When the governmental tail wags the disciplinary dog: some consequences of national funding policy on doctoral research in New Zealand

This paper explores disciplinary approaches to knowledge production and the supervision of doctoral students in the context of New Zealand’s current Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). In the last decade New Zealand has experienced significant changes to the way doctoral students are funded by central government. Funding has moved away from a ‘head count’ model to one that rewards specific performance criteria of staff and timely completion of students. In the new regime, research outputs by way of peer reviewed publications, conference presentations, grant awards, postgraduate completions and so forth constitute the significant markers of such performance. Yet in general terms, the production of knowledge varies considerably by academic discipline. This paper uses qualitative methods to explore the potential for the PBRF to privilege some approaches to knowledge production (and models of doctoral supervision) while challenging the viability of others.     

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The authors report on a survey of services and supports provided to students with disabilities at 28 community colleges and 39 area vocational technical centers in Florida. Supports were classified into 7 categories: counseling services, equipment supports, campus environment, student‐centered supports, developmental labs, program or course flexibility, and unique programs.     

Grass roots: Natural resources education through videoconferencing

Abstract

This article briefly reviews and compares three offerings of graduate degrees via the Internet—two Master's programs in the field of Management and one Master's program in the area of Library and Information Science. Three different management degrees offered by the University of Phoenix, the Master of Arts in Management offered by The Graduate School of America, and the Master of Science in Library and Information Science offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign are described according to each program's online and printed prospectus. Based on this information, the three programs are compared and evaluated. The article concludes with a “Consumer's Guide” that formulates some key questions that any potential student of these types of programs should ask before enrolling in such a program.     

The Transition-Reform Dilemma: Kosovo – Emerging Democracy and Resistance Factors at its Faculty of Education

Kosovo emerged from a period of conflict with Serbia only after an extensive NATO bombing campaign against Serbia. While the final political status seems settled with its declaration of independence in 2008, much remains to be determined. Preceding the declaration of independence and following it, Kosovo is an emerging democracy which is actively developing its own distinct institutions. In support of teacher development in Kosovo is the Kosovo Educator Development Program (KEDP) which was to act as the lead agency for teacher training in the region. The KEDP was an $8 million development initiative funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). As the lead agency for teacher training promoted a major reform of preservice teacher training, and in particular the establishment of a new Faculty of Education for the University of Prishtina (UP). By the end of 2004, the consensus was that the new Faculty of Education seemed to be a success but that it was still in a very fragile state. Fragile indeed – the reform process has been seriously challenged as the initial and reformed-minded Dean was replaced in controversial (allegedly illegal) decanal elections which installed a more conservative and anti-reformist Dean and Pro-Deans. Each side has strong views, but what are they? What are the issues of the antagonists and protagonists in this dispute? To answer these questions the authors will discuss the changing context of Kosovo teacher education, and using a reflective narrative as a methodology will frame the perspectives key sources and their views of the reform challenges facing to new Faculty of Education. This is followed by a discussion seeking a greater understanding of these conflicting perspectives.     

Towards an understanding of the learning processes that occur in synchronous online seminars for the professional development of experienced educators

The National College for School Leadership (now the National College) exists to serve the development needs of school leaders in England. The College has begun to use web conferencing in several areas of its work including its professional development programmes, strategic initiatives and support and networking opportunities. Web conferencing tools offer a range of modes of interaction including audio, chat, text, desktop sharing, presentations and video conferencing. It thus has the potential for multi-process learning. The research reported here investigated the ways in which multi-process learning using these tools can be understood. It asked ‘What insights can be gained into the learning processes occurring in synchronous online seminars involving experienced educators? A literature review was carried out to provide background on the current thinking about learning through web conferencing and to explore factors that might be essential for the collective construction of knowledge in this context. Recorded internal and external NCSL web conferences were chosen as case studies; these provided the data for independent qualitative analysis by each of the researchers. From this analysis a model of the learning processes, identified in the data, was developed and related to the current literature. The major findings and model were further reviewed, in the light of their own web-conferencing experiences, by a large number of expert College educators. The resulting ‘model of multi-process learning in web conferencing’ identifies the part played by social, informational, individual internalisation and co-construction stages in multi-process learning.     

Within-year oral reading fluency with CBM: a comparison of models

This study examined the type of growth model that best fit within-year growth in oral reading fluency and between-student differences in growth. Participants were 2,465 students in grades 3–5. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses modeled curriculum-based measurement (CBM) oral reading fluency benchmark measures in fall, winter, and spring with grade level and student characteristics (including special education and Limited English Proficiency status) as covariates. Results indicated that a discontinuous growth model fit the data better than a linear growth model, with greater growth in the fall than in the spring. Oral reading fluency growth rates also differed by grade and student characteristics. Implications for school practice and research are discussed.