Search Results for
"human"

This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based assessment criteria, describing what students should do, for the task at hand. The performance-based group is compared to a competence-based assessment group in which students receive a preset list of competence-based assessment criteria, describing what students should be able to do. The test phase revealed that the performance-based group outperformed the competence-based group on test task performance. In addition, higher performance of the performance-based group was reached with lower reported mental effort during training, indicating a higher instructional efficiency for novice students. © 2010 The Author(s).

Commissioned by NHS Education South Central (NESC) Postgraduate Dental Deanery, this work provided an external, independent formative evaluation of the Dental Therapists Vocational Training (TVT) scheme in its first year of operation. Undertaken between March-September 2009, the evaluation engaged with all those involved in the TVT scheme: the newly qualified dental therapists (n = 9; group discussion and questionnaire; portfolio extracts) and interviews with their trainers (n = 9), Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean and TVT Scheme Adviser. Most of those on the scheme did not feel well prepared for work at the point of initial qualification and benefitted from enhancement of confidence and skills. Although the number of treatments undertaken by each of the trainees varied considerably, there was commonality in terms of treatment types. Benefits for trainers included the opportunity to work with a dental therapist and develop a better understanding of their role. They praised the trainees' skills with nervous patients and children and their preventative work. A therapist on the team released the dentist for more complex treatments. Challenges related to the recruitment of trainees and trainers, the relative lack of knowledge about the work of dental therapists, concerns about maintaining the range of therapy skills and issues about UDA (unit of dental activity) distribution. There was widespread support for a mandatory TVT scheme. This scheme could be improved by providing further guidance on the amount and type of clinical experience required. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Objective: International reports on school-to-work transition make it clear that worldwide youth are at-risk for educational disengagement and are three times as likely to be unemployed as their adult counterparts. Work-based education (WBE) is one of the most frequently recommended solutions for youth disengagement which suggests that WBE serves as a protective factor and encourages resilience in at-risk youth. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the experiences of two at-risk youth enrolled in WBE. Participants: Two 18-year old at-risk youth enrolled in WBE were chosen for study because they were learning in workplaces judged likely to promote resilience. Both had been disengaged from school prior to enrolling in WBE. Method: Each multiple-perspective case study includes the perspective of the youth, the workplace employer, and the work-based educator. Data consisted of ethnographic observations and interviews conducted at the workplace, and with the teacher in the school. Results: Each case study highlights how supportive adults and an at-risk youth engage in interactions that facilitate the emergence of resilience in the workplace. Conclusions: In these two cases, risk and resilience are context specific, suggesting that at-risk youth may require tailored workplace programs to meet their career development needs. © 2010 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

[No abstract available]

Objective: To describe the way in which the rural press portrays a rural clinical school and its staff and students. Design: Textual analysis of a collection of newspapers kept by the local campuses of the University of New South Wales Rural Clinical School (UNSW RCS). The study: The UNSW established a RCS in January 2000. This study sampled a total of 225 articles from eleven rural newspapers, a collection held by the campuses of the rural clinical schools. The major themes of the articles were identified; the descriptive terms the newspaper articles used for medical students, the UNSW RCS and rural doctors were also identified. The way in which clinical schools, their staff and students, are portrayed in the rural press has the potential to influence recruitment and retention. Conclusions: The study showed that the rural press was strongly supportive of the rural clinical school in their local region. This was particularly true for medical students, the school itself and the potential impact on workforce. The newspapers provided information for future students, depicting work-experience programs and current students. They were less illustrative of current medical and academic staff, with the exception of the Head of School. © 2010 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health © 2010 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

This article proposes lifelong learning as a socio-personal process and a personal fact. As such, it is conceptually distinct from an educational provision, which constitutes one kind of institutional fact. In making this distinction, this article seeks to elaborate a major flaw in the precepts for conceptualisation and enactment of the report Learning through Life, thereby proposing it as being ill-informed, partial, of limited use and dangerous as it could lead to the misrepresentation, marginalisation and undermining of a broadly premised provision of adult learning. The emphasis on educational provisions rather than individuals' learning and the diversity of settings in which individuals learn stand as major flaws that seemingly arise from the authors' perspectives and stakeholder interests. Largely neglected throughout is the scholarship on adult learning and development across individuals' life courses. Instead, miscellaneous and unhelpful sources inform the report. The overall recommendations reflect a view of human development that was abandoned decades ago as being unhelpful, and whose rejection is more now pertinent than ever. Moreover, it largely rehearses in educational discourse and unquestioningly the value of taught courses, ignoring the importance and ubiquity of learning experiences outside of courses. Across the report's discussion, and shaping its recommendations, lifelong learning is presented as an institutional rather than a personal process. It is erroneously claimed to be something that social institutions do rather than individuals. In doing so, a misinformed and inaccurate account of lifelong learning emerges and a narrow conception of how learning might best be promoted and supported is advanced. The great threat within this document is to promote a form of learning support that lends itself to regulation and control. The peril here is that other circumstances and settings in which learning occurs will be ignored or marginalised. In all, not only is this report an opportunity lost, but it also represents a significant threat to an important and viable field of human and societal development. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

