Discussion Forum
Scientific Skills: Fostering development

Group facilitator: Cristina Varsavsky
Scientific skills: Generic skills

Questions that need to be addressed

1. How do you assess development of generic skills?
2. How do you cope with students with NESB (Non English Speaking Backgrounds) etc?
3. How do you "train" tutors?
   • Professional training
   • Regular meetings
4. How do you cope with extra costs? Creaming
5. What level of tutors used?
   • PhD level
6. How does the course address misconceptions about scientific method?
7. How do you turn around the attitude of the staff? - experience
8. Is the change sustainable?
9. What kind of evaluation is to be used?
   • Student questionnaire
   • Student interviews
10. How did the projects change over time?
    • More open-ended
    • less prescriptive
11. What are the alternatives to lectures?
    • Resource learning + optional lectures
12. Training of tutors
    • PD unit - one day training
    • Weekly meetings - the problem of working in isolation is partly overcome
13. Tutors
    • Graduate students and post doctoral staff
    • At least 2 x 2 hour classes per week
14. Next step - integrating concepts into other units
15. Centrally funded
16. Impetus from Associate Dean - Teaching
17. At what rate are "generic skills" acquired?
18. How to manage over a 3 year period?
19. Importance of tutors to First Year Experience
    • Communication with students/lecturers
20. Electronic discussion boards for tutor-tutor communication
21. "Inter-learn" to be implemented Semester 2 2001
22. Self reflection a high level learning process
    • Many first year students find it hard
23. Fair assessment of students
    • How?
    • How to judge?
24. Student evaluation
    • First time - 'poor'
    • Second time - 50:50
    • Third time - majority see the point

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Last Update: Monday, 30-Apr-2012 16:35:10 EST
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