Kathleen M. Quinlan

Enhancing Mentoring and Networking of Junior Academic Women: what, why, and how?

Abstract There is a variety of career‐supportive relationships that provide career guidance and psycho‐social support vital to career success. Each persons network contains a range of different types of relationships and contacts that serve different purposes. This paper clarifies some of these different types of relationships, the benefits each offers, and what they have to offer academic women. Formal mentoring, networking and peer support programmes are presented and discussed.

Factors affecting departmental peer collaboration for faculty development: Two cases in context

This paper extends current research on departmentalpeer collaboration as a means of faculty development. Given the potential advantages of such situateddevelopmental activities, the need for furtherresearch is pressing. The study reported hereexamines two different cases of department-based,practice-centered peer inquiry projects; one set in adepartment of history and one in a department ofmechanical engineering. Both departmental projectswere part of a larger initiative on the peer review ofteaching coordinated by the American Association forHigher Education.The aim of this study is to illuminate factors thatcan influence the nature, development and impact ofsuch collaborative activities. The leadership,structure and outcomes of each departments projectare compared and contrasted. The role of departmentalculture is considered, through an investigation ofpotential influences from the discipline andinstitution, as well as from departmental history. Factors such as the norms of scholarly collaboration,standard work patterns, the presence or absence ofexternal curricular standards, university status,faculty autonomy and morale are discussed.

Commonalities and controversy in context: a study of academic historians’ educational beliefs

Abstract The educational beliefs of eight academic historians are examined in the context of their department, the university and the history of the discipline. Similarities among the academics about goals for history education; perceptions of students; roles as teachers; and classroom patterns are discussed. Despite commonalities at one level, key differences were found among the academics’ educational beliefs about the nature of the discipline; learning goals for students; teaching approaches; and their analysis of student difficulties. It is concluded that educational beliefs are linked to scholarly conceptions of the field and recapitulate major developments and scholarly differences in the discipline.

Bridging the research-practice gap: Concept mapping as a mixed methods strategy in practice-based research and evaluation

Abstract The purpose of this article is to familiarize social work researchers and practitioners with Concept Mapping (Trochim, 1989), a mixed-methods strategy that can be useful in practice-based research. Using two case examples, the steps involved in concept mapping are illustrated. Practice strengths of concept mapping are discussed, including that it is participatory, accessible, permits immediate application of findings, and enhances service effectiveness. Research strengths include that it is a structured mixed-methods approach, the process is flexible, it accommodates cross-cultural applications, and is time-and cost-effective. Ways that concept mapping can be used to advance practice-based research are discussed, including instrument development, needs/resource assessment, theory development, evaluating activities and outcomes, strategic planning and action planning.

Developing a conceptual framework for an evaluation system for the NIAID HIV/AIDS clinical trials networks

Globally, health research organizations are called upon to re-examine their policies and practices to more efficiently and effectively address current scientific and social needs, as well as increasing public demands for accountability.Through a case study approach, the authors examine an effort undertaken by the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (part of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services, United States Government) to develop an evaluation system for its recently restructured HIV/AIDS clinical trials program. The challenges in designing, operationalizing, and managing global clinical trials programs are considered in the context of large scale scientific research initiatives.Through a process of extensive stakeholder input, a framework of success factors was developed that enables both a prospective view of the elements that must be addressed in an evaluation of this research and a current state assessment of the extent to which the goals of the restructuring are understood by stakeholders across the DAIDS clinical research networks.

Inside the peer review process: how academics review a colleague's teaching portfolio

Understanding how academics review and make judgments about teaching portfolios is important as the peer review of teaching becomes more common. This think-aloud study examines the processes seven academics used in reasoning through a colleagues biochemistry course portfolio. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that participants used a normative, case-based reasoning approach, comparing the reviewees practices to their own experiences, their colleagues, and to prototypical or traditional practices. They considered contextual factors and their pre-existing knowledge of the teacher and the context. The readers justified their final decisions based on the appropriateness and achievement of educational goals. The teachers reflective commentary, the student evaluations of teaching, and the syllabus were important in their review. Implications are discussed.

Promoting faculty learning about collaborative teaching

How do we, as faculty, learn about teaching and learning in our field? Unlike secondary school teachers, most college teachers have not had training about the process of peda gogy. However, faculty members do have great knowledge of their discipline, which many would argue is sufficient for teaching at the college and university level. Yet, Lee Shulman (1986; 1987) asserts that in addition to content knowl

Translating Cancer Control Research Into Primary Care Practice: A Conceptual Framework:

Effective dissemination, implementation, and adoption of research-tested lifestyle risk factor interventions within primary care are critical to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to identify short- and long-term action steps within primary care research and practice to bridge the discovery-to-delivery gap in cancer prevention and control. Experts in primary care research and practice from the United States and Canada participated in this qualitative project. Concept mapping was used to synthesize expert input on actions to improve research-practice integration in cancer prevention and control. Results were used to facilitate an action-planning meeting among primary care researchers and practitioners. Five areas were identified as critical to improving the integration of research and practice in cancer prevention and control: (1) stakeholder collaborations, (2) organizational culture and structure, (3) learning infrastructure, (4) incentives and funding, and (5) data and accountability systems. Addressing the discovery-to-delivery gap in primary care requires collaboration among researchers and practitioners throughout the knowledge production cycle. The model developed in this project can be used to stimulate actions at the individual, organizational, and systems level to reduce the burden of cancer related to lifestyle risk factors.

Leadership "of" Teaching "for" Student Learning in Higher Education: What Is Needed?.

Mainstream higher education research on leadership largely overlooks the leadership of teaching and learning. This paper presents a model of leadership that integrates various elements needed to create universities that intentionally promote holistic student learning and development. The model links organisational development, the development of leaders as people who are in relationship with other members of the community (transformative leadership), and knowledge of teaching and learning. Through a creative synthesis of these various literatures, it proposes what is needed for sound educational leadership in higher education. The paper highlights the content and context of leadership, emphasising not leadership or even leadership in higher education generally, but leadership of teaching (by explicitly including knowledge and evidence related to teaching and learning) for student learning.

Effects of problem-based learning curricula on faculty learning: New lenses, new questions

Literature on the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) in medical education has short-changed important questions about the effect of PBL curricula on faculty learning and on faculty knowledge of their subject matter. This paper opens up new questions about the impact of PBL in medical colleges and other health sciences by focusing attention on its effects on faculty learning, on collegial networks in medical colleges, and, consequently, on other scholarly work by faculty. A brief review of research on the effects of PBL on faculty and faculty development is followed by a synthesis of relevant research findings from research on teaching and faculty learning in other disciplines. A new conceptual framework, drawn from the educational paradigms, methods and empirical findings from those other areas of higher education research and research on secondary school teaching, is applied to designing, examining, and evaluating problem-based learning. Viewing faculty as learners prompts a new research agenda including questions such as: What do faculty members learn by participating in integrative, interdisciplinary problem-based learning courses? How? How is that learning related to or integrated with other aspects of their scholarly work?