Managing and supporting language learners in open and distance learning environments

This chapter explores the nature of support for the language learner within the context of open and distance learning. It argues that, in order to be in a position to advise and support appropriately and effectively, it is necessary to address the many variables that exist in any body of learners, including beliefs and attitudes, styles and strategies, and to take these into account when designing a course for distance learners. Preliminary work in this area is reported through the findings of a study into the beliefs, strategies and attitudes to support carried out with a group of Open University (OU) students of French. Finally, it is proposed that if we are to promote an autonomous approach to distance language learning, we need to extend our research into the kinds of strategies that prove particularly effective in this context, and the links that these may have with other learner variables. Tutors and course writers should also embrace the potential of the Internet to advise and support distance learners on-line, to offer new opportunities for knowledge gathering and language practice, and to encourage mutual support

Quality Assurance in Competency Training of Pre-anesthesia Consultation Skills

The absence of quality assurance in training clinicians to perform pre-anesthesia consultations at a Canadian university is the Problem of Practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan. This competency requires learners to apply their anesthesia knowledge to take medical histories; perform physical examinations; diagnose anesthetic risks; and generate anesthesia plans. Random chart audits of many learners identify deficiencies and suggest inconsistent training of this competency. This Organizational Improvement Plan analyzes the anesthesia program’s organizational context to be a complex adaptive system; organizational structure to be a hierarchy; and organizational state to be static. Through the paradigms of complexity theory, interpretivism, critical theory, and pragmatism, this proposal describes how adaptive, enabling, and administrative leadership strategies will (1) improve competency training of pre-anesthesia consultations; (2) build capacity of the anesthesia program’s stakeholders; and (3) foster a collaborative culture. An Integrated Framework of the Change Path Model and the Modified Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle will serve to implement change in this organization. The research and recommendations offered in this work can be adapted for use in other clinical programs aiming to improve competency training

Pedagogy For Employability

This guide, produced by the HEA, constitutes a revised and updated version of the Pedagogy for Employability publication first published in 2006. The publication has been updated with the practitioner in mind – those teaching in the classroom and those engaging with policy and student interactions in other ways, such as careers guidance and learning development workers. Practitioners are our focus, as we discuss the policy and institutional context that frames the environment within which people work. The early sections of this publication are intended to illuminate the possibilities and constraints that operate in different national, institutional and departmental situations, having a direct impact on the way that teaching and learning takes place between practitioners and students. Case studies of learning and teaching that support the development of student employability, in the classroom, through distance and part-time learning and in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, are provided throughout the publication. In the later sections of the publication we focus particularly on the curriculum and learning and teaching practice

An investigation into whether Curtin University’s Go Global program increases employability: Perceptions of Go Global graduates and teaching staff

Australian Universities are placing more emphasis on international fieldwork to develop graduates suitable for the global environment. In this study, Health Science academic staff and graduates identified that important graduate attributes were developed through international fieldwork including: intercultural understanding, interprofessional practice capabilities and the ability to navigate varying social contexts. Data was collected using the Graduate Employability Indicators (Oliver, 2011) and a focus group; results clearly indicated that the international fieldwork experience enhanced graduate employability

The CDIO Syllabus 3.0 - An Updated Statement of Goals

The CDIO Initiative is going through a process of reconsidering and updating the CDIO approach for engineering education development. Previous work resulted in substantial updates of the twelve CDIO standards and the introduction of “optional” CDIO standards. This paper reports on a similar review and update of the CDIO Syllabus to version 3.0. It has been developed by a working group consisting of four sub-groups and iterated and refined guided by feedback from the whole CDIO community. There are mainly three external drivers that motivate the changes: sustainability, digitalization, and acceleration. There is also an internal driver in the form of lessons learned within the CDIO community, from using the Syllabus in curriculum and course development. Approximately 70 updates are proposed, amongst them three additions on the X.X level, namely 1.4 Knowledge of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3.1 Teamwork and Collaboration, and 5.3 Research

The CDIO Syllabus 3.0 - An Updated Statement of Goals

The CDIO Initiative is going through a process of reconsidering and updating the CDIO approach for engineering education development. Previous work resulted in substantial updates of the twelve CDIO standards and the introduction of “optional” CDIO standards. This paper reports on a similar review and update of the CDIO Syllabus to version 3.0. It has been developed by a working group consisting of four sub-groups and iterated and refined guided by feedback from the whole CDIO community. There are mainly three external drivers that motivate the changes: sustainability, digitalization, and acceleration. There is also an internal driver in the form of lessons learned within the CDIO community, from using the Syllabus in curriculum and course development. Approximately 70 updates are proposed, amongst them three additions on the X.X level, namely 1.4 Knowledge of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3.1 Teamwork and Collaboration, and 5.3 Research