Preparing sport graduates for employment: satisfying employers expectations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore from an employer’s perspective the skills, attributes, and capabilities required of a sports graduate, whilst also discovering how a student is expected to demonstrate these skills in the context of a sports organisation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative interpretive case study approach through the use of face to face interviews with six employers from sports organisations involved in the delivery of sport. Interviews lasted between 30-42 minutes and were recorded. This was followed by a thematic review to allow for common themes to be selected and represented. The results were then reviewed and evaluated by a further 15 industry professionals and sports educators. Findings The results suggest employers seek skills that are characteristically enterprise/ entrepreneurship skills, together with an articulation of a ‘sports graduate’ mind-set. This mind-set is described by the employers as being something which is demonstrated through a combination of behaviours and attributes. The paper concluded that in the classroom the use of case studies and challenges where students have to respond to and solve problems by the very nature of the activity is optimal. Originality/Value The originality of this paper lies in both the context of study and the integration of enterprise and entrepreneurship skills that are needed for the changing world of work in sport. The value of the papers is in both the employer’s description of the graduate mind-set and also examples of how the skills can be applied in the context of sport

New Measures of Teacher Turnover Can Reveal Underlying Chronic Staffing Problems in Schools

Teacher quality is one of the most important measures that predicts students’ educational and professional outcomes. But student success can be undermined by teacher turnover. This brief, by PRC faculty research associate Huriya Jabbar and colleagues, describes a typology of teacher turnover measures, including both measures currently in use as well as new measures developed by the authors. These measures illuminate different ways in which staff instability can negatively affect schools.Population Research Cente

Colon wall motility: comparison of novel quantitative semi-automatic measurements using cine MRI

Background Recently, cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown promise for visualizing movement of the colonic wall, although assessment of data has been subjective and observer dependent. This study aimed to develop an objective and semi-automatic imaging metric of ascending colonic wall movement, using image registration techniques. Methods Cine balanced turbo field echo MRI images of ascending colonic motility were acquired over 2 min from 23 healthy volunteers (HVs) at baseline and following two different macrogol stimulus drinks (11 HVs drank 1 L and 12 HVs drank 2 L). Motility metrics derived from large scale geometric and small scale pixel movement parameters following image registration were developed using the post ingestion data and compared to observer grading of wall motion. Inter and intra-observer variability in the highest correlating metric was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis calculated from two separate observations on a subset of data. Key Results All the metrics tested showed significant correlation with the observer rating scores. Line analysis (LA) produced the highest correlation coefficient of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.55–0.86), p < 0.001 (Spearman Rho). Bland–Altman analysis of the inter- and intra-observer variability for the LA metric, showed almost zero bias and small limits of agreement between observations (−0.039 to 0.052 intra-observer and −0.051 to 0.054 inter-observer, range of measurement 0–0.353). Conclusions & Inferences The LA index of colonic motility derived from cine MRI registered data provides a quick, accurate and non-invasive method to detect wall motion within the ascending colon following a colonic stimulus in the form of a macrogol drink

Dispelling the Myth of How to Develop Enterprise/Entrepreneurship Skills in University Students: A Staff Perception Study

The teaching of enterprise/entrepreneurship skills in higher education institutions is fast becoming a growing field of interest (Rae, 2007) with a heightened curiosity into the mechanism of how this can be facilitated in non-business subjects, as it embellishes both employability and self- employability skills within graduates (Akpan & Etor, 2103). Accordingly this study sets out to investigate staff perceptions of teaching such skills and establishes some of the barriers faced when asked to embed enterprise/entrepreneurship skills. Through the use of cluster sampling and a single online survey both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and subsequently analysis was conducted using thematic mind maps and percentages. The findings indicated that staff are generally aware what teaching methods can be utilised to develop enterprise/entrepreneurship skills, with at least 70% of respondents finding methods such as role play, brainstorming, problem based learning, networking, use of pitches, use of case studies appropriate. Curiously out of 77.5% of staff who stated that enterprise/entrepreneurship was relevant in their subject only 52% said that they did in fact embed the skills in their curriculum, suggesting a lack in the clarity of meaning and expectation from their university. The implications of this research are discussed in relation to the need for clear guidance on terminology from any university setting about to embed enterprise/entrepreneurship within their programmes

SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF FOOD EXPENDITURE PATTERNS AMONG RACIALLY DIFFERENT LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

