Trade in disembodied technology and total factor productivity in OECD countries

This paper searches for evidence of the importance of international trade in disembodied technology as a specific diffusion mechanism, using a sample of 16 OECD countries from 1971 to 1995. Consistent with previous research, this paper finds that there is international diffusion of technology. The measure for international trade in technology is OECD's Technology Balance of Payments statistics, which are country-level data on international transactions of disembodied technology. The econometric analysis explicitly takes into account non-stationarity of the variables, and for this reason, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) is the estimation method used in the present study. The analysis shows that the effect of trade in disembodied technology on the importer's productivity varies across countries. Specifically, within OECD countries not in the G7 group, technology imports increase the host-country's total factor productivity, with the effect being stronger in the initial years of the sampling period. There is no evidence on this positive effect of technology trade on productivity in the case of G7 countries.     

Teacher training colleges in the rural areas of Angola

The Aid for the Development of the People by the People (ADPP), a non-governmental organization (NGO), in collaboration with Angola’s Ministry of Education, has set up a network of secondary schools to train teachers to work in primary schools in the rural areas of Angola. These schools, called Training Colleges for the Teachers of the Future (CTFs), are involved in training a new type of teacher. This article discusses this educational practice, the main aim of which is to train primary teachers to work in the rural areas where too few trained teachers are willing to be posted. The authors describe the measures taken to better meet the needs of the rural areas in terms of teachers who have been properly trained and are motivated to work in such an environment, and then go on to analyse the reasons underlying the success of the CTF programme, specifically the fundamental differences from the state-run teacher training colleges, the way this new practice forms part of the overall reform of the education system and its role in the Education for All (EFA) initiative, and the fight against poverty.

VICAID: Development and evaluation of a palmtop-based job aid for workers with severe developmental disabilities

The development of technologies to assist people with severe and profound developmental disabilities to engage in constructive activity without constant support from carers may assist such persons to participate fully in vocational and other occupational activities. We describe the development, evaluation and use of VICAID, a system based on a radically simplified palmtop computer. The VICAID system enables a person with a developmental disability to access pictorial instructions designed to help him or her in the accurate completion of tasks. It also provides reminders to access the instructions, and/or alerts a job coach or supervisor should the worker's interaction with the system suggest that they are having difficulty with a task. Evaluative studies show that (1) the system is more effective than alternative supports (pictorial instructions presented in booklets) in maintaining accurate task performance, (2) that the system is preferred to such booklets by most users with severe disabilities, and (3) that it can be used in real work settings. Future development of the system will require attention to be paid to issues of training job-coaches and support workers in its setting-up and maintenance.     

Users as innovators in developing countries: The global sources of innovation and diffusion in mobile banking services

This paper examines the extent to which users in developing countries innovate, the factors that enable these innovations and whether they are meaningful on a global stage. To study this issue, we conducted an empirical investigation into the origin and types of innovations in financial services offered via mobile phones, a global, multi-billion-dollar industry in which developing economies play an important role. We used the complete list of mobile financial services, as reported by the GSM Association, and collected detailed histories of the development of the services and their innovation process. Our analysis, the first of its kind, shows that 85% of the innovations in this field originated in developing countries. We also conclude that, at least 50% of all mobile financial services were pioneered by users, approximately 45% by producers, and the remaining were jointly developed by users and producers. The main factors contributing to these innovations to occur in developing countries are the high levels of need, the existence of flexible platforms, in combination with increased access to information and communication technology. Additionally, services developed by users diffused at more than double the rate of producer-innovations. Finally, we observe that three-quarters of the innovations that originated in non-OECD countries have already diffused to OECD countries, and that the (user) innovations are therefore globally meaningful. This study suggests that the traditional North-to-South diffusion framework fails to explain these new sources of innovation and may require re-examination.     

The impact of polytechnic institutes on the local economy

Tertiary Education and Management - Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognized as the key stakeholders in regional...     

Bangladeshi Science Teachers’ Perceived Importance and Perceived Current Practices in Promoting Science Education Through a Context-Based,Socio-scientific Framework

Science & Education - The paper reports a study that seeks to develop an instrument so as to explore Bangladeshi science teachers’ perceived importance and perceived current practices,...     

Multimedia integration for language e-learning： Content, context and the e-dossier

In the education world, it is widely accepted that language learning is one of the pioneering disciplines in the application and use of the information and communication technologies, initially preceded by the widespread use of audiovisual resources which, finally integrated in the digital space, bring about the use of multimedia. Additionally, language learning has greatly contributed to standardizing lesson plans. They set the basis for learning design, one of the last advances in the pedagogical organization of education through the use of computers in learning managing systems. Most recently, language learning has also played an innovative role in the implementation of portfolios to education. These three perspectives address different issues for e-learning： the access to content through technology; the design of the learning initially with the help of tutors and then applying institutional frameworks for their own personal learning processes; and the edition of the resulting e-learning experience as evidence with the e-dossier, a part of the e-portfolio. Currently, the web is evolving towards its original function as the read/write web where the user, apart from accessing information, can create their own information and communicate more interactively, using technology-enhanced learning environments to integrate text and multimedia for real audiences both in the classroom and outside. Thus, taking language learning guided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the authors present here a complete e-learning system which integrates textual as well as multimedia facilities to acquire learning content, edit learning design and report learning experiences.     

Teaching-learning methods and their effect on professional development and the development of graduates’ competencies / Métodos de enseñanza-aprendizaje y su efecto en el desarrollo profesional y competencial de los egresados

This article analyses the effect of the teaching-learning methods used in Spanish universities on three measures of educational output: average mark, graduates’ assessment of their professional performance in different dimensions, and their assessment of the acquisition of professional competencies and skills. Multi-level models were used in which graduates (first level) are grouped by field of study (second level). The Class attendance and Written work methods have the most influence on the average mark but influence the graduates’ working future the least, as measured with assessments of professional aspects or competencies. In contrast, Problem-based learning, In-company internships and Practical and methodological knowledge are the methods that bear the most influence on the graduates’ professional careers and their development of specific professional competencies.     

Academics’ participation in quality assurance: does it reflect ownership?

Academics’ support for quality assurance (QA) depends on several factors, including their sense of ownership, which seems to be influenced by academics’ participation in QA’s implementation. This paper aims to understand whether this participation is indeed contributing to academics’ ownership of QA. Findings from a survey of Portuguese academics’ on their participation in study programmes accreditation suggests that this may not be the case. Academics present a partial withdrawal towards effective participation in study programmes’ accreditation, especially regarding external assessment. Furthermore, they do not seem willing to enhance this participation nor are they very critical about it. Since academics’ sense of ownership is essential for the successful implementation of QA, these results may represent a challenge for both institutions and QA agencies.