美国国家技术大学三次转折对我国远程教育的启示

美国国家技术大学(NTU)是世界著名的虚拟大学,与美国著名工科院校合作开展远程工程硕士教育已有20多年历史。但是,近年来NTU经历了三次重大转折:第一次转折,NTU成立了一个赢利性的、非学历教育的远程教育公司,由原来的一所非赢利性大学,分裂为两个实体;第二次转折,NTU被一家更有经济实力的远程教育公司兼并,转变成为该公司的一所附属在线大学(公司);第三次转折,由单独运营的附属大学(公司)转向大公司中另一远程教育大学下属的一个专门学院。本文分析了这三次转折的原因,并提出这三次转折对中国远程教育的启示。     

Healthism and Physical Education

Health has become a symbolic category of considerable importance, expressing a range of notions relating to well‐being, consumption and normality. A particular view of health as corporeal and individualistic has become pervasive within the new health consciousness, and school physical education represents one site among many where the ideology of healthism is produced. This paper draws on a study of an innovative programme in primary schools in Queensland, Australia. It explores how on the one hand the instructional discourse of ‘daily physical education’ varied across a number of sites of meaning production and how on the other hand this instructional discourse was embedded in the regulative discourse of healthism which set limits on the extent to which the people operating at these sites could make their own sense of daily physical education. We argue that a corporeal and individualistic concept of health, in which body shape and fatness play a central role, is being produced through health‐based physical education programmes like daily physical education. These programmes in turn represent an important site of the production of an individualistic and internalised mode of corporeal control.     

中外合作开办高等教育课程的政策与现状分析

中外合作办学已经成为我国教育事业的一个组成部分。然而,我国高等教育领域中的中外合作办学现状如何呢?这是国内外教育机构都十分关注的话题。本首先介绍了我国中外合作办学的管理和条例,这些规定也适用于香港、澳门和台湾;进而以国内25所高校与境外147个教育机构的116项合作办学项目为例,概括了中外合作办学的五种形式：境外课程、境外资历;双方课程、境外资历;双方课程、双方资历;境外课程、境外资历、国内证明书;双方课程、国内资历、境外证明书,并对每一种形式的教学方式进行举例说明;最后,作综合讨论了三个相关主题：优质的境外远程教育学历课程进入内地市场的挑战;未来教育的新模式对中外合作办学形式的挑战;香港高校与内地合作办学的独特优势。     

欧盟教育计划的发展及其实施组织

欧盟教育计划是欧盟在全盟层面上推进教育一体化发展的基本组织实施模式。随着欧盟政治、经济和文化一体化发展的不断深化,欧盟在普通教育和职业教育方面创设和推行的教育计划也经历了日趋成熟的三个发展阶段。欧盟委员会、欧盟理事会等机构共同确定教育计划的发展方向和标准,各成员国设立国家计划代理署具体组织协调欧盟教育计划在本国的实施。欧盟机构与成员国组织遵从辅助性原则,分工明确,各司其职,共同有力地保障教育计划的落实。     

Amplifying organisational discourses to the public: Media narratives of Teach For Australia, 2008–2020

Alternative teacher education programmes have emerged in many countries as a new approach to recruiting, educating and placing teachers in underperforming schools. The media plays an important role in framing perceptions of these programmes and their teachers, including in Australia, but this has not been the subject of significant research to date. This study examines how one alternative teacher education programme—Teach For Australia (TFAus)—has been positioned and framed within the news media since its inception. It critically analyses the portrayal of TFAus and concomitant educational discourses to explore their connection to larger issues surrounding teacher education and teaching quality. Drawing on an analysis of 122 print/online media articles, we identify narratives related to prestige, benevolence and the ‘alternative’ nature of the programme, alongside a narrative critical of TFAus. Despite this critical narrative, in investigating and opening up a dialogue on the perceptions and depictions of TFAus, we posit that the programme—although controversial in nature—has generally benefited from print media coverage, advancing its reputation as a major contributor to education reform and champion of educational equity.     

Teacher training through distance education: IICBA's experience

Abstract

This paper describes the experiences of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) in running distance education programmes for teachers and education personnel in sub-Saharan Africa. The Institute, established by UNESCO in 1999 and located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is mandated to work with teacher education institutions (TEIs) in sub-Saharan Africa in the areas of curriculum development, teacher education, distance education and educational planning. The subject areas IICBA focuses on are the teaching of Science, Mathematics, languages and ICT (Information and communication technologies) through the use of modern pedagogy. The Institute implements its projects in partnership with distance education offering institutions in Africa and other parts of the world. The paper begins by providing brief remarks on IICBA and its mandate and organisation, and proceeds to explain why it focuses on the areas of teacher education, capacity building and the distance mode of delivery to offer its training programmes. At the end, it describes the kinds of programmes it has been running since its establishment and the partner distance education institutions that offered the training courses.     

