Technological innovation and change: A case study in the formation of organizational conscience

A university that does not respond to the technological developments of the current age can be said to be both nonresponsive in the behavioral sense and irresponsible in the moral sense. It might seriously be questioned whether a stance of nonresponse is indeed possible. Technology is an inescapable fact of our contemporary cultural existence. We are reminded of the disarming reply of Thomas Carlyle to Margaret Fuller's stoic affirmation, “I accept the universe!” Responded Carlyle, “Gad, she'd better!” ... The more difficult requirement that we face, however, is that of responding responsibly to this cultural fact.     

邓小平与中国社会变迁中的观念创新

邓小平立足于中国社会主义现代化建设的需要,领导中国走出了社会发展中出现的诸如混淆革命与建设、具体制度与基本制度、人治与法治、民本与民主以及将资本主义与社会主义、公与私、贫与富、计划与市场、体力劳动者与脑力劳动者对立化等一系列观念困境,努力创新,从而开创了中国社会主义建设的新局面。     

成人教育创新发展的策略探讨

成人教育应紧跟社会发展步伐,紧跟社会市场需求。在当前的经济环境下,成人教育要不断的打破旧的、固有的模式,寻求新的、更加适合市场的模式,才能立足于社会、服务于社会。本文对成人教育创新发展的策略进行了初步探讨。     

教育用地价值变动分析研究--以河北农业大学为例

土地这种自然存在的非劳动创造的资源,是一种特殊的商品,具有价格,也存在价值。在现实中,有土地参与的经济活动中,土地都是以商品的身份在流动,土地有价格,也具有价值。教育用地价值分为实际使用价值、选择价值和存在价值三方面。     

Managing change in English language teaching through a journey of learning: a case study from China

In the last two years, English language teaching at the level of basic education in China has been changing very fast due to the new Standard Curriculum. The paper takes a school in the northwest of China as an example, illustrating the process of implementing the Curriculum, summarizing the work the school has done, the problems encountered and arguing for the need to manage the change. The paper also gives some suggestions in conclusion.     

Institutional imperatives versus emergent dynamics: a case study on continuous change in higher education

This qualitative case study examines continuous change in a higher education organization (HEO). Both real time and retrospective data covering a 6-year period of the case were collected. The findings suggest that, in order to meet institutional imperatives the HEO defined several managerial and academic domains when the internationalization process was launched. When organizational members activate these domains they confronted with local needs, problems, and opportunities, which enable them to modify, update or extend the defined domains. In addition, throughout time the members constantly realize the missing parts and incorporate them into the process. These findings suggest several insights on the adaptability of higher education organizations.     

Understanding behavior to understand behavior change: a literature review

One view of environmental education suggests that its goal is to ‘develop a world population that … has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations and commitment to work individually and collectively towards solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones’ (UNESCO‐UNEP 1976 UNESCO‐UNEP. 1976. The Belgrade charter. Connect: UNESCO‐UNEP Environmental Education Newsletter, 1(1): 1–2.  [Google Scholar]). Embedded within this charge is the teaching of skills and motivations to implement skills, where a skill refers to performance of an act acquired through extended practice and training (Ericsson and Oliver 1995 Ericsson, K.A. and Oliver, W.L. 1995. “Cognitive skills”. In Learning and Skill, Edited by: Mackintosh, N.J. and Colman, A.M. 37–55. London: Longman.  [Google Scholar]). However, it is often difficult to articulate clearly what skills we teach in conservation education and environmental education focusing on behavior change or influence. It can be equally challenging to describe the behaviors we are ultimately seeking, identified in the Tbilisi Declaration as ‘new patterns of behavior’ (UNESCO 1978 UNESCO. 1978. Final report: Intergovernmental conference on environmental education, Paris: UNESCO ED/MD/49. Organized by UNESCO in Cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14–26 October, 1977 [Google Scholar]). At a basic level, it is important to explore the grounding for teaching toward behavior – often referred to as behavior change – that supports the work of the field. This literature review attempts to provide a foundation for behavior‐related discussions in environmental and conservation education. A number of the behavior theories, concepts and models discussed in this review have been explored extensively elsewhere; therefore, this review is not exhaustive, but rather is intended to be broadly representative of the literature.     

