Submission of student assignments on compact discs: exploring the use of audio, images and video in assessment and learning in higher education

This paper explores the use of multimedia in assignments that are submitted on compact discs (CD). The storage capacity of the CD allows students to use a wide range of memory-intensive sources that could not be incorporated into conventional or web-based formats. The paper examines the sources of media available; techniques for editing and incorporating media files; the technology of the CD, and copyright. The paper also discusses assessment criteria, equal opportunity considerations and a range of pedagogical issues involved in the use of the CD for submission of assignments. Today's technology should enable students to incorporate a range of memory-intensive media into their assignments and research reports and this process may be highly beneficial to learning and assessment. Widespread use of this technology, however, is likely to depend on solutions to difficult copyright restrictions, adequate training of students and staff as well as access to suitable hardware.     

Strengths and limitations of the Education,Health and Care plan process from a range of professional and family perspectives

The introduction of a new Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice in 2015 marked one of the most significant reforms to the SEND statutory assessment process in England since its introduction over 30 years ago. This article presents the findings of a small‐scale study that aimed to identify the extent to which the reforms have successfully addressed some of the shortcomings of the former Statementing process. Interviews, questionnaires and a focus group were used to gain the perspectives of parents, young people and professionals from education, health and social care services in two local authorities in the English Midlands. The research found that the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment and planning process has been effective in some areas, particularly in achieving greater parental involvement and a more person‐centred approach. However, important issues remain unresolved. The data suggest that greater consistency in interpreting and applying legislation, and in individual professional practices, are still needed to fully achieve the intentions of the new system. Some recommendations for practitioners are proposed.     

Psychosocial Adjustment among Children Experiencing Persistent and Intermittent Family Economic Hardship

Much research on family economic hardship and its effects on children has been cross-sectional in nature, has focused primarily on white children, and has assessed the impact of episodic rather than chronic economic difficulties. In contrast, the present research was designed to study outcomes associated with persistent economic hardship among a heterogeneous group of children over time. Results showed that, for both black and white children, a broad range of difficulties was associated with enduring economic hardship. Children who experienced persistent family economic hardship were more likely than those who did not to have difficulties in peer relations, show conduct problems at school, and report low self-esteem. Children who experienced intermittent family economic hardship fell between the other 2 groups. Connections between persistent economic hardship and psychosocial adjustment were more pronounced for boys than for girls. Consistent with suggestions by a number of investigators, the impact of economic hardship on children in the present sample was mediated in part by its association with parental behavior.     

Personal and institutional characteristics of student failure

There is a limited literature on academic failure in higher education despite the fact that failure is a common experience among undergraduates. Student and course characteristics were examined in relation to proportions of fail grades assigned in a Faculty of Arts. Concerns had been expressed that combinations of two grades, F (failure to reach a satisfactory standard) and FNS (failure to submit assessment work), resulted in high fail rates. Regression analyses indicated that students assigned higher proportions of fail grades tended to be male, Indigenous, younger, had lower entry scores, had deferred fees, were not full‐time day students, lived at home, and had histories of incomplete studies. However, university entrance score was the strongest predictor of F, while being male and deferring payment of fees were the strongest predictors of FNS. Variations in awarding types and levels of fail grades were evident between schools in the faculty, indicating different grading practices. The findings suggest that personal and institutional factors interacted to increase the risk of academic failure for these students.     

The west,the rest and the knowledge economy: a game worth playing?

The unprecedented geopolitical and economic shifts across the world have triggered much debate over the re-thinking of internationalisation of higher education (IoHE). This article discusses how a deeper understanding of the knowledge economy paradigm contributes to re-thinking IoHE, and how it reshapes the relations between the west and the rest in the international education industry. In the global knowledge race, the rules are set by the knowledge economy agenda, but these rules could be changed through appropriate IoHE strategies. The knowledge economy promotes a predominantly western-oriented knowledge paradigm, and IoHE contributes to its dissemination. For this reason, it is important to consider how the western theoretical underpinnings of IoHE and the knowledge economy are transformed and integrated in a given local context and if this game is worth playing.     

National Standards in Teacher Education—why don't we have any?

Both nationally and internationally, teacher education is coming under scrutiny from governments and bureaucrats. There is a popular view that once again educators have got it wrong and strong action is now needed to provide the kind of teacher education that can support the objectives of governments in areas such as industry restructuring and improving international economic competitiveness. In Australia, strong pressures are being exerted on the political, industrial and labour market fronts to reform teacher education. This paper reviews efforts that have been made to date and advocates the regulation of the profession by the profession as the only means by which teaching can be given the kind of status that will be necessary to protect it from outside interference.     

Reinforcing hegemonic masculinities through sexual harassment: issues of identity,power and popularity in secondary schools

This paper, based on the perspectives of young men, explores the relationship between dominant constructions of masculinities and the sexual harassment of young women in Australian secondary schools, within a feminist poststructuralist theoretical framework. Of particular importance in this process are the ways in which sexual harassment is integral to the construction of hegemonic heterosexual masculine identities; the importance of popularity, acceptance and young men's fears within male peer group cultures; and the utilization of sexual harassment as a means through which to maintain and regulate hierarchical power relationships, not just in relation to gender, but how it intersects with other sites of power such as ‘race’ and class. It is highlighted that sexual harassment is considered a legitimate and expected means through which to express and reconfirm the public and private positions of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ within a heterosexualized, racialized and classed gender order.     

Directions for the future of schooling in Hong Kong: Vision and reality in a post-colonial society

The study reported here used the OECD scenarios on the future of schooling to probe the views of a sample of educators identified as having the potential to influence education policy formation in Hong Kong. The results indicated that among this sample, there were multiple perspectives on the future of schooling and these were related to the very public education reform agenda that was currently being implemented in Hong Kong schools. The future of schooling was seen to be dependent on the role of the political process in articulating a clear vision, school leadership and teacher capacity. Lack of any one of these was seen as an impediment to achieving change in Hong Kong schools.     

Caught between cultures: case study of an “out of school” ethnic minority student in Hong Kong

This paper reports a case study on Maneesha Rai, a Nepalese girl living in Hong Kong and an “out of school” student. Based on in-depth interviews, a case was constructed of her previous school days and current “out of school” days. These provided a vivid picture of her life and several themes were created using schema analysis that help explain the reasons for her “dropping out” of school after Form Five. It has been common to attribute school failure for ethnic minority students in Hong Kong to problems with Chinese language education. Yet Maneesha’s case study shows that her experience of failure in other subjects such as Mathematics and Science contributed to her lack of successful schooling. Maneesha’s school failure was more than simply a consequence of academic failure. Rather, there were many other interrelated factors such as peer and community factors, dropout history in the family, racism, differences in schooling culture found that contributed to her school failure. In addition, Maneesha, like many of her ethnic minority friends, enjoyed the freedom afforded her in Hong Kong, but it seemed such freedom also meant inadequate attention from her teachers.