Competence profile differences among graduates from different academic subject fields: implications for improving students’ education

The aim of a university education is the intellectual development of citizens, and the training of professionals for their subsequent entry into the workforce. However, this entry into the workforce, following the theoretical education usually provided by the university, implies that students have to manage this difficult transition by themselves. Society, in a continual process of transformation, requires of universities that they adjust, adapting the education they offer to comply with the demands of society and the workplace. Socio-emotional skills would seem to have influence predicting professional performance. These skills also influence job-finding and employability. Consequently, providing teachers with an education in socioemotional competences is becoming a necessary task within universities, and the majority of teaching staff consider these skills to be fundamental to the personal and socio-emotional development of students. The objective of our proposed work is to establish the characteristic profile of competences of a sample of teachers in training, and compare it with the competences profile of graduate students belonging to the fields of law sciences, social sciences, humanities, science and technology, and health. Starting from results, implications will be derived for the development of generic competences of socio-emotional type in the framework of the European Frame of Higher Education.

Introduction to University and the ICT Sector

The innovative subject “Introduction to ICT” combines a general Introductory Course to the University with elements around the Information and Communication Technologies sector (including the ICT engineer competence profile, market aspects, etc.)This new course has been developed and implemented in three degree programmes offered by the Polytechnic School at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. The course team consists of thirteen teachers,including business professionals, librarians, computer technicians, institutional representatives as well as an educationalist responsible for advising on methodology and study techniques. The subject was designed for a high number of students (260). At the end of the course, we collected quantitative and qualitativeinformation about the students’ satisfaction. The findings show the positive vision that they had about the topics worked during the subject. This paper describes the course, its implementation and evaluation and, of course, the details of the findings that we collected about students' satisfaction.

Kunskapsöverföring- att leda rätt : Ledarens roll vid kunskapsöverföring i en organisation

I en rapport som Svensk Näringsliv (2010) har utfört beskriver de att företag redan idag och inom en snar framtid står inför den största pensionsavgången någonsin i Svensk historia. 40- talisternas avgång ställer företag inför stora utmaningarna, framförallt att lyckas genomföra en lyckad generationsväxling. De personer som går i pension har under sitt yrkesverksamma liv utvecklat en kunskap som många organisationer vilar på. En stor del av denna kunskap måste överföras för att organisationerna ska kunna fortsätta att vara effektiva på marknaden. Syftet med denna studie var att få en djupare förståelse för ledarskapets betydelse gällande kunskapsöverföring i en organisation, samt bidra med praktiska verktyg till chefer och medarbetare för att undvika att förlora värdefull kunskap vid en generationsväxling. Industriföretaget LEAX har själva identifierat ett problem i att överföra viktig kunskap i och med kommande generationsväxling. Deras önskan var att få hjälp med praktiska verktyg för hur de ska tänka och verka för att mildra kunskapsglappet som kan uppstå. För att undersöka detta och därmed uppfylla denna studies syfte har intervjuer genomförts med fyra produktionsledare, fyra medarbetare som förväntas dela kunskap och tre medarbetare som förväntas ta till sig kunskap. Innan intervjuerna genomfördes läste vi in oss på teori om kunskap, kunskapsöverföring och ledarskap. Eftersom begreppet kunskap har en bred betydelse och kan definieras olika beroende om den är individuell eller organisatorisk, började vi i vårt teoriavsnitt att bena ut detta begrepp. Nonaka och Takeuchi (1995) gör en förenklad bild av kunskap som ett isberg, där den explicita kunskapen benämns som toppen. Väl synlig över ytan på vattnet är den enkel att upptäcka och ta till sig. Under vattnet döljer sig en osynlig kunskap som är svår att upptäcka, så kallas implicit eller tyst kunskap. Denna kunskap utgör en enorm del av isberget och blir därmed viktig att bevara. Dock är denna kunskap svår att överföra då den är osynlig och svår att ta på. För att förstå vad kunskapsöverföring innebär, behöver organisationer identifiera vilken sorts kunskap som behöver överföras för att kunskapsöverföringen ska bli lyckad (Jonsson, 2012). Men även fast organisationer gör detta måste även ledningen förstå att kunskapsöverföring är en strategisk angelägenhet som kan ses som en process som involverar medarbetare. I denna studie har vi undersökt hur ledare kan skapa motivation, engagemang och resurser för medarbetare att vilja medverka och bidra till kunskapsöverföring. För att försöka förstå hur kunskap överförs i en organisation har vi använt oss av Nonaka och Takeuchi, (1995) SECI-modell. Modellen bygger på samspelet mellan den tysta och explicita kunskapen, vilket sker i fyra processer. Dessa processer har vi sedan utvecklat till en egen modell som inkluderar institutionella, organisatoriska och kognitiva faktorer. Utifrån dessa faktorer har vi skapat praktiska förslag på hur ledare tillsammans med medarbetarna kan planera kunskapsöverföring. Dessa praktiska förslag gynnar både individuell- och organisatorisk utveckling, samt bidrar till att mildra kunskapsförlust vid generationsväxlingen. Ett av de praktiska exempel vi utformat är en kompetensprofil, som är ett hjälpmedel för organisationer att identifiera vilken kunskap som medarbetarna besitter, vilket synliggör vilken kunskap det är som kan gå förlorad. Kompetensprofilen tillsammans med vår modell kan appliceras på liknande företag, men även på organisationer som verkar inom andra branscher. Eftersom denna kompetensprofil är utvecklad efter de krav som finns inom aktuell verksamhet, finns det möjlighet att anpassa efter andra verksamheter.

