Methodology for Creating a FairShares Lab (Full Report)

Welcome to the full version of the first intellectual output (IO1) of the Erasmus+ project FairShares Labs for Social and Blue Innovation Project (Project 2016-1-DE02-KA204-003397). IO1 has been prepared by project partners to describe their methodology for creating FairShares Labs. Work started in Erfurt, Germany (7-9 December 2016) and has been discussed in three further transnational meetings in Sheffield (26-28 June 2017), Berlin (27-28 August 2017) and Osijek (20-22 Feb 2018). In this document, we set out the purpose of IO1. This document provides any person involved in the creation and development of a FairShares Lab (partners, coordinators, trainers and advisers) with an overview of the methodology for creating their lab. This includes an account of the FairShares Model itself as well as processes for setting up, recruiting people to and marketing a FairShares Lab, and supporting lab participants as they incubate new FairShares enterprises and contribute to building an ecosystem for FairShares. Section 1 provides background information and an overview of the methodology. Section 2 provides an overview of five elements of a FairShares Lab. Three elements come from the FairShares Model of social enterprise development (created by FairShares Association Ltd) - values and principles; key questions and; legal choices. The other two elements are social and technical support systems selected by the partners for this project. Social support is provided through learning and development methods (elaborated further in Section 3). These generate ideas, improve the effectiveness of team work and enable stakeholders to make decisions together. In Section 4, we examine the process of establishing a lab, inviting people to it, running activities, selecting projects, producing prototypes of goods and services, planning and incorporating (social) enterprises. In Section 5, we consider the marketing of FairShares Labs, who they are for, what needs they serve, what messages should be communicated to target groups (and future lab organisers)

Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges\u27 Consideration and Adoption of Online Education: A Presidential Perspective

National research studies have indicated that students are enrolling in more online courses annually (Allen & Seaman, 2010, 2014, 2015); yet, not all higher education institutions are adopting online education. In order to understand more about adoption of online education in higher education and presidents’ perceptions of online education, this study investigated the adoption of online education by traditional liberal arts colleges(TLACs). These institutions and their presidents currently face numerous challenges and threats as TLACs try to remain relevant in the 21st century while maintaining their liberal arts mission. The importance of this study lies in the realization that many higher education institutions and leaders are making decisions about the adoption of online education while also examining if and how online education aligns with their existing environment, mission, culture, and curricula. Drawing upon the diffusion of innovations theory as the framework for informing data collection, this study employed a two-phase, sequential mixed method design. Two research questions guided this study: 1) To what extent has online education been adopted at TLACs?; and 2) How do presidents at TLACs think about the adoption of online higher education in general, within traditional liberal arts institutions, and within their institutions specifically? In order to determine the level of online instructional education activity at each TLAC, the first phase was exploratory. The research sample for phase one of the study consisted of 55 TLACs that solely provided undergraduate curriculum in the arts and sciences. Major findings from phase one of the study indicated that more than half of TLACs (61.82%) did not have online education and did not offer any online courses. The remaining TLACs adopted online education either as fully online (16.36%) or hybrid (21.82%) courses. In the second phase, qualitative interviews with 11 TLAC presidents out of a population of 55 potential participants (20%) were conducted to understand how these administrators feel and think about the adoption of online education. Analyses of the TLAC presidential interviews resulted in three emergent themes: Apprehensions Regarding Online Education, Perceived Inferiority of Online Education, and Potential Opportunities From Online Education

Reviewing the Impact of the National Strategies Design and Technology Framework for Key Stage Three: A small-­‐scale evaluation of the Design and Technology Framework in England

Since the beginning of Design and Technology (D&T) in the English secondary school curriculum, the teaching of design has been identified as less effective than that of making. Research Questions: What are the experiences of pupils between the ages of 12 and 14 of design learning? Purpose of Study: In 2004 as part of the National Strategies, the D&T framework was launched, aiming to support the teaching of design skills. This is a small-­‐scale study, which begins to explore the experiences of pupils and teachers in four schools in the Northwest of England. Research Methods: The study used a mixed methods approach, gathering quantitative and qualitative data in a questionnaire with a convenience sample of school pupils. The questionnaire responses are analysed alongside qualitative interviews with D&T teachers from the schools. Findings: The findings indicate that many pupils had a clear understanding of the role of designing. However, some common assumptions of the nature of design activity centering on the act of sketching or drawing were evident. The majority of pupils were unable to accurately identify the names of many of the design activities introduced as part of the framework. Conclusions: Whilst some progress has been made in the teaching of design, through the use of design activities introduced in the D&T Framework, the support experienced by teachers was limited and were not sustained beyond the initial training. There are implications for initial teacher educators in supporting beginning teachers and balancing the tensions trainees experience whilst on placements in school. Key Words: Design, designing, pedagogy, teacher educatio

The role of ICTs in the initial education of foreign language teachers

Este informe de semillero de investigación presenta tres constructos teóricos que sirven como base para entender los procesos tecnológicos implicados en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera. De igual manera, permite conocer los resultados del análisis de un cuestionario que recoge las opiniones de los estudiantes de primero a sexto semestre, de la Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras, de la universidad de La Salle, sobre el valor de una herramienta tecnológica - curso Pearson English Interactive de la plataforma My English Lab de Pearson- para el aprendizaje del inglés y potenciar el desarrollo de la autonomía, el aprendizaje autogestionado y el uso de las TIC. Los resultados muestran la opinión de los estudiantes respecto al uso del curso PEI teniendo en cuenta tres categorías principales: Actitud y Motivación; desarrollo de habilidades y autonomía y aprendizaje autogestionado. Con el respectivo análisis de contenido, se pudo ver que si bien las herramientas tecnológicas son útiles para enseñar o aprender una lengua extranjera aún hay dudas respecto a su efectividad ya que los estudiantes no se sienten del todo seguros al momento de usar el curso

Roles and Responsibilities of a Coach Developer in a Youth Soccer Setting in the United States

Although coaching has a long history guided in the apprenticeship or mentorship model (Taylor & Garratt, 2013), research has primarily focused on the athlete, rarely on the coach, and almost never on whom the coach is serving as an apprentice to, or being mentored or supported by. Internationally, this role has been termed a ‘coach developer,’ but the formalized title and role of the coach developer is still a rather new concept (ICCE, 2014), with most research focused on the coach developer working at elite levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the roles and responsibilities of a coach developer in the United States youth soccer sport context, specifically within a single organization. Using a two-round modified Delphi approach, six panelists agreed 108 of the 184 tasks were the responsibility of the regional coach developer, 131 tasks were important to the role of the coach developer, and 51 tasks were completed at least weekly by the coach developer. Of the 184 tasks, 48 were agreed to be the current responsibility of, and important to, the weekly coach developer role. This is an increase from the 22 tasks that were identified in the organization’s onboarding materials. Furthermore, one task reached a consensus for responsibility but not importance, while 20 tasks reached a consensus for importance but not responsibility. The discrepancies demonstrate an opportunity for growth within the coach developer role at the organization. This study echoes Cale and Abraham (2016) and Harvey and colleagues (2021) recommendation’s regarding the need for the identification of more specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes for coach developer positions in order to better inform professional development opportunities, especially for those functioning in the youth sport context