Digital Preservation, Archival Science and Methodological Foundations for Digital Libraries

Digital libraries, whether commercial, public or personal, lie at the heart of the information society. Yet, research into their long‐term viability and the meaningful accessibility of their contents remains in its infancy. In general, as we have pointed out elsewhere, ‘after more than twenty years of research in digital curation and preservation the actual theories, methods and technologies that can either foster or ensure digital longevity remain startlingly limited.’ Research led by DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) and the Digital Preservation Cluster of DELOS has allowed us to refine the key research challenges – theoretical, methodological and technological – that need attention by researchers in digital libraries during the coming five to ten years, if we are to ensure that the materials held in our emerging digital libraries are to remain sustainable, authentic, accessible and understandable over time. Building on this work and taking the theoretical framework of archival science as bedrock, this paper investigates digital preservation and its foundational role if digital libraries are to have long‐term viability at the centre of the global information society.

Simulation models of technological innovation: A Review

The use of simulation modelling techniques in studies of technological innovation dates back to Nelson and Winter''s 1982 book "An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change" and is an area which has been steadily expanding ever since. Four main issues are identified in reviewing the key contributions that have been made to this burgeoning literature. Firstly, a key driver in the construction of computer simulations has been the desire to develop more complicated theoretical models capable of dealing with the complex phenomena characteristic of technological innovation. Secondly, no single model captures all of the dimensions and stylised facts of innovative learning. Indeed this paper argues that one can usefully distinguish between the various contributions according to the particular dimensions of the learning process which they explore. To this end the paper develops a taxonomy which usefully distinguishes between these dimensions and also clarifies the quite different perspectives underpinning the contributions made by mainstream economists and non-mainstream, neo-Schumpeterian economists. This brings us to a third point highlighted in the paper. The character of simulation models which are developed are heavily influenced by the generic research questions of these different schools of thought. Finally, attention is drawn to an important distinction between the process of learning and adaptation within a static environment, and dynamic environments in which the introduction of new artefacts and patterns of behaviour change the selective pressure faced by agents. We show that modellers choosing to explore one or other of these settings reveal their quite different conceptual understandings of "technological innovation".economics of technology ;

The relationship between strategy and fundraising in higher education : toward a new theoretical model

Fundraising is a multi-billion phenomenon in American higher education. However, despite its crucial importance, it remains one of the least studied aspects of higher education. When it is studied, the studies focus heavily on donor motivation and similar tactical issues – as opposed to studying fundraising as a strategic phenomenon, a phenomenon that impacts the academic enterprise as a whole. Considering the gap between the importance of fundraising on one hand and the stagnating discussion about it in the academic literature on the other hand, there is a clear need to contribute fresh insights and generate new debates in academic research on the subject. This study seeks to do so in two ways. First, it proposes a theory-driven answer to the question of why do universities need fundraising. The proposed answer is the conceptual framework of dynamic capabilities. By introducing this new framework that treats fundraising as a strategic phenomenon, the study strengthens the foundations of the research and extends it beyond its traditional focus on donor motivation and related issues. Moreover, it connects the research to voluminous literature in the discipline of strategic management, opening up more opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Second, the study presents the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of a potential relationship between fundraising and strategy in higher education. The probe investigated three cases of major gifts to three academic institutions: a research university, an emerging research university, and a health institution. The empirical findings and the contributions resulting from them could serve as a launching pad for more empirical research in the area. Following the maxim that nothing is as useful as good theory, the study also aims to inform and inspire fundraising practitioners to consider the study’s theoretical underpinnings and empirical findings in their strategic decisions and actions. Finally, the significance of this study may go beyond fundraising. At its basic level, this is a study of the character of strategy in higher education, and of how (if at all) do academic institutions turn strategy into action. The conceptual framework and empirical findings reported in this paper may inform future research in this area.Educational Administratio

Virtual pedagogical model: development scenarios

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The psychological dimension of transformation in teacher learning

Against a background which recognises pedagogical content knowledge as the distinctive element of teacher competence/expertise, this theoretical essay argues for its central construct - that of transformation – to be understood by teachers and teacher-educators in psychological terms (as was originally proposed by Dewey). Transformation requires teachers to fashion disciplinary knowledge such that it is accessible to the learner. It is argued that for transformation to happen, teacher thinking must include a sophisticated grasp of cognition and metacognition if teachers are to be characterised as competent, let alone expert. This article is written within a context of considerable social and academic scrutiny in the United Kingdom of the form and content of professional teacher preparation and development. In recent years the contribution of psychological knowledge to teacher-education has been filtered through procedural lenses of how best to 'manage classrooms', 'assess learning', 'build confidence' or whatever without a matched concern for psychological constructs through which such issues might be interpreted; thus leaving teachers vulnerable in their professional understandings of learning and its complexities. That society now requires high-level cognitive engagement amongst its participants places cognitive and metacognitive demands on teachers which can only be met if they themselves are conceptually equipped