Your Course to College, 2012-13 Edition

Who better to give advice to a future college student, like you, than current college students! Look throughout this guide for high school, college, and career advice from current students at Iowa’s colleges and universities!

Iowa Community Colleges Student Enrollment Report, December 2000

Fall enrollment grew 1.2 percent to a record high of 88,104 unduplicated students in fiscal year 2009 (Table 1). College enrollment has grown for 11 consecutive years since enrollment slipped in fiscal year 1997. In the 44‐year history of the modern community college system, enrollment has only fallen four times (Figure 1). Enrollment growth was slightly slower than prior years. In 2006, enrollment grew over three percent, while enrollment grew 2.5 percent last year. Nevertheless, enrollment growth is outpacing the projected nationwide growth in community colleges (Hussar and Bailey, 2008: Table 16). For the second consecutive year, part‐time enrollment exceeded full‐time enrollment. Slightly over half, 50.9 percent, of students are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours. Last year, part‐time enrollment exceeded full‐time enrollment for the first time. The shift represents growing enrollment by working students and joint enrollment— high school students who enroll in community colleges.. Nationally, part‐time enrollment at public two‐year colleges has exceeded full‐time enrollment for more than 15 years. In 2006, part‐time students exceeded full‐time students by 60 percent (Hussar and Bailey, 2008: Table 16). Iowa’s enrollment growth has traditionally been consistent. Enrollment decreased four times—1976, 1983, 1984, and 1997—during the entire 44‐year history. Fulltime enrollment decreased nine times over the same period while part time enrollment only fell twice. The remainder of this report will break down credit enrollment by credit hours, student demographics, the programs in which students are enrolled, how the programs break down demographically, and joint enrollment.

Prevalencia y características del abuso sexual infantil en estudiantes universitarios españoles

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to compare the prevalence rates of child sexual abuse reported by [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409417] with those found in recent publications in order to confirm the widespread prevalence of child sexual abuse. Methods: Relevant articles about prevalence of child sexual abuse were identified through searches of computerized databases and a handsearch of Child Abuse & Neglect and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. Results: Thirty-eight independent articles were identified, corresponding to 39 prevalence studies; these articles report the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in 21 different countries, ranging from 0 to 53% for women and 0 to 60% for men. Conclusions: Comparison of the present study with that of [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409417] shows a similarity between prevalence distributions; there appears to be a general pattern that remains more or less constant over the years, especially in women. Practice implications: Twelve years after the first revision study about the international prevalence of child sexual abuse, there is still a need for new data about this topic. The present study shows child sexual abuse is still a widespread problem in the society. In this research, carried out on 38 independent studies, there is new data for 21 countries over the world, being especially relevant the results obtained from other countries different from those pertaining toNorth America or Europe. It is important to point out the high prevalence found in most of the countries, so this information could be a new warning to make society and governments aware of this problem and undertake actions to prevent sexual abuse in childhood. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estilos comunicativos, vinculación universitaria y adaptación psicosocial

El presente estudio aborda la relación entre los estilos comunicativos de los estudiantes universitarios, su vinculación en la universidad y el nivel de adaptación psicosocial. Se analizan distintos estilos comunicativos en relación con el grado de vinculación universitaria y su influencia sobre el nivel de ansiedad, distimia, consumo de alcohol y dependencia de sustancias. Los datos han sido obtenidos mediante cuestionario administrado a una muestra representativa de 529 estudiantes universitarios. Los resultados indican la existencia de diferencias de género con respecto a algunos patrones comunicativos pero no en relación con la vinculación universitaria. Se constata también una relación estadísticamente significativa, aunque no muy elevada, entre los estilos comunicativos y la capacidad de los estudiantes para vincularse en el contexto universitario. Tanto los estilos comunicativos como la vinculación universitaria contribuyen a la explicación de la sintomatología afectiva, pero sólo los estilos comunicativos polémico y amigable contribuyen a la explicación del consumo de sustancias

Symptom Check-List-90-R: fiabilidad, datos normativos y estructura factorial en estudiantes universitarios

El Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) es uno de los instrumentos más ampliamente utilizados en la medición de la sintomatología psicopatológica en población clínica y en población general. Ya que gran parte de la investigación en psicopatología se realiza con estudiantes universitarios, este estudio instrumental pretende proporcionar datos de referencia para esta población. Analizamos las propiedades psicométricas de esta escala en una muestra representativa de 1.277 estudiantes de la Universidad de Girona. Las dimensiones con puntuaciones más elevadas para el total de la muestra son Obsesividad-compulsividad, Depresión y Sensibilidad interpersonal. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre hombres y mujeres. La fiabilidad de la escala resulta muy aceptable, con unos coeficientes de consistencia interna de las nueve dimensiones primarias y del GSI, que oscilan entre 0,69 y 0,97. El análisis de la estructura factorial y la fuerte interdependencia entre las escalas primarias cuestionan la multidimensionalidad del SCL-90-R y refuerzan la idea de que el instrumento proporciona una medida de distrés general, es decir, es un indicador unidimensional de malestar psicológico más que una medida de dimensiones psicopatológicas diferenciadas

The burnout syndrome and associated personality disturbances. The study in three graduate programs in Dentistry at the University of Barcelona

Objective: Determine the presence of"burnout" syndrome and characteristic personality patterns in the students and faculty of three graduate programs in Dentistry at the University of Barcelona: Department of Oral Surgery and Implantology, Department of Orthodontics and Department of Integrated Dentistry. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in 78 dentists. The level of"burnout" was evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, socio-demographic variables and, finally, the personality test. Results: Oral surgeons constituted the group of highlevel"burnout". The profile of an individual with a propensity to"burn out" is a single man, with a median age of 27, that is in the first years of the graduate program and that combines studies with 30 hours of clinical practice and/or other work (p<0,05). Narcissistic and borderline are the types of personality most frequently found in the individuals that present"burnout" syndrome (p<0,05). Conclusions: In general, no high levels of"burnout" were registered in the studied population, only 2-3%, if applying strict definition of"burnout", and 10% if these criteria were amplified. We believe it is necessary to identify the individuals with a tendency towards"burnout", in order to establish preventive measures and avoid future negative behaviour at work as well as at the personal level.

Evaluation of transversal competencies: pilot project in a maths course for first-year business

The aim of this communication is to describe the results of a pilot project for the assessment of the transversal competency "the capacity for learning and responsibility". This competency is centred on the capacity for the analysis, synthesis, overview, and practical application of newly acquired knowledge. It is proposed by the University of Barcelona in its undergraduate degree courses,through multidisciplinary teaching teams. The goal of the pilot project is to evaluate this competency.We worked with a group of students in a first-year Business Degree maths course, during the firstsemester of the 2012/2013 academic year. The development of the project was in two stages: (i)design of a specific task to share with the same students in the following semester when the subjectwould be economic history; and (ii) the elaboration of an evaluation rubric in which we defined thecontent, the aspects to evaluate, the evaluation criteria, and the marking scale. The attainment of theexpectations of quality on the specific task was scored following this rubric, which provided a singlebasis for the precise and fair assessment by the instructor and for the students' own self-evaluation.We conclude by describing the main findings of the experience. There particularly stood out the highscore in the students' self-evaluation given to one aspect of the competency – their capacity forlearning – in stark contrast to their instructor's quite negative evaluation. This means that we have towork both to improve teaching practice and to identify the optimal competency evaluationmethodology.

Secular trends in height and weight among children and adolescents of the Seychelles, 1956-2006.

BACKGROUND: Height of individuals has long been considered as a significant index of nutrition and health of a population; still, there is little information regarding the trends of height and weight among developing or transitional countries. We assessed the secular trends in height and weight in children of the Seychelles, a rapidly developing island state in the Indian Ocean (African region). METHODS: Height and weight were measured in all students of all schools in four selected school grades (kindergarten, 4th, 7th and 10th grades) for the periods 1998-9 (6391 children) and 2005-6 (8582 children). Data for 1956-7 was extracted from a previously published report. RESULTS: At age 15.5 years, boys/girls were on average 10/13 cm taller and 15/9 kg heavier in 2005-6 than in 1956-7. Height increased in boys/girls by 1.62/0.93 cm/decade between 1956-7 and 1998-9 and by 1.14/1.82 cm/decade between 1998-9 and 2005-6. For weight, the linear increase in boys/girls was 1.38/1.10 kg/decade between 1956-7 and 1998-9 and 2.21/2.50 kg/decade between 1998-9 and 2005-6. Overall, the relative increase in weight between 1956-7 and 2005-6 was 5-fold higher than the relative increase in height. CONCLUSION: Height and weight increased markedly over time in children aged <16 years in the Seychelles, consistent with large changes in socio-economic and nutritional indicators in the considered 50-year interval. The markedly steeper increase in weight than height over time is consistent with an epidemic of overweight and obesity.

