A number of significant events, fulfilling the objectives of the 5-year plan, were run in Academic Year 2012-2013. For this period the emphasis was on ‘co-operative and international linkages’. Thus, most of the events in this year were run in collaboration with other Units or Schools in the University and featured guest speakers of international reputation and topics of significant interest across the globe.
Arguably, the highlight of CR&DALL’s year was a full week of presentations in March, beginning with a practical seminar highlighting the community impact of developments in educational transition in Japan then moving to a session held in collaboration with the Adam Smith Research Centre and continuing with a novel initiative held at the Crichton Campus in Dumfries. The latter two events picked up the discussion of an international topic (of great interest in the Far East of late), namely, the concept of the ‘Learning City’ and featured this within the context of discussions with the local authority to consider the development of Dumfries as the first ‘Learning Town’. This is an exciting practical application of CR&DALL’s research work. The focus then returned to Glasgow for further discussion of the concepts involved. CR&DALL’s collaboration with colleagues in the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Strathclyde continued and we were also delighted to forge links closer to home by running a joint seminar with the School of Education’s ‘Theory and Methods’ series.
List of Events (further details may be found in the Event Archives)
16th October 2012
Implementation of New Learning Methods in Hawler Medical University (HMU) College of Medicine
Dr. Sherwan Rahman Shal, Hawler Medical University, Iraq
This seminar which emerged from a British Council funded project co-ordinated by Lynette Jordan provided a description, with data and examples, of the changes in the learning process at the College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University. It included a report of the response of students and the teaching staff to new methods, including small group learning, student-centered learning (SCL), problem based learning (PBL), OSCE and other approaches. Future planning to improve learning outcomes at HMU were proposed.
31st October 2012
Experiences of studying and learning for adult learners on access course programmes: findings from the research/practice dialogue
Tony Anderson, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, Bill Johnston, Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement and Alix McDonald, Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Strathclyde
This seminar was held in collaboration with University of Strathclyde
Previous research on students’ approaches to learning has identified a number of study strategies (deep, shallow, and strategic). Students’ information literacy skills have also been investigated previously. However, in both areas, studies have concentrated on standard school leaver undergraduates, raising the issue of whether adult returners’ capabilities in these areas would differ in any noticeable way.
The research project therefore gathered qualitative interview data exploring these themes from a Pre-Entry Certificate course at Strathclyde feeding into degrees within HASS and the Business School. The main areas for investigation were:
- How do part-time students study and how do they source information?
- What barriers to learning and participation do they encounter?
- How independent are access students as learners? and
- To what extent is the learning experienced on the course transformational?
Qualitative analysis of the data allowed the identification of a number of themes that emerged across the interviews. These included ,typically rudimentary study skills involving repeated reading ,a sharp distinction between ‘fact’ and ‘opinion’ in reading materials , an expectation of lecture-based delivery coupled with a scepticism about the value of peer-based learning, a preference for seeking study support from relatives rather than peers or the university, much use of recommended texts for study purposes, with rudimentary critical information literacy skills leading to general suspiciousness regarding the worth of internet sources.
The study provides an insight into the perceptions of part-time learners, suggests modifications to further strengthen the course for future students, and paves the way for further investigations. This research is especially timely given the current policy dialogue around part-time study and the importance of providing opportunity for non-traditional students in difficult economic times. A further aspect is the examination of barriers to change within universities.
1st November 2012
Leprosy – challenges for public health policy and social justice
W Cairns S Smith, OBE, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, University of Aberdeen
This event was a public lecture presented in collaboration with the Glasgow Centre for International Development
Professor Cairns spoke on the broad subject of social justice in relation to leprosy and his work, in that context, with the World Health Organisation.
13th December 2012
Positive Leadership in Universities – Mission Impossible?
Dr.Jari Stenvall, Professor of Administrative Science, University of Lapland
and
Dr. Antti Syväjärvi, Professor of Administrative Science, University of Lapland
Positive feelings and experiences support problem-solving skills and the ability to act in an innovative way. Positive experiences are, therefore, interconnected with motivational factors and work performances. Positive psychology asks the question “what we can do right with people and how we can teach people to have more of that?”
It is obvious that the implementation of positive leadership is a very challenging task in universities. One widespread assumption is that critical dialogue is synonymous with negative critique, at the expense of other types of ‘critical thinking’. However, an organizational environment requires leaders who thrive on the challenge of change, who foster an environment for innovation and who encourage trust and learning. Positive leadership emphasizes that it is important to discuss university leaders’ self-perception in relation to the idea of caring leadership, authentic leadership and self-perception.
