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"learning"

James Avis develops an important argument in this wide-ranging book, in which questions of social justice play a central role. He explores the socio-economic and policy context of education in advanced capitalist societies, and indicates the manner in which the rhetoric of policy-makers distorts the way in which skill is marshalled in the economy. The result is that oppressive and exploitative features of paid labour are underplayed in this rhetoric. He examines the lived experiences of teachers and students in post-compulsory education and explores their contradictory positions. If questions of social justice are to be addressed, an economically driven model of education should be rejected in favour of one that is politically engaged and utilises an expansive model of practice, extending into the wider society. © James Avis 2007.

ABET, ASEE, and the wider engineering community have long acknowledged the potential benefits of interdisciplinary education, including the opportunity to develop non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork while cultivating a broader awareness of the ethical, societal, historical, and environmental impacts of engineering work. Instructors have encountered many challenges in planning and implementing integrated courses, such as the difficulty of coordinating the teaching methods, content, and learning objectives of different academic disciplines in a finite and already overcrowded curriculum. This paper presents the goals, design approach, implementation, and selected outcomes of one integrated project-based course (using Paul Revere and other case studies to integrate materials science with the history of technology) and uses it to discuss the advantages of disciplinary integration, particularly with respect to improved student self-direction and contextual understanding. Assessments administered during and after class suggest that this integrated course successfully engendered high student motivation along with an increase in student aptitudes over the course of the semester without a corresponding loss of discipline-specific knowledge. The implementation of this integrated course and the evaluation of its outcomes are works in progress, and future assessments are being designed to shed additional light upon these issues. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.

This contribution follows the descriptive review of Weigel, Mulder and Collins regarding the use of the competence concept in the development of vocational education and training in England, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The purpose of this contribution is to review the critical analyses brought forward by various authors in this field. This analysis also remarks on the most important theories and critiques on the use of the competence concept in the above-mentioned states, The systems of vocational education within the four states covered in this study are: the National Vocational Qualifications in England, the approach to learning areas in Germany, the ETED and the bilan de compétences in France, and the implementation of competence-based vocational education in the Netherlands, and these are the respective focal points for the critical assessments of the competence concept presented here. These critiques encompass such aspects as the lack of a coherent definition of the concept of competence, the lack of a one-to-one relationship between competence and performance, the misled notion that employing the concept of competence decreases the value of knowledge, the difficulties of designing competence-based educational principles at the curriculum and instruction levels, the underestimation of the organizational consequences of competence-based education, and the many problems in the field of competence assessment. © 2007 The Vocational Aspect of Education.

Discussion of communities of practice in workplace learning is widespread. Here the authors seek to consider how we can make use of communities of practice theory in practical teaching in a formal undergraduate educational context. The concept of what the authors call the double shift is discussed; a shift from the workplace as community of practice to the educational institution then the shift back from the educational context to the workplace. The authors describe methods used to manage the transition between different communities based on reflection linked to the development of Continuing Professional Development programmes. They conclude that the learning that takes place in an educational context is in a dynamic relationship with the community of practice of the workplace and the methods proposed can contribute positively to this relationship. © 2007 The Vocational Aspect of Education.

Using previously unanalysed data from a lost study—the Adjustment of Young Workers to Work Situations and Adult Roles (1962–1964)—and data from a subsequent restudy, this paper contributes to debates on vocational education by examining three themes. First, the methodological issues raised by undertaking a restudy are discussed. Second, the young workers’ initial workplace learning experiences in the 1960s are examined with an emphasis on commitment to learning and training. Third, links between initial training experiences and the subsequent learning experiences in later careers are explored. We conclude that high levels of commitment to workplace learning were evident throughout the life-course of this group. However, significantly, this commitment existed only when the training available was on-the-job and the links between learning and working practice were clear. Formal learning opportunities were deemed unimportant and seen as existing for the benefit of the employer, not the employee. © 2007 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

