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"learning"

This paper presents a critically reflective evaluation of the pilot implementation of the Mahara e-portfolio system into the curriculum of an Internship Program at a Macquarie University in Sydney. Currently, at the half-way point of the pilot, the e-portfolio pilot project team is presented with the opportunity to evaluate their progress and make improvements in response to issues that have been identified for the following semester. Feedback was gathered from each of Brookfield's four lenses using tools including a reflective journal, online student feedback survey, consultation with colleagues and a review of the literature to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Mahara e-portfolio in semester one, 2010. This investigation will form the first cycle of an action research process, where results from critical reflections in semester one will inform the next action research cycle to be undertaken during semester two, 2010. Implications for the Mahara e-portfolio trial in semester two include improvements to student feedback methods and usability, increased level of training and support and an enhanced blog and forum. These results suggest that in evaluating the effectiveness of the e-portfolio, as with any new curriculum innovation, it is important to focus on how the tool can support and enhance learning. ©2010 Amanda Parker.

The main focus of this article is the dual system in Germany. The dual system here consists of a traditional pattern of skill formation which goes back to the medieval mode of apprenticeship training. This means that training is workplace-led and predominantly practical although there is a vocational school involved in the training process. In Germany, other traits, such as the vocational principle and a special kind of public regulation, define a learning culture which differs from most other countries, including England and Australia. On the one hand, the strength of the apprenticeship system implies borderlines to other subsystems, such as full-time vocational education and training (VET). On the other hand, it does not offer individually tailored VET programs, which exist in Anglo-Saxon countries, but resembles the VET systems of Denmark in some respects. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Summer Design Office (SDO) is cooperation between Bedriftsforbundet, Innovation Norway, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) which was initiated in 2006. The aim of the office is to increase the use of design as a competitive advantage within Norwegian Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The means of achieving this goal is by using design students to develop a conceptual design for the participating businesses. [14] A study has been conducted which attempts to answer the following questions: • What is possible to learn by work, according to the pedagogical literature? • Is the potential for learning utilized in the SDO? • Are there changes that could improve students' learning within the SDO? This study contains a literature study of learning by work and an analysis of the SDO in relation to this, with a subsequent discussion. In addition, a survey among the students has been used in this work. The following paper has a short description of the SDO, a review of important literature, a discussion against these theories, and results from the survey with suggestions for improvements. Finally, areas that have the potential for further exploration within this specific topic and the literature in general are highlighted.

Use was made of adapted problem-based learning (PBL) practical exercises to address the disengagement of apprentices with the existing assembly-style electronic laboratory programme. Apprentices perceived the traditional routines as having little real-world relevance. This detracted from the value and benefit to them of the practical component of the subject. The object of the research was to gauge the value of any beneficial changes that may occur in the overall learning experience, resulting from the use of the PBL style exercises, as seen by the apprentices themselves. A single-cycle action research methodology was used. The apprentices received the new format very positively and responded well to the new environment. While particular areas were identified as requiring improvement, the outcome was very encouraging and indicates that the adapted PBL format, significantly developed and refined, is worth pursuing as a delivery strategy option for apprentice course provision. © 2010 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

Use of simulation is well established as a way of learning and assessing skills in vocational disciplines. In many institutions the use of simulation with student nurses is being tested as a way of helping them learn clinical skills, problem solving, clinical assessment and decision-making. This paper explores the value of simulation as a learning tool through the presentation of findings from an evaluative research project into the use of simulation in nursing education. The focus of this paper is how students perceive that simulations help them learn and suggests that simulation may play a part in how students perceive learning that is meaningful to them. A literature review on the use of simulation is presented together with literature related to the learning theory that underpins simulation. The methodology, data collection and findings of the evaluative study are then presented followed by a discussion of the findings. Although the original research did not set out to examine how students perceived that simulations influenced their learning, the analysis indicated that this was a significant issue for them. Conclusions are drawn about how learning theory and simulation can be brought together to enhance student learning. © 2010 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

