Beyond the ivory tower: a model for nurturing informal learning and development communities through open educational practices

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) are making an evergrowing impact on the field of adult learning, offering free high-quality education to increasing numbers of people. However, the top-down distribution of weighty university courses that typifies current provision is not necessarily suitable for contexts such as Continued Professional Development (CPD). This article proposes that a change of focus from a supplier-driven to a needs-led approach, grounded in theories of informal learning, could increase the positive impact of OER and OEP beyond the ivory towers of higher education. To explore this approach, we focused on the requirements of a specific community outside higher education – trainers in the UK’s voluntary sector – in order to design a more broadly applicable model for a sustainable online learning community focused around OER and OEP. The model was informed by a recent survey of voluntary sector trainers establishing their need for high-quality free resources and their desire to develop more productive relationships with their peers, and by evaluation of successful online communities within and outside the voluntary sector. Our proposed model gives equal attention to learning resources and group sociality. In it, academics and practitioners work together to adapt and create learning materials and to share each other’s knowledge and experiences through discussion forums and other collaborative activities. The model features an explicit up-skilling dimension based on Communities of Practice (CoP) theory and a system of reputation management to incentivise participation. The model is unique in building a pan-organisation community that is entirely open in terms of membership and resources. While the model offered in this article is focused on the voluntary sector, it could also be applied more widely, allowing practitioner communities the benefits of tailored resources and academic input, and collaborating universities the benefit of having their OER used and reused more widely for CPD through informal learning

A Web-Based Dynamic and Interactive Distance Learning System

Presently, advances in Internet technology and the human-computer interface have created a wealth of new opportunities for the development of webbased interactive distance learning systems. However, most of the effort of developing the system focused on the information receiver and less on helping the information provider in delivering the information. This thesis describes WebEd, a user-friendly system that facilitates the information provider or the instructor to carry out web-based courses. The WebEd approach is to make the instructor centrally involved and maintain the ownership of their courses. It also enables the students to access the course and interact with the instructor with the aid of the system provided services. The system supports various services for system management, communications, file management, and content management and retrieval. Some of the examples of services provided by the system are Appointment Manager, Announcement Board, Content Manager, etc. WebEd distance learning system is dynamic and interactive, being developed using Java and CGI script. A JavaCGI proxy has been developed to handle the dynamically generated pages and services. The system is built on a 3-tier architecture which splits the system processing load between the client-side workstation that runs on a browser, web server that sends HTTP commands over a network and WebEd services that handle the web-based distance learning activities. No installations are required in order to access the system as the courses are accessible via a browser. An evaluation on the system has been conducted in getting users feedback. Analyses based on the system evaluation have been carried out to identify weaknesses of the system. Finally, the system limitations and proposed solutions are suggested for future enhancement of the system

Two-Phase Defect Detection Using Clustering and Classification Methods

Autonomous fault management of network and distributed systems is a challenging research problem and attracts many research activities. Solving this problem heavily depends on expertise knowledge and supporting tools for monitoring and detecting defects automatically. Recent research activities have focused on machine learning techniques that scrutinize system output data for mining abnormal events and detecting defects. This paper proposes a two-phase defect detection for network and distributed systems using log messages clustering and classification. The approach takes advantage of K-means clustering method to obtain abnormal messages and random forest method to detect the relationship of the abnormal messages and the existing defects. Several experiments have evaluated the performance of this approach using the log message data of Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and the bug report data of Bug Tracking System (BTS). Evaluation results have disclosed some remarks with lessons learned

Preparing students for research activities in the context of competence-oriented engineering education

The article presents the conceptual framework for preparing students for research activities in the context of competence-oriented engineering education that provide for a focus on the program-target education quality management system; incorporation of employers’ requirements to the preparation of technical university graduates for research activities and provisions of occupational standards. Inquiry-based learning has been considered the basis for the establishment of the innovative didactics of a technical university that enables implementation of the requirements of educational standards of competitive graduates. Content of the innovative didactics of the technical university presented as a functional model fosters the creative development of students, their research capabilities and functional research skills as universal ways of interaction with the outside world. The elaborated and experimentally tested functional model of the establishment of technical university students’ research competencies has been considered. This model provides for the creation of the development-promoting educational environment at the university in the course of theoretical, production and hands-on training, independent and research activities. These activities are performed using the elaborated practice-focused techniques, special-purpose forms and means of extracurricular activities; information technology, network educational resources; system of tasks, comprehensive, end-to-end research projects, interactive forms and methods; students’ self-testing and self-evaluation in the process of training.Keywords: engineering education, research competence, preparation for research activities, program-target management system, resource mode

