Moral and civic education – the hidden curriculum in Macau

Macau, as a society, is a crossroads where East–West encounters have been taking place for centuries. This paper examines some of the contemporary issues and implications for moral education. After a brief introduction to the social background of Macau, the paper describes the characteristics of Macau's education in general and the development of its moral education in particular. This has taken place in the context of the strong influences on morality of both Catholicism and Confucianism. An outline of the current curriculum of moral and civic education is followed by a critical appraisal of its implementation over the last few years. By means of this case study of Macau, the paper argues that a communitarian‐oriented morality in Macau is justified, and it also suggests how, by turning attention to its history, a minimal set of values can be constructed for Macau's particular social setting. Finally, some further educational challenges for Macau's future moral and civic education are reviewed.     

The impact of engineering curriculum design principles on elementary students’ engineering and science learning

The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards propose that students learn core ideas and practices related to engineering as well as science. To do so, students will need high-quality curricular materials designed to meet these goals. We report an efficacy study of an elementary engineering curriculum, Engineering is Elementary (EiE) that includes a set of hypothesized critical components designed to encourage student engagement in practices, connect engineering and science learning, and reach diverse students. To measure the impact of the curriculum, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in 604 classrooms in 152 schools in three states. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment curriculum or to a comparison curriculum that addressed the same learning goals but did not include several critical components. Results show that students who used the treatment curriculum (EiE) regardless of demographic characteristics outperformed students in the comparison group on outcome measures of both engineering and science content learning. The results show that curriculum design affects student-learning outcomes.     

Remedial education for high-risk university freshmen – the case of a university of technology in Taiwan

Potential high-risk freshmen for three core courses (BasicMath, Calculus, and Computing) in the university were identified based on the “College Students’ Adjustment Check List (CSACL)” data available with the Student Development Centre in the Office of Students’ Affairs of the university. The study demonstrates that to ameliorate the problem of unpreparedness of freshmen, to check failure rates, and efficient use of limited resources, an effective remedial system could be developed by the combined inputs from the Office of Students’ Affairs, Computer Centre, Academic Affairs, and the Institutional Research. Our study corroborates the findings of other researchers that gender, teacher, department, high school performance, enrolment channel, and loads during remedial course influence the learning outcome. Also, it was found that the use of multi-evaluation approaches in different enrolment channels can attain higher retention rates.     

University teachers’ perspectives on the role of the Laplace transform in engineering education

The Laplace transform is an important tool in many branches of engineering, for example, electric and control engineering, but is also regarded as a difficult topic for students to master. We have interviewed 22 university teachers from five universities in three countries (Mexico, Spain and Sweden) about their views on relationships among mathematics, physics and technology/application aspects in the process of learning the Laplace transform in engineering education. Strikingly, the teachers held a spectrum of qualitatively differing views, ranging from seeing virtually no connection (e.g. some thought the Laplace transform has no relevance in engineering), through to regarding the aspects as intimately, almost inseparably linked. The lack of awareness of the widely differing views among teachers might lead to a lack of constructive alignment among different courses that is detrimental to the quality of engineering education.     

A match between university professors and school inspectors? Innovation and stagnation in the physical education curriculum

During the 1960s and 1970s, “traditional” secondary educational systems in various Western European countries made way for comprehensive education curricula. In contrast to the reforms within the “intellectual” subjects, the field of physical education (PE) remained largely underexposed in research. This study focuses on PE reform in Belgium, the first country in the world (apart from Sweden itself) to introduce, in 1908, so-called “Swedish gymnastics” in all levels of state public education and, in 1968, the last country apart from Portugal to abandon it. The question arises as to who was responsible for Swedish gymnastics being applied for so long and, ultimately, how and by whom reform was implemented. The results show that the power of the past and the positions of “Swedists” in the Government Inspectorate, universities and professional associations, perpetuated the domination of Swedish gymnastics in Belgian education. The final “dynamisation” of the subject of PE around 1968 did not come about through “revolution” but a “natural” generational transition, whereby a new guard of young government inspectors with a drive for reform took over from their Swedish-minded predecessors. The educational climate prevailing in Belgium at the end of the 1960s facilitated this reform. The state university PE institutes lost their position as pedagogical profile keepers during this process of transformation, while the hidden curriculum of the (Catholic) university institute in Leuven implicitly shaped the educational climate. Further comparative international research into the (changed) profile, position and power of school inspectors in educational reform appears necessary.     

