The Internationalization of Higher Education: Implications for Australia and its Education `Clients'

Institutions of higher education are today under increasing pressure tointernationalize their courses and programmes. The overall impact ofthis process is far from clear. This essay compares and contrastspatterns of Australian higher education offered to students fromdeveloping countries, with services delivered to Australian-bornstudents. We suggest that the process of globalization is contributingto uneven economic and educational development, and may weaken theover-stretched educational systems of poorer countries.     

Frequency of examinations and student achievement in a randomized experiment

We carry out a randomized experiment involving undergraduate students enrolled at an Italian University attending two introductory economics classes to evaluate the impact on achievement of examination frequency and interim feedback provision. Students in the treated group were allowed to undertake an intermediate exam and were informed about the results obtained, while students in the control group could only take the final exam. The results show that students undertaking the intermediate exam perform better both in terms of the probability of passing the exams and of grades obtained. High ability students appear to benefit more from the treatment. The experiment design allows us to disentangle “workload division or commitment” effects from “feedback provision” effects. We find that the estimated treatment impact is due exclusively to the first effect, while the feedback provision has no positive effect on performance. Finally, the better performance of treated students in targeted examinations seems not to be obtained at the expenses of results earned in other examinations.     

Encountering Productive Forms of Complexity in Learning Modern Physics

This paper aims at supporting the claim that some forms of hyper-simplification, by making physics seem easy, are at risk of dangerously distorting the content as well as the process of learning physics. The paper presents examples of dangerous simplifications in the teaching of quantum physics. Then, examples of productive forms of complexity are discussed, both as criteria for designing teaching proposals, and for realizing appropriate learning environments, namely properly complex territories. Empirical results, from a teaching/learning experiment on quantum physics at upper secondary school (grade 13), are reported. These results show examples of students’ reactions to travelling through a complex territory, and allow us to argue that unavoidable difficulty in learning quantum physics can be transformed into cultural challenges within reach of secondary school students.     

Contents of Volume 6

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 6     

Comparing determinants of perceived and actual recycling skills: The role of motivational,behavioral and dispositional factors

An empirical investigation assessed the role of different factors of motivational, behavioral, and dispositional nature in the prediction of both perceived and actual skills concerning household waste recycling. A structured questionnaire (measuring attitudes, social norms, perceived control, need for cognitive closure, self-reported household recycling behavior and perceived recycling skills) and a simulation task (assessing actual recycling skills) were administered to 300 participants in Italy. Results indicate that, although positively related, perceived and actual skills are two distinct constructs differently related to motivational, behavioral, and dispositional factors. Implications for designing educational interventions to increase citizens' recycling skills are discussed.     

Le conte Africain: L'univers de l'oralite dans le systeme de l'enseignement

Résumé Dans les interprétations les plus courantes, les contes de la tradition orale africaine constituent une riche source de thèmes qui se prêtent à l'éducation morale. Les contes axés sur les rapports entre frère et soeur, par exemple, développent le thème de l'équilibre que chaque individu doit établir entre les relations consanguines et les relations d'alliance. L'auteur explore d'autres clés de lecture et suggère comment ces textes peuvent être mis à profit dans le cadre d'un programme pédagogique multicultural, en raison de leur richesse aux niveaux linguistique, narratif et thématique.

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According to current interpretations, the stories preserved in the African oral tradition constitute a rich source of themes for the purposes of moral education. The stories focusing on the relationship between brother and sister, for example, develop the theme of how each individual must find a balance between consanguineous and marital relationships. The author also explores other keys to the interpretation of these stories and argues that they could profitably be used within the framework of a multicultural educational programme, on account of their linguistic, narrative and thematic richness.

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Zusammenfassung In den gängigsten Interpretationen bilden die Geschichten der afrikanischen oralen Tradition eine reiche Quelle an Themen für eine moralische Bildung. Die auf den Beziehungen zwischen Bruder und Schwester basierenden Geschichten zum Beispiel, entwickeln das Thema der Ausgewogenheit, die jedes Individuum innerhalb seiner eigenen Familie und seiner angeheirateten Familie erreichen muß. Die Autorin untersucht weitere Schlüsselfaktoren zum Verständnis dieser Geschichten und führt aus, daß solche Geschichten aufgrund ihres linguistischen, erzählerischen und thematischen Reichtums nutzbringend im Rahmen multikultureller Bildungsprogramme angewandt werden können.

     

Teleconferencing tools in enterprises—constraints and opportunities

This paper presents an experimental approach for devising training measures to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) avail themselves of the new opportunities offered by teleconferencing tools.
The approach includes 1) an analysis of training needs, carried out by means of interviews, so as to propose methodologies and tools that will encourage SMEs to create the conditions under which they can make the most of the opportunities that tele-cooperation offers for raising productivity; and 2) a controlled experiment that seeks to analyse the conditions under which the experimental use of teleconferencing systems may become a valuable vehicle for helping SMEs to construct active awareness about the potential of these tools.