Les conditions préliminaires à l'intégration pédagogique des moyens audiovisuels

L'usage des moyens audiovisuels exige l'intégration dans la classe de moyens puissants, coûteux, impliquant des techniques variées. Il importe de réviser complètement nos idées en matiére d'éducation. Jusqu'ici, trop souvent, les moyens audiovisuels ont été utilisés comme des auxiliaires mineurs de l'enseignement sur lequel, trop souvent, ils ont eu, comme l'on dit, le même effet qu'un cautère sur une jambe de bois. En fait, un tout petit remède qui n'a que très peu d'effet par rapport à l'efficacité potentielle de tous ces moyens.     

Barriers to older people’s participation in local governance: The impact of diversity

Creating opportunities for inclusive participation by older people in local governance is made more complex by their diversity, which can shape who participates, in what ways, and how effectively. The existing research, however, largely focuses on the impact of socio-demographic characteristics or of individual barriers on participation, without considering how interactions between these may shape pathways to participation among older people. This quantitative study explored the relationships between participation by older people, barriers to participation, and socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicate that socio-demographic diversity impacts on the importance attributed to barriers as well as the strength and direction of their relationships with participation. The findings problematize the dominant approaches to understanding barriers to and patterns in participation. A more sophisticated understanding of inclusive governance in ageing communities needs to consider the iterative and interactional nature of pathways to participation in the context of the complexity of the “older population.”     

Challenges of assuring the development of graduate attributes in a Bachelor of Arts

All universities in Australia are asked to develop various attributes in their degrees. From 2011, the Australian Qualifications Framework has stipulated some of these attributes for the various levels of qualifications. There are many challenges that face assuring the development of graduate attributes in a Bachelor of Arts as the degree typically has very few core units (if any), a wide choice of subjects, a limited prerequisite structure and, unlike many professional degrees, the BA does not have an external accrediting body. This paper describes an approach used to identify the pathway undertaken by each individual student in a History major of the Bachelor of Arts. This pathway was used to identify the graduate attributes that each student should have developed, as articulated by the lecturers. Student perceptions were then compared with the graduate attributes that were intended to be developed through each individual's combination of units studied. In summary, through analysing the two methods (student perceptions and unit pathway) we found that they concurred with respect to only three-quarters of the graduate attributes. Possible reasons for the discrepancies and future research are discussed. The need for multiple methods of providing evidence of the development of graduate attributes is confirmed.     

Perfectionism in Gifted High-School Students: Responses to Academic Challenge

Through a qualitative interview design, this study investigated how participation in a rigorous academic environment may influence gifted students who demonstrate high levels of perfectionism. The study also examined how their responses to a rigorous academic and residential environment may differ according to the type of perfectionism. Findings indicated that some socially prescribed perfectionists reported an increase in perfectionism, whereas some self-oriented perfectionists reported an increase followed by a decrease in their perfectionism. Overall, the majority of the participants, regardless of their type of perfectionism, indicated a decrease in their perfectionism as a result of their new academic environment. Reactions to experiencing imperfections ranged from calm to guilt or even anger, depending on the type of perfectionism. Implications for working with gifted students who show high levels of perfectionism are discussed.     

The problem of the construction of an automated control system in a Russian higher-education institution

The problem of the construction of the optimal model of the automated control system of a Russian higher-education institution (the ACS of an RHEI) is studied. This term appeared in the 1970s–1980s and served as the beginning of a project that covered more than 50 of the largest higher-education institutions of the country and is also relevant today. Two main approaches to construction of an automated control system of Russian higher-education institutions are specified, viz., the development of a system using its own resources and the use of the product from a third-party developer. Examples of the application of these approaches are given and the structure of the elements (modules) of the systems is described. The necessity to search for the optimal structure of the elements included in the ACS of an RHEI is specified for most educational organizations taking their dimensions into account and their specific sectoral character, as well as the total expenditures for the acquisition (development) and support of the systems. An example of the structure of the optimal model and a third (combined) approach to its construction is given.