Perceptions of art and design faculty on the instructional value of iPads

The widespread use of iPads in higher education brings to the forefront questions about the contribution of these computer tablets towards teaching and learning. However, there is a noticeable gap in research on the educational potential of iPads in higher education. This article describes the second stage of a research project on the use of iPads in undergraduate art and design disciplines, and in particular the views and experiences of faculty in two different art and design schools over a period of one semester. The first stage of the project investigated the perceptions of art and design students about the educational value of iPads. For the second stage, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model was used to gauge adoption of the iPad for teaching and learning, and the participants provided qualitative data that was used for this phenomenographic study. The outcomes of this investigation provide an overview of challenges and obstacles from the perspective of art and design faculty in embedding the use of iPads in teaching and learning.     

An exploration of teacher's use of iPads for students with learning support needs

This project explored how iPads were being used in a range of K‐12 schools to support the learning of students with a range of learning support needs. Groups of teachers (and other professionals) from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK were invited to complete an online survey focused on the use of iPads in their classrooms, perspectives of their skill level, and how their school and school districts support the use of iPads. The survey focused on iPad use in classrooms (curriculum and skills); teachers’ skill levels; whether iPads are addressed in the Individualised Education Program (IEP); the systemic support for the iPads; and the perceived benefits and barriers. The results reveal that respondents are using iPads across many areas of the curriculum, which affirms the research in the emerging literature base. However, there are teacher reported differences in the manner and scope of iPad use in the classrooms and also the integration of the iPad in the IEP. The research also highlights variability in reported skill level for the iPad and an increased need for enhanced systemic support, such as training, funding, technical support and administrative support for the use of the iPad as a pedagogical tool.     

Examining Teachers' Use of iPads: Comfort Level,Perception, and Use

While there is evidence of the growing popularity of iPads and other tablets in K–12 education, little is understood about how teachers use these devices in their instruction. This study examines 342 teachers' comfort level with and perception toward iPad use and any changes that occurred over the implementation year. Using a mixed-methods design, this study found significant differences in comfort level by years of teaching and school levels. Female teachers, teachers with 20 years or less of teaching experience, and elementary school teachers were more positive about their perception toward iPad use than the other groups. High school teachers' perception was the lowest overall. Analyses of teacher interviews revealed affordances, challenges, and diverse ways of how teachers used iPads in their instruction. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Improving student learning in distance education: Theory,research and practice

The aim of this paper is to examine how project-based learning in distance education can be seen to make a distinctive contribution to “improving student learning”. How has this approach to course design and assessment been put into practice in an Open University (OU) course and what assumptions about teaching and learning are involved in this course development process. The paper also looks briefly at how this project component has been evaluated by describing students’ and tutors’ experiences of learning and teaching in the form of “action research” so to reflect critically on practice and so initiate change.     

Interior Design Supports Art Education: A Case Study

Interior design, as a field of study, is a rapidly growing area of interest — particularly for teenagers in the United States. Part of this interest stems from the proliferation of design‐related reality shows available through television media. Some art educators and curriculum specialists in the nation perceive the study of interior spaces as a ‘practical application’ of the arts. This article discusses an experiential design problem, originally used in higher education interior design studio courses that was modified and shared with students in third grade to address national academic standards. Later, this same project was modified for use with high school students in the educator's community and with international design students in South Korea. Lastly, the project was presented in a workshop to art education students at a higher education institution. The project was modified to address (1) the age group level and (2) a topic relevant to the audience. Goals of the design project were: (1) to explore creative problem‐solving, (2) to explore the application of design elements and principles, and (3) to increase student understanding of spatial relationships within an interior environment. Findings indicate that the project supported several visual art standards, including perception and community. This project may be of interest to current and future art educators and others interested in the potential of interior design content supporting art education.     