Reality versus perception: Restructuring tertiary education and institutional organisational change – a case study

The purpose of this study was toinvestigate the outcome of restructuring thetertiary system in New South Wales, Australiafive years after its announcement in the late1980s. It was hoped that lessons could belearned to assist policy makers in Nova Scotia,Canada in their attempt to restructure highereducation. Twenty-four senior administratorswere interviewed to collect data on `why' and`how' decisions were made in response to avoluntary restructuring policy. Qualitativedata analysis revealed that (1) voluntaryamalgamations and federations take place whentertiary institutions fear governments willmandate restructuring; (2) restructuring oldestablished institutions is more difficult; (3)personal ambitions of leaders negotiatingmergers play an important role; (4) loosefederations are likely to become morebureaucratic and less efficient; (5)organisational change and development arepoorly understood by senior administrators.To achieve organisational change, more than onefactor must be present. Congruence betweenthese factors is critical to achieve desiredoutcomes. The data inferred that there is arelationship between leadership, restructuring,managing staff relations, organisationaldevelopment, external pressure for change, andorganisational change. To illustrate thisrelationship, the `primary triad model' wascreated suggesting a holistic approach toachieving desired outcomes. Otherwise,organisational change may be perception ratherthan reality.     

Action learning in ActionAid Nepal: a case study

This article describes an example of how action learning was used as a framework for an organisational intervention to fundamentally change the organisational culture over a period of time. It also identifies our learning over that period of time and what worked well (and not so well) in an International Non-Governmental Organisation in Nepal.     

Implementing artifacts: An interactive frame analysis of innovative educational practices

Innovative policies often enter schools as educational artifacts which teachers are expected to implement. Conceptualizing the interaction between teachers and artifacts as a process of interpretative negotiation, we use frame analysis to unravel the implementation practices of one exemplary artifact: the TraPS-file. This file aims at warranting continuity in educational care when students make the transition from primary to secondary school. Based on an artifact analysis and a qualitative multiple-case study, we identify three configurations in implementation: faithful use, selective use and extended use. The study adds further evidence to critically question the fidelity approach in the study of innovations.     

Large-scale curriculum change in a system of ten indonesian medical schools — A case study of educational innovation

This article reviews the literature on educational innovation and change, and emphasises factors which are held to facilitate rapid change. The remainder of the paper presents a detailed case history o1 educational innovation in 10 Indonesian medical schools, involvingN=260 academic departments. Within a 3-year period three-quarters of these departments have developed new curricula haled on sets of explicit instructional objectives, and most of these departments now indicate they are using these sets of objectives both for their teaching and for assessing students' competence. This case history describes how this task was approached, provides a synoptic picture of the results which have been obtained: then attempts to provide an overall account o1 those factors which assisted these changes to take place. It is contended that this case history of change within a system of established medical schools clarifies selected aspects of the theoretical literature on educational innovation and diffusion, on the planning of effective programmes of staff development, and provides planners with sonic practical guidelines for programme development and evaluation.     

与时俱进与马克思主义学风

创新精神是马克思主义的基本精神,与时俱进是马克思主义学风的优秀品格,是理论联系实际的内容和应有规定。马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论都是继承前人又突破陈规、不断与时俱进的结晶。坚持与时俱进的马克思主义学风,必须解放思想,实事求是,反对“左”和右的非马克思主义学风。     

我国众创空间创新发展机制的建构路径——基于扎根理论的研究

众创空间是我国创新创业活动的产物。伴随我国创新创业活动的不断推进,众创空间也需要加强建设。通过实地调研、深度访谈和文本分析等质性研究方法获取基础资料,运用扎根理论,逐步进行编码,生成了包括创业主体、管理服务、政府政策、外部环境和多元协同在内的五维度三层次众创空间创新发展机制模型。研究发现,提升众创空间入驻率、提高众创空间管理服务、完善政府公共政策、优化创新创业环境、构建多元支持体系,对于实现我国众创空间的创新发展具有积极的作用。     

Developing Networked Learning within Higher Education: a case study of an electronic forum for university staff

Abstract

This paper presents a case study on an electronic forum to enable university staff to discuss networked learning. The paper begins by describing networked learning and argues that its implementation will require rethinking approaches to teaching and new relationships between staff carrying out different roles within higher education institutions. The paper goes on to describe how an electronic forum was set up to enable staff to share their understanding and experiences of networked learning at a local university. This forum was valued by participants as it gave them the opportunity to contribute to a discussion and reflect on different approaches. However, the level of sharing was less than many would have liked due in the main to the high threshold to the discussion and time pressures on the participants.     