Distance learning as an effective tool for medical interpreting training in Turkey

This study addresses the need for trained medical interpreters in various local/ethnic languages especially at public health institutions in Turkey, and argues that distance learning would be an effective tool for medical interpreting training, given the particular constraints of the situation. Designed to meet the respective needs of different target groups, two certificate programmes are proposed: a three-month programme for health professionals and a one-year programme for prospective medical interpreters. These certificate programmes involve delivery of the theoretical content by distance mode in addition to face-to-face interpreting practice guided by professional interpreter trainers and experts of the local/ethnic languages concerned.     

Bridging further education and higher education in the formation of spiritual directors

This article examines those aspects of curriculum relating to programmes that have developed across the further and higher education divide. It analyses one particular spiritual direction formation programme that has transitioned from a vocational training programme in the further education mode to a post-graduate academic programme in a higher education context. In identifying the core elements of this formation programme, it suggests several complementary educational approaches that resonate with the formation approach within academic contexts and examines whether these approaches adequately address the breadth of learning styles and relational aspects of learning that contribute to effective pedagogical approaches. The article recommends further research to assess the relevance of curriculum design to guidelines and standards demanded of both the further and higher education sectors.     

Developing a postgraduate work-based curriculum using an Intervention Mapping Approach

Advanced practitioner skill development has become an important focus in health service delivery as increasingly complex consumer needs, practice environments and national professional registration requirements impact on professional work practices. Increasingly, work-based or workplace learning experiences are being seen as an effective means for maintaining skill currency across working lives. Currently there is limited literature on pedagogical practices to support the educational and training requirements associated with development across a person's working life. This paper reports on an example of how an intervention mapping framework was used to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of a work-based praxis course for students in an interprofessional, online postgraduate mental health programme. The intervention mapping framework provided a stepped process to guide decision-making and allowed the incorporation of theory and evidence into the course design. This approach provided a stepped process to guide decision-making and allowed the incorporation of theory and evidence into the course design. While the use of the intervention mapping framework is often used within health promotion arenas, particularly for the effective design of health promotion educational programmes, it is argued that this framework can be utilised effectively when developing curriculum for use within higher education programmes.     

Development of a sex education programme for 12‐year‐old to 14‐year‐old Turkish adolescents

Previous research has documented a need for the development of a sex education programme in Turkish schools in terms of adolescence readiness and the presence of misconceptions regarding critical aspects of sexual issues. Currently no school‐based sex education is available for Turkish adolescents. This paper presents the development of a contemporary sex education programme for 12‐year‐old to 14‐year‐old adolescents, entitled ‘The Human Development Program for 12–14 Year Old Adolescents’. A five‐step programme development model was used including reviewing internationally recognised sex education programmes for this age group. Sexuality Information and Education Council of United States guidelines were chosen as an educational framework, and Turkish cultural values were integrated into the curriculum. The sex curriculum consists of an eight‐session interactive programme in which parental permission and involvement is required. Five units are presented: human development, relationships, sexual behaviour, sexual health, and society/culture. The programme and a related knowledge assessment tool were reviewed by a group of Turkish professionals and the validity of the educational content was received. The programme was piloted with a group of Turkish adolescents with positive results. Future recommendations include school counsellors implementing this sex educational programme into Turkish schools.     

Pathway from vocational education and associate degree to higher education: Chinese international students in Australia

Understanding factors influencing international students' decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students' educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students' motivations for enrolling in vocational education and associate degree programmes are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake vocational education and associate degree programmes. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language proficiency, previous academic performance, agent's recommendations and relatives' and friends' advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programmes. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen vocational education programmes in a dual-sector university over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the programme, practical training and favourable location are key issues that these students draw on when making their decision to study in a dual-sector university.     

Raising Basic Education Levels in Rural Bangladesh: The Impact of a Non-formal Education Programme

Based on the concept of "basic education" from the Declaration of the World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA, Jomtien 1990), this paper explores the impact of the non-formal education programme (NFPE) of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) in the achievement of basic education for rural Bangladeshi children. Using an instrument developed previously in Bangladesh, three groups with different educational experiences were assessed: (1) children who attended BRAC's NFPE; (2) those attending formal school; (3) children who had never attended school. A total of 720 randomly selected children, who live in five rural areas of Bangladesh were assessed in this study. Of the four components of basic education, BRAC children did significantly better in life skills and writing than their peers in formal schools. Equal performance was observed in reading and numeracy. Although the children who had never attended school in general did poorly, some had developed life skills knowledge and more than half had acquired numeracy skills. This study concludes that BRAC's education programme has a positive impact on basic education in rural Bangladesh.     

Biology and Health Education

The Health Promoting Schools in Europe initiatives have highlighted the importance of health education in schools. Although health education is inter-disciplinary, biology teachers have an important role in teaching about health and in the formation of policy. Health education needs therefore to be part of initial teacher education programmes for those who are preparing to teach biology in secondary schools. Student teachers in England and Sweden have been involved in a pilot study that is investigating two aspects of teaching health education. The first element of the study has used questionnaires and small group discussions to explore biology student teachers’ perceptions of teaching about health as part of biology. In the second phase student teachers have been investigating secondary pupils’ understanding about aspects of health. In this paper we report on the initial findings and consider the implications of these results for the teaching of biology in secondary schools.     

