International Trends in Economics Degrees During the 1990s

Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United States experienced a substantial decline in undergraduate degrees in economics from 1992 through 1996, followed immediately by a modest recovery. This cycle does not conform to overall degree trends, shifts in the gender composition of undergraduate populations, or changing interests of female students in any of the four countries. There is no evidence that changes in the “price” of a degree to students, tightened marking standards or degree requirements, or changes in pedagogical methods caused the cycle.

Jobs for economics graduates declined in the United States between 1988 and 1990 and thereafter recovered. With a two-year recognition lag, the pattern of employment prospects fits the U.S. slump in economics degrees perfectly. Unfortunately, employment patterns in the other three countries are inconsistent with the degree cycle. The explanation that fits the economic degree pattern best is interest in business education.     

推进应用型本科院校课程中心建设的几点思考

针对在应用型本科院校里推广课程中心建设这一举措，提出了在教学理念、师资来源、教学对象、教学空间、教学设计、考核办法这6个方面所需的转变，并针对该类院校在学生、教师、外部环境、内部制度等方面存在的不足提出了解决方案。为信息化条件下应用型本科院校的教学改革提供了一些可借鉴的经验。     

工程类专业毕业设计教学环节的改革探讨

毕业设计教学环节是高等教育最为重要的实践性教学环节，分析了工程类专业毕业设计教学环节中存在的问题．提出了工程类专业毕业设计教学环节改革的思路和措施。     

本科层次《投资银行学》的实践教学刍议

投资银行学是金融专业的核心课程之一，具有很强的应用性和实践性，需要建立实践性的教学体系。完整的投资银行学实践教学体系应包括以过程驱动的课堂教学、以任务驱动的学生实训、分散灵活的校外实习三个方面。可将课程的内容模块化，重新组织和充实每一模块的内容。采用任务驱动的学生实训，通过完成任务将实践性知识转化为实践性技能，通过对完成任务的讨论与评价得以交流与提高。     

新升本科院校教学质量满意度调查研究——以湖南A学院为例

以问卷调查为基础,采取学生座谈、文献查阅等形式,围绕教学决策、教学执行、教学管理及服务等环节对湖南新升本科院校——A学院进行了深入的调查研究和分析。研究结果发现学生对本科教学质量满意度较高,但在教学决策水平、教师的师德水平和业务素质、管理理念和模式、学校环境建设等方面仍有待提高。新升本科院校应充分重视和处理教学决策、教学执行、教学管理及服务三者之间的辩证关系,加强教学决策的实践性、科学性和稳定性,提高教师的思想道德素养和教学执行力,提升教学管理及服务水平,确保教学质量稳步提升。     

Students' Motivation to Learn

ABSTRACT

Often called a “Discovery Major,” the parks, recreation, and tourism major tends to have more transfer students than other majors. Research has shown that educators sometimes perceive transfer students as less motivated than continuing students. This study explored differences between Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) students and non-PRT students who represented 52 majors on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Survey results confirmed that PRT students were more likely to have changed majors. Although PRT students reported lower ACT and GPA scores, no significant difference was found between the two groups in their motivation to learn. However, compared with non-PRT students, PRT students attributed more value to their major when they perceived having more control of their learning.     

高校青年教师如何看待科研与本科教学

加强科研与本科教学的紧密结合,有利于提高人才培养质量。青年教师作为高校科研与教学的主力军和新生力量,应正确看待、协调科研与教学的关系。因此,提倡青年教师在科研指导下进行教学,将科研成果引入教学过程,培养学生创新能力。     

The Status of Econometrics in the Economics Major: A Survey

In this article, the authors describe the place of econometrics in undergraduate economics curricula in all American colleges and universities that offer economics majors as listed in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges 2010” guide (U.S. News & World Report 2009). Data come from online catalogs, departmental Web sites, and online course syllabi. About one-third of the schools require econometrics of all students majoring in economics, about half require it of none, and a sixth require it of some, but not all, economics majors. Among universities with economics PhD programs and liberal arts colleges, almost all those ranked in the top 10 require it. Below the top 10, there is little correlation between ranking and econometrics requirements. Liberal arts econometrics classes are much more likely to require research projects than their counterparts in universities.     

Absenteeism and Undergraduate Exam Performance

The author investigates the relationship between students' absenteeism during a principles of microeconomics course and their subsequent performance on exams. Records were maintained regarding the specific class periods that each student missed during the semester. Records were also kept of the class meeting when the material corresponding to each multiple-choice test question was covered. A qualitative choice model reveals that students who missed class on a given date were significantly more likely to respond incorrectly to questions relating to material covered that day than students who were present.     

新建应用型本科院校图书馆的文献资源建设

图书馆文献信息资源要符合新建应用型本科院校的定位,应用型本科院校的办学定位应该立足自身特色,培养高素质应用型人才。新建应用型本科院校图书馆的文献要有自身特色,要把最能代表本校特色的文献作为资源建设重点,本校特色专业的文献要尽量全面收集,形成独特的馆藏优势。同时应广泛收集能提高学生素质的文献。