Status Quo and Outlook of the Studies of Entrepreneurship Education in China: Statistics and Analysis Based on Papers Indexed in CSSCI (2004–2013)

Abstract

We utilized cross tabulation statistics, word frequency counts, and content analysis of research output to conduct a bibliometric study, and used CiteSpace software to depict a knowledge map for research on entrepreneurship education in China from 2004 to 2013. The study shows that, in this duration, the study of Chinese entrepreneurship education experienced a progression through three stages, an “exploratory stage of learning from foreign models,” a “developmental stage geared toward employment problems,” and a “transformative stage promoting cultivation of student abilities,” and featured three primary characteristics, “multidisciplinary fusion,” “imbalanced regional distribution,” and “policy orientation.” In the future, popular fields in the study of entrepreneurship education are to be concentrated in the three areas, namely “entrepreneurship education and talent cultivation,” “entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial environments,” and “entrepreneurship education and innovation education.”     

What's Happening to Photography?

This is the first public output of the joint Arts Council/University of Portsmouth research project into photography teaching in GNVQ Art and Design and Media Communications and Production. It reports principally from various contacts and interviews in the first six months of the project and from the results of a questionnaire survey of art and design lecturers involved in GNVQ. The paper suggests that the increasing significance of photography in artistic cultural and social practices is not adequately reflected in formal education. It describes a variety of aims and practices in those institutions involved in GNYQ, although we have found little collaboration between art and design and media courses. In some art and design courses, photography functions mainly as an aid to research and preparatory work, elsewhere we found lecturers willing to describe it as ‘an art form in its own right’ or as a ‘fundamental part’ of the art and design curriculum. We report on the resource implications of offering substantial photography courses. some preliminary findings about the kinds of students studying art and design GNVQ, and the perceived value of official publications. The question of choosing ‘A’ level or GNVQ is raised, as is the issue of progression. We have found expectations that GNVQs will become a regular route into HE although their currency is not yet clear. Although we report difficulties with GNVQs in art and design, and more specifically with photography, we also record comments which indicate some reasons for optimism.     

Multimedia in the Art Curriculum: Crossing Boundaries

Art educators, like those in other areas of the curriculum, are under pressure from various directions to use digital technology in the classroom. Whilst some of this pressure is politically motivated I believe there are also what could be described as more legitimate educational reasons for using computers; what is lacking at this stage is a coherent body of knowledge amongst art educators as to what happens when we do use them. This article focuses on a development project which took place last year in a secondary school involving a Year 10 class in the use of multimedia software. The project was collaborative in nature and was carried out by Miles Jefcoate, an art teacher at Beacon Community College in East Sussex, a group of Year 10 students at Beacon and myself as a member of the teaching team on the Art and Design PGCE course at the University of Brighton. Supported by research funding from the University, the school was provided with multimedia software which was installed into its computer network. The design and delivery of the students' project was undertaken by Miles whilst I evaluated the impact of the digital technology on the learning taking place, with an emphasis on how Miles and the students experienced and evaluated their activities.     

iPads in higher education—Hype and hope

This paper systematically reviews current research on using iPads in the higher education sector. Since the release of iPads by Apple in 2010, this new technology has been quickly adopted everywhere, especially by the younger generation and professionals. We were motivated to find out how iPads have been adopted for use in the higher education sector. We searched for and collected all the peer‐reviewed publications in conference proceedings and scholarly journals in EBSCOhost, Scopus, Informit A+ Education, ProQuest Academic Research Library and Google Scholar, and conducted a content analysis of the full‐text papers collected. The results show that the reported studies are at an early exploratory stage from both the student and staff perspectives. From the student perspective, the iPad was found to enhance the learning experience but not necessarily lead to better learning outcomes. From the staff perspective, the iPad was found to offer benefits associated with electronic information dissemination, academic administration and professional development support. A finding common to both perspectives is that while the iPad has the potential to offer benefits to the academics and students who were found to be eager adopters of this technology, it is not clear how best to align and integrate it within the academic programmes and workflows, and how best to manage it as a resource within a university's organisational setting.     

