Relevance in pedagogy and the problem of educational quality in Latin America

The educational reforms implemented in various Latin America countries at the end of the 60's and early 70's shared a common desire to ruralize rural primary schooling in the search for relevance. Some reforms promoted differentiated content for rural areas while others, notably the Mexican, emphasized the adaptation of standard material to the local context through the use of a progressive methodology of teaching.Questions are raised as to whether the Mexican approach is any the less dualist for adopting standard material and whether it represents a viable strategy for the improvement of the quality of education in rural schools. The progressive model of teaching proposed is seen to be based on a number of assumptions of unproven validity, especially with regards to its ability to promote social and political awareness. In practical terms it is seen to depend for its success on types of teachers and pupils that are largely unknown in rural areas, and on a type of school organization that should precede any such reform of methods.More a philosophy than a practical plan of action, the progressive methodology is unlikely to act as an adequate substitute for more expensive but more determined policies designed to tackle the basic problems of truancy, drop-out and poor pupil performance.     

The Electronic Campus: the First Decade

Many universities are beginning to consider how information technology could influence teaching, research, administration and communications on and off campus. This article reviews the development of the 'electronic campus' in the USA over the last decade and finds three distinct phases of development. Change in the UK has been slower but is noticeable. Five case studies, drawn from both sides of the Atlantic are considered. Finally, some implications and opportunities for the future are discussed; the author notes that the case for the massive investment necessary to bring the electronic campus to reality across the university sector has yet to be properly formulated.