Implementação de sistemas de gestão integrados no setor de construção: estudo de casos brasileiros

As pressões de mercado, os programas de abertura financeira, a desregulamentação da atividade produtiva e a diminuição de barreiras protecionistas afetam significativamente a competitividade da indústria nacional. Outras mudanças, não apenas econômicas, mas sociais, políticas e tecnológicas, também pressionam as organizações a adotar novas estratégias empresariais e deixam claro que modelos de gestão tradicionais já não são mais suficientes para enfrentar estes novos desafios. Na busca de diferenciais competitivos, as empresas têm adotado sistemas de gestão da qualidade, de gestão ambiental e de gestão da saúde e segurança do trabalhador. Como forma de evidenciar a terceiros sua preocupação simultânea com estas três disciplinas, as empresas têm buscado a certificação integrada destes sistemas por meio das normas ISO 9001, ISO 14001 e OHSAS 18001. Surgem, assim, os Sistemas de Gestão Integrados (SGIs), objetos de pesquisa deste estudo. O recorte é setorial, sendo que o setor de construção foi escolhido devido a características como singularidade de seus produtos, alto impacto ambiental e alto índice de acidentes de trabalho. Com o objetivo de investigar como os SGIs foram implementados no setor de construção, foram escolhidos três casos de empresas sabidamente adotantes deste modelo de gestão. Foram analisadas as motivações, o processo de implementação e certificação do sistema, os fatores críticos de sucesso, as dificuldades encontradas e os benefícios colhidos com a adoção de SGIs. A pesquisa confirmou estudos anteriores que demonstram que a motivação, dependendo do contexto em que as empresas se inserem, pode ser por necessidade de maior competitividade, de legitimação, ou ainda, por responsabilidade ambiental de sua liderança. Os fatores críticos de sucesso são, dentre outros, comprometimento da alta administração, comunicação eficiente com as partes interessadas, disponibilidade de recursos e maturidade das equipes. As dificuldades encontradas foram a valorização excessiva de resultados econômico-financeiros, a complexidade do modelo adotado, a utilização burocrática do sistema, a falta de maturidade e preparo dos profissionais, o porte dos projetos, o perfil de competências dos profissionais e variados tipos de resistências. A adoção do SGI nas empresas estudadas esteve condicionada a situações do cenário econômico, do alto índice de terceirização verificado no setor e às dificuldades com a qualificação da mão-de-obra. Não obstante as dificuldades e os condicionantes, o SGI trouxe vários benefícios para as organizações e, um dado relevante, é que ele pode desencadear reações positivas ao longo da cadeia de valor, uma vez que as empresas adotantes de SGI passam a ser mais exigentes em relação a seus fornecedores.