以项目为载体:英国工程博士计划的推进与启示

工程博士教育作为应用型研究生教育的最高层次,以培养高端科技创新型人才为目标。英国工程博士计划以项目为载体开展工程博士的培养,为英国经济建设培养了大批高级工程师人才。研究发现,“围绕项目构建多主体协同的推进机制”“通过项目的开展培养工程博士”及“质量保障贯穿项目开展全过程”是实现英国工程博士计划有效推进的关键所在。借鉴英国工程博士计划的实践经验,从“构建多主体协同的顶层制度设计”“以项目开展实现工程博士培养”和“以社会标准作为工程博士培养质量的评价依据”三个方面提出对我国的启示。     

智能时代的教育改革：教育社会实验的演化及其价值回应

社会转型期的时代背景推动了智能时代的教育改革。如何系统化地认识与研究当下的教育改革,同时科学合理地设计教育实践的干预策略,是当下教育改革与发展面临的两个核心问题。本研究从历史学、社会学和教育学三个视角出发,通过探讨教育实践及其理论发展的历史背景,从认识论的角度梳理了教育社会实验生成演化的四个阶段,包括教育实践理论启蒙与初步探索的"前认识阶段"、教育实验形成与规范化的"前研究阶段"、从教育实践社会化到教育实验社会化的"后实践阶段",以及从关注教育实践到关注教育社会实验的"后研究阶段"。作为价值回应,"教育社会实验"在提升对教育改革的认识上起到了认识论的作用;"教育社会实验研究"在加深对当代教育改革认识的基础上,为实践干预提供了方法论指导。     

意趣同工——论西南村寨文化艺术精神与幼教美育

我国西南是少数民族聚居区,其文化艺术形式多样并独具特色。试图探究村寨文化艺术精神中天然意趣的审美价值取向和培养以家族式教育为主的幼儿审美意识之间的关联性,并从艺术本源出发,将“生活的艺术”和“艺术的生活”融入幼教领域,构建符合幼儿身心发展的审美意识理念。     

Skirting the Sketch: An Analysis of Sketch Inhibition within Contemporary Design Higher Education

Sketch inhibition is regularly alluded to by educators within design higher education and one with increasingly marked effects on industry. Over the past thirty years, students have been observed to engage less with the manual processes of design development process in favour of other activities perceived as more attractive, to the detriment of their development as effective designers. This article offers an evaluation of literature which supports the importance of sketching to the design process across a variety of disciplines, its anatomy and functions and demonstrates its role in cognitive support, as a language, a means of reflection, communication and storage of information and the micro‐processes it embodies. Initial findings regarding the symptoms of sketch inhibition are presented: from avoidance of studio sessions and minimal design development, to an overreliance on digital tools. It considers causes, ranging from lacking skill‐sets, psycho‐social, to technological, and although further investigation is recommended to establish depth and enable development of an appropriate pedagogical framework for its management within HE, various methods are offered at this stage for use by educators: these include fine art exercises, a rigorous pursuit of quantity and even paper type.     

Teacher’s use of iPads in higher education

Mobile devices (e.g. iPads or galaxy tab) are increasingly being used in educational contexts. There has been growing investment in higher education institutions in Hong Kong by the HKSAR Education Bureau in relation to educational uses of mobile technology. However, current research into educational applications of this technology is limited. This article reports results of a qualitative study that investigated how higher education teachers use iPads to facilitate their practice. The study results provide insight into both the educational affordances of iPad technology and the ways in which teachers’ personal or private theories mediate these affordances. The study outcomes contribute to theoretical understanding of higher education teacher changes through adoption of mobile technology. Furthermore, the outcomes provide a set of recommendations for applications of iPads and similar technologies in higher education and ways to support teachers to effectively adopt such technology in their practices.     

The Decorated School: cross-disciplinary research in the history of art as integral to the design of educational environments

This article reports on the opening up of a new, rich seam of interdisciplinary research that brings together historians of education with historians of art and architecture to examine the meaning and incidence of “The Decorated School”. It examines the origins of the idea of art as educator in the nineteenth century and discusses how ideas about the education of taste accompanied the establishment of mass education in industrialised nations during the early part of the twentieth century. Some examples of Decorated Schools in Britain and Europe are discussed with reference to the nature of the international and interdisciplinary interpretation made possible by the research network. Finally, some of the challenges of interdisciplinary research in this area are presented, as well as rich opportunities for further exploration. The article concludes that in order to come closer to a realisation of how pupils might have experienced The Decorated School in the past, we need to incorporate histories of children’s play-worlds in our project.     