The impact of mergers in higher education on micro-level processes – a literature review

Amidst increased research on mergers in higher education, studies addressing micro level processes are scarce and fragmented across disciplines: our aim is to systematically review existing studies, providing implications for research and practice. We grouped 21 studies from different countries under four themes: academic identity and self-image; cultural integration; staff reaction; teaching and research. Timing, status of institutions and staff, and disciplinary cultures apparently affect post-merger micro-level processes. Policy reforms might indirectly address micro-level processes following a merger, for example in a change of academic identities. Few studies investigated the impact of mergers on teaching and research activities. Studying merger consequences for academic core activities is complex, requiring a longer perspective involving students, staff and quantitative indicators. Longitudinal design in further studies might investigate changes from different angles and for different staff groups and students, exploring country differences in micro-level processes, applying a comparative design. Despite limitations, our review might inform the planning of merger processes regarding reactions at micro level.

     

Why do Chinese postgraduates struggle with critical thinking? Some clues from the higher education curriculum in China

There has been a good deal of research into the problems Chinese postgraduate students studying in English-speaking universities face with regard to critical thinking. This project is an attempt to tackle this issue from a new perspective. It aims to explore how a unique aspect of the university curriculum in China – the so-called ‘four treasures’ (four compulsory modules of political thought taken by all Chinese undergraduate students: ‘The Fundamentals of Marxism’; ‘Maoism and Chinese Characteristic Socialism’; ‘The Outline of Modern Chinese History’; and ‘Moral Thoughts, Legal and Civic Education’) – influence Chinese students in terms of their political and cultural values. It will trace the emergence of this programme and offer a content analysis of the curriculum. The study also uses focus groups to investigate how the Chinese postgraduate students regard their undergraduate courses in China. This article will argue that the higher education curriculum in China, which is heavily regulated by the state, has become one of the main obstacles preventing Chinese undergraduate students from developing independent and critical thinking, particularly in the arts, humanities and social sciences.     

Review and redesign of the curriculum of a Masters programme in telecommunications engineering – Towards an outcome-based approach

This article presents the methodology and results of the curriculum review of the Masters of Science programme in Wireless Communications offered by the Telecommunications Engineering Department at Yarmouk University in Jordan. The review is based on expert opinion collected through questionnaires and meetings about the programme and focuses on two main aspects: the first is relevance of the programme to the needs of local and regional telecommunications industry and the second is comparability to similar programmes in the EU.

Through an extensive analysis of the collected data, a set of recommendations for improvement of the existing curriculum was developed. These recommendations were then used to redesign the curriculum with regard to contents, teaching methodology and assessment.     

The impact of the secure custodial setting on re-engaging incarcerated children with education and learning – A case study in the UK

As many as 90 % of incarcerated children and young people enter the secure setting disengaged from education. The nature of the secure custodial setting compounds the complex and challenging needs of the children, though efforts to understand this are limited. This paper reports on an ethnographic case study in one secure children’s home in England. Findings show that children can be re-engaged with education, relatively easily within a short space of time, given the right conditions. However, the secure setting was a defining feature, shaping the extent of this engagement. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendation made.     

General education curriculum reforming advance in the universities of China mainland

From 21st century, in order to pursue ＂Quality-oriented Education＂, enhance students＇ overall quality and broaden their knowledge vision, some key universities in China mainland have reformed the general education curriculums successively. This article introduces the reforming advance of general education curriculum in the universities of China mainland.     

Inquiry-based learning in higher education: administrators’ perspectives on integrating inquiry pedagogy into the curriculum

Inquiry-based learning is one approach to improving the quality of undergraduate education by moving toward more student-directed, interactive methods of learning while focusing on learning how to learn. This paper deals with a missing component in the inquiry-related literature—the extra-pedagogical challenges of introducing and maintaining inquiry-based learning in the curriculum. Based in the collective experience of McMaster University, a mid-size Canadian university that has been a pioneer in inquiry pedagogy, the paper describes the challenges administrators faced in supporting the introduction of inquiry-based learning as components of traditional courses, as inquiry-based courses, and as inquiry-based degree programs. Derived from interviews, the paper presents a series of strategies and lessons for introducing and maintaining inquiry pedagogy in the curriculum. These lessons will be broadly useful to administrators, curriculum designers and faculty developers and should be widely applicable to institutes of higher education.     

