Resource Allocation and Public Policy in Alberta's Postsecondary System

Resource allocation in Alberta's postsecondary system has changed substantially since 1994. The changes evident are designed to advance a policy agenda that includes reapportioning financial responsibility for higher education, increasing the vocational outcomes of postsecondary education and increasing the transfer of knowledge and technology to the private sector. This paper outlines how resource allocation has been restructured to advance this agenda and points to some implications of this approach.Depuis 1994, la politique de financement des institutions d'enseignement au niveau postsecondaire en Alberta a été grandement modifiée. Ces modifications permettent d'établir, en priorité, un échéancier clair sur une nouvelle redistribution des allocations des ressources, particulièrement au soutien à l'enseignement supérieur, à l'accroissement de l'accessibilité des finissants au marché du travail et à l'augmentation du transfert des connaissances et de la technologie vers le secteur privé. Cet ouvrage souligne particulièrement comment les modifications à la politique de financement servent l'agenda prévu et certaines des conséquences de son application

The dimensions of academic scholarship: Faculty and administrator views

Faculty and administrators responded to 32 activity statements related to “scholarship” on a frequency basis and on the characteristicness of the role. Approximately 1,000 faculty members in 24 colleges and universities and 55 administrators from 5 of the schools participated. Factor analysis revealed 6 dimensions of scholarship — professional activity, research (publishing), teaching, service, artistic endeavor, and “engagement with the novel,” the last being a new conception, one valued highly by both faculty and administrators in all types of colleges and universities. Significant differences appeared with respect to faculty and administrative views on the importance of research in regional universities.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43591/1/11162_2004_Article_BF00992038.pd

Linking Theory and Practice: The Practitioners' Views

Few fields of study have generated as much research as education, with such a paucity of results. 1 Current critic isms of the education system suggest a slowness in responding to societal change, quite possibly resulting from a reluctance or even an inability to readily apply current theory to practice. The tendency has been to blame the teachers for a lack of professional maturity in keeping a breat and applying theory to the classroom. If such accusations are being made then perhaps the teachers should be permitted to respond. And so they do in this paper

Utmaningar och möjligheter för digitala mentorskapsprogram inom IKT

The covid-19 pandemic required an emergency transition to digital education all over the world and led to a huge learning loss in most countries. Informal learning programs teaching children digital skills were stopped or digitalized due to the pandemic. Studies show that just having access to remote education does not ensure that children absorb knowledge in the same way as face-to-face education (UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and OECD, 2021) and indicates that there are new challenges that appear in digital education compared to face to face education. This thesis is investigating what problems and opportunities mentors face in a digital informal learning program compared to a face-to-face informal learning program. It also aims to find pedagogical and technical solutions to the problems faced by the mentors. The study is interviewing mentors from the Ericsson programs Digital Lab and the learning program Technovation Girls. It also surveys mentors to generalize the findings and evaluates what are the most important challenges. The logistical advantages are one of the main opportunities for digital mentoring. Mentors experience flexibility and time efficiency and more mentors can join the learning programs. The digitalization of the program makes it possible to reach children in rural areas and mentors and mentees can connect all over the world. The study shows that many mentees have a lack of access to ICT which is a big problem as not all children get the opportunity to participate in digital education. Motivation is a bigger challenge for mentees in the digital environment than in the physical environment, and the mentor has a bigger role in helping motivate the mentees in digital environments. The learning outcome differentiates from different environments and physical and digital education might be more or less effective depending on the skills that should be learned. Mentors also struggle with not having free and accessible tools that are adapted to helping mentees with programming, answer questions and have video call meetings. As an example of a solution to this problem, the features of a selection of commonly used communication tools are compiled and a prototype is developed of a selection tool that could help mentors choose the most efficient digital communication tool fit for purpose. The study highlights challenges and opportunities common to mentors in a digital environment, teaching skills in ICT and the results could be used for further studies to investigate what reasons there are for the learning loss in digital education.Covid-19-pandemin krävde en snabb övergång till digital utbildning över hela världen och ledde till enorma kunskapsbortfall för elever i många länder. Även informella utbildningsprogram stoppades eller digitaliserades på grund av pandemin. Studier visar att tillgång till distansutbildning inte säkerställer att barn lär sig på samma nivå som när utbildningen sker på plats (UNESCO, UNICEF, Världsbanken och OECD, 2021) vilket indikerar att det finns andra utmaningar inom digital utbildning jämfört med utbildning som sker på plats. Detta examensarbete undersöker vilka problem och möjligheter mentorer möter i ett digitalt informellt utbildningsprogram jämfört med ett informellt utbildningsprogram i en fysisk miljö. Arbetet syftar också till att hitta pedagogiska och tekniska lösningar på de problem som mentorerna upplever. Studien intervjuar sju mentorer från Ericsson-programmet Digital Lab och programmet Technovation Girls. En enkät besvaras av 53 mentorer och används för att generalisera intervjuresultaten samt utvärdera vilka som är de största utmaningarna för mentorerna. De logistiska fördelarna är en av de främsta möjligheterna för digitalt mentorskap. Mentorer upplever flexibilitet och tidseffektivitet och fler mentorer har möjlighet att delta i utbildningsprogrammen. Digitaliseringen av programmet gör det även möjligt att nå barn på landsbygden och mentorer och adepter kan kommunicera över hela världen. Studien visar att många adepter har bristande tillgång till IKT vilket är ett stort problem då det bidrar till att inte alla barn har möjlighet att delta i digital utbildning. Studien visar att motivation är en större utmaning för adepter i den digitala miljön än i den fysiska miljön samt att mentorn har en större roll i att hjälpa till att motivera adepterna i den digitala miljön. Läranderesultatet skiljer sig från olika miljöer och fysisk och digital utbildning kan vara mer eller mindre effektiv beroende på vilka färdigheter som ska läras ut. En utmaning för mentorerna är att finna tillgängliga digitala verktyg som är anpassade för att hjälpa adepter med programmering, svara på frågor och ha videosamtalsmöten. Som ett exempel på en lösning på detta problem sammanställdes funktionerna av ett urval av vanliga kommunikationsverktyg och en prototyp utvecklas av ett urvalsverktyg som kan hjälpa mentorer att välja det mest effektiva digitala kommunikationsverktyget som passar för ändamålet. Studien lyfter fram utmaningar och möjligheter som är gemensamma för mentorer i en digital miljö och resultaten som studien utmynnar i kan användas för vidare studier och för att undersöka vilka orsaker som finns till kunskapsbortfallet i digital utbildning

