Improvising a future in the performing arts : a new strategy to help performance studies students successfully shift between academic culture, professional culture, industry and career?

If there is one thing performance studies graduates should be good at, it is improvising – play and improvisation are central to the contemporary and cultural performance practices we teach and the methods by which we teach them. Objective, offer, acceptance, advancing, reversing, character, status, manipulation, impression management, relationship management – whether we know them from Keith Johnson’s theatre theories or Erving Goffman’s theatre theories, the processes by which we play out a story, scenario or social situation to our own benefit are familiar. We understand that identity, action, interaction and its personal, aesthetic, professional or political outcomes are unpredictable, and that we need to adapt to changeable and uncertain circumstances to achieve our aims. Intriguingly, though, in a Higher Education environment that increasingly emphasises employability, skills in play, improvisation and self-performance are never cited as critical graduate attributes. Is the ability to play, improve and produce spontaneous new self-performances learned in the academy worth articulating into an ability to play, improvise and product spontaneous new self-performances after graduates leave the academy and move into the role of a performing arts professional in industry? A study of the career paths of our performance studies graduates over the past decade suggests that addressing the challenges they face in moving between academic culture, professional culture, industry and career in terms of improvisation and play principles may be very productive. In articles on performing arts careers, graduates are typically advised to find a market for their work, and develop career self-management, management and marketing skills, together with an ability to find, make and maintain relationships and opportunities for themselves. Transitioning to career is cast as a challenging process, requiring these skills, because performing arts careers do not offer the security, status and stability of other careers. Our data confirms this. In our study, though, we found that strategies commonly used to build the resilience, self-reliance and persistence graduates require – talking about portfolio careers, parallel careers, and portable, transferable or translatable skills, for example – can engender panic as easily as they engender confidence. In this paper, I consider what happens when we re-articulate some of the skills scholars and industry stakeholders argue are critical in allowing graduates to shift successfully from academy to industry in terms of skills like improvisation, play and self-performance that are already familiar, meaningful and much-practiced amongst performance studies graduates.

The socialization of adjunct faculty into the academic culture of a public community college campus

This study investigated the socialization of adjunct faculty into the academic culture of a community college campus. Because of the increased utilization of adjunct faculty, the need to socialize them to effectively function within the organizational culture has become more acute. A review of the literature revealed that when employees are socialized, they are more committed to the goals and welfare of the organization, are less likely to leave the organization, and are more productive and innovative. Therefore, it is important that administrators have programs and practices in place that would help to integrate adjunct faculty into the academic culture. The model of organizational socialization (Chao, O'Leary-Kelly, Wolf, Klein, & Gardner, 1994) formed the framework for this study, which was guided by the following research questions: How do adjunct faculty members describe their socialization into the culture of their college campus? How do administrators describe their roles and that of the organization in the socialization of adjunct faculty members? What organizational programs and activities are in place for the socialization of adjunct faculty? The North Campus of Miami Dade College was the site for this study, as it is a campus with a long history of utilizing adjunct faculty members and one that has a clearly-stated mission of adjunct faculty socialization. A qualitative case study method was used, and data collection included interviews and the review and analysis of institutional documents. The participants included 11 adjunct faculty members, 4 department chairpersons, the campus president, and the college training and development coordinator. The study revealed that there were structured and consistent professional development programs, but these conflicted with the schedules of adjunct faculty. Overall, adjunct faculty found support from the leadership; however, they revealed a need for more mentoring, more interactions with full-time faculty, and more input in decision making concerning textbooks and curricula. Implications and recommendations for practice include making professional development more accessible and relevant to adjunct faculty, developing a formal mentoring program where full-time faculty and veteran adjunct faculty mentor novice adjunct faculty, and involving adjuncts in decisions regarding curriculum and textbook selection.