This edited volume aims to evaluate the promises of workplace learning by addressing the following related questions: What are current developments in theory that informs workplace learning research? How can learning in the workplace be measured? What is the impact of various organizational settings (e.g., team-based work and call centres) on workplace learning? Which are the promising new avenues for research? And which research-based recommendations can be made to boost learning opportunities in various work contexts? The topic is conceptualized as an interaction between the individual and the work context, as a combination of individual and collective processes, as a link between cognition and action, and as a political process. With a wide array of contributions from academics such as Stephen Billet, Tara Fenwick and Victoria Marsick, this volume will be an important research and reference tool with all those academics and practitioners who are interested in the field of human resource development. Targeted at researchers, (post) graduate students, and reflective practitioners and managers interested in the area, "Workplace Learning" provides must-read material for anyone wanting to advance the theory, research, and/or practice of learning in the workplace. © 2010 Marianne Van Woerkom and Rob Poell. All rights reserved.

This article explores the role of national institutional factors - more specifically, the level of skill transparency of the education system and labour market coordination - in accounting for cross-national differences in the relationship between education and occupational status. Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that skill transparency is the primary moderator. Countries with a highly transparent educational system (i.e., extensive tracking, strong vocational orientation, limited tertiary enrolment) tend to be characterized by a strong relationship between education and occupational status. These findings hold even after controlling for the level of labour market coordination. Nevertheless, we also find that labour market coordination plays an independent role by dampening the effect of education on occupational status. Taken together, these results suggest two quite different policy implications: (1) strengthening the skill transparency of the education system by increasing secondary and tertiary-level differentiation may strengthen the relationship between education and occupation, regardless of the level of coordination, and (2) increasing labour market coordination could lead to improved social inclusion and a reduction in inequalities related to educational attainment. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2010.

Background: Our residency program developed and implemented an online portfolio system. In the present communication, we describe this system and provide an early analysis of its effect on competency-based performance and acceptance of the system by the residents. Materials and Methods: To measure competency-based performance, end-of-rotation global evaluations of residents by faculty completed before (n = 1488) and after (n = 697) implementation of the portfolio were compared. To assess acceptance, residents completed a 20-question survey. Results: Practice-based learning and improvement improved following implementation of the portfolio system (P = 0.002). There was also a trend toward improvement in the remaining competencies. In the survey tool (response rate 69%), 95% of the residents agreed that the purpose and functions of the system had been explained to them, and 82% affirmed understanding of ways in which the system could help them, although fewer than half reported that their portfolio had aided in their development of the competencies. All residents appreciated the system's organizational capabilities, and 87% agreed that the portfolio was a useful educational tool. Conclusions: This web portfolio program is a valuable new instrument for both residents and administrators. Early analysis of its impact demonstrates a positive effect across all competencies, and survey analysis revealed that residents have a positive view of this new system. As the portfolio is further incorporated into the educational program, we believe that our residents will discover new tools to craft a career of genuine self-directed learning. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse what retail and hospitality industry employers want from training and trainers. Design/methodology/approach: The research project was undertaken for Service Skills Australia, the Australian Industry Skills Council that oversees formal training for a range of service industries in Australia. The paper utilises data from focus groups and telephone interviews with representatives of the retail and hospitality industries, and telephone interviews with staff of the relevant UK Sector Skills Councils, to provide international benchmarking for the issues raised. Findings: Results showed that, while industry representatives stated that they prioritised industry skills and knowledge above education skills and knowledge, a complex mixture of the two was required, which was generally felt to be lacking. Curriculum for training was also perceived to be deficient, despite Training packages having been developed in consultation with industry. A comparison with the UK interviews with senior staff at the UK Skills Councils for the two industries showed similar issues and suggested some possible ways forward for Australia. Originality/value: The paper provides three major areas where improvement in VET training and trainers would be welcome and gives useful initiatives for improvement in those areas. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.