Influència de la motricitat en les actituds dels alumnes amb discapacitats psíquiques

El treball que trobem a continuació és un estudi de com afecta la motricitat dels discapacitats psíquics en la seva actitud al llarg d’un dia escolar. Aquest treball va dirigit a descobrir les actituds que mostren els alumnes quan han de fer alguna activitat física, ja sigui pròpia de les classes d’educació física com activitats físiques que han de fer al llarg del dia a l’escola. Les persones (tant discapacitades com no) tenen canvis en el seu comportament en funció de les activitats que han fet anteriorment o en funció de les activitats que han de fer. Cal aclarir primer que s’entén per activitat física qualsevol activitat que impliqui un moviment de qualsevol de les parts del cos.

L’Escolarització compartida: el cas de la Laia

Actualment s’està donant molt pes al fet d’incloure dins l’aula a tot aquell alumnat amb necessitats educatives especials per tal de fomentar la inclusió. Aquest fet i com a persona que visc el dia a dia amb persones amb diversitat funcional ha fet que hem plantegi molts dubtes i reptes sobre la inclusió. Així doncs, vaig pensar que seria interessant observar, descriure i analitzar com viu un infant amb diversitat funcional la seva escolarització dins una aula ordinària i dins una aula d’educació especial. La principal participant de la investigació ha estat la Laia, una nena de 10 anys la qual realitza escolarització compartida. La seva família i les tutores dels dos centres han col·laborat en la investigació aportant informació. El mètode utilitzat per a la investigació ha estat una recerca qualitativa a partir de l’anàlisi d’un estudi de cas utilitzant les entrevistes amb la família i els tutors de la Laia, l’observació de Laia dins l’horari escolar i les notes de camp com a instruments de recollida de dades. Com a conclusions pensem que la inclusió d’aquells infants amb diversitat funcional dins l’aula ordinària és molt important ja que els ajuda a viure en un àmbit amb total normalitat i fomenta el respecte de la gent que els envolta. Cal fomentar les situacions d’inclusió amb l’ús d’estratègies com poden ser el treball cooperatiu o establint bones relacions amb la gent que els envolta.

Sensorimotor Plasticity after Music-Supported Therapy in Chronic Stroke Patients Revealed by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

BACKGROUND: Several recently developed therapies targeting motor disabilities in stroke sufferers have shown to be more effective than standard neurorehabilitation approaches. In this context, several basic studies demonstrated that music training produces rapid neuroplastic changes in motor-related brain areas. Music-supported therapy has been recently developed as a new motor rehabilitation intervention. METHODS AND RESULTS: In order to explore the plasticity effects of music-supported therapy, this therapeutic intervention was applied to twenty chronic stroke patients. Before and after the music-supported therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied for the assessment of excitability changes in the motor cortex and a 3D movement analyzer was used for the assessment of motor performance parameters such as velocity, acceleration and smoothness in a set of diadochokinetic movement tasks. Our results suggest that the music-supported therapy produces changes in cortical plasticity leading the improvement of the subjects' motor performance. CONCLUSION: Our findings represent the first evidence of the neurophysiological changes induced by this therapy in chronic stroke patients, and their link with the amelioration of motor performance. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations.

2015-16 Student Loan Repayment and Forgiveness Programs

Many loan repayment and incentive programs are available to encourage college students and graduates to enter into and continue to work in designated high-need careers. More and more Iowans are reaping the rewards of these federal, state and private programs that help reduce student loan debt while allowing them to pursue their career goals. Some programs make payments directly to the recipient’s student loan servicer to reduce the balance owed (loan repayment), while others may provide the option of an income stipend or bonus for eligible recipients who meet specified employment and other criteria. This guide provides information on many of the federal and state loan repayment and incentive programs currently available.

Community College Leader Bulletin, Summer 2008, Vol. 1, Issue 2

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Department of Education, Community College unit. This report has information about staff, grants, statistical data, requirements and more.

Community College Leader Bulletin, Fall 2008, Vol. 1, Issue 3

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Department of Education, Community College unit. This report has information about staff, grants, statistical data, requirements and more.

Community College Leader Bulletin, Spring 2009, Vol. 2, Issue 2

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Department of Education, Community College unit. This report has information about staff, grants, statistical data, requirements and more.