported that the peer review will improve their own classroom delivery (61%), teaching evaluation (61%) and planning (53%). The web-based tool was found to be easier to use and allowed more space than the paper-based tool. Conclusion: Implementation of a web-based paired peer review system can be a positive method of peer review of university classroom teaching. Pairing of teachers to review each other's classroom teaching is a promising strategy and has the potential to improve teaching in teaching universities. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The assumption underlying the symposium is that teacher education institutions have a dual challenge. At the one hand they need to prepare pre-service students for teaching and facilitating learning in the digital age, including the use of technology in teaching and learning. At the other hand teacher education institutions themselves need to change in order to cope with the challenges of the knowledge society. How Dutch teacher education institutions cope with these challenges is presented and discussed in the symposium.

As emerging technologies provide access to the new resources in society, teachers’ roles need to transform to cater to individual students’ learning preferences. As a result, adequate ICT training for student teachers should provide technology rich experiences throughout the whole program. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and several other Dutch educational partners, have delineated an ICT Competency Framework for student teachers, which they would like to see each institution adopt as the pre-eminent agenda for improving student teachers’ ICT knowledge and skills. This National ICT Competency Framework was developed based on broad comparative research on current educational trends and practices in a global context by a workgroup and review group consisting of educational professionals and ICT experts. This paper addresses and discusses the National ICT Competency Framework consisting of four different domains (attitude, basic digital skills, digital media and information literacy, and pedagogical practice), and issues concerning its implementation.

The assumption underlying the symposium is that teacher education institutions have a dual challenge. At the one hand they need to prepare pre-service students for teaching and facilitating learning in the digital age, including the use of technology in teaching and learning. At the other hand teacher education institutions themselves need to change in order to cope with the challenges of the knowledge society. How Dutch teacher education institutions cope with these challenges is presented and discussed in the symposium.

As emerging technologies provide access to the new resources in society, teachers’ roles need to transform to cater to individual students’ learning preferences. As a result, adequate ICT training for student teachers should provide technology rich experiences throughout the whole program. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and several other Dutch educational partners, have delineated an ICT Competency Framework for student teachers, which they would like to see each institution adopt as the pre-eminent agenda for improving student teachers’ ICT knowledge and skills. This National ICT Competency Framework was developed based on broad comparative research on current educational trends and practices in a global context by a workgroup and review group consisting of educational professionals and ICT experts. This paper addresses and discusses the National ICT Competency Framework consisting of four different domains (attitude, basic digital skills, digital media and information literacy, and pedagogical practice), and issues concerning its implementation.

Designing computer systems for educational purpose is a difficult task. While many of them have been developed in the past, their use in classrooms is still scarce. We make the hypothesis that this is because those systems take into account the needs of individuals and groups, but ignore the requirements inherent in their use in a classroom. In this work, we present a computer system based on a paper and tangible interface that can be used at all three levels of interaction: individual, group, and classroom. We describe the current state of the interface design and why it is appropriate for classroom orchestration, both theoretically and through two examples for teaching geometry.

Health professionals need competencies in improvement skills if they are to contribute usefully to improving patient care. Medical education programmes in the USA have not systematically taught improvement skills to residents (registrars in the UK). The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has recently developed and begun to deploy a competency based model for accreditation that may encourage the development of improvement skills by the 100 000 residents in accredited programmes. Six competencies have been identified for all physicians, independent of specialty, and measurement tools for these competencies have been described. This model may be applicable to other healthcare professions. This paper explores patterns that inhibit efforts to change practice and proposes an educational model to provide changes in management skills based on trainees' analysis of their own work.

Background To see if there is a difference in performance when students switch from traditional paper-and-pencil examinations to computer-based examinations, and to determine whether there are gender differences in student performance in these two examination formats. Methods This study involved first year medical students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign over three Academic Years 2002–03/2003–04 and 2003–05. Comparisons of student performance by overall class and gender were made. Specific comparisons within courses that utilized both the paper-and-pencil and computer formats were analyzed. Results Overall performance scores for students among the various Academic Years revealed no differences between exams given in the traditional pen-and-paper and computer formats. Further, when we looked specifically for gender differences in performance between these two testing formats, we found none. Conclusion The format for examinations in the courses analyzed does not affect student performance. We find no evidence for gender differences in performance on exams on pen-and-paper or computer-based exams.

Letter concerning the services of a member of the State Board of Education for the San Pete teachers' institute meetings.

Letter concerning a position in horticulture and botany at Utah Agricultural College, copies given to J. C. Blair, J. L. Snyder, and L. H. Bailey.