普通高中思想政治教科书的活动设计及其教学实施

“活动型学科课程”作为普通高中思想政治课程新的课程理念与学科定位,其实现需要通过教科书中的活动设计作为学科内容的载体和实践来支撑。普通高中思想政治教科书的活动设计可以从“有什么用”“怎么使用”“谁来使用”三个角度进行设计和理解,以此构成了“活动—内容—学科核心素养”(功能维度)、“活动—情境—议题”(实践维度)、“活动—学生—教师”(主体维度)三个层面的活动设计思路。以活动设计的这三个维度为指引,推进高中思想政治课教学形态的转变,从而在“活动型学科课程”理念的教科书呈现与教学落实上确立起行动共识。     

Cost Structure of Italian Public Universities: An Empirical Analysis

There are broad concerns in Italy about public sector efficiency. Within the public sector higher education (HE) has a major role, providing the economy with research outputs and graduates. Italian universities claim to have expanded teaching and research services to keep pace with the growth of the “knowledge society.” An important question is whether this expansion is benefiting the Italian HE sector. To address this issue, the cost structure of Italian university system is examined. A quadratic cost function is employed to test both the existence of efficiency linkages between teaching and research services and the presence of scale economies. These results are used to investigate the implications of a more specialized HE sector.     

Killing the Goose: Conflicts between Pedagogy and Politics in the Delivery of a Creative Education

This article arises out of a research project which looks at the promotion of creativity in pre‐degree and undergraduate learners in art and design. The project considers ‘conceptual’ definitions of creativity and its promotion which have been evidenced by research, and ‘operational’ definitions and delivery methods used by lecturers and students in the art & design sector. The theoretical understandings and empirical evidence thus gained reveal the continuing existence of a radical and potentially effective pedagogic idealism within art & design education. However, a comparison between theory, experience and current realities, leads us to the conclusion that the existence of this educational desideratum is threatened by the commodification of education and the over‐elaborate monitoring which accompanies it. This is a personal and somewhat polemical view but, we believe, one that is also widely held in the sector. We suggest that a reaffirmation of experiential evidence is essential to counter the impact of an increasingly audit‐driven approach to education which focuses on outcomes rather than process and on systems rather than individuals.     

From Engagement to Impact? Articulating the Public Value of Academic Research

This paper reviews recent culture-change in British higher education (HE) and an increasing emphasis on academics evidencing, in meaningful and measurable ways, the value and contribution of their work to national societies. Discussion focuses on what is purported to be a shift from a focus on academics rationalizing the benefits of their work in terms of public engagement to a more contentious signifier of research worth, “impact”. The primary argument herein is that an impact agenda, framed in terms of assessment and by the upcoming Research Excellence Framework 2014, has not eclipsed an engagement initiative for HE in the UK but actually provided greater credence and tacit momentum. Where public engagement “pre-impact” was viewed by sections of the academic community as frivolous, faddish and tokenistic, it is now elevated as an integral component of impact-capture work and in plotting the pathways between research producer and research intermediary/end-user/collaborator. Where “impact” is a statement of the value of academic work, engagement is the method of its articulation and the means by which impacts are mobilized.

     

地方文化传承视角下高职艺术设计专业创新教育探析——内江职业技术学院艺术设计专业(夏布艺术方向)为个案

培养创新型的艺术设计人才,已经成为当前艺术设计专业面临的共同课题。本文以内江职业技术学院创作"中国夏布画",在教育教学上的大胆创新改革为例,探索和实践了地方高职院校艺术设计如何传承地方文化,如何利用地方特色文化进行教育教学创新,如何与地方文化产业相结合。以期在研讨交流中为更多的高职院校的艺术设计教学提供可借鉴的参考。