Let the journey begin : cultivating student identity and a sense of belonging through a formal academic welcome

Queensland University of Technology [QUT] Caboolture campus is a satellite campus co-located with Brisbane North Institute of TAFE. Building a sense of belonging on-campus continues to be challenging, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that QUT Caboolture students feel like second-class students, isolated from the prestige and excitement of the city campuses. A student identity and fostering a sense of belonging are fundamental to on-campus engagement and have been linked to retention (Field & Morgan-Klein, 2010). A formal welcome ceremony, including an academic procession in full regalia, was a new inclusion for QUT Caboolture’s 2013 Orientation Day. The ritual was intended to be a temporal mark for students to recognise their personal transition and emerging identity as a university student. Cultural capital is one ingredient in a complex mix of interactions and relationships to build a sense of identity. (Ecclestone, Biesta & Hughes, 2010). Fostering a sense of belonging and a connection to the campus and its staff was also anticipated. Students responded positively to the event, reporting feelings of excitement, inspiration and being welcomed into the university culture. The ceremony marked the beginning of the students’ journey together as QUT Caboolture students.

Towards teaching in partnership : lessons still to be learned

This article seeks to analyse current dilemmas in responding to calls to narrow 'the gap' between academic and school culture in the area of preservice teacher preparation. It critiques traditional practices and current policies which focus on the narrowly vocational at the expense of the contextual. Further, it acknowledges the problems in the teaching of theory as it has been traditionally understood. Finally, it assesses the benefits for teachers and academics of forms of pedagogical partnership and the likelihood of progress in this area, and suggest that a number of fundamental changes need to be made in academic culture for genuine partnerships to become a reality.

Grant application: QUT Learning and Teaching scheme 2012 Cracking the Code - A checklist to complement CRAs for first year Justice students.

Widening participation brings with it increasing diversity, increased variation in the level of academic preparedness (Clarke, 2011; Nelson, Clarke, & Kift 2010). Cultural capital coupled with negotiating the academic culture creates an environment based on many assumptions about academic writing and university culture. Variations in staff and student expectations relating to the teaching and learning experience is captured in a range of national and institutional data (AUSSE, CEQ, LEX). Nationally, AUSSE data (2009) indicates that communication, writing, speaking and analytic skills, staff expectations are quite a bit higher than students. The research team noted a recognisable shift in the changing cohort of students and their understanding and engagement with feedback and CRAs, as well as variations in teaching staff and student expectations. The current reality of tutor and student roles is that: - Students self select when/how they access lectures and tutorials. - Shorter tutorial times result in reduced opportunity to develop rapport with students. - CRAs are not always used consistently by staff (different marking styles and levels of feedback). - Marking is not always undertaken by the student’s tutor/lecturer. - Student support services might be recommended to students once a poor grade has been given. Students can perceive this as remedial and a further sense of failure. - CRA sheet has a mark /grade attached to it. Stigma attached to low mark. Hard to focus on the CRA feedback with a poor mark etched next to it. - Limited opportunities for sessionals to access professional development to assist with engaging students and feedback. - FYE resources exist, however academic time is a factor in exploring and embedding these resources. Feedback is another area with differing expectations and understandings. Sadler (2009) contends that students are not equipped to decode the statements properly. For students to be able to apply feedback, they need to understand the meaning of the feedback statement. They also need to identify, the particular aspects of their work that need attention. The proposed Checklist/guide would be one page and submitted with each assessment piece thereby providing an interface to engage students and tutors in managing first year understandings and expectations around CRAs, feedback, and academic practice.