Flexibility in higher professional education: A survey in business administration programmes in the Netherlands

In order to develop higher education in theEuropean Union there is a need to increase themobility of students and teachers. Improvingthe flexibility of educational programming isan educational policy in the Netherlands tosupport this development. To get a clearpicture of the operational characteristics ofcurrent educational programmes, theirflexibility and conditions for improvement, asurvey was carried out in Businessadministration programmes in higherprofessional education institutes in theNetherlands. The results indicate that theseeducational programmes are organised in ratherrigid operational formats that seem to restrictflexibility. The issue of developing newoperational models that allow for more flexibleeducational programme formats is discussed.Operations management and educationaltechnology are considered as potential domainsfor a re-engineering of educational systems.     

Professional capacity and organizational change as measures of educational effectiveness: assessing the impact of postgraduate education in Development Policy and Management

We tend to measure educational performance by students' attainment in coursework or examinations. In the case of professional education, the impact of the educational programme on the students' own capacities to enhance their work practices, and the wider organizational effects of the students' education and training, are also key ‘products’ of the educational process. This is particularly important with education for Development Policy and Management (DPAM), which is directly concerned with capacity‐building. This article adopts a work‐related approach to educational effectiveness and examines four professional programmes in DPAM—three in Southern Africa and one in the UK. Through the analysis of the results of surveys and case studies, the article demonstrates how a positive learning experience is related to the application of learning at work. However the conditions for applying learning also depend strongly on organizational context, as do the wider organizational impacts of learning. The article presents a broad approach to assessing educational effectiveness in professional programmes which incorporate these factors.     

Developing competence profiles for educators in environmental education organisations in the Netherlands

This qualitative study explores the meanings and possible merits of introducing competence profiles for enhancing professional development in the environmental education sector in the Netherlands. It presents the three most important environmental education jobs and their underlying competencies alongside their core professional challenges, as identified by environmental educators and experts in the Netherlands. The jobs are: education practitioner, programme leader, and organisational manager. The core professional challenges for the education practitioner entail: developing demand‐driven instructional programmes and spontaneous, ad‐hoc programmes, and addressing task and goal orientations. For the programme leader, they are acquisition of new projects, quality assurance, and project management; and for the organisational manager, they are human resource management, financial management, representing the organisation and showing its performance. The results of the study should inform educational institutions how to develop relevant programmes for future environmental educators, and for the professional development of environmental educators in environmental education organisations.     

Context and the gendered status of teachers: women’s empowerment through leadership of non‐formal schooling in rural Bangladesh

Empowering women to control and change their lives continues to be an important goal for many nations. This article examines the empowering effects of being selected and trained to lead rural schools in Bangladesh, using survey and interview data from 152 village women working with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee education programme. The adoption by women of the traditional male roles of teacher and educational leader combined with a commitment to serving the poor have led to the widespread acceptance and normalisation of non‐traditional roles for women in conservative village culture. The study confirms the need for a holistic approach and context sensitivity when designing change initiatives to empower women and promote gender equity.     

Development of a Higher Educational Programme in China: The Hong Kong experience

The aim of this paper is to describe the authors' experiences in planning and developing construction-related postgraduate degree programmes for the China Mainland using guided distance learning as the mode of study. The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management offered by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is presented as a case study. China has a large and expanding market for construction-related postgraduate degree programmes in the next decade because of the projected substantial economic development in the country. It is argued that factors such as cultural contexts, social settings and thresholds of affordability of local Chinese students must be carefully considered before educational programmes of any significance can be launched in the China Mainland. The paper draws upon the authors' experiences in planning and development of the postgraduate programme, to illustrate the major considerations which should be taken into account by the host academic institutions, particularly at the programme planning stage.     

社区远程教育为空巢家庭服务的模式

社区远程教育是建设和谐文化的重要途径。空巢家庭目前在中国一直呈上升趋势,由于空巢家庭成员本身所具有的特点,使他们成为社区远程教育的重要对象。本文针对空巢家庭特点,从教学资源、教学内容、教学方式和考核方式等几个角度,提出社区远程教育对这一群体的教学服务模式。     

‘A second chance at learning but it’s not quite higher education’: experience of a foundation degree

This paper reports on the findings of a recent small scale study into the experiences of mature students of a foundation degree (FD) in health and social care. This was an exploratory study that evaluated one particular FD health and social care programme in order to gain an insight into some of the issues involved in delivering higher education through further education settings, and how mature students ‘make sense’ of themselves as learners on FD programmes. This paper examines the responses of the student interviews which depict them as making sense of themselves as ‘second chance learners’ on an educational programme that is ‘not quite higher education’. Discussion of these themes in terms of Bourdieu’s notions of habitus, field and capital will be offered alongside Weick’s model of sensemaking.