ASPECTS OF REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF UNDERGRADUATE COURSES A CASE STUDY

This paper ⁽¹⁾ (1) I would like to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to all members of the BAP A Course Board whose collective contribution to the recent CNAA progress review made the writing of this paper possible. View all notes traces the evaluation process of the BA Public Administration course at the Glasgow College. The process ran from September 1985 to November 1986, during which time, the author, a senior lecturer in the Law and Public Administration Department, was a member of the course review committee at the centre of the process, liaising with staff, Faculty, CNAA, external examiners, students, graduates and employers. The outcome was that the CNAA awarded retrospective approval, thus enabling students, enrolled in October 1986, to transfer to the new scheme, and the course board was given delegated authority to make changes without prior approval.

     

The Future of Public Sector Academic Validation—key issues

Since its creation in 1964 the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) has been responsible, both for the awarding of degrees in the public sector of higher education and for the validation of the courses leading to those degrees. The 1987 Government White Paper, ‘Higher Education: Meeting the Challenge’ (DES, 1987) marked the first step towards the creation of a new system of accreditation of institutions and a shift in emphasis from external to internal validation. This paper fills in the background to this change of direction before discussing various issues which arise out of it such as the problems of defining academic quality, public accountability, the appropriate role of the Government in education and what the future holds for the CNAA and education as a whole in the age of accreditation which is about to dawn.     

The Use of Arabized Software Packages in Jordan University Libraries

This study reviews the higher education movement, and the development of Universities in Jordan. Academic libraries use of Arabized software packages (MINISIS and CDS/ISIS), rationale for selection, applications, services, problems, solutions, and future plans are surveyed. Types of hardware, staff, and material entries are discussed. The study samples included 20 libraries. All of 17 (85%) respondent libraries are computerized. Six (35·3%) use MINISIS, nine (52·9%) use CDS/ISIS, and two (11·8%) use customized packages. Systems are mostly employed in technical processing, reference services, bibliographies, and acquisitions. Adaptability to Arab libraries functions, handling of bi-lingual documents, and networking ability are the prime priority, inter alia , reasons for packages selection. Insufficient funds and equipment, and unskilled staff are the major hindrances which obstruct the full use of packages. This study stresses the need to develop packages conducive to meet particular Arab libraries demands, plans for manpower academic training, and the necessity for libraries linkage to networks.     

Philosophical Groundings for a Theory of Transformative Experience

In this essay, Kevin Pugh, Dylan Kriescher, Simon Cropp, and Maaly Younis revisit the philosophical roots of transformative experience (TE) theory by explaining how the theory emerged from John Dewey's philosophies of aesthetic experience, intellectual experience, and educative experience. In doing so, the authors clarify the linkage between defining qualities of transformative experience and core Deweyan constructs such as an experience, ideas, and educative experience. They then share some of the empirical findings from research conducted using a TE theory framework, with an emphasis on research dedicated to developing a pedagogy of teaching for transformative experiences. Finally, the authors address the limitations of TE theory as a representation of Dewey's philosophy of aesthetic and educative experience, and they consider how contributions of other theoretical perspectives including the scientific sublime, Romantic science, and critical theory might help to address those shortcomings.     

Reverse engineering course at Philadelphia University in Jordan

Reverse engineering (RE) is the process of testing and analysing a system or a device in order to identify, understand and document its functionality. RE is an efficient tool in industrial benchmarking where competitors’ products are dissected and evaluated for performance and costs. RE can play an important role in the re-configuration and redesign of legacy and/or undocumented systems. It can also play a key role in helping students understand engineering products. This paper presents the Philadelphia University experience in constructing a RE course and integrating it within the engineering curricula. This paper can be used as a guide to other universities that wish to introduce RE to their curricula. The information provided in this paper covers the RE methodology for a system level, as well as mechanical, electronics and software levels. Finally, samples of student projects are presented in order to show the learning capabilities provided throughout the course.