Organizational Factors that Influence E‐learning Development and Implementation in the Corporate Context

In the context of Autoparts, a multinational manufacturer for automotive electronics, Lotus Notes was employed to create an e‐learning system. This system was titled “Using Notes for Case‐based Learning Environments” (UNCLE). The UNCLE project attempted to encapsulate knowledge and understanding of those organizational factors that might influence e‐learning development and implementation in a corporate context. Based on the findings of this study, and our reflections on these findings, we define that an e‐learning system consists of four critical components: (1) corporate learners with certain prerequisites (people) to carry out (2) learning tasks (process) using (3) e‐learning technology (technology) in an (4) organizational context (organization). This study further suggested that e‐learning is a sociotechnical change process like any technology adoptions, and proposed a systemic framework for exploring and making the most of various sociotechnical factors. Further studies are suggested to investigate the interrelationships among these four components and various sociotechnical factors.     

Translating Key Competences into the School Curriculum: lessons from the Polish experience

Over the last 20 years, Poland has gone through a major transition process in which the challenges for education in terms of new approaches to learning and teaching have been compounded by broader changes such as the democratisation of structures and processes and the major economic and social changes. This article is a case study that examines the early stages of significant shifts in the learning and teaching process, the stepped approach that was taken and the different international influences. It was decided to focus on the top-down, policy level actions in order to trace how influences have shaped current policy on outcomes-based approaches and key competences, which are increasingly implemented in schools today. The Polish education and training system has been through a complex series of reforms, many simultaneously. The introduction of outcome-based approaches and key competences is part of much broader reforms that have affected mindsets and attitudes by having addressed the structure of the system (e.g. the length of compulsory education), school governance, the roles of principals and teachers, teacher training, etc. Parents' expectations have evolved and students are growing up in a much more connected environment with Internet and social networks and an exponential development of access to ICT and the need for digital competences and a range of key competences for lifelong learning and work (Gordon et al., 2009). Although change has taken place at all levels and in all sub-sectors of the system, this article focuses on general education in primary and secondary schools.     

The rewards of human capital competences for young European higher education graduates

Abstract

The labour market rewards for a number of required human capital competences are analysed using a sample of young European higher education graduates. Factor analysis is applied to classify competences by jobs into eight orthogonal groups, namely participative, methodological, specialised, organisational, applying rules, physical, generic and socio‐emotional competences. Estimates for the total rewards for competences are obtained through conventional wage regression, whereas estimates of the total rewards are derived in terms of job satisfaction through ordered logit regression. Explanatory variables include personal characteristics, job attributes, occupational titles, fields of study, type of higher education institution and country dummies. Results on wage rewards show that jobs with higher requirements of participative and methodological competences are best paid; conversely, jobs with higher requirements of organisational, applying‐rules and physical competences are worse paid. Results on total rewards suggest that jobs with higher requirements of competences increase graduates’ satisfaction, the only exception being applying‐rules competences.     

The Impact of Individual,Educational, and Workplace Factors on the Transfer of School-Based Learning into the Workplace

The aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of learning of professional competences from vocational colleges to the workplace context in vocational education. Concretely, the study examined the relations between the professional competences learned at school and the use and further development of those competences at the workplace during the practice module in vocational education programmes in Spain. The study analysed individual, educational design and work environment factors that facilitate or hinder transfer of learning. The study took a multidimensional approach to professional competences by observing four dimensions: hard-specific, hard-generic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. The data collection drew from a questionnaire administered to students of vocational education programmes (N = 379) after they had completed the practice module scheme. A moderation analysis was applied to observe the effect of individual, educational design and workplace factors on the relation between the competences learned at school and those used at the workplace. The findings showed that compulsory placement, school-work alignment, work-based supervisor, access to resources and task complexity are significant moderators between the competences learned at school and those used at the workplace. The study highlights the coherence between the school and workplaces and work environment characteristics as factors conducive to transfer of learning.     

高校核心竞争力培育途径初探

核心竞争力是竞争力中最为关键的因素,建设具有竞争优势与可持续发展能力的高校,必须突显核心竞争力的规划、培育、提升与创新。强化特色是高校培育核心竞争力的重要途径,中国高校应该深入研究传统教育思想与制度,加强校史研究与校史教育,善于向世界一流高校、其他社会组织尤其是优秀企业学习。注重高校组织文化建设,努力形成和强化特色,培育核心竞争力。     

The impact of the organizational transfer climate on the use of teacher leadership competences developed in a post-initial Master's program

The transfer of learning outcomes of Master's programs for teachers is not self-evident. In this study, 18 teachers who recently graduated and their supervisors were interviewed on the transfer of leadership competences developed during their Master's program and on how the organizational transfer climate of the school supported or hindered this transfer. In schools with high levels of transfer, strategic partnerships between Master's-level teachers and formal leaders were observed, which facilitated a two-way process in which the application of new competences led to changes in the workplace. Therefore, the Master's program contributed to both professional development and school improvement.     

