The MUPPLE competence continuum

The idea of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) seems to polarise the educational sphere into supporters and opponents. Both groups relate their enthusiasm or criticism to underlying competences motivated by or needed for building up, running, and maintaining a PLE. Within the following article, results of a qualitative study with multiple cases will be presented to shed light onto which competence and which of its building blocks are involved in running a (mash-up) PLE. Data about the involved skills, abilities, habits, attitudes and knowledge will be presented in a raster of the five dimensions 'plan', 'reflect', 'monitor', 'act', and 'interact' against the three stages 'start', 'trigger', and 'outcome'. The findings indicate that there is a continuum ranging from the ones needed right ahead to the ones ultimately sought

Key Competences in Europe: Opening Doors For Lifelong Learners Across the School Curriculum and Teacher Education

The aim of the study is to provide a comparative overview of policy and practice concerning the development and implementation of key competences in the education systems of the 27 Member States of the European Union. In particular, the study assesses the implementation of the 8 key competences contained in the European Reference Framework of Key Competences in primary and secondary schools across the EU as well as the extent to which initial and in-service education and training of teachers equips them with the skills and competences necessary to deliver key competences effectively.key competences, lifelong learning, cross-curricular, competence

Developing Project Managers’ Transversal Competences Using Building Information Modeling

The emergence of building information modeling (BIM) methodology requires the training of professionals with both specific and transversal skills. In this paper, a project-based learning experience carried out in the context of a project management course at the University of Extremadura is analyzed. To that end, a questionnaire was designed and given to students who participated in the initiative. Results suggest that BIM can be considered a virtual learning environment, from which students value the competences developed. The emotional performance observed was quite flat. Similarly, students valued the usefulness of the initiative. Students expressed a desire for the methodological change of the university classes, and thought that BIM methodology could be useful for other courses. The results obtained show a line of work to be done to improve the training of students and university teaching

Exploring the mobile technology deployment process in a creative B2B service industry

This study addresses the limited empirically grounded research to understand the process of the mobile technology deployment (MTD) in a creative B2B industry. Strauss’ evolved grounded theory (GT) approach has been employed to analyse three different cases and perform cross-case display of patterns. Multiple sources of both primary, in-depth interviews with key decision-makers, and secondary data have been used to select seven dimensions of the MTD process, three operational and four strategic, signalling similarities and intercase differences. Creative B2B firms extensively deploy mobile technology (MT) on operational and strategic levels. Findings confirm applicability of existing strategic marketing doctrines in relation to the MTD where follower-firm employs MT based on cost-efficiency and risk avoidance strategic orientation. The second firm, challenger, organises and manages the MTD based on market opportunities. The third, leader, is characterised by risk-taking approach and innovation orientation to the MTD. This study provides insights into practices of the MTD in creative B2B companies describing strategic paths that firms follow in order to build competitive positioning through employment of MT. The seven-dimensions framework of the MTD can be practically implied for strategy and operation planning in companies currently applying and potentially willing to deploy MT

Does related variety matter for creative employment growth?

Little progress has been made in the mitigation of the controversies surrounding creativity and its role for local economic development (FLORIDA, 2002; PECK, 2005). Moreover, creative industries seem to have been denied, so far, a prominent role in the intense debate about the impact of localization or urbanization economies on innovation and growth. Taking departure in the void between these two streams of literature, I deploy the concept of «related variety», as formulated by BOSCHMA (2005) and FRENKEN, VAN OORT and VERBURG (2007), to verify if well-diversified and interdependent creative industries determine more pronounced local creative employment growth. A pooled OLS panel model has been estimated for 73 Italian provinces (2008-2010), using the total amount of creative workers as dependent variable and the variety indexes as main regressors. The results are mostly consistent with the main hypothesis: related variety, in terms of complementarity between sectors, has a positive and significant effect on provincial creative employment growth

Mobile technology capabilities in creative service firms: A resource-based perspective

This paper endeavours to understand the process of mobile technology (MT) employment in creative service firms through the prism of a Resource-based View. In doing this, it utilises the competence framework proposed by Sanchez (2003), according to which firms that operate as an ‘open system’ of resources and capabilities excel in the strategic competition. The case study approach is applied to describe and examine the chosen framework in six firms through in-depth interviewing and analysing secondary sources. With respect to findings, MT resources are deployed in accordance with the strategic logic of a firm. There is a general consensus that MT is non-substitutable but strategically useful. All six firms share a common coordination mechanism in managing MT resources in the form of a relationship management. The role of management is stressed in the form of an account manager who uses clients’ objectives as means for allocating tasks and resources

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS AND COMPETENCES ON DIGITAL LITERACY IN AN EFL ACADEMIC WRITING SETTING

This case study seeks to examine pre-service teachers’ digital literacy conceptions in an EFL academic writing context and aims to identify pre-service teachers’ competences concerning the predominant dimensions of digital literacy encompassing critical thinking, online safety skills, digital culture, collaboration and creativity, finding information, communication, and functional skills. This case study involved both quantitative and qualitative data taken from 107 pre-service teachers’ online questionnaires and one 5-member focus group discussion delivered to pre-service teachers taking academic writing subjects in English Language Education Department in an urban university in Indonesia. In general, the result of the study revealed that the pre-service teachers’ conceptions of digital literacy were principally associated with the narrow proficiency of utilizing online tools and technological devices and set aside a critical mindset. Further, in spite of the fact that most participating students were found to have lack of understanding of critical thinking and digital culture towards digital literacy, they appeared to possess the competencies of finding information, communication, and functional skills. Additionally, quantitative result of the pre-service teachers’ competences demonstrated that communication dimension was the highest of all with the mean value of 3.95, followed by online safety skills (3.87), finding information (3.79), critical thinking (3.77), functional skills (3.75), as well as collaboration and creativity (3.43). The lowest mean (3.40) belonged to digital culture dimension. The findings have important implications for developing digital literacy framework in an EFL academic writing