Professor Jari Stenvall’s and Professor Antti Syväjärvi’s presentation was based on a current research project on positive leadership in universities. In the research, university leaders from Finland and United States of America were asked to describe concrete positive or successful situations or chains of events where their leadership had a significant role. The purpose is to find out what kind of situations leaders find the most rewarding in terms of positive or successful experience. The universities selected in this research were University of Lapland and Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences, from Finland, and the University of South Florida from the United States.
13th February 2013
This double seminar was held in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, School of Education ‘Theory and Methods’ seminar series.
Approaches towards Professionalisation in Adult Education: Interpretivist versus competency approach
Professor Regina Egetenmeyer, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
The question of professionalisation of adult education in Germany was first raised in the years immediately after the Second World War when the Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) were being reopened and developed. By the 1970s and 1980s a Volkshochschule system was growing, becoming the fourth sector of the German educational system, and the need for qualified adult educators was raised.
The first stage in the professionalisation of adult education was the production of self-study materials and weekly courses for practitioners. At the same time, academic programmes at German universities were also being designed to give their young students a fundamental and broad qualification in adult education. In the 1980s, in the Pädagogische Arbeitsstelle des Volkshochschulverbands (Pedagogical Institute of German Adult Education Association), theoretical and empirical research on the question of professionalization was started. Tietgens and Giesecke (1988) worked on an interpretitive approach which they argued should form the core of professionalism in adult education.
This was supported by further research in the late 1990s. The core of professionalism is, according to Tietgens (1988, p. 38), a ‘situative competence’ which means ‘the ability to use broad, scientifically deepened and diverse abstract knowledge adequate in concrete situations’. Or contrariwise: ‘to acknowledge in just these situations which parts of the knowledge could be relevant.’ Gieseke (2010) defines professionalism as ‘differentiated handling with research results of the discipline, together with interdisciplinary knowledge for the interpretation of an actor’s situations in a specific practical field.’ This approach can be supported by the argument that adult educators have to deal with paradoxical and contradictory situations (Dewe, 1988; Nittel, 2000). They have to act professionally in situations where no concrete, applicable professional knowledge is available.
In contrast, there is currently developing a pan-European competence-oriented approach towards professionalism in adult education, as represented by the Key competence study for adult learning professionals (Research voor Beleid 2010). This approach focuses on naming lists of competences for students to acquire. At the same time, several validation instruments for application in the pan-European context (e.g. VALIDPAC) are being developed so that adult educators’ competences can be validated one at a time but confined to their own institutional context. The competence approach conflicts with the interdependent, holistic and hermeneutic elements which are central to the German interpretitive approach to adult professionalism, which is based on the skills of the individual as distinct from the needs of the institution. The principle behind this is that professionalism in adult education has to encompass the ability to adapt to different learning settings. The presentation outlined the differences between these two approaches and explores the possibility of a bridge between them.
The politics of regulation: Exploring bureaucracy and its consequences for public sector professions
Mark Murphy, Reader in Education, School of Education, University of Glasgow
The new bureaucracy of accountability has altered the landscape of public services since its development in the last several decades. In particular, the implementation of quality assurance mechanisms – audit, inspection, performance indicators, evaluation – has opened up the public sector to ever greater scrutiny. As a tool of political regulation, however, they are not without their critics, accused of among other things, undermining professional autonomy, instrumentalising public services and trivialising democracy. While these criticisms are concerning, from a purely functional point of view the issue is whether or not accountability mechanisms are an effective form of regulation. Previous studies of accountability indicate its tendency to deliver unintended consequences, consequences that have implications for the act of accountability itself. Less established are the reasons why these unintended consequences occur in the first place: why are phenomena such as risk avoidance, impression management and what some have termed the ‘accountability trap’ so prevalent in a public sector supposedly geared towards the efficient delivery of high quality public services?
Based on findings from recent research with public sector professionals in England, this paper argued that at least part of the answer to this question lies in the nature of social regulation itself. The evidence suggests that increased political regulation of teachers, nurses, social workers, among others, has unwittingly highlighted the existence/magnified the importance of, other forms of regulation that tend to get sidelined or forgotten entirely when it comes to talk of regulatory mechanisms – temporal, legal and normative regulation. Exploring the connection between these forms of regulation is important, as they have the effect, in this study at least, of mediating the effect of political regulation on the working lives of public sector professionals. The paper explored this world of regulation and public sector professions via a combination of ideas adopted from neo-Weberian sociology and research in the field of public administration, in particular research informed by the work of Michael Lipsky and his theory of street-level bureaucracy.