Developing new “Professionals”: Service learning in marketing as an opportunity to innovate in higher education

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) promotes the use of student-centered participatory methodologies and the design of curricula focused on the acquisition of competences. The objective of this paper is to identify the categories of competence that contribute the most to achieving learning outcomes through the practice of Service Learning (SL) in the teaching of marketing. Using the categories described in the Tuning model, we design a model to analyze the relationships between perceived learning outcomes and competences. The main findings are: 1) there is no evidence of any relationship between perceived interpersonal and systemic competences and perceived learning outcomes, 2) there is a relationship between perceived instrumental competences and perceived learning outcomes and, 3) students do not perceive that achievement of learning outcomes is the cause of the grades they obtain. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications.     

Promoting Career Development through Teamwork and Mastery Learning Course Requirements in Criminal Justice Research Methods Courses

An innovative semester long small group research project, that required collecting and analyzing original data, regular written reports, and an oral presentation, was included in a senior level criminal justice research methods course to promote career development for those close to graduation. Over five years approximately 446 students were surveyed at the end of their classes to assess their response to the group project. Results suggest senior level students are capable of sustained small group participation where they utilize strategies that reflect practitioner group processes, such as decision‐making autonomy, planning, and coordinated activities. Mastery learning techniques resulted in high quality project outcomes and associated competences.     

Modelling a learning environment: Towards a learning organization

Abstract

The role of the academic developer mirrors that of the current day academic. It is increasingly diverse and complex. Staff employed in academic development units are expected to respond to the needs of individual academics and are also expected to provide leadership in teaching and learning, conduct research into higher education, contribute to policy on a broad range of issues, and undertake community service. In addition they are expected to take responsibility for their own professional development. They are constantlyjuggling priorities of personal, professional and organizational commitments. To maintain competence in the face of multiple demands there must be significant overlap between work and learning. The learning opportunities inherent in working within a large multi‐dimensional organization must be acknowledged and embraced through the concept of a ‘learning organization’. It is important that the organizational culture of the Academic Development Unit (ADU) values learning, encourages reflection and fosters collaborative practice. This paper outlines an organizational model of academic development highlighting the opportunities for intervention at the level of organizational culture, staff development and student learning. It also suggests strategies for organizing and managing an ADU that provides a positive model of an effective working and learning environment.     

Toward a functional learning system for Solomon Island secondary science classrooms

This paper uses a model of Melanesian Solomon Islanders' informal learning system derived from participant observation and interview data to analyse classroom interactions at the senior secondary level. Key learning strategies in the Melanesian informal learning system are observation, imitation, listening, participation and asking. Key contextual elements described pertain to the maintenance of interpersonal relationships, kin‐group and peer‐oriented learning, and epistemology, sociolinguistics and time orientation. This analysis is used to enhance the attainment of classroom goals through the development of a functional learning system for laboratory‐oriented science lessons comprising teaching strategies and classroom management techniques which incorporate particular elements of the Melanesian informal learning system. Evidence is presented supporting the selective use of observation, active imitation, listening and participation in a classroom context which maintains respect between participants and assigns roles to them in ways congruent with Melanesian cultural norms.     

Active learning promoting student teachers’ professional competences in Finland and Turkey

This study investigates student teachers’ active learning experiences in teacher education (TE) in Finnish and Turkish contexts and attempts to determine how active learning methods’ impact student teachers’ professional competences. Student teachers (N = 728) assessed their active learning experiences and the professional competences they achieved during TE. Self-regulated and collaborative learning provided the theoretical framework for the active learning measurements. The professional competences included a wide range of teacher responsibilities in schools and society. The data were collected by a survey. A quantitative analysis utilising a regression analysis approach provided strong evidence that active learning has an impact on professional competences. A qualitative analysis further revealed that active knowledge creation with high engagement in learning tasks and a collaborative learning culture were important modes of active learning. While the study focused on two different TE systems, active learning was important in student teachers’ professional development in both contexts.     