Whose curriculum? Critical notes on integration and entitlement

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the way in which current notions of integration and curriculum entitlement may disadvantage pupils with exceptional needs. An illustrative case of a pupil with profound and multiple learning difficulties is discussed along with general issues of entitlement arising, and the implications for that individual. Through an examination of the effects of the criteria for ‘being educated’ that result from the implementation of the National Curriculum in the UK, we question current perceptions of issues such as normalization, age appropriateness and 'integration’. We use a case study of a child with autism to question whether his educational interests are best served by current notions of integrated education. We suggest a broader notion of education that encompasses rather than contrasts with care, and suggest that curriculum entitlement should involve common curricular principles rather than common curricular content and should not deny within‐child factors. We further suggest that ‘integration’ should be reconceptualized as 'inclusion’ and we query the features that make educational needs ‘special’     

Making a positive impact in rural places: Change agency in the context of school–university–community collaboration in education

International Review of Education -     

Influences of shadow education on the ecology of education – A review of the literature

Shadow education, also widely known as private tutoring or supplementary education, has attracted increasing research attention in the past two decades. The global expansion of shadow education, as well as its penetration to different educational stages and social classes, are believed to have far-reaching implications for the overall educational landscape. However, despite a steadily growing body of literature, no study to date has systematically reviewed the influences of shadow education from an ecological perspective. Therefore, borrowing Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how shadow education influences different levels of educational ecosystems (i.e. individuals, micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-system). Based on 74 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2020, the review reveals complex influences exerted by shadow education on multiple systems (e.g., students, mainstream schooling, families, and larger socioeconomic structures), contributing to a more sophisticated understanding of this phenomenon. The paper then discusses how the rise of shadow education creates significant changes to the ecology of education in which it operates, and concludes with implications for future practice and research.     

Who owns the curriculum of higher education?

The European University has passed through four main phases of dominance of the curriculum since its medieval origin. They are (1) priestly, (2) aristocratic, (3) professional, (4) democratic. Vestigial remains of (1), (2) and (3) are still with us and (4), the rise of student/consumer sovereignty, has implications which the British universities still fail to accept. We need universities for the scholarly few and higher education, pluralistically funded, for everyone.     

Higher education provision using systems thinking approach – case studies

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexities involved in higher education provision and how systems thinking and socio-technical systems (STS) thinking approach can be used to understand the education ecosystem. Systems thinking perspective is provided using two case studies: the development of European Learner Mobility (EuroLM) service and the delivery of Enterprise System Management (ESM) course at the Birmingham City University, UK. The case studies present how systems thinking using STS approaches like applied organisational change and Cognitive Work Analysis can be used to capture a conceptual model of the education system for understanding the interactions and relationships between the people, technology, processes and the organisations. Using systems thinking perspective, EuroLM has developed a set of technical standards addressed to the European systems developers and ESM delivery ensures that students communicate and collaborate.     

Confucian thinking in Singapore’s citizenship education

ABSTRACT

Teachers in Asia are often perceived to occupy passive roles as citizens, subject to collectivist goals which take precedence over the interests of the individual. This assessment typically stems from a liberal-democratic perspective, which prioritises the individual as autonomous and self-responsible. While many endeavours have been undertaken by scholars outside education research to debunk the simplistic understanding of Asian thinking as passive, there remains a lack of attention to the distinctive features of Asian cultures and thought within the field of citizenship education. This article aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of citizenship education in Singapore, and challenge the perceived passivity of teachers in Asia by exploring—particularly from a Confucian perspective—how a group of social studies teachers made sense of citizenship. We identify three emergent themes from the interview samples: Relationality, Harmony and Criticality and discuss them accordingly.     

Why research-informed teaching in engineering education? A review of the evidence

Challenges of today's engineering education (EE) are emergent, necessitating calls for its reformation to empower future engineers function optimally as innovative leaders, in both local and international contexts. These challenges: keeping pace with technological dynamism; high attrition; and most importantly, quality teaching/learning require multifaceted approaches. But how can EE respond to the growing demand for relevant teaching? What can we do for engineering faculties to leverage on quality teaching? How do we embed quality teaching in EE? Scholarship of teaching and learning is advocated as one viable approach. It uses evidence-based teaching (EBT) strategies, and research-informed evidence to guide educational decisions regarding teaching and learning. We review the theories underpinning EBT, the scientific evidence on which it is based, and innovative instructional strategies that enhance active learning. Some of these issues have been discussed already, largely through developing countries lens. Nevertheless, linkages to equivalent global perspectives are presented here.     

Design science research – a powerful tool for improving methods in engineering education research

ABSTRACT

Modelling is a central activity in practical engineering and something that is also useful in engineering education research (EER). Additionally, qualitative research methods have found important applications in engineering research, although their use in EER has not always been widely accepted. Design science research is a qualitative research approach in which the object of study is the design process, i.e. it simultaneously generates knowledge about the method used to design an artefact and the design or the artefact itself. This paper uses techniques from design science research to analyse the method used when deriving the ‘learning of a complex concept’ (LCC) model, which we developed while designing teaching sequences for a course on electrical engineering. Our results demonstrate the value of design science research in EER and suggest that the LCC model is generally applicable in this field.