Percepción de las enfermeras de atención especializada sobre la prescripción enfermera

El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar la percepción que sobre el concepto de “prescripción enfermera” tienen los profesionales enfermeros de atención especializada. Para ello se realizó un abordaje cualitativo mediante técnica Delphi, con la participación de 20 profesionales enfermeros que constituyeron el grupo de expertos. El período de estudio estuvo comprendido entre diciembre de 2008 y febrero de 2009 y se desarrolló en un hospital de tercer nivel de la Comunidad de Madrid. Se identificaron 17 actividades que fueron entendidas por el grupo de expertos como prescripción enfermera, siendo éstas agrupadas con arreglo a tres categorías: prescripción independiente, colaborativa y basándose en un protocolo. El grupo de expertos consideró que dichas actividades pueden ser desarrolladas mediante dos perfiles competenciales enfermeros: el perfil administrativo y el facultativo.

Standardisation and benchmarking for improving translator training

The worldwide growth of the translation industry requires qualified professional translators. During the last decade, we have seen an enormous increase in translator training programmes offered by universities, mainly at postgraduate level. A challenge for such university programmes is to make sure that they prepare graduates who are qualified for the needs of the diverse profession in the rapidly changing market. This means that programmes need to be developed with the market needs in mind and that they need to ensure a good match between graduates' competences and employers' requirements. This paper addresses the following questions: How can universities adapt translator training programmes to the rapidly changing industry and the accompanying changes in professional profiles? How can we reconcile the requests of the industry for graduates who have practical and professional skills with the requests of the universities for graduates who have in-depth academic knowledge and intellectual skills? What standards and benchmarks are in place to assure quality of translator training programmes? Some such developments in respect of benchmarking are illustrated at first for the United Kingdom, followed by information on the European Master’s in Translation (EMT) project, an initiative at the European level. Finally, the paper reflects on the challenges which the EMT translator competence profile poses for university programmes.

Competence–Based Support of Interaction between Business Network Members

In a complicated business network finding a supplier can be a very time consuming task. The technology of competence management is aimed to support such kind of tasks. The paper presents an approach to support interaction between business network members based on such technologies as competence management and knowledge management. The conceptual models of the context-driven competence management system and production network member competence profile are described. The usage of the competence management system is illustrated via an example from automotive industry.

Global poly(A) mRNA expression profile measured in individual bovine oocytes and cleavage embryos

The objective of this article was to estimate quantitative differences for GAPDH transcripts and poly(A) mRNA: (i) between oocytes collected from cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) qualified morphologically as grades A and B; (ii) between grade A oocytes before and after in vitro maturation (IVM); and (iii) among in vitro-produced embryos at different developmental stages. To achieve this objective a new approach was developed to estimate differences between poly(A) mRNA when using small samples. The approach consisted of full-length cDNA amplification (acDNA) monitored by real-time PCR, in which the cDNA from half of an oocyte or embryo was used as a template. The GAPDH gene was amplified as a reverse transcription control and samples that were not positive for GAPDH transcripts were discarded. The fold differences between two samples were estimated using delta Ct and statistical analysis and were obtained using the pairwise fixed reallocation randomization test. It was found that the oocytes recovered from grade B COCs had quantitatively less poly(A) mRNA (p < 0.01) transcripts compared with grade A COCs (1 arbitrary unit expression rate). In the comparison with immature oocytes (I arbitrary unit expression rate), the quantity of poly(A) mRNA did not change during IVM, but declined following IVF and varied with embryo culture (p < 0.05). Amplification of cDNA by real-time PCR was an efficient method to estimate differences in the amount of poly(A) mRNA between oocytes and embryos. The results obtained from individual oocytes suggested an association between poly(A) mRNA abundance and different morphological qualities of oocytes from COCs. In addition, a poly(A) mRNA profile was characterized from oocytes undergoing IVM, fertilization and blastocyst heating.

