63,632 research outputs found
Communities of practice in academia
Up to now, the relationships among the fundamental notions of communities of practice (CoPs), i.e. knowledge, participation, identity, and artefact development have been based mainly on results from qualitative studies; they are not yet sufficiently based on quantitative evidence. Starting from a literature review, we formulate a quantitative, causal model of CoPs that describes these variables in the context of academic communities, and aim to validate this model in two academic CoPs with a total of N = 208 participants. A cluster analysis classifies the participants into clusters that are in line with the core-periphery structure known from previous qualitative studies. A regression analysis provides evidence for the hypothesized model on the basis of quantitative data. Suggested directions for future research are to focus on factors that determine CoP participantsâ contributions to artefact development and on approaches to automated monitoring of virtual CoPs
Dropping off the edge 2015: persistent communal disadvantage in Australia
This report shows that complex and entrenched disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations in each state and territory across Australia.
Foreword
In 2007, Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia commissioned ground-breaking research into place-based disadvantage across the nation. The resulting report, Dropping off the edge, built on previous work that Jesuit Social Services had engaged Professor Tony Vinson to undertake on its behalf and quickly became a critical resource for governments, service providers and communities attempting to address the challenge of entrenched and often complex geographical disadvantage.
That report received over 284 scholarly citations and supported the establishment of the Australian Social Inclusion Board â a body charged with identifying long-term strategies to end poverty in Australia.
Since the publication of Dropping off the edge, our organisations have received many requests to update the findings and produce a new report tracking the wellbeing of communities in Australia over the intervening time.
Sadly, the current report drives home the enormous challenge that lies in front of our policy makers and service providers, as many communities identified as disadvantaged in 2007 once again head the list in each state and territory.
As a society we cannot, and should not, turn away from the challenge of persistent and entrenched locational disadvantage, no matter how difficult it may be to solve the problem.
We call on government, community and business to come together to work alongside these communities to ensure long term sustainable change.
We hold hope that the young people and future generations in these communities will have a better outlook and life opportunities than is currently available to them. It is our belief that every Australian should have access to the opportunities in life that will enable them to flourish â to complete their education, to get a job, to access safe and affordable housing, to raise their children in safe communities and to see the next generation thrive.
Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia are indebted to the dedication and perseverance of Professor Tony Vinson in leading this important research and analysis over the past 15 years.
Julie Edwards
Chief Executive Officer Jesuit Social Services
Marcelle Mogg
Chief Executive Officer Catholic Social Services Australi
Success for pacific learners : the impact of tertiary education strategies
This project examined the impact of the 3 successive tertiary education strategies (2002-2007; 2007-2012 and 2010-2015) on how tertiary education institutions have developed their support for Pacific learners. Findings show that the Pasifika objectives within each of the 3 strategies are considered to be an important signal to Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) that success for Pasifika learners is a significant and continuing government priority and that the strategies are seen as an important enabler of change. These objectives have raised the priority for action to support Pasifika learners, unlocked resources for Pasifika initiatives and promoted the inclusion of Pasifika priorities on the strategic agendas of TEIs. It was noted however, this influence is only one of a number of internal and external, and local and national influences on enhancing success for Pasifika learners
Indicators of university-industry knowledge transfer performance and their implications for universities: evidence from the UKâs HE-BCI survey
Focusing on the measurement of universitiesâ performance in knowledge transfer, we outline some
critical issues connected with the choice of appropriate indicators: in particular, we argue that, in order to
allow universities to correctly represent their knowledge transfer performance, indicators should include a
variety of knowledge transfer activities, reflect a variety of impacts, allow comparability between
institutions, and avoid the creation of perverse behavioural incentives. To illustrate these issues
empirically, we discuss the case of the United Kingdomâs Higher Education âBusiness and Community
Interaction (HE-BCI) survey. We show that the indicators used to measure and reward universitiesâ
engagement in knowledge transfer are not fully comprehensive, they are better suited to capture the
impact of certain types of activities than others and they are influenced by institutional strategies and
characteristics rather than simply reflecting different performances. The conclusions explore some
promising directions to address some of these problems
DRIVER Technology Watch Report
This report is part of the Discovery Workpackage (WP4) and is the third report out of four deliverables. The objective of this report is to give an overview of the latest technical developments in the world of digital repositories, digital libraries and beyond, in order to serve as theoretical and practical input for the technical DRIVER developments, especially those focused on enhanced publications. This report consists of two main parts, one part focuses on interoperability standards for enhanced publications, the other part consists of three subchapters, which give a landscape picture of current and surfacing technologies and communities crucial to DRIVER. These three subchapters contain the GRID, CRIS and LTP communities and technologies. Every chapter contains a theoretical explanation, followed by case studies and the outcomes and opportunities for DRIVER in this field
Beyond the Numbers: Data Use for Continuous Improvement of Programs Serving Disconnected Youth
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) conducted a series of in-depth case studies to examine how three programs which serve a disconnected youth population are utilizing data as a tool for continuous program improvement and ongoing accountability. The resulting publication, Beyond the Numbers: Data Use for Continuous Improvement of Programs Serving Disconnected Youth, describes data collection and use at three successful programs, and distills the key lessons learned and issues to consider both for practitioners and policymakers aiming to improve outcomes for the disconnected youth population
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