14th February 2013
Social Inequalities of Post-secondary Educational Aspirations: influence of social background,school composition and institutional context
Professor Vincent Dupriez, University of Louvain, Belgium
Professor Dupriez discussed the core aspects of the recently published article of this title (in the European Educational Research Journal Volume 11 Number 4 2012).
The first goal of this article is to assess, for each country belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the influence of pupils’ sociocultural background on educational aspirations. The second goal is to explore whether, after controlling for educational achievement, the residual influence of sociocultural background is still significant. In addition, the author estimates whether the sociocultural and academic characteristics of school composition have an additional impact on educational aspirations in this group of countries. Finally, the co-authors show that the structural characteristics of school systems moderate the influence of individual characteristics and school composition on educational aspirations.
25th March 2013
Adult and Lifelong Learning in the UK and Japan – the definition of ‘a qualified HE entrance student’
Professor Masaaki Yanagida, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
Professor Yanagida considered and described Access to Higher Education programmes in Japan and the transition of learners from senior school to higher education. He outlined remedial practice for students in higher education in Japanand went on to compare Access programmes in England and Scotland with those of Japan. He finished by examining the possibilities for future co-operation between Japan and the UK.
26th March 2013
Cross-sectoral Approaches to Building Sustainable Opportunity Cities
Dr. Peter Kearns, Director, Global Learning Services, Australia, Co- director of PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE), with
Dr. Roberta Piazza, Associate Professor of Adult Education in the University of Catania, and Professor Norman Longworth, author, private consultant, academic and project manager and Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling
This seminar was held in collaboration with the Adam Smith Research Foundation.
Cities almost everywhere are challenged by a raft of big issues resulting from on-going urbanisation, environment protection issues, public safety concerns, and demographic change in a context of growing inequality in many countries, social fragmentation and decline in social capital, high unemployment, and overall more individualistic societies.
These challenges provide the context for the PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE), initiated by the PASCAL International Observatory (which has its European base at the University of Glasgow) to provide for online exchanges of ideas and experience between cities around the world. At present 16 cities across 5 continents participate in PIE. These include Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Cork, Bielefeld and a number of African cities (Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Dakar, Gaborone, Addis Ababa). Although PIE was initiated with a traditional view of a learning city, the need for cross-sectoral integration soon became evident from the situation in some African and East Asian cities such as Taipei.
Dr Kearns referred to the PIE ‘EcCoWell’ paper (distributed) which noted the common interests shared by sectoral initiatives such as Green Cities, Healthy Cities, Learning Cities, and Safe Cities and posed the question of how such sectoral initiatives can best be integrated in more holistic approaches to good city development. He then invited discussion amongst the audience and with his colleagues by posing the following questions:
- In what ways can cross-sectoral perspectives and research be brought to bear on the development of sustainable opportunity cities?
- How can initiatives in local communities benefit from insights from cross-sectoral research?
- What are the priority issues for research in addressing the big issues confronting cities?
- In what ways might insights from cross-sectoral research contribute to the themes of the PASCAL Hong Kong conference?
27th March 2013
The development of a network of learning cities and a learning city index: rationale, objectives and implications for a ‘Learning Town’ initiative
Dr. Jin Yang, Senior Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg, Germany, with
Dr. Peter Kearns, Director, Global Learning Services, Australia and Dr. Roberta Piazza, Associate Professor of Adult Education in the University of Catania
In recent years, several studies have shown that the creation of learning cities has become an effective instrument in promoting lifelong learning in the international community, despite various challenges. A nation aspiring to build a learning society or develop a lifelong learning system may use the names ‘learning cities’, ‘learning regions’ or ‘learning communities’ to mobilise or encourage their local authorities. To facilitate the development of learning cities in the international community, a truly global network of learning cities is needed.
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in collaboration with interested national, regional and international organisations and agencies as well as private sector corporations, has proposed the establishment of the UNESCO Global Learning Cities Network (UNESCO-GLCN) to enhance and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning in the world’s urban communities.
The overall aim of the establishment of the UNESCO-GLCN is to create a global platform to mobilise cities and demonstrate how to use effectively their resources in every sector to develop and enrich all their human potential to foster lifelong personal growth, the development of equality and social justice, the maintenance of harmonious social cohesion, and the creation of sustainable prosperity.