This paper examines the changing use of policy levers in the English postcompulsory education and training system, often referred to as the learning and skills sector (LSS). Policy steering by governments has increased significantly in recent years, bringing with it the development of new forms of arms-length regulation. In the English context, these changes were expressed during the 1980s and 1990s through neoliberal New Public Management and, since 1997, have been extended through the New Labour government’s project to further ‘modernise’ public services. We look here at the changing use of policy levers (focussing in particular on the role of targets, funding, inspection, planning and initiatives) over three historical phases, paying particular attention to developments since the formation of the learning and Skills Council (LSC) in 2001. We conclude by considering the range of responses adopted by education professionals in this era of ‘modernisation’. © 2007 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

The paper presents mobile learning as an alternative for competence development in logistics for students already employed in industry world-wide. Discusses why today’s knowledge-driven economy requires lifelong learning especially in logistics/Supply Chain Management. Discusses using the internet for this purpose through a case study of Baltic Sea Virtual Campus. Experiences gained are shown and commented upon. Concludes that mobile learning also requires presence phases; mobile learning is very good for advanced programmes on Masters’ or PhD levels; and mobile learning is attractive for reasons of economy, time, space and opportunity. © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

With different pedagogic practices come different ways of examining them and fresh understandings of their implications and assumptions. It is the examination of these changes and developments that is the subject of this book. The authors examine a number of questions posed by the rapid march of globalisation, incuding: What is the role of the teacher, and how do we teach in the context of globalisation? What curriculum is appropriate when people and ideas become more mobile? How do the technologies of the internet and mobile phone impact upon what is learnt and by whom? The second edition of this important book has been fully updated and extended to take account of developments in technology, pedagogy and practice, in particular the growth of distance and e-learning. © 2000, 2008 Richard Edwards and Robin Usher. All rights reserved.

In an increasingly e-literate society, new technologies are being developed and traditional teaching approaches are challenged to meet new requirements. Other aspects such as teamwork and knowledge exchange are also becoming more important. Collaborative work methods are more dominant in the networked working environment. The vocational training at universities is therefore continuously confronted with new challenges. The objective of this paper is to show how the implementation of a holistic teaching approach including the idea of blended learning can be an effective way to train students in collaborative and academic working skills, methodological expertise, information competence, as well as making students aware of new developments in media literacy. This approach follows our proposed concept DIAMOND (Didactical Approach for Media Competence Development) with a main focus on the implementation of the "knowledge- enhancing helix." This pedagogical concept was developed correspondingly the requirements for "good online learning." The paper accordingly discusses the theoretical framework and presents a case study where the concept was implemented in practice.

1 Mustafa F. Özbilgin and Ahu Tatlı INTRODUCTION At the intersection of education and work, work placement is often considered a route to careers in many industries. Therefore the process and the content of work placement can be studied in terms of future career opportunities and prospects. However, work placement design and process can also present career constraints if designed and delivered in particular ways. In this chapter, we explore the success and failure of work placement practices, with a view to revealing forms of career constraint that work placement practices present in the sector. This chapter reports the findings of a scoping study of London-based higher education institutions’ (HEIs) work placement practices within the creative and cultural industries. The research was conducted in four phases, involving a literature review, a field study which scoped the range of work placement practices utilized by HEIs in London, case studies of various models and assessment of work placement practices, and analysis of the documentary and field study data. Field research involved documentary analysis and interviews with representatives from HEIs and organizations in the creative and cultural industry as well as students who are undertaking their placement projects through these HEIs and in firms. We conducted interviews with 11 participants in ten HEIs, ten students, and five respondents in four host organizations. 397 398 Education, training and learning CAREER CONSTRAINT: THE CASE OF WORK PLACEMENTS IN THE CREATIVE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES Much of the literature on work placements comes from disciplines that have…. © Mustafa F. Özbilgin and Ayala Malach-Pines 2007.