International Education and Training at Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausées/La Formation a l'international a l'Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées

The programme of the Département de la Formation Internationale at Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausées (ENPC) was created in 1981 to address the ever‐increasing international role of today's engineer in the scientific, economic and social spheres. Each year, 75 ENPC students spend at least 3 months abroad, mainly in Europe. ENPC has double degree programmes in engineering studies with three European partners in Germany and Spain: TU Munich and TU Berlin; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Twenty per cent of the student curriculum is devoted to language study; the students are required to study English plus one of the following languages: German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese or Chinese. French courses for foreign students are also provided. Language teaching aims to provide students not only with the linguistic skills necessary for communication, but also to make them more sensitive to other cultures as well as their own.     

Social and emotional problems associated with integration in the Israeli junior high school

Teachers and pupils in 28 integrated junior high schools in Israel were interviewed and observed to determine the kinds of social and emotional problems encountered in integrated schools. Though these schools are mandated to achieve both academic and social goals, academic aspects of schooling are inordinately stressed while the social goal is neglected. This strategy has major implications for teaching methods, curriculum, tracking, extra-curricular activities and staff morale. Furthermore, while bright, achieving disadvantaged pupils tend to gain socially and emotionally from this strategy, most disadvantaged children sustain significant losses in the social and emotional spheres and meaningful ethnic integration in the school is not achieved. It is recommended that the school invest greater resources in enhancing pupils' social and emotional development and that there be a dual emphasis in integrated schools on academic and personal development. Implementation of this recommendation requires retraining teachers to provide them with concrete skills in both areas that can be applied in the heterogeneous class.     

All for one, one for all: collaboration between NHS and Higher Education in establishing provision of a multi-disciplinary, hospital-based library and information services

Developing multi-disciplinary library and information services is high on the agenda for many NHS trusts and this brings with it a climate of change for both those who manage and work in services today. The development of such new services needs to be carefully managed and developed, and this presents a challenge for librarians and service managers. In the UK during 1999 and 2000, Aintree Hospital Trust, in conjunction with Edge Hill College of Higher Education, established a truly multi-disciplinary service based at its hospital site and managed by Edge Hill. This paper outlines the key stages in the development of the Library and Information Service with the focus on the management of change, collaboration and the development of a unique partnership between Higher Education and an NHS trust. The case study example will provide an outline of strategic and project planning, with insights into staff management and development, delivering user expectations and developing stakeholder relationships in the health library setting.