Dinâmicas de uma juventude conectada: a mediação dos dispositivos móveis nos processos de aprender-ensinar

A Tese apresenta os resultados de um estudo que buscou conhecer de que modo os usos dos dispositivos móveis e ubíquos podem mediar a superação do desencontro entre as práticas juvenis e a cultura escolar, entendendo que esse desencontro tem se traduzido por tensões que, se já vinham acontecendo a partir da introdução do computador em todas as áreas da produção humana, ampliam-se ainda mais com o crescente uso de celulares e smartphones por jovens estudantes, dentro e fora das salas de aula. A pesquisa - realizada através de oficinas com alunos do sétimo ao nono ano de uma escola da Rede Municipal do Rio de Janeiro - propôs e criou situações favoráveis à compreensão dos modos pelos quais as tecnologias móveis e ubíquas podem ser apropriadas pelo campo da Educação. Os conceitos bakhtinianos de alteridade, dialogismo e exotopia orientaram o encaminhamento metodológico do estudo. A complexidade das questões relativas à interseção entre educação, comunicação, juventudes, mobilidade, cidade, redes sociais, subjetividades, foi examinada com base nas contribuições teóricas de Lucia Santaella, André Lemos, Pierre Lévy, Bruno Latour, Lucia Rabello de Castro, Paulo Carrano e Julio Dayrell, entre outras. Os resultados apontam para a pertinência de se considerar os usos dos referidos artefatos como mediadores de práticas pedagógicas mais concernentes com as práticas culturais dos sujeitos contemporâneos.

Televisão universitária do RN (TVU): contribuição para a democratização da informação e a difusão do conhecimento científico produzido pela universidade

In this thesis we propose to investigate the contribution that the Universitary Television from Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil (TVU RN), offers to democratization of information and diffusion of the scientific knowledge produced by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) from the perception of their own students. We adopt the basic assumption in wich the TVU RN needs to be connected with the scope of the current UFRN policy, since plays an important role regarding democratization and social inclusion policies in UFRN. We support the thesis that TVU UFRN offers important information for those who are part of academic culture (COULON, 1995a; 1995b, CHARLOT, 2000; BOURDIEU, 2007, 2005, 1997, 1996, 1975), as well as for society in wich it is inserted, since it contributes to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and relevant information about the university. We consider TVU RN a Public Sphere (HABERMAS, 2002; 2003a, 2003b; 2003c; 1999; 1989) conducive to discussion of issues involving higher education. Researches on Universitary Television are recent and some studies on it advanced in the way to define it and present it as a means of dissemination of scientific knowledge (ROCHA, 2006; COUTINHO, 2006; CALLIGARO, 2007; AIRES, 1999; PORCELLO, 2002; PRIOLLI, 2003, 2008, 2009; MAGALHÃES, 2002, 2008; RAMALHO, 2008; 2010; CARVALHO, 2006). For our investigation we chose the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, both equally valid and accepted by many authors (FLICK, 2009; BAUER; GASKELL, 2002; RICHARDSON, 1999; LAVILLE; DIONNE, 1999). We developed a questionnaire initially with objective questions ending up with open questions of free text. The questionnaire was developed and hosted from a tool of Google Docs and the link to the webpage containing those questionnaires was sent by e-mail by the Permanent Commission of Vestibular of UFRN, COMPERVE, for all university students who were with their registration (status) active in the COMPERVE registers of the second half of 2010. The analysis of this material was performed using the techniques of content analysis and, within this mode was chosen thematic analysis considered appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative research (BARDIN, 2004; MINAYO, 2002). The investigation found that although most students consider that the TVU RN contributes to the democratization of information and dissemination of scientific knowledge produced in university, and moreover to arouse the interest of the academic community, still has not yet become an object of interest of the entire academy. Therefore, the research highlights the relevance and abrangency of further studies on the TVU RN due to the strategic role it plays in this new reality of public universities in the country. In addition, we suggest to the UFRN managers that they put TVU within the hall of discussions in order to receive the so much needed investment for any university organ

A função autor nos materias impressos do PEC - formação universitária e o desafio de escrever para professores

Pós-graduação em Educação - IBRC

Os impactos do sistema ‘CAPES’ de avaliação sobre o trabalho docente na pós-graduação: o caso da UFPA