Utmaningar och möjligheter för digitala mentorskapsprogram inom IKT

The covid-19 pandemic required an emergency transition to digital education all over the world and led to a huge learning loss in most countries. Informal learning programs teaching children digital skills were stopped or digitalized due to the pandemic. Studies show that just having access to remote education does not ensure that children absorb knowledge in the same way as face-to-face education (UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and OECD, 2021) and indicates that there are new challenges that appear in digital education compared to face to face education. This thesis is investigating what problems and opportunities mentors face in a digital informal learning program compared to a face-to-face informal learning program. It also aims to find pedagogical and technical solutions to the problems faced by the mentors. The study is interviewing mentors from the Ericsson programs Digital Lab and the learning program Technovation Girls. It also surveys mentors to generalize the findings and evaluates what are the most important challenges. The logistical advantages are one of the main opportunities for digital mentoring. Mentors experience flexibility and time efficiency and more mentors can join the learning programs. The digitalization of the program makes it possible to reach children in rural areas and mentors and mentees can connect all over the world. The study shows that many mentees have a lack of access to ICT which is a big problem as not all children get the opportunity to participate in digital education. Motivation is a bigger challenge for mentees in the digital environment than in the physical environment, and the mentor has a bigger role in helping motivate the mentees in digital environments. The learning outcome differentiates from different environments and physical and digital education might be more or less effective depending on the skills that should be learned. Mentors also struggle with not having free and accessible tools that are adapted to helping mentees with programming, answer questions and have video call meetings. As an example of a solution to this problem, the features of a selection of commonly used communication tools are compiled and a prototype is developed of a selection tool that could help mentors choose the most efficient digital communication tool fit for purpose. The study highlights challenges and opportunities common to mentors in a digital environment, teaching skills in ICT and the results could be used for further studies to investigate what reasons there are for the learning loss in digital education.Covid-19-pandemin krävde en snabb övergång till digital utbildning över hela världen och ledde till enorma kunskapsbortfall för elever i många länder. Även informella utbildningsprogram stoppades eller digitaliserades på grund av pandemin. Studier visar att tillgång till distansutbildning inte säkerställer att barn lär sig på samma nivå som när utbildningen sker på plats (UNESCO, UNICEF, Världsbanken och OECD, 2021) vilket indikerar att det finns andra utmaningar inom digital utbildning jämfört med utbildning som sker på plats. Detta examensarbete undersöker vilka problem och möjligheter mentorer möter i ett digitalt informellt utbildningsprogram jämfört med ett informellt utbildningsprogram i en fysisk miljö. Arbetet syftar också till att hitta pedagogiska och tekniska lösningar på de problem som mentorerna upplever. Studien intervjuar sju mentorer från Ericsson-programmet Digital Lab och programmet Technovation Girls. En enkät besvaras av 53 mentorer och används för att generalisera intervjuresultaten samt utvärdera vilka som är de största utmaningarna för mentorerna. De logistiska fördelarna är en av de främsta möjligheterna för digitalt mentorskap. Mentorer upplever flexibilitet och tidseffektivitet och fler mentorer har möjlighet att delta i utbildningsprogrammen. Digitaliseringen av programmet gör det även möjligt att nå barn på landsbygden och mentorer och adepter kan kommunicera över hela världen. Studien visar att många adepter har bristande tillgång till IKT vilket är ett stort problem då det bidrar till att inte alla barn har möjlighet att delta i digital utbildning. Studien visar att motivation är en större utmaning för adepter i den digitala miljön än i den fysiska miljön samt att mentorn har en större roll i att hjälpa till att motivera adepterna i den digitala miljön. Läranderesultatet skiljer sig från olika miljöer och fysisk och digital utbildning kan vara mer eller mindre effektiv beroende på vilka färdigheter som ska läras ut. En utmaning för mentorerna är att finna tillgängliga digitala verktyg som är anpassade för att hjälpa adepter med programmering, svara på frågor och ha videosamtalsmöten. Som ett exempel på en lösning på detta problem sammanställdes funktionerna av ett urval av vanliga kommunikationsverktyg och en prototyp utvecklas av ett urvalsverktyg som kan hjälpa mentorer att välja det mest effektiva digitala kommunikationsverktyget som passar för ändamålet. Studien lyfter fram utmaningar och möjligheter som är gemensamma för mentorer i en digital miljö och resultaten som studien utmynnar i kan användas för vidare studier och för att undersöka vilka orsaker som finns till kunskapsbortfallet i digital utbildning