One of the objectives of the UNESCO-GLCN is to develop a Global Learning City Index. To be reliable and instrumental, the development of the index needs to reflect – inter alia - a variety of principles, policies and approaches in building learning cities in the international community, including political will and commitment, partnership and networking, increasing learning opportunities, combating exclusion and enhancing social cohesion, promoting wealth creation and employability, as well as recognising and rewarding all forms of learning
28th March 2013
The development of a network of learning cities and a learning city index: rationale and objectives
Dr Jin Yang, (senior programme specialist at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, Germany), with
Professor Norman Longworth, University of Stirling
This seminar was held in collaboration with the Scottish Centre for China Research.
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in collaboration with interested national, regional and international organisations and agencies as well as private sector corporations, proposed the establishment of the UNESCO Global Learning Cities Network (UNESCO-GLCN) to enhance and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning in the world’s urban communities.
The overall aim of the establishment of the UNESCO-GLCN is to create a global platform to mobilise cities and demonstrate how to use effectively their resources in every sector to develop and enrich all their human potential to foster lifelong personal growth, the development of equality and social justice, the maintenance of harmonious social cohesion, and the creation of sustainable prosperity.
One of the objectives of the UNESCO-GLCN is to develop a Global Learning City Index. To be reliable and instrumental, the development of the index needs to reflect – inter alia - a variety of principles, policies and approaches in building learning cities in the international community, including political will and commitment, partnership and networking, increasing learning opportunities, combating exclusion and enhancing social cohesion, promoting wealth creation and employability, as well as recognising and rewarding all forms of learning.
China has been an active and central participant in this initiative and Dr. Yang shared his views on the future of the GLCN and the development of the index.
15th April 2013
Building Lifelong Learning in conditions of closure and siege
Professor Hatem Ali Elaydi, Islamic University of Gaza, with
Professors Rabah and El-Khozondar, IUG
This seminar was held under the auspices of the European Community TEMPUS (Education and Culture) programme, ‘Lifelong Learning in Palestine’
Professor Elaydi outlined the specific conditions of Gaza, which are unique. Gaza is already a learning society with a range of formal provision in family and kindergarten projects, NGOs, schools and universities. Informal provision includes unions, religious institutions and local government learning centers. Yet the learning resources are grossly over stretched. Gaza has a dense population and few natural resources, outside of the people of Gaza who attend 27 institutions of Higher Education.
Learning takes place across different generations. Children learn alongside parents and grandparents. NGOs carry out human rights workshops in seminars on conflict and transformational justice. Just months after the last siege in November 2012, Gaza needed some 200 new schools. Provision and procedures constantly work across the barriers imposed on Gaza. Learning focuses upon:
- leadership qualities in dignity, pride, tenacity, hope, generosity of spirit, faith, confidence, determination to build peace through justice, competence, delight, joy, smart learning tactics and professionalism;
- cultural awareness in several centers and institutions such as Iwan, IUG Oral History Center, Al-Muthaf, Irada, Art and Craft Village, Biet Alsmod, Alnur Center, Ibdaa; and
- interventions in regional development that include programs to foster new businesses and skills with IUG, PNGO and the Women Graduate’s Society.
Professor Elaydi proposed that Gaza urgently needed a lifting of the closure, and an end to the occupation. It needed at least 200 new schools. In the meantime provision was making links between formal and informal learning, and the structures of a learning society are being embedded more and more in the connections of existing resources.
18th June 2013
Adult learning in a distance education context: theoretical and methodological challenges
Dr. Maria N.Gravani, Open University of Cyprus
The seminar reported the findings of a recent research study aspiring, by giving voice to the experiences and perceptions of adult learners and their educators, as they embark on distance learning courses in the Open University of Cyprus (OUC) and the Hellenic Open University (HOU), to unveil and illuminate some of the adult learning processes as well as the ‘fine-grained’ processes that are at work during the organization and delivery of the courses at the Open University, with the aim to underline the factors influencing these processes. The project complements and builds on previous research conducted by Gravani and attempts to extract from the findings those ideas and practices that, suitable adapted, could contribute to the re-organisation of distance courses for adults that facilitate adult learning. It has as its main units of analysis adult learners’ and their educators’ experiences and perceptions of adult learning in a distance education context and rests profoundly on a research framework that views certain programme elements as being vital in unveiling the processes of adult learning. It harnesses a phenomenological approach and qualitative research techniques. From the study a number of important dimensions emerged and factors that proved to have influenced adult learning processes.
url clone | Nike Shoes
- Log in to post comments
Latest Comments