Este estudo tem como objetivo central analisar os impactos do sistema ‘CAPES’ de avaliação da pós-graduação sobre o trabalho docente na Universidade Federal do Pará. Para tanto, o estudo se utiliza de documentos oficiais que versam sobre a política de avaliação da pós graduação no Brasil e de entrevistas com professores de três programas de pós-graduação da UFPA. Parte-se da premissa de que o processo de reestruturação produtiva e a reforma do estado brasileiro têm induzido mudanças no ensino superior com centralidade para as políticas de avaliação e para o trabalho do professor. Essas mudanças no ensino superior consolidam um projeto de universidade pensado desde os organismos internacionais do capital que pressupõem a diluição de fronteiras entre o público e o privado no que toca à expansão, ao financiamento, à avaliação, à autonomia e à produção do conhecimento. A pós-graduação é o locus privilegiado da implementação da reforma do ensino superior no Brasil, visto que as influências do mercado são claramente visíveis no modelo de avaliação dos programas de pós-graduação da CAPES. Trata-se, pois, de um processo que se dá em âmbito continental de conformação de uma nova regulação educativa assentado no tripé financiamento per capita, gestão local e avaliação sistêmica. Nesse contexto, o trabalho docente, entendido como o principal responsável pelos resultados educacionais, passa por um profundo processo de reestruturação com repercussões em sua natureza, finalidade e sentidos. A investigação demonstra que o sistema ‘CAPES’ de avaliação dos programas de pós-graduação, como expressão da nova regulação educacional na América Latina, confere centralidade ao trabalho do professor no processo de avaliação dos programas e o responsabiliza pelos resultados com base em critérios formulados de acordo com interesses externos à lógica e ao tempo da produção do conhecimento científico. O resultado da implantação dessa lógica na pósgraduação para os professores é a intensificação do trabalho por meio de um surto produtivista jamais visto, a precarização das condições de produção e o adoecimento docente. Para a instituição educacional, vê-se uma transformação em seu ethos e em sua identidade que têm modificado a cultura acadêmica de modo a aproximá-la cada vez mais em sua estrutura, funcionamento e atividade-fim das empresas privadas.

Competência informacional e midiática no ensino superior: Desafios e propostas para o Brasil

A presença das tecnologias e das mídias é hoje tão importante, que é impossível ignorá-la. Os calouros e estudantes universitários de hoje têm telefones celulares com fotos digitais e ídeos. Eles usam blogs, twitter e sites de redes sociais. Ao mesmo tempo, leem livros e artigos, e fazem seus projetos e a lição de casa. Continuamente, diferentes tecnologias e novas informações estão impactando o ensino superior. Isto exige uma rápida atualização da competência informacional e midiática pelos alunos. Apesar do impacto progressivo da tecnologia digital na cultura acadêmica contemporânea, é imperativo resgatar e consolidar um compromisso mais crítico com a informação, mídia e tecnologia. Nós defendemos a convergência da literacia da informação e da literacia dos media no ensino superior. O Projeto CIMES (Competência em Informação e Mídia no Ensino Superior) está em estágio inicial. O presente artigo tem como objetivo revisar as questões teóricas, políticas e práticas sobre a educação para a competência em informação e mídia no ensino superior, especialmente no Brasil. O objetivo final do Projeto CIMES é fornecer uma estrutura para desenvolver programas educacionais no Brasil que tenham a competência em informação e a competência midiática como uma aplicação transversal no ensino superior. O atual estágio do projeto permite apenas traçar um quadro geral analítico

ISU ADVANCE Annual Report, Year 4: April 2009–April 2010

Over our four years, ISU ADVANCE has become Iowa State’s most prominent vehicle to recruit, retain, and advance women and women of color in STEM faculty positions. We are known for a well-managed network, innovative research, and an integrated approach to change. We work within departments using a Collaborative Transformation approach to improve the work environment for all faculty members. Our program identifies cultures, practices, and structures that enhance or hinder the careers of ISU faculty, and works with faculty and administrators to transform university policies, practices, and academic culture in pursuit of a diverse and vibrant faculty in STEM disciplines.