Faculty Under Stress: Person-environment Fit Theory.

Literature on job stress and job strain suggested that job stress is due to poor fit between the person and the environment (P-E fit theory) and results in strains (mental and physical health effects). A major source of job stress for faculty is the conflicting demands for time teaching, research and the service roles. This research sought to test 8 hypotheses on (1) the elationships between role stress and psychological strains of job and workload dissatisfaction; (2) the conditioning effects of age, rank, sex, tenure, and place of employment; and (3) the effects of problem-focused coping on reducing strains. The data were collected in a questionnaire sent to faculty in 24 institutions. The respondents (N = 1096) were a representative sample of faculty from 8 universities, 8 liberal arts colleges, and 8 community colleges. The independent variables were discrepancy measures of role stress on two P-E fit dimensions: (1) motive-supply (the actual and preferred time spent on each role); and (2) demand-ability (the expected and preferred time spent on each role). The data were subjected to the following major types of analyses: multiple regression to test the predictive validity of the model and multiple classification analysis to test the buffering hypothesis. The major findings and conclusions were: (1) all of the relationships of P-E fit with strains were U-shaped or asymptotic; (2) demographic characteristics moderated the effects of role stress on role strain; (3) teaching role stress predicted job dissatisfaction in all typs of institutions except liberal arts colleges; (4) research role stress predicted workload dissatisfaction in research universities and liberal arts colleges less selective in their administrations; (5) coping did not reduce the effects of role stress on strain; (6) in general, misfit between institution norms and self norms predicted job dissatisfaction and misfit between work opportunities and individual preferences predicted workload dissatisfaction; and (7) the service role was a poor predictor of strain.Ph.D.EducationHigher educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/127608/2/8224913.pd

K-ULF : Creating Research Synergy in the Interface Between School and the Academy

The K-ULF project is part of a Swedish government initiative, to develop and evaluate sustainable collaboration models for empirical participatory research. The primary aim is to strengthen the research base for educational practice in schools through integrating the teaching profession and its development with university research and teacher education. Participatory research and co-design of teaching and learning studies is seen as a way to achieve the aim of strengthening the scientific ground and proven experience in education on a national level. Within the context of this initiative K-ULF places particular emphasis on egalitarianism in the context of schools and education. The project explores the role of practical work (laboratories and experimental curricula) on digital competencies and language development in STEM education. Studies conducted following the K-ULF model are a collaborative venture gathering teachers, teacher students, teacher educators and educational researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and three municipalities Haninge, Lidingö and Stockholm, in Sweden. The K-ULF project is tightly integrated with KTH’s teacher education programs, involving students in their teaching rounds and their master thesis work. During the school visits they collect observational data documenting classroom practice and student learning behaviors. Master degree students thesis work is conducted in collaboration with mentors at schools in the end of the degree. K-ULF integrates classroom-based research and innovation with teaching degrees using a participatory Scholarship of Teaching and Learning model. This provides schools with direct participation in research closely connected to educational practices, helping to build a culture of research driven change in school teaching as well as driving research relevant to teachers in a mutual exchange between academia and school. This need of participatory research has recently been emphasized in two large scale Swedish Government reports. This presentation provides an overview of K-ULF as well as an illustrative example from one of the K-ULF pilot schools, Fredrika Bremergymnasiet in Haninge. The context for the study is the technology program, a prerequisite upper secondary school program preparing pupils to study engineering at university. The result from the case study is a new course design in which a teacher student specialized in programming and an experienced teacher collaboratively developed a curriculum module for product development. The new approach combines class content by embedding programming into a pre-existing curriculum module of mechanical and hardware. The illustrative example above is one of several cases in which the K-ULF model contributes to strengthening the interface between school and academy. QC 20210526K-UL