An Open Context for Near Eastern Archaeology

The common use by archaeologists of ubiquitous technologies such as computers and digital cameras means that archaeological research projects now produce huge amounts of diverse, digital documentation. However, while the technology is available to collect this documentation, we still largely lack community-accepted dissemination channels appropriate for such torrents of data. Open Context aims to help fill this gap by providing open access data publication services for archaeology. Open Context has a flexible and generalized technical architecture that can accommodate most archaeological datasets, despite the lack of common recording systems or other documentation standards. It includes a variety of tools to make data dissemination easier and more worthwhile. Authorship is clearly identified through citation tools, including web-based publication systems that enable individuals to upload their own data for review, and collaboration is facilitated through easy download and "tagging" features. Near Eastern archaeologists will benefit from Open Context's flexibility to share a variety of content from diverse projects, no matter how large or small. This article was originally published in Near Eastern Archaeology (ISSN 1094-2076), Volume 70, Number 4, December 2007

Building institutional capability in e-learning design

We detail the research, development and initial outcomes of an intervention process to promote capability building in designing for e‐learning at a dual mode university in the UK. The process, called CARPE DIEM, was built on a pilot study and became a Higher Education Academy ‘Pathfinder’ project named ADELIE. We report on the model workshop, its deployment, research and development over a 12‐month period with a variety of subject groups working in small teams with learning technologists, pedagogical facilitators and librarians. Outcomes include improved scores on an institutional e‐learning benchmarking exercise and increased capability for designing for online activities for students in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The model is stable enough to be tried in other institutions and continues to develop in scope

Integrating personal learning and working environments

This review paper part of a series of papers commissioned by the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick under the title of 'Beyond Current Horizons – Working and Employment Challenge'. In turn, in forms part of a larger programme of work under the banner of Beyond Current Horizons that is being managed by FutureLab on behalf of the UK Department for Schools, Children and Families. The brief was to cover: - The main trends and issues in the area concerned; - Any possible discontinuities looking forward to 2025 and beyond; - Uncertainties and any big tensions; - Conclusions on what the key issues will be in the future and initial reflections on any general implications for education. Given the wide ranging nature of the brief, this paper largely confines itself to trends and issues in the UK, although where appropriate examples from other countries in Europe are introduced. We realise that in an age of growing globalisation the future of work and learning in the UK cannot be separated from developments elsewhere and that developments in other parts of the world may present a different momentum and trajectory from that in the UK. Thus, when reading this report, please bear in mind the limitations in our approach

Emergent Technology And The Millennial Generation: Examining The Perceptions Of Students And Implications For Instruction In Higher Education

The objective of this research was to determine students‘ perception of technology in higher education. The study participants were recruited from two institutions of higher learning: a small private women‘s historically black college (School A) consisting of about 740 students and a large public historically black university (School B) consisting of about 10,000 students, both located in a single mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern United States

Assessing context-based learning: Not only rigorous but also relevant

Economic factors are driving significant change in higher education. There is increasing responsiveness to market demand for vocational courses and a growing appreciation of the importance of procedural (tacit) knowledge to service the needs of the Knowledge Economy; the skills in demand are information analysis, collaborative working and 'just-in-time learning'. New pedagogical methods go some way to accommodate these skills, situating learning in context and employing information and communications technology to present realistic simulations and facilitate collaborative exchange. However, what have so far proved resistant to change are the practices of assessment. This paper endorses the case for a scholarship of assessment and proposes the development of technology-supported tools and techniques to assess context-based learning. It also recommends a fundamental rethink of the norm-referenced and summative assessment of propositional knowledge as the principal criterion for student success in universities

Promoting higher order thinking skills via teaching practices

The birth of the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (2015-2025) consolidates the Ministry’s overriding aspiration to create a higher education system that ranks among the world’s leading education systems and that enables Malaysia to compete in the global economy by specifically promoting Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and innovations that address students’ needs and enable greater personalisation of the learning experience (Ganapathy et al. 2016). This exploratory study is vital in gaining deeper insights into the current teaching and learning practices used by ESL lecturers, the types of ICT used in their classes, their views on the integration of these skills into the curriculum and the application methods of teaching and learning using ICT to promote Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs). Data were collected using purposive sampling where 40 participants were selected to take part in answering a questionnaire and participating in an interview. These respondents for this study comprised of a group of lecturers teaching English major degree courses in a public university in Malaysia. The findings of this study contribute a significant amount of information to the statistics of ESL teaching and learning in higher education especially in using ICT to promote HOTs. Findings from this study provide several important insights on the potential opportunities of technologies in facilitating higher order thinking but success lies on the tasks that are appropriately designed for promoting the content. This study found that ESL lecturers encounter challenges that need to be addressed in order to facilitate the learning process with the integration of ICT as a supplementary tool in promoting higher order thinking skills