Managing personal learning environments: the voice of the students

The main purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the kind of educational work to be done with higher education students (undergraduate) in order to encourage them to create and use personal learning environments (PLEs) as a strategy for learning (Attwell, 2007). Based on our current classroom work with students of the 2nd year of a degree in Education and mainly using the functionalities of the Ning system (Copyright © 2010 Ning, Inc.), as well as other tools available on the Internet, we tried to implement a strategy based not only on the presentation of content by the teacher, but also on the recognition of the importance of student’s leadership in the organisation and management of their own learning. Therefore, in addition to face-to-face lectures, we tried to extend the discussion outside the classroom walls using the different services offered by Ning, proposing to integrate the work done by students in their individual evaluation (50% of the final classification). At the end of the semester we observed evidence of a general difficulty felt by the students, particularly in terms of self-regulation and personal organisation. So we decided to try to understand the problem observed in depth. For the purpose of understanding the nature and the extent of these difficulties, we used a methodology focused on analysis of a questionnaire applied to the students about their perception of the difficulties in managing the learning process and about the strategies used for dealing with those difficulties. Although the students acknowledge that the development of the individual online portfolio in a PLE requires that, for the most part, largely they themselves have to get organised and manage of their own learning (Barrett, 2000; Attwell, 2007), one can see that they do not feel prepared for this, experiencing difficulties in personal organisation, time management and regular participation in the proposed activities. In strategic terms, they value the appraisals and/or suggestions given by the teachers, but do not adopt an attitude of reflection or interaction and sharing with others, as catered for by the platform and its functionalities

Training evaluation: a case study of training Iranian health managers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Ministry of Health and Medical Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran has undertaken a reform of its health system, in which-lower level managers are given new roles and responsibilities in a decentralized system. To support these efforts, a United Kingdom-based university was contracted by the World Health Organization to design a series of courses for health managers and trainers. This process was also intended to develop the capacity of the National Public Health Management Centre in Tabriz, Iran, to enable it to organize relevant short courses in health management on a continuing basis. A total of seven short training courses were implemented, three in the United Kingdom and four in Tabriz, with 35 participants. A detailed evaluation of the courses was undertaken to guide future development of the training programmes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Kirkpatrick framework for evaluation of training was used to measure participants' reactions, learning, application to the job, and to a lesser extent, organizational impact. Particular emphasis was put on application of learning to the participants' job. A structured questionnaire was administered to 23 participants, out of 35, between one and 13 months after they had attended the courses. Respondents, like the training course participants, were predominantly from provincial universities, with both health system and academic responsibilities. Interviews with key informants and ex-trainees provided supplemental information, especially on organizational impact.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants' preferred interactive methods for learning about health planning and management. They found the course content to be relevant, but with an overemphasis on theory compared to practical, locally-specific information. In terms of application of learning to their jobs, participants found specific information and skills to be most useful, such as health systems research and group work/problem solving. The least useful areas were those that dealt with training and leadership. Participants reported little difficulty in applying learning deemed "useful", and had applied it often. In general, a learning area was used less when it was found difficult to apply, with a few exceptions, such as problem-solving. Four fifths of respondents claimed they could perform their jobs better because of new skills and more in-depth understanding of health systems, and one third had been asked to train their colleagues, indicating a potential for impact on their organization. Interviews with key informants indicated that job performance of trainees had improved.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The health management training programmes in Iran, and the external university involved in capacity building, benefited from following basic principles of good training practice, which incorporated needs assessment, selection of participants and definition of appropriate learning outcomes, course content and methods, along with focused evaluation. Contracts for external assistance should include specific mention of capacity building, and allow for the collaborative development of courses and of evaluation plans, in order to build capacity of local partners throughout the training cycle. This would also help to develop training content that uses material from local health management situations to demonstrate key theories and develop locally required skills. Training evaluations should as a minimum assess participants' reactions and learning for every course. Communication of evaluation results should be designed to ensure that data informs training activities, as well as the health and human resources managers who are investing in the development of their staff.</p

Management Model for Integrating Character Education Training in School Learning with the Spiral System