Psychological profile of adolescents with a kidney transplant.

To describe the psychological profile of renal transplant adolescents compared to healthy peers and to adolescents with CKD, three groups of adolescents aged 12-18 yr were selected: TX, CX, and adolescents with CKD. Psychiatric symptoms and disorders were evaluated through direct interviews (K-SADS-PL) and self-report questionnaires (YSR and CBCL). Forty TX (14 LRD and 26 DD transplant recipients), 40 CX and 20 CKD were included. Twelve of 40 (30%) TX, three of 20 (15%) CKD, and three of 40 (7.5%) CX had a history of learning difficulties (p = 0.03). Compared to CX, TX had lower total YSR competencies score (p = 0.028) and lower total CBCL competencies score (p = 0.003). Twenty-six of 40 (65%) TX, 12 of 20 (60%) CKD and 15 of 40 (37.5%) CX (p = 0.038) met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for lifetime psychiatric disorder, with rates of depressive disorder of 35% among TX and CKD compared to 15.2% among CX (p = 0.043). Eight of 40 (20%) TX had a history of simple phobia. Nine of 40 (22.5%) TX met diagnostic criteria for ADHD as compared to one of 20 (5%) CKD and three of 40 (7.5%) CX. In the TX group, we found no significant differences in educational and psychiatric variables between LRD and DD. In conclusion, we found a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity (depression, phobia, ADHD), educational impairment and social competence problems in the TX group. CKD scored in between TX and CX on most measures.

Responding to Changing Student Demographics in Finland: A Study of Teachers’ Developing Cultural Competence

The aim of this dissertation was to examine the skills and knowledge that pre-service teachers and teachers have and need about working with multilingual and multicultural students from immigrant backgrounds. The specific goals were to identify pre-service teachers’ and practising teachers’ current knowledge and awareness of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, identify a profile of their strengths and needs, and devise appropriate professional development support and ways to prepare teachers to become equitable culturally responsive practitioners. To investigate these issues, the dissertation reports on six original empirical studies within two groups of teachers: international pre-service teacher education students from over 25 different countries as well as pre-service and practising Finnish teachers. The international pre-service teacher sample consisted of (n = 38, study I; and n = 45, studies II-IV) and the pre-service and practising Finnish teachers sample encompassed (n = 89, study V; and n = 380, study VI). The data used were multi-source including both qualitative (students’ written work from the course including journals, final reflections, pre- and post-definition of key terms, as well as course evaluation and focus group transcripts) and quantitative (multi-item questionnaires with open-ended options), which enhanced the credibility of the findings resulting in the triangulation of data. Cluster analytic procedures, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and qualitative analyses mostly Constant Comparative Approach were used to understand pre-service teachers’ and practising teachers’ developing cultural understandings. The results revealed that the mainly white / mainstream teacher candidates in teacher education programmes bring limited background experiences, prior socialisation, and skills about diversity. Taking a multicultural education course where identity development was a focus, positively influenced teacher candidates’ knowledge and attitudes toward diversity. The results revealed approaches and strategies that matter most in preparing teachers for culturally responsive teaching, including but not exclusively, small group activities and discussions, critical reflection, and field immersion. This suggests that there are already some tools to address the need for the support needed to teach successfully a diversity of pupils and provide in-service training for those already practising the teaching profession. The results provide insight into aspects of teachers’ knowledge about both the linguistic and cultural needs of their students, as well as what constitutes a repertoire of approaches and strategies to assure students’ academic success. Teachers’ knowledge of diversity can be categorised into sound awareness, average awareness, and low awareness. Knowledge of diversity was important in teachers’ abilities to use students’ language and culture to enhance acquisition of academic content, work effectively with multilingual learners’ parents/guardians, learn about the cultural backgrounds of multilingual learners, link multilingual learners’ prior knowledge and experience to instruction, and modify classroom instruction for multilingual learners. These findings support the development of a competency based model and can be used to frame the studies of pre-service teachers, as well as the professional development of practising teachers in increasingly diverse contexts. The present set of studies take on new significance in the current context of increasing waves of migration to Europe in general and Finland in particular. They suggest that teacher education programmes can equip teachers with the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to enable them work effectively with students from different ethnic and language backgrounds as they enter the teaching profession. The findings also help to refine the tools and approaches to measuring the competencies of teachers teaching in mainstream classrooms and candidates in preparation.

THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OF MANAGERIAL PROFILE COMPETENCIES FOR NURSE COORDINATORS IN THE HOSPITAL FIELD

The objective of this study was to construct a profile of managerial competencies, based on the consensus of nurse coordinators in the field. This study was developed in a philanthropic hospital in Sao Paulo, following the research-action model, and included 13 nurse coordinators as participants. The data collection was performed using the focal group technique. Data analysis was performed using the theoretical frameworks related to the working process and managerial competencies. The results identified the greater emphasis assigned to the competencies related to the mentor, coordinator and director roles. It was, therefore, possible to construct a professional development plan that is based on competencies in the technical, ethical-political, and communicative domains, as well as the development of citizenship. The analysis of the managerial working process and the study of the competencies within the managerial environment were shown to be important, because they highlighted the professionals' need to improve, thus fulfilling personal, professional, and organizational demands.

Targeting Special Populations for Family Preservation: The Influence of Worker Competence and Organizational Culture

Today there are approximately 581,000 children in the United States foster care system. Children of color, one special population group, are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Family preservation, a program that aims to improve family functioning and thus decrease the need for foster care, has been examined closely. Some researchers believe that family preservation programs have failed partly due to practitioners' inability to target appropriate families (Feldman, 1990; Schuerman, Rzepnicki & Littell, 1994). Additionally, research confirms that children of color are not the target of family preservation services (Denby, Curtis, & Alford, 1998). Improvements in the effectiveness of family preservation will require many types of reform both internal and external to the program. Among the types of internal reform needed is accurate "targeting of services. " Given the overrepresentation of children of color in the foster care system, this group must be among those who are targeted for services. The results of a national survey of 254 family preservation workers reveal a "profile" of the worker who is likely to target special populations, including children of color, for family preservation services. A case is made for service improvements and training to facilitate the "profiled" workers' competencies.

Teamwork competence and academic motivation in computer science engineering studies.

The present work is focused on studying two issues: the “teamwork” generic competence and the “academic motivation”. Currently the professional profile of engineers has a strong component of teamwork. On the other hand, motivational profile of students determines their tendencies when they come to work in team, as well as their performance at work. In this context we suggest four hypotheses: (H1) students improve their teamwork capacity by specific training and carrying out a set of activities integrated into an active learning process; (H2) students with higher mastery motivation have better attitude towards team working; (H3) students with higher mastery motivation obtain better results in academic performance; and (H4) students show different motivation profiles in different circumstances: type of courses, teaching methodologies, different times of the learning process. This study was carried out with computer science engineering students from two Spanish universities. The first results point to an improvement in teamwork competence of students if they have previously received specific training in facets of that competence. Other results indicate that there is a correlation between the motivational profiles of students and their perception about teamwork competence. Finally, and contrary to the initial hypothesis, these profiles appear to not influence significantly the academic performance of students.

Best practices for school leaders: Implementation of a profesional competence model for school management in Chile

In Chile, during the last three decades there has been a strong decentralization process whose main objective has been to improve the management of schools through the transfer of responsibilities and resources of education and thus improve the outcome of learning, reducing equity gaps between schools and territories. This is how, there has been an evolution of school principals¿ professional profile from an administrative to a management approach, in which principals have become project managers of educational projects. From a competence model for school leaders, based on IPMA guidelines, the present article presents an analysis of best practices for school management, allowing to generate a link between competencies and school management, from the perspective of project management. Results showed that the different competence elements, have relative weights according to the different practice fields, and that this analysis can be considered as a strategic element in educational project planning and development.