The dynamics of online learning at the workplace: Peer-facilitated social learning and the application in practice

Research stresses the importance of social components in learning. The social contact with peers and tutors stimulates reflection and supports higher processes of learning necessary for the internalisation and application of new knowledge. However, merely proposing opportunities for interaction does not necessarily lead to fruitful discussion and collaboration. Social presence and facilitation are key concepts for successful mutual learning. Both are represented in Murphy’s collaboration model; social presence forms the basis of collaboration on which discussions and co-construction of knowledge evolve. Facilitation supports the entire collaboration process. In this paper, an adjusted version of Murphy’s model was applied to analyse 1085 comments shared in an online course between career practitioners of a public employment service. The results show that without a dedicated tutor, learners can still be involved in collaborative learning and co-construction of new knowledge provided that the topic under discussion is highly relevant and controversial. Learners themselves take over social presence and facilitation activities, but less frequently than when a professional tutor facilitates discussions. Ex post summative evaluation revealed that only a few learners applied the gained knowledge in the long-term. As comparisons with related research suggest, higher facilitation support leading to a higher cognitive interaction with the learning could have better supported the transfer to practice.     

大学生的社会实践与社会化

社会实践对大学生的社会角色形成和未来社会适应发挥着重要功能。社会实践在某种程度上可以看作是大学生社会化的一部分。正确认识大学生社会化对大学生成长的作用,树立通过社会实践促动大学生社会化的路径,对于大学教育本身及大学生成长都具有重要意义。     

适合当代大学生的社会实践途径探析

社会实践对于大学生的成长具有重要意义,然而目前大学生参与社会实践的积极性不高,效果也十分有限。本文根据90后当代大学生自我实现的需求高、心理承受力差、实际交往能力弱等特点,探寻适合他们的社会实践的有效途径,比如采取较长时间的集中实践与平时有规律的短期实践相结合的方法等。     

The changing American college student: implications for educational policy and practice

New students entering higher education institutions in the United States have undergone dramatic changes during the past two decades. This paper summarizes some of the major trends observed in these surveys and discusses possible implications of the findings for educational policy and practice.Each fall since 1966 the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles has been conducting a national survey of new college freshmen. A typical survey involves 250,000 students and a nationally representative sample of 550 higher education institutions of all types. Between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s American college students became much more focussed on material goals and less concerned with altruism and social problems. These value changes were accompanied by dramatically increased student interest in business careers and a sharp decline of interest in school teaching, social work, nursing, the clergy, and other service careers. These changes are perhaps best illustrated in the contrasting trends in two values: being very well off financially, which doubled in popularity during the period of survey and developing a meaningful philosophy of life which was the top student value in the early 1970s but was endorsed by fewer than half as many students by the late 1980s.During just the past two or three years most of these trends seem to have ended or, in certain cases, shown signs of reversing direction. At the same time, there is growing evidence that students are increasingly oriented toward social activism. Protecting the environment appears to be the single greatest concern among American college students at the turn of the decade.Portions of this talk were given at the January 6, 1989 meeting of the Commission on the University of the 21st Century, Council of Higher Education, Richmond, Virginia: portions have also been adopted from an earlier article in Change magazine (Astin, A. W. Competition or Cooperation, September/October 1987).     

Enhancing the practice of social work

This account of practice focuses on my learning and development as a new Action Learning Facilitator. It reflects on my thoughts and feelings as I began to facilitate my own sets a year or so ago. It will discuss and reflect on topics such as communication, feedback, expectations (both mine, the set members and the organisations), values, ethics, power and confidentiality. It opens with a personal reflection on my experience of becoming a set facilitator and then explores other aspects of my learning. It draws out, in particular, the links between Action Learning and social work and the ways in which the principles that underpin each of these are complementary and mutually enhancing.     

The changing prepositions of assessment practice: assessment of,for and as learning

Book Reviewed in this article: Feedback for Learning S. ASKEW (Ed.) Promoting Assessment as Learning R. Dann Developing Portfolios for Learning and Assessment V. Klenowski     

The dimensions of social dynamics in comparative studies on higher education

This article discusses social dynamics of higher education which is one of the most crucial but neglected perspectives in comparative studies of higher education. We pay attention to the importance of time, space and contexts—both geographical and socio-cultural ones—to reveal how they influence on different social dynamics in various systems of higher education. The article focuses on the national higher education system level. Theoretically we approach higher education systems from a relational perspective paying attention to dynamics created by changing relationships between different actors in cultural, geographical and historical contexts.     

大学生参加社会实践活动的建议和方法

本文分析了高校大学生参加社会实践活动的重要意义和作用,对当前大学生参加社会实践活动普遍存在的问题以及大学生如何选择合适的社会实践活动提出自己的看法和建议。     

行动反思教学模式在社会工作实务类课程教学中的探索与实践

行动反思教学模式是在直接行动经验中建立知识、技巧和价值观的,在这种模式下,教学的过程是一种双向的互动的过程。社会工作实务类课程是社会工作专业教育特色的集中体现,此类课程的实施质量直接影响学生专业水平的提升以及专业价值理念的形成。本文尝试探索适应有关课程的行动反思教学模式,并相应提出运用行动反思教学模式的具体教学理念与方法。     

公司社会责任之理论基础与实践发展

公司社会责任是指公司应兼顾非股东群体之利益。从而担负作出相应决策、采取相关行动的义务。公司社会责任理论自产生以来。虽然引起了广泛的争论，但更因其存在必要性而在世界范围内掀起了一场声势浩大的强化公司社会责任的实践运动。     

社会存在方式的科学合理化——对科学实践观念的建构与社会道德建设相互关系的现实性探讨

人的社会实践是由人的观念支配的,这一观念就是人在认知的基础上建构的实践观念.实践观念不仅承载着人的价值观念,也承载着人的道德观念,是在人认识和改造自然的活动中所形成的人与人和人与社会相互关系的产物.而道德观念本身也是一种价值观念,它与人的实践观念一道通过人的感性实践活动及其结果呈现出来.因此,在正确认识的基础上,建构科学而合理的实践观念就成为社会道德建设的核心内容.有了科学而合理的实践观念,才可能有科学而合理的道德观念.马克思主义的道德观念正是现代科学道德观念的直接体现.     

浅析建筑学专业大学生热衷社会实践的应对策略

本文通过对当前在建筑高校中出现的建筑学专业学生独立进行社会实践的现象剖析,提出建筑学专业的学生在校学习专业、提高自己的设计能力和职业能力的重要性以及应对策略来改变现有的教育与社会需求的矛盾。     

关于煤炭地质专业学生社会实践的思考——兼论高校学生社会实践中存在的问题与对策

当今中国,大学生社会实践日益繁荣,社会实践已成为大学生不可或缺的一门课程。但近年来,大学生实践出现了诸多问题,实践活动形式化、低质化现象日趋严重。特别是煤炭地质专业学生社会实践,由于专业的特殊性,其存在的问题更为严重。作为高校教育工作者,如何完善大学生社会实践活动,特别是煤炭地质专业学生实践活动,提高大学生社会实践质量,成为我们不得不思考的问题。