ISU ADVANCE Annual Report, Year 3: May 2008–March 2009

ISU ADVANCE has become Iowa State’s most prominent vehicle to recruit, retain, and advance women and women of color in STEM faculty positions. We are known for a well managed network, innovative research, and an integrated approach to change. We work within departments using a Collaborative Transformation approach to improve the work environment for all faculty members. Our program identifies cultures, practices, and structures that enhance or hinder the careers of ISU faculty, and works with faculty and administrators to transform university policies, practices, and academic culture in pursuit of a diverse and vibrant faculty in STEM disciplines.

Profesión y Cultura académica de ingenieros en la Universidad Pública Argentina

El tema referido a la profesión académica y a las culturas académicas resulta de particular interés puesto que se considera que los profesores universitarios poseen ciertos rasgos de una cultura académica propia, la cual sería el origen y el soporte que legitima sus pensamientos y por tanto su acción dentro de las Universidades. De la necesidad de desentrañar esta cultura es que surge la idea de estudiar si existe un conjunto de creencias, valores y normas que influirían en cómo piensan y actúan los profesores-ingenieros universitarios. El presente trabajo se propone aportar un acercamiento al estudio de los grupos profesionales de los ingenieros, tratando de conocer más acerca de su identidad, trayectoria y cultura. Se propone una lectura longitudinal en el análisis, reconstruyendo trayectorias y abarcando distintos aspectos de la vida, no solo los laborales, analizando al ingeniero que ocupa un determinado lugar en la estructura social la cual está en constante evolución. La pregunta central que guía esta investigación es de carácter cualitativo y comparativo y se enuncia de la siguiente manera: ¿cómo se configuran la profesión académica y la cultura académica de los ingenieros académicos que se desempeñan en la Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica de la Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales, Ingeniería en Alimentos e Ingeniería Química pertenecientes ambas a la Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis? Para describir y caracterizar la profesión y culturas académicas de los ingenieros en la UNSL, se propuso el trabajo de campo con entrevistas en profundidad a ingenieros que se desempeñan como docentes e investigadores en la Universidad Nacional de San Luis. El estudio es cualitativo.Tras el recorrido de investigación realizado, el argumento central de esta Tesis que surge de la interpretación de los datos empíricos, queda definido de la siguiente manera: La profesión y cultura académica de los ingenieros entrevistados en la UNSL se conforma a partir de la compleja vinculación entre estos tres elementos: trayectoria individual, comunidad disciplinar o grupo disciplinar de referencia y, las características propias de la UNSL como institución. Esta profesión académica se desarrolla en el marco de al menos dos tipos de regulaciones: unas que son externas que provienen de las políticas educativas nacionales (como por ejemplo: las leyes, el sistema de incentivos, la categorización, etc.) y otras que son internas y que operan como exigencias normativas al interior de la disciplina, de la institución y de las propias actividades del cargo. En síntesis, la heterogeneidad de la profesión y cultura académica de los ingenieros entrevistados está definida por: el contexto ?la UNSL- y sus propiedades en tanto contexto de intercambio; las características individuales alrededor de la disciplina y, los intereses y motivos individuales y colectivos. Todo ello da cuenta de las relaciones sociales en la vida académica explicando la heterogeneidad, la diversidad y la dinámica que se genera. La historia de la UNSL, las características de las Facultades, la historia y evolución de las tres carreras -los campos de conocimiento, los distintos recorridos y configuraciones históricas de los mismos- forman parte de ese contexto de intercambio y se reactualizan permanentemente. La particular combinación de las distintas actividades académicas reviste carácter único e intransferible (por ejemplo: la distribución de tareas, los criterios para seleccionar docentes en los concursos, la vinculación entre la industria y la sociedad, etc.). Todo lo expresado a juicio y entender propio da cuenta de un modo especial y particular de entender, vivir y desarrollar la profesión académica de estos ingenieros en la UNSL.

