Mission Impossible? Access and the Dash to Growth in British Higher Education

Access is a central issue in the debate about the future shape and characteristics of the post-binary system of higher education. It is seen as crucial to the shift towards a more open, mass system. This paper examines commitments to access in the contents of institutional missions and strategic plans. The results of our analysis suggest a widespread concern to be involved in the access process. However, we also reveal substantial differences in emphasis between the older universities, ex-polytechnics and colleges that comprise the post-binary system. On the basis of present institutional planning it would appear that access is frequently seen as an addition to, rather than a replacement of, the commitments of the binary era. Our evidence suggests that a fundamental shift of ethos within the system as a whole may be some way off.     

Interaction in distance education — a case study: Teaching biology at two rural schools

There are many instances where distance education for children is in a state of upheaval and change. This is particularly true of Australia and, as earlier reports indicate, of Canada. Central planners often have abandoned the old ‘correspondence schools’ and established ‘open access’ centres; central schools have been de‐centralised; correspondence stuthes are offered to children in city schools; isolated children attend ‘classes’ vastly different from their old ‘School of the Air’ classes; etc. Some of these changes are the marks of progress; the quality of other changes is debatable.

This account is that of one country teacher operating in northern South Australia where distance education has now changed to be offered, Statewide, by a series of open access schools and has also been regionalised to be offered at the initiative of Education Department Regional Centres with a broad responsibility for education of children in their region. The article makes no pretence to being considered as ‘international research literature’ — some will question whether or not it is even distance education. It is being published at my request.

The teacher functions in an areaof small country towns 50 km apart and with 500 or so people. Not too much further north, into sparsely‐watered country, the towns are likely to have 50 or so people and are up to 500 km apart!

What the paper does highlight is that there are professional people ‘out there’ who see themselves as having a stake in distance education. Central administrators and those who regard themselves as scholars in distance education are only a part of the personnel in distance education.

Ed.     

Using a blended learning approach to support women returning to STEM

ABSTRACT

This paper examines a blended learning model designed to support women returning to STEM after a career break and its delivery in a unique partnership between an online distance education provider and a community-based equality organisation. Through this partnership additional activities such as networking events, returnships, career clinics and webinars were used in conjunction with a structured online Badged Open Course (BOC), which enabled a successful return to employment for many of the participants. This article outlines the results and implications of this integrated model and argues that blended learning approaches need to be flexible and adaptable to be able to incorporate the needs of learners at different life-course stages, taking into consideration gender and other diversity characteristics.     

Extending the apprenticeship of observation: how mentee experiences shape mentors

Although the importance of mentor teachers in clinical teacher preparation is well established, few researchers explore the social identity development of these individuals. Through our study we contribute to the body of research by exploring mentor teachers’ social identity development through the concept of Apprenticeship of Observation – specifically, how they felt their own mentoring experiences influenced their approaches to mentoring. The multi-case study includes findings about mentoring beliefs and practices during the laboratory school component of an Alternate Route to Licensure program. Incorporating semi-structured interviews and video analysis, the findings demonstrate how four mentor teachers’ prior experiences as mentees – including Alternate Route to Licensure, traditional teacher preparation programs, and inservice teaching – influenced their interactions with teacher candidates as mentors. Recommendations for practice and implications for future research are provided.     

Mapping the landscape of academic integrity education programs: what approaches are effective?

Abstract

Research has shown that academic integrity education programs can have a positive impact on student attitudes and reduce breaches of academic integrity. Although programs vary across institutions, there is relatively little research on their comparative efficacy. Accordingly, this study examines how higher education institutions in Australia and New Zealand approach academic integrity education in order to identify particular features that are considered to be most effective. Forty-four institutions are represented in this research, with data collected via a survey and semi-structured interviews with selected participants. The findings reveal that, in many cases, current academic integrity education programs appear to lack comprehensive information on values, the potential risks to integrity and the pitfalls of assessment outsourcing. Instead, curricula tended to focus on plagiarism, student responsibilities and referencing. Institutions employ a range of different communication and administration strategies to encourage uptake, and it was found that centrally administered programs that employed sanctions for non-completion appeared to be the most effective method for achieving compliance. Whilst the use of sanctions may support completion, it is argued that future academic integrity programs should also be collaboratively designed, drawing on a timely educational approach for skill development that incorporates learner feedback into the process with a greater emphasis on underpinning values.     

Serpents and Sheep: The Harriman Expedition, Alaska, and the Metaphoric Reconstruction of American Wilderness

This article examines one mechanism for the radical change in public perception of wilderness. The published papers of the Harriman Expedition, a scientific expedition at the end of the nineteenth century, are used to illustrate a process that I call “metaphoric reconstruction.” I argue that conceptual metaphors are one of the tools through which texts and rhetorical contexts can be mutually transformative.     

Alternative education sites and marginalised young people: ‘I wish there were more schools like this one’

Following a long history of religiously segregated schooling in Northern Ireland, a contested society characterised by division and conflict, pioneering parents set up the first integrated school 28 years ago to educate together pupils from the two main cultural traditions. Integrated schools generate an ethos whereby opportunities are afforded to pupils and teachers alike to engage with, and take seriously, all forms of difference, rather than retreat into a culture of silence. Moreover, inclusive practices are firmly enshrined within the principles of such schools, supported by their anti‐bias philosophy. This paper reports the views of head teachers and pupils in primary and post‐primary integrated schools on the model of inclusion that, respectively, they espouse and experience. Through interviews, the heads spoke of embedding a culture of tolerance and respect for difference through teamwork and reflection, whilst recognising that there was still work to be done to develop further their interpretation of inclusion within an integrated environment. For their part, the pupils had clear perceptions of the ethos of integration, felt that they ‘fitted in’ at different levels, and could confront diversity in a ‘safe’ atmosphere.     

The Role of the Secondary School Subject Mentor: an evaluation of the UWIC experience

Since the publication of circular 9/92 the responsibilities of school mentors have been considerably increased. In this article an account is given of the role of the subject mentor within the secondary school partnership operated by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff as it has evolved over the past five years. An evaluation of the extent to which teachers at 90 schools have been able to meet all the expectations of this role reveals a number of important constraints, especially time, resources and lack of training for staff newly appointed to the post. In the light of these findings some suggestions are offered for future policy.     

Improving the Museum Experiences of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their Families: An Exploratory Examination of Their Motivations and Needs and Using Web‐based Resources to Meet Them

Through a partnership with a local school, the Smithsonian Institution and the Information Policy and Access Center at the University of Maryland conducted an exploratory study to examine the motivations and needs of families visiting museums with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This study represents one of the first undertakings to study visitors with ASDs, especially children, through a primarily qualitative data collection. Interest‐driven enjoyment emerged as a primary motivation, though to relax and to socialize outside of the family boundaries were not ranked as important motives for visiting museums. Children, who were directly interviewed, gave positive assessments of their museum experiences, while parents commented that challenges, both museum‐ and family‐related (crowds, loud noise, not feeling welcome, and a child's unpredictable behavior) surfaced in public settings like museums. Parents desired a “typical family outing” with their ASDs child, stating that manageable and safe environments helped families experience a museum.