Designing Learning Outcomes in Design Higher Education Curricula

New and flexible educational paradigms, based on creative, innovative and open‐minded competences, are required in the development of curricula in design, working as an essential skill toolkit for future designers, particularly in higher education. This study aims to explore how learning outcomes, usually expressed by the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and competences expected to be achieved by students as a result of an educational experience, are defined and formulated in design study programmes in Portugal. The investigation relies on the linguistic analysis of a corpus composed of a collection of learning outcomes extracted from the Portuguese undergraduate and post‐graduate study programmes in design. The analysis was performed through the application of natural language tools and resources to that corpus. Specifically, we used computational lexicons and grammars to gather information on word frequency, lexical density, syntactic distribution and the morphology used in texts. Additional discourse dimensions, such as the length of sentences, the frequency of specific linguistic patterns, and the presence of subjective items, like evaluative adjectives, were also considered. Results suggest that Portuguese design and art higher education institutions are committed to follow the learning outcomes recommendations, trying to identify measurable ‘design’ skills. Moreover, the results show that, despite of being confined to 1,000 characters, learning outcomes are expressed differently, both in terms of lexicon and grammar, depending on the study cycles, fostering the idea that skills and competences required become more complex as the level of qualification increases.     

Examining the Impact of Pedagogy on Student Application of Learning: Acquiring,Sharing, and Using Knowledge for Organizational Decision Making

In this pilot research we examine the impact of two leadership development training programs on the ability of students to acquire knowledge, share knowledge, and apply knowledge for organizational decision making. One program emphasized concepts and case‐based application based on a technical learning paradigm. The other program used a game‐based computer simulation, Virtual Leader, grounded in an experiential or situated learning paradigm. After training, students from both programs engaged in a complex in‐basket exercise to examine the quality of their leadership and managerial abilities. In this exercise, participants from each training intervention worked with their trained cohort to accomplish a day of managerial work. Participants were observed and their individual and collective actions and decisions on behalf of the organization were evaluated. Using qualitative research we compared the organizational decisions associated with each group to determine which pedagogical technique resulted in the most effective application of student learning. While technical learning pedagogy was associated with greater information acquisition, the game‐based computer simulation (an experiential, social‐interaction oriented pedagogy) was associated with better decision quality and more shared cognition. Evidence suggests that students taught with the game‐based computer simulation collectively demonstrated a greater ability to apply what they learned.     

Improving teaching capacity to increase student achievement: The key role of communication competences in Higher Education

The educational model based on competences established under the unifying framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), has brought new challenges and threats for educational institutions at university level, who now have to adapt, update and face up to this new educational paradigm. This paper addresses the competences from two different perspectives; the first relating to the level reached by the student through university training received; and the second concerning the level required by labour market in the profession studied. The empirical analysis was performed using nonparametric statistics on a sample of 236 individuals, following the methodology of the Tuning project. The results support the existence of differences between the two blocks of analysed competences, as well as the importance of communication competences and the relationships of competences related to communication with all other competences with highest differences. This point to a course of action based on these competences, especially communication competences, as a way for working on improving the competence results in higher education.     

Principal's Leadership as a Critical Factor for School Performance: Evidence from Multi‐Levels of Primary Schools 1

This study aims to investigate how principal's leadership is related to school performance in terms of multi‐level indicators such as school's organizational characteristics, teachers’ group‐level and individual‐level performances, and students’ performances. In the study, strong leadership represents that a principal can be supportive and foster participation for teachers, can develop clear goals and policies and hold people accountable for results, can be persuasive at building alliances and solving conflicts, can be inspirational and charismatic, and can encourage professional development and teaching improvement. The strong leadership is found associated with high organizational effectiveness, strong organizational culture, positive principal‐teachers relationship, more participation in decision, high teacher esprit and professionalism, less teacher disengagement and hindrance, more teacher job satisfaction and commitment, and more positive student performance particularly on attitudes to their schools and learning. The findings support that principal's leadership is a critical factor for school performance at multi‐levels. Implications are advanced for further study and development of leadership.