Workplace simulations (WPS), authentic learning environments at school, are increasingly used in vocational education. This article provides a theoretical analysis and synthesis of requirements considering learner skills, characteristics of the learning environment and the role of the teacher that influence good functioning in WPS and foster students' learning. WPS appeal to students' self-directed learning (SDL) and self-regulated learning (SRL) skills, as students are required to work and learn independently in these settings. To achieve individual learning, the environments should be adaptive to the learners' needs. Furthermore, the teachers should support learners to become competent in the domain but also guide them to become self-directed learners. To do so the interaction between the student, the teacher and the environment is of importance. The proposed model depicts the different elements and their relations. © 2010 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

The aim of this article is to explore the features of industrial-education collaboration through inservice attachment training programme for polytechnics' lectures in Malaysia. The programme was initiated as a call for lifelong learning due to information overload, the advent of high-functionality systems, and a climate of rapid technological change. These have created new problems and challenges for education and training in producing quality and employable technical graduates. The analysis is based on a survey conducted on 157 polytechnics lecturers and 140 employers using questionnaires. The results show the agreement on all the features of the collaboration which grounded in the work based learning theories. However in the existing context, there are several features salient to lifelong learning need to be improved for more effective experiential learning collaboration. Several suggestions are presented.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how knowledge of different kinds is put to work in workplace education programmes for adults with low skills and adults with higher skills. A novel framework, which has moved beyond narrow conceptions of 'transfer' to concentrate on different forms of knowledge and the ways these are recontextualised as people move between sites of learning, was used to examine three work-based programmes in Canada. The aim was to compare the Canadian results with those obtained from six work-based exemplar programmes previously analysed according to the framework in the United Kingdom. Results indicate that the seven elements in the framework hold some explanatory power across a wide variety of workforce upskilling programmes as well as across learner skill levels and at the same time help to focus in on four kinds of knowledge recontextualisations. © 2010 Further Education Research Association.

Background: Surgical trainees' operating theatre (OT) experiences significantly influence their ability to attain key professional competencies. A measure of trainees' satisfaction with this learning environment would allow recognition of characteristics of highly successful teaching venues and threats to trainee development. Our study aimed to validate the Surgical Theatre Educational Environment Measure (STEEM) and use it to explore Australasian surgical trainees' satisfaction with OT learning.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the STEEM was distributed electronically to all 1500 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons trainees in Australia and New Zealand. Trainee satisfaction was gauged using Likert-type items, an overall satisfaction measure and content analysis of free-text comments. The STEEM's psychometric properties were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis.Results: Three hundred fifty-six responses were received. The STEEM's original subscales were not supported by the data; empirically grounded subscales were identified for further analysis. Most trainees were satisfied with their OT environment and satisfaction was higher in senior than junior trainees. Trainees' relationship with their supervisor correlated most strongly with overall satisfaction. Less positively, only half of trainees report discussing their operative role with their supervisor prior to surgery.Conclusions: The a priori STEEM subscales could not be replicated by factor analysis. We developed an empirically grounded instrument capable of identifying areas of trainee concern. The majority of trainees reported high levels of satisfaction. The revised instrument has potential to complement other sources of information to facilitate surgical supervisors' difficult task of optimizing trainees' compatibility with their OT learning environments. © 2010 The Authors. ANZ Journal of Surgery © 2010 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

As online education continues to grow, there is a consensus that online courses and programs should be designed based on the needs of adult learners. This premise is also relevant to growing career and technical education (CTE) programs offered online. However, much of the literature in online CTE lacks implicit connections to emerging notions of adult development and learning. This article provides an overview of the status of online education in CTE offered in higher education, and discusses adult learning development as a means to inform curriculum design and instruction. The article concludes with an outline of emerging trends bridging adult learning and online education relevant to career and technical education. © 2011 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.