Contextual factors that sustain innovative pedagogical practice using technology: an international study

Pedagogical innovation—whether involving technology or not—is shaped by a complex interaction of the innovation with contextual factors such as school and school district policy, leadership, cultural norms and values, teacher attitudes and skills, and student characteristics. This study examined school and classroom contexts in which pedagogical innovations employing technology were successfully sustained. Data were obtained from 59 cases drawn from the Second Information Technology in Education Study—Module 2, a project that examined 174 cases of innovative pedagogical practice in schools in 28 countries. An explanatory model of sustainability was derived from a qualitative analysis of the cases using grounded theory techniques. Essential conditions for the sustainability of classroom innovation were teacher and student support of the innovation, teacher perceived value of the innovation, teacher professional development, and principal approval. Contributing factors for sustainability were supportive plans and policies, funding, innovation champions, and internal and external recognition and support. An interactive website that allows for searching of SITES-M2 case reports on various attributes such as sustainability, transferability, level of school, and evidence of supportive policies and plans is available at http://sitesm2.org.     

Implementing curriculum evaluation: case study of a generic undergraduate degree in health sciences

This case study presents a longitudinal, evidence‐based approach to health science curriculum reform and evaluation. Curriculum in higher education must meet the needs of diverse stakeholders and must respond to dynamic local, national and international contexts, and this creates challenges for evaluation. The long lead time prior to the introduction of new or revised university curriculum (at least two years), the length of degree programmes (three to five years) and the lag time in the availability of objective indicators of degree outcomes (at least one year post‐graduation) mean that findings may be obsolete before an evaluation can be completed. Few would argue that evaluation is important and methods and approaches for conducting curriculum evaluation are proposed in the literature, although few published reports of the outcomes of comprehensive evaluations are evident. This paper discusses potential for evaluation to establish responsive communication between students, teaching staff and programme administrators, ensuring a match between the intended, implemented and attained curriculum.     

Five years of strategic environmental assessment efforts at a research university: A case study of an organizational innovation

This study examined the emergence and subsequent five-year history of environmental scanning at a large research university. Proponents of strategic approaches to management in organizations usually recommend environmental scanning as a necessary support for effective decision making. The technique seeks to build systematic understanding of the external environment of the organization, via ongoing reconnaissance of relevant developments in technology, the economy, the political and legal arenas, and the larger society. Scanning's fit with educational organizations may be problematic, however. Over time, scanning efforts on the campus studied here became less theory-based and less centralized, and scanning failed to become an institutionalized innovation. The difficulties in institutionalizing scanning are traced to six factors: limitations posed by organizational structure, an absence of powerful champions, constraints from the organizational culture, the existence of a policy vacuum surrounding scanning efforts, the daunting demands of such efforts themselves, and questionable articulation with the fundamental goals and mission of the institution. The analysis suggests that the generic scanning model seems unlikely to win acceptance in research universities without substantial modification.His research and his teaching focus upon organization and policy in higher education. Among his current research projects are an investigation of the changing demography of the professoriate and a study of the effects of the ongoing centralization of higher-education governance at the state level in the U.S. His Ph.D. is from Stanford University.His primary focus is assisting academic disciplines and institutions in developing ecologically sensitive curricula and sustainable practices.He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.     

旅游发展对落茸社区生态文明变迁影响的个案研究

生态文明是人与自然协同进化的文明,少数民族传统文化中很早就有关于人与自然和谐相处的纯朴生态文明观。但随着社会的进步和变迁,人类文明的进程也在随之发生着变化,并对传统文化产生影响和冲击。在香格里拉普达措国家公园内的落茸社区是传统的藏族村落,其地理位置和传统文化使得社区居民沿袭很多传统的生态文明观,长期和自然和谐相处。社会演进中旅游业的发展给社区传统生态观带来了不小的影响,其生活空间、生产空间及依存空间均发生了一定变化。     

Motivating students of mixed efficacy profiles in technology skills classes: A case study

Students usually enter technology skills courses with varying experience and self-efficacy with technology. Teaching classes with mixed-efficacy at the same pace and level of contents may not ensure that all students would be equally motivated. This qualitative study explored strategies for motivating mixed profile classes by comparing learning behaviors of high and low efficacy students in an undergraduate technology skills course. It was found that low-efficacy students could be motivated by providing them with opportunities to acclimatize to the use of technical vocabulary and a technical environment. On the other hand, high-efficacy students could be motivated with opportunities to learn new technical contents. The study identified three critical stages of motivation and the strategies that could be adopted by instructors.     

Making a difference: an exploration of leadership roles within sixth form colleges in maintaining ethos within a context of change

In 2001–02, the Nuffield Foundation funded research into the impact of government policy upon the management of sixth form colleges since 1992. National and regional questionnaire surveys were carried out among senior managers at sixth form colleges, further education colleges and schools. Case studies were undertaken at five sixth form colleges in the North‐West and South‐East of England, and in the East Midlands. This article reports on the findings in relation to the following factors: the prevailing ethos of sixth form colleges, the changing context within which that ethos is maintained, and the role of leaders at all levels of the colleges in maintaining it.