Embedded filming for social change: Learning about HIV/AIDS and rural development professionalism

Rural Development Professionals (RDPs) are key actors in processes of social change for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural areas. This article reports on the filming of a series of workshops and courses for RDPs in Ghana, India, Tanzania and Zambia. In this article the filming and the films are analyzed as tools for learning and social change for different audiences. Analyzing the production and consumption processes shows the interconnectedness of the filming and learning during the courses. The results indicate that the films contribute to improved rural development professionalism in the context of HIV/AIDS.     

Sustainable assessment?: Critical features of the assessment process in a modularised engineering programme

This paper reports a project researching the interplay between a formal assessment system on the one hand and the development of students’ and teachers’ work in the actual assessment process on the other. Applying a social practice perspective, empirical data from the first year of an engineering programme mapped the assessment process through documentary studies and qualitative interviews with students and teachers.     

Diversification of educational provision and school-to-work transitions in rural Mali : Analysing a reconfiguration of inequalities in light of justice theories

Based on an approach focusing on actors and in particular on educational trajectories, this paper analyses the effects of diversification of educational provision on inequalities in rural Mali. It shows that there are considerable gaps in the skills acquired by students, including within formal education. These gaps are perceived as illegitimate by education stakeholders. The skills developed though the familial apprenticeship – which is simultaneous with schooling – play a prominent role in workplace integration. At the same time, the skills acquired through schooling are put into practice for productive activities. Consequences of these results for education policies are also analyzed.     

Molecule matters The Quinine story: A 100-year saga

Ever since its isolation in 1820, Quinine has played a crucial role in the development of organic chemistry, chemical industry and modern medicine. The total synthesis of quinine, widely regarded as anevent of epochal importancewas claimed by Woodward and Doering in 1945. This work, however, heavily relied on unsubstantiated literature reports and it appears that Woodward’s work fell short of a total synthesis of quinine. The first stereoselective total synthesis of quinine was accomplished only in 2001, by Stork, who incidentally is the originator of the concept of stereoselectivity in total synthesis. Naturally, this work has been attested as a landmark in organic synthesis by leaders in the field.     

Does partnership and sustainability really happen?: A case study of an in-service health education programme implemented in one province in Cambodia

This paper examines an in-service model of education based on a case study of a Cambodian provincial health project. The model was designed to take account of local experience in the education and health sector and to build effective partnerships between donors and Non-Government Organisations (NGO) working in one province. The aim of the project was to build on existing practices and the understanding, knowledge and attitudes of local communities. The data collected from classroom observations and interviews as the project was implemented was analysed and compared with responses from questionnaires 18 months after additional financial and external human resources had been withdrawn. This evaluation hopes to identify some of the elements necessary for sustainability.     

Out-of-school and ‘at risk’?: Socio-demographic characteristics,AIDS knowledge and risk perception among young people in Northern Tanzania

This paper investigates the reasons why young people in urban and rural Kilimanjaro, Tanzania do not attend school, their socio-demographic characteristics, AIDS knowledge and risk perception. A structured face-to-face interview was conducted with 1007 young people between the ages of 13 and 18. Findings suggest that non-attendance is the product of a complex interaction of economic, individual, family and school-related factors. Boys have more AIDS knowledge than girls, and those from urban areas are more knowledgeable than their rural counterparts. AIDS knowledge increased significantly at each level of education. Those with the highest risk perception were male, of young age and from rural areas. Expanding access to AIDS information, particularly in rural areas, while concomitantly addressing the social and structural determinants of educational attainment is crucial to improving the health of young people.