Conscious Policy
Student Perceptions of Faculty Excellence: How Students Rank Professor Attributes and Why This Matters
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Randall Woodard, Dene Williamson, Patrick Ryan Murphy
Since student evaluations are an important part of the tenure / promotion process, it is important to look at the way students rank / categorize faculty excellence. This study will compare and contrast date received from research on student perceptions and compare / contrast that data with academic research on faculty excellence. We will gather data from three different disciplines / cross sections of students (business, economics, and the humanities) and evaluate the qualities that students report being the most important with higher education / Scholarship of Teaching and Learning data in order to see how students differ / share commonalities with that research. The paper will share those areas of overlap but also point out qualities that students find most valuable for faculty to use in their own professional development.
University Students’ Social Class Understandings in Challenging Times
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maria Papapolydorou
This paper discusses the ways in which a group of Higher Education students understood social class and its relevance in society. The findings are a result of a small-scale study carried out with 3rd year university students. The data was collected through the use of a Online Learning Environment forum in which students were invited to participate as part of one of their courses. Data analysis suggested that, despite an extent of variation in students’ responses, the majority perceived social class as a very complex, and often confusing, concept that extended beyond definitions related to income and/or occupation. Instead, class was often understood in relation to cultural, symbolic and social elements. Furthermore, most students maintained that class is a redundant category with no influence on people’s lives. In particular, they put forward, directly or indirectly, the view that we live in a meritocratic society and emphasized individual agency as against structure. A much smaller group of students acknowledged social class as an influential sociological category, which informed individuals’ life opportunities and trajectories. This paper discusses these findings with reference to debates about the nature of social class identities (see Giddens (1990), Savage et al. (2001), Devine (1992) etc.).
A Model of Leadership Development for Learning Organization of Universities in Thailand
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dr.Chanunthakorn Kiatjanon, Dr. Lampong Klomkul
The purposes of this research were to analyze and to propose the model of leadership development for learning organization of universities in Thailand. Mixed methods research applied qualitative methods to explain quantitative results was used for research design. The samples were 400 instructors and support staff from universities in Bangkok and its vicinity. Key informants were 5 experts and selected by purposive sampling. Questionnaires and interview form were used for research tools. Quanltitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed by using content analysis. Results indicated that leadership development for learning organization showed at high level. For the attributes of leadership for learning organization was also showed at high level. The correlation between the leadership development in the field of vision, team learning, and mastery with the attributes showed at medium level to high level. Twenty-six variables showed the best selected prediction. Effect on the attributes of leadership for learning organization increased at 95.20 percent (R2 = .952) with the statistical significance at the level of .05. A developed model of leadership development had 3 main aspects consisted of Vision, Mastery and learning Team called VMT Model.