The implementation of the integration of character education in learning in schools in general has not shown the results of changes in student behavior as expected. This study aims to obtain a training management model for teachers in integrating character education in subjects with a spiral system. The design of the spiral system training model activities with the stages of planning, implementing and evaluating and reflecting the deepening of the concept. Likewise, repeated in depth like a spiral shape. The scope of this research and development research is teachers in the city of Semarang by sampling 20 teachers of various levels. The focus of research is the ability of teachers to integrate character education in subjects. Data was taken by observation, interviews and questionnaires and processed descriptively. Preliminary observation results obtained from factual models, where the teacher only attaches the character items to the syllabus and the learning design and evaluates the character evaluationaftercompletingthelearningbyfillinginthecharacterlist.Hypotheticmodel is obtained by planning which starts with needs analysis, setting goals, preparing learning tools by integrating each one of the Basic Competencies in learning 3 to 4 times face to face with the integration of focused one character value. Final evaluation is done by observing the implementation of learning that focuses on one character value. In this process reflection is done to improve and deepen the material such as a spiral system. The model test results are an example of a learning device that is valid (score 4.4 of the maximum score of 5), and the feasibility test in terms of the teacher’s ability test before and after the training has increased (Gain score 1). Thus, before teaching the concept material, the teacher really needs to integrate one character value from the fc ocus and evaluate and reflect. &nbsp; &nbsp; Keywords: Training model, spiral system, character integratio

Early Learning Innovation Fund Evaluation Final Report

This is a formative evaluation of the Hewlett Foundation's Early Learning Innovation Fund that began in 2011 as part of the Quality Education in Developing Countries (QEDC) initiative.  The Fund has four overarching objectives, which are to: promote promising approaches to improve children's learning; strengthen the capacity of organizations implementing those approaches; strengthen those organizations' networks and ownership; and grow 20 percent of implementing organizations into significant players in the education sector. The Fund's original design was to create a "pipeline" of innovative approaches to improve learning outcomes, with the assumption that donors and partners would adopt the most successful ones. A defining feature of the Fund was that it delivered assistance through two intermediary support organizations (ISOs), rather than providing funds directly to implementing organizations. Through an open solicitation process, the Hewlett Foundation selected Firelight Foundation and TrustAfrica to manage the Fund. Firelight Foundation, based in California, was founded in 1999 with a mission to channel resources to community-based organizations (CBOs) working to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families in Africa. It supports 12 implementing organizations in Tanzania for the Fund. TrustAfrica, based in Dakar, Senegal, is a convener that seeks to strengthen African-led initiatives addressing some of the continent's most difficult challenges. The Fund was its first experience working specifically with early learning and childhood development organizations. Under the Fund, it supported 16 such organizations: one in Mali and five each in Senegal, Uganda and Kenya. At the end of 2014, the Hewlett Foundation commissioned Management Systems International (MSI) to conduct a mid-term evaluation assessing the implementation of the Fund exploring the extent to which it achieved intended outcomes and any factors that had limited or enabled its achievements. It analyzed the support that the ISOs provided to their implementing organizations, with specific focus on monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The evaluation included an audit of the implementing organizations' M&E systems and a review of the feasibility of compiling data collected to support an impact evaluation. Finally, the Foundation and the ISOs hoped that this evaluation would reveal the most promising innovations and inform planning for Phase II of the Fund. The evaluation findings sought to inform the Hewlett Foundation and other donors interested in supporting intermediary grant-makers, early learning innovations and the expansion of innovations. TrustAfrica and Firelight Foundation provided input to the evaluation's scope of work. Mid-term evaluation reports for each ISO provided findings about their management of the Fund's Phase I and recommendations for Phase II. This final evaluation report will inform donors, ISOs and other implementing organizations about the best approaches to support promising early learning innovations and their expansion. The full report outlines findings common across both ISOs' experience and includes recommendations in four key areas: adequate time; appropriate capacity building; advocacy and scaling up; and evaluating and documenting innovations. Overall, both Firelight Foundation and TrustAfrica supported a number of effective innovations working through committed and largely competent implementing organizations. The program's open-ended nature avoided being prescriptive in its approach, but based on the lessons learned in this evaluation and the broader literature, the Hewlett Foundation and other donors could have offered more guidance to ISOs to avoid the need to continually relearn some lessons. For example, over the evaluation period, it became increasingly evident that the current context demands more focused advance planning to measure impact on beneficiaries and other stakeholders and a more concrete approach to promoting and resourcing potential scale-up. The main findings from the evaluation and recommendations are summarized here

Transitioning urban water systems

Water managers acknowledge on a global scale that current practices are no longer sustainable and have an adverse impact on ecology (disruptions to the water cycle and habitats), public health (water qualities, sanitation services) and the economy (flooding, drought and overuse of resources). The idea of applying transitioning approaches stems from growing recognition that changes in water management are urgently needed. The SWITCH transitioning approach was developed by consolidating the project’s existing stakeholder engagement approach with ideas on transition knowledge, an emerging new field of science