     

Impacts of lifelong learning upon emotional resilience,psychological and mental health: fieldwork evidence

This paper presents findings from a fieldwork study concerning the impacts of learning upon health. In‐depth biographical interviews were conducted with 145 adults about the effects of learning throughout their lives. In addition, 12 group interviews were conducted with practitioners about their perceptions of the effects of learning upon their students.Participation in lifelong learning had effects upon a range of health outcomes; well‐being, protection and recovery from mental health difficulties, and the capacity to cope with potentially stress‐inducing circumstances including the onset and progression of chronic illness and disability. These effects were mediated by relatively immediate impacts of learning upon psychosocial qualities; self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, a sense of purpose and hope, competences, and social integration. Learning developed these psychosocial qualities through extending boundaries, a process which is quintessential to learning.However, not all educational experiences had positive effects upon health outcomes. Provision that generated positive health outcomes matched the interests, strengths and needs of the learner. Provision differed in terms of levels of support and challenge, the type and mix of students, and level and content. The interests, strengths and needs of each learner were unique and determined by their background and current circumstances, which include the stage in their life course when they participate in learning.     

Older adult entrepreneurs as mentors of young people neither in employment nor education and training (NEETs). Evidences from multi-country intergenerational learning program

ABSTRACT

Population aging is exacerbating the loss of competences in the workforce and simultaneously young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEETs) are struggling to be reengaged in employment. These issues, which are deemed priorities for the European policy agenda, could be addressed by triggering active aging dimensions, valuing and exploiting older adult entrepreneurs’ knowledge for enhancing youngsters’ entrepreneurial attitudes, through mentoring. This paper reports the results of a study based on an intergenerational learning program, carried out in 2018 in Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The study was aimed at developing and testing one training on mentoring addressing 41 older adult entrepreneurs (55 and over), and two intergenerational learning trainings aiming at boosting entrepreneurial competences of 33 NEETs (aged 18–29). The impact of the program on older adult entrepreneurs and NEETs was assessed through a pre and post-evaluation using qualitative and quantitative tools. Findings at country level were treated as national case-studies and then the latter were compared by considering them as a multiple embedded case-study. Results indicated that, to different extent in the study countries, mentors learned and enhanced mentoring competences, e.g. active listening and the capability of orienting, improved well-being and self-esteem, social inclusion and active aging attitude. Moreover, NEETs acquired entrepreneurial and socio-relational competences by benefiting from the full exploitation of mentors’ know-how and the trust relationship with them. Companies, trade unions, educational and voluntary organizations should cooperate to adopt intergenerational learning programs as good practices for older adults and NEETs’ lifelong learning promotion.     

“It’s worth it”1 practitioner research as a tool of professional learning: starting points,conclusions and benefits from the perspective of teacher-students

ABSTRACT

The current study focuses on the concept PPS-PR (Personalized Professionalization in Pedagogical Fields through Practitioner Research), an approach that integrates practitioner research projects during internships. A central aim is to encourage teacher students´ professional learning (Bachelor of Primary Education). 312 Austrian teacher students carried out practitioner research projects and were invited to participate in an online survey at the end of the semester. The results show that the majority of respondents choose research topics predominantly related to the fields of methodical competences (e.g. classroom management strategies) and report consistent conclusions and long term benefits. The findings indicate that professional learning of teacher students can be supported by the PPS-PR concept. Therefore, practitioner research can be seen as a tool for developing competences that are stable and can furthermore be transferred to other situational contexts.     

Individual and Contextual Differences in the Approaches to Learning of Australian Secondary School Students

Data, based on responses of 1274 Australia secondary school students, are reported which link the student's learning motives and strategies to both personological and school environment factors and learning outcomes. The results indicate substantial positive relationships between the students’ level of self‐esteem and their perceptions of the learning environment as enjoyable and worthwhile with both deep and achieving approaches to learning. Students with more versatile learning strategies are also likely to be the more successful academically.     

SOAP in practice: learning outcomes of a cross‐institutional innovation project conducted by teachers,student teachers,and teacher educators

This paper reports on a case study investigating learning outcomes at the individual and organisational level of a cross‐institutional innovation project based on the SOAP approach. SOAP integrates Schooling of teachers, Organisational development of schools, Action‐ and development‐oriented research, and Professional development of teachers. The innovation project was aimed at combining teachers, student teachers, and teacher educators in an alliance to design and develop new competence‐based vocational educational arrangements for pupils. An inductive qualitative analysis of 37 semi‐structured interviews among the participants revealed seven main categories of individual learning outcomes: attitudes, project design and management, collaboration, action theory, teaching practice, educational principles, and developments within secondary vocational education. Three main categories of organisational learning outcomes were identified: institution‐level learning, project‐level learning, and combining institution‐level and project‐level learning. A tension was identified between the participants’ individual interests in learning and personal development, and the need for organisational learning aimed at improving organisational processes.