This paper examines the impact of selected socioeconomic characteristics on aggregate and group food expenditure patterns of racially different low-income households. A double logarithmic functional form was used to explain responses in household food expenditures to socioeconomic factors. Household income, family size, and Food Stamp Program participation were found to exert a strong positive impact on food expenditures. The general educational level of the homemaker registered no significant impact on household food expenditures. However, the nutritional knowledge of the homemaker increased the efficiency of food purchasing activities.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

An experimental method to identify neurogenic and myogenic active mechanical states of intestinal motility

Excitatory and inhibitory enteric neural input to intestinal muscle acting on ongoing myogenic activity determines the rich repertoire of motor patterns involved in digestive function. The enteric neural activity cannot yet be established during movement of intact intestine in vivo or in vitro. We propose the hypothesis that is possible to deduce indirectly, but reliably, the state of activation of the enteric neural input to the muscle from measurements of the mechanical state of the intestinal muscle. The fundamental biomechanical model on which our hypothesis is based is the “three-element model” proposed by Hill. Our strategy is based on simultaneous video recording of changes in diameters and intraluminal pressure with a fiber-optic manometry in isolated segments of rabbit colon. We created a composite spatiotemporal map (DPMap) from diameter (DMap) and pressure changes (PMaps). In this composite map rhythmic myogenic motor patterns can readily be distinguished from the distension induced neural peristaltic contractions. Plotting the diameter changes against corresponding pressure changes at each location of the segment, generates “orbits” that represent the state of the muscle according to its ability to contract or relax actively or undergoing passive changes. With a software developed in MatLab, we identified twelve possible discrete mechanical states and plotted them showing where the intestine actively contracted and relaxed isometrically, auxotonically or isotonically, as well as where passive changes occurred or was quiescent. Clustering all discrete active contractions and relaxations states generated for the first time a spatio-temporal map of where enteric excitatory and inhibitory neural input to the muscle occurs during physiological movements. Recording internal diameter by an impedance probe proved equivalent to measuring external diameter, making possible to further develop similar strategy in vivo and humans.Australian National Health and Medical Research Counci

Fostering learning for capability and assessing authentically: a vision for Enterprise Education

This paper explores how universities working in partnership with employers and students can design, deliver and assess a curriculum that actively encourages student engagement and helps prepare students for future multiple career pathways. After discussing a range of contextual factors impacting on employability, the authors propose an eight stage approach to developing a fit-for-purpose curriculum, with a particular focus on authentic assessment, and conclude by arguing for the necessity of an approach to curriculum design and delivery that is aligned to current and potential future graduate and employer need

Investigating the relationships between peristaltic contraction and fluid transport in the human colon using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

© 2012. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Complex relationships exist between gut contractility and the flow of digesta. We propose here a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics model coupling the flow of luminal content and wall flexure to help investigate these relationships. The model indicates that a zone of muscular relaxation preceding the contraction is an important element for transport. Low pressures in this zone generate positive thrust for low viscosity content. The viscosity of luminal content controls the localization of the flow and the magnitude of the radial pressure gradient and together with contraction amplitude they control the transport rate. For high viscosity content, high lumen occlusion is required for effective propulsion

The use of fibre optic sensing technology with intraluminal impedance catheter for functional gastrointestinal motility disorders

Author accepted manuscript made available with permission from Engineers Australia.We present a composite impedance fibre optic manometry catheter for monitoring functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). The catheter uses a dual lumen silicone extrusion to separate each technology and has been validated in ex-vivo animal models

Co- Creating a Blended learning Curriculum in Transition to Higher Education: A Student Viewpoint.

Involving students in the design and development of their curriculum is well established in Higher Education but comes with challenges and concerns for both the staff and students. This is not a simple concept and understanding more about the experiences of the student co-creators supports others in developing this aspect of curriculum design. This small scale project uses the individual and collective voices of five second year students who worked with one programme team to co-create a transition module to support new learners entering university. The study explores the co-creation experience and the student’s response to the feedback their co-created curriculum received when it was run for the first time. The study was designed to consider if co-creation of a module was beneficial to the students involved in its co-creation. The findings explored issues in relation to the experience, the actual design of the materials and how this could be developed. The students enjoyed the co-creation, felt appreciated and listened to and felt that this was a positive learning experience. They realised how difficult it is to please everybody and gained a much better appreciation of building learning experiences for others to use. The research highlights the fact that with regards to curriculum development within universities that students should be involved in co-creation as they have an understanding of the requirements of learning form a student perspective. Whilst student satisfaction cannot be necessarily be measured directly, the anecdotal comments from students involved in this project as they graduate are the values they place on the opportunities afforded to them