Advice and reflections for a university teacher beginning an academic career

Although graduate programs typically prepare university students well for research activity, many have been less successful in educating for other aspects of academic careers. This article discusses Iain Hay's “Letter to a New University Teacher,” which has been used internationally to help new lecturers beginning their career. Prepared as an autoethnographic account for a recent graduate, “The Letter” distils principles held to underpin a successful academic career. Five university teachers and academic managers discuss critically the content and their applications of “The Letter” and make some suggestions for its use in continuously transforming higher education contexts.     

Appendix: deconstructive commentary

Abstract

A ‘short and thin’ model for work experience has been devised at Middlesex University. The reasons for adopting this approach are discussed, and its benefits and drawbacks are identified. The challenge of designing a work experience for a technological area such as GIS that also meets the academic requirements of a non‐vocational degree programme is also discussed.     

FRAGILITY ASSESSMENT OF SLAB-COLUMN CONNECTIONS IN EXISTING NON-DUCTILE REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS

Fragility functions that estimate the probability of exceeding different levels of damage in slab-column connections of existing non-ductile reinforced concrete buildings subjected to earthquakes are presented. The proposed fragility functions are based on experimental data from 16 investigations conducted in the last 36 years that include a total of 82 specimens. Fragility functions corresponding to four damage states are presented as functions of the level of peak interstory drift imposed on the connection. For damage states involving punching shear failure and loss of vertical carrying capacity, the fragility functions are also a function of the vertical shear in the connection produced by gravity loads normalised by the nominal vertical shear strength in the absence of unbalanced moments. Two sources of uncertainty in the estimation of damage as a function of lateral deformation are studied and discussed. The first is the specimen-to-specimen variability of the drifts associated with a damage state, and the second the epistemic uncertainty arising from using small samples of experimental data and from interpreting the experimental results. For a given peak interstorey drift ratio, the proposed fragility curves permit the estimation of the probability of experiencing different levels of damage in slab-column connections.     

On the Case: Method in Public and Community Archaeology

This paper seeks to initiate a conversation about methodology in public and community archaeology through an examination of the use of case studies. Case studies enable the exploration of situations that are, by their nature, not easily reduced to statistical data. The challenge is that unless they are carefully structured, case studies may contribute little beyond anecdote to the field. Other disciplines that rely on case studies have addressed the methodological challenges aggressively. This paper explores these issues in four sections: First, the rationale for methodology in public archaeology is examined. Second, actual practice—through analysis of papers published in Public Archaeology and, to a limited degree, in the ‘grey literature’—is reviewed. Third, alternative case study methods, gleaned from diverse disciplines, are presented. Finally, the potential for method-based case study research is illustrated through an example of the use of one such method.     

A CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGNING AND EVALUATING COMMUNITY‐BASED AFTER‐SCHOOL ART PROGRAMS

The objective of this paper is two‐fold. First, various perspectives that have been adopted in the discursive context of the benefits of engaging children and youths in artistic endeavors are examined. Second, in the hope of maximizing the quality of arts programs that enrich the lives of youth, a conceptual and methodological framework for the development of community‐based art programs for youth is presented. The aim is to provide a clear way to conceptualize and operationalize arts programs, and to delineate methods for the evaluation of their effectiveness.     

Ethics and transparency in the field: lessons from the Arab Gulf

This viewpoint draws from feminist scholarship to critically examine an academic partnership between two universities based in the USA and in the Arab Gulf. In particular, feminist geography is used to inform cross-cultural projects such as this academic exchange among Arabs and Americans by focusing on ethics and transparency in the field. The complexity of cultural and institutional dynamics in this and related projects impacts our work with participants and in places where we conduct research. This analysis is based on collaboration between a public university in the USA and an all-women's university located in Bahrain, an Arab Gulf monarchy that has experienced violence stemming from socio-economic disparities and political tensions between the ruling Sunnis and the majority Shiite population. The project exemplifies a growing trend among Western universities to participate in academic partnerships that will generate financial resources while educating students in regions with limited access to higher education. The contradictions and dilemmas that arise in this academic engagement highlight the importance of ethics and transparency in cross-cultural university partnerships.     

中国热点旅游城市旅游国际化水平定量评价研究

从国际旅游业发展水平和国际旅游业发展环境两大方面入手,构建了4层39个指标的评价体系,采用层次分析法,定量评价了中国27座热点旅游城市的旅游国际化水平。在此基础上,运用SPSS软件进行聚类分析,将中国热点旅游城市的旅游国际化水平划分为4种类型,最后分析了各城市旅游国际水平的优劣势和提升方向。     

区域旅游研究十年:进展与评价

采用文献信息分析的方法对21世纪前10年中国区域旅游研究进行了系统分析和评价。研究发现,现有研究主要集中在区域旅游竞争与合作、区域旅游规划、区域旅游产业、区域旅游竞争力、区域旅游系统与空间结构等五个方面。从内容上看,现有研究与区域旅游发展的时代特征之间具有显著的相关性,"以任务带学科"的研究路径仍是这一时期的主流,区域旅游在理论建构方面并没有取得重大进展;而从研究方法上看,现有研究存在过度主观性和过度注重数理技术的应用两种极端倾向。文章最后指出,区域旅游研究应在继续遵循服务产业发展实际的基础上,从对现实问题的解决中提炼出具有学术价值的理论问题,保持对固有研究传统传承的同时,积极寻求理论创新是推动区域旅游研究进步和区域旅游学术发展的必然。     

住宅优势度的理论与评价方法

在总结已有城市住宅价格空间分异相关理论体系的基础上,提出了住宅优势度的概念和理论,认为在城市内部,某住宅相对于其他住宅所具有的优势及其量化程度称为住宅优势度,是住宅相对优势的度量。住宅优势度决定住宅价格,住宅价格是住宅优势度的货币体现。构建了住宅优势度研究的基本框架,阐述了其假设前提,提出了其基本构成要素和综合评价体系。将该视角应用于扬州市的案例研究,结果表明其住宅优势度与住宅价格存在显著的正相关关系。证明本文构建的住宅优势度理论及其评价体系具有合理性和可行性,为城市住宅价格的构成要素与影响机理分析提供一个可供选择的新视角。     

乡镇地域多功能性评价与主导功能定位——以金湖县为例

地方乡镇发展正面临着主体功能区规划要求下的功能再定位,客观评价乡镇地域多功能性是科学确定乡镇主导功能的关键。从县域视角,乡镇地域具有农业生产、非农业生产、社会保障、文化传承和生态保护等多种功能,选取表征各功能强弱的"态"指标和反应功能发展变化趋势的"势"指标,构建了县域乡镇地域多功能性评价指标体系以及单项功能位评价模型、多功能综合多维评价模型和主导功能判定的四象限分析模型。以金湖县为例对各乡镇的多功能性进行评价,并基于评价结果确定了各镇的主导功能。