Interpretación y traducción de las culturas : Las categorías del pensamiento y discurso antropológicos

Fundamento epistemológico de la antropología cultural y social, la relación establecida entre un conjunto de manifestaciones culturales indígenas y nuestra propia cultura académica puede verse en términos de traducción. Gracias a la mirada crítica que la antropología dirige actualmente hacia sus procedimientos, podemos interrogarnos sobre el papel que juegan las categorías semi-empíricas, las frases retóricas y las posturas enunciativas en la discursivización que depende del triángulo semiótico.

Profesión y Cultura académica de ingenieros en la Universidad Pública Argentina

El tema referido a la profesión académica y a las culturas académicas resulta de particular interés puesto que se considera que los profesores universitarios poseen ciertos rasgos de una cultura académica propia, la cual sería el origen y el soporte que legitima sus pensamientos y por tanto su acción dentro de las Universidades. De la necesidad de desentrañar esta cultura es que surge la idea de estudiar si existe un conjunto de creencias, valores y normas que influirían en cómo piensan y actúan los profesores-ingenieros universitarios. El presente trabajo se propone aportar un acercamiento al estudio de los grupos profesionales de los ingenieros, tratando de conocer más acerca de su identidad, trayectoria y cultura. Se propone una lectura longitudinal en el análisis, reconstruyendo trayectorias y abarcando distintos aspectos de la vida, no solo los laborales, analizando al ingeniero que ocupa un determinado lugar en la estructura social la cual está en constante evolución. La pregunta central que guía esta investigación es de carácter cualitativo y comparativo y se enuncia de la siguiente manera: ¿cómo se configuran la profesión académica y la cultura académica de los ingenieros académicos que se desempeñan en la Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica de la Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales, Ingeniería en Alimentos e Ingeniería Química pertenecientes ambas a la Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis? Para describir y caracterizar la profesión y culturas académicas de los ingenieros en la UNSL, se propuso el trabajo de campo con entrevistas en profundidad a ingenieros que se desempeñan como docentes e investigadores en la Universidad Nacional de San Luis. El estudio es cualitativo.Tras el recorrido de investigación realizado, el argumento central de esta Tesis que surge de la interpretación de los datos empíricos, queda definido de la siguiente manera: La profesión y cultura académica de los ingenieros entrevistados en la UNSL se conforma a partir de la compleja vinculación entre estos tres elementos: trayectoria individual, comunidad disciplinar o grupo disciplinar de referencia y, las características propias de la UNSL como institución. Esta profesión académica se desarrolla en el marco de al menos dos tipos de regulaciones: unas que son externas que provienen de las políticas educativas nacionales (como por ejemplo: las leyes, el sistema de incentivos, la categorización, etc.) y otras que son internas y que operan como exigencias normativas al interior de la disciplina, de la institución y de las propias actividades del cargo. En síntesis, la heterogeneidad de la profesión y cultura académica de los ingenieros entrevistados está definida por: el contexto ?la UNSL- y sus propiedades en tanto contexto de intercambio; las características individuales alrededor de la disciplina y, los intereses y motivos individuales y colectivos. Todo ello da cuenta de las relaciones sociales en la vida académica explicando la heterogeneidad, la diversidad y la dinámica que se genera. La historia de la UNSL, las características de las Facultades, la historia y evolución de las tres carreras -los campos de conocimiento, los distintos recorridos y configuraciones históricas de los mismos- forman parte de ese contexto de intercambio y se reactualizan permanentemente. La particular combinación de las distintas actividades académicas reviste carácter único e intransferible (por ejemplo: la distribución de tareas, los criterios para seleccionar docentes en los concursos, la vinculación entre la industria y la sociedad, etc.). Todo lo expresado a juicio y entender propio da cuenta de un modo especial y particular de entender, vivir y desarrollar la profesión académica de estos ingenieros en la UNSL.