Learner-centered e-learning: an exploration of learner-centered practices in online and traditional instruction in higher education

This study examined the perceptions of students and instructors in regard to learner-centered pedagogy and web-based learning at a regional public university in a southern state. The study focused on recommendations for online learning, studies of learner-centered pedagogy, and online learning practices such as collaboration, problem-based learning, reflection, asynchronous communication, and authentic learning and assessment. The research examined the students’ perceptions of learner-centered practices in online and traditional courses of the same instructors throughout one semester. The students’ perceptions were compared with the instructors’ perceptions of learner-centered practices in the courses. The qualitative investigation examined each instructor’s pedagogical beliefs about learner-centered instruction in traditional and online courses and his or her attitudes toward the training in which he or she participated. The degree to which the students perceived the courses as learner-centered revealed a positive relationship between the levels of learner-centered practices and the students’ motivation and satisfaction with the courses. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the students’ perceptions of learner-centered practices between the online and the traditional courses. The students felt that instructors were as learner-centered in the online courses as they were in the traditional courses. The qualitative results, combined with the quantitative results revealed that instructors who used more of the strategies and practices recommended in the training were more highly learner-centered. The study resulted in a new training model for learner-centered professional development in online instruction in this university and in others and includes reflective practices for individual instructors

A study of English workshop provision

During the past decade students with particularly low-level literacy skills have imposed special demands, some colleges of Further Education meeting their needs by means of workshops. There was an information-gap about how best to enable linguistic acquisition in 16+ mainstream students and that need prompted this investigation. The author set out to identify and describe good workshop practice in individual LEAs or colleges and to define the features of a model workshop. The central question was whether or not the workshop strategy was effective in meeting the literacy needs of FE students. After a preliminary survey to discover suitable colleges, students and tutors were interviewed. Workshop sessions were observed using two contrasting instruments and HE and LEAs surveyed. Teaching materials and the learning-environment were scrutinised. Two kinds of workshop emerged: the ILEA Communications Workshop and the Literacy-support workshop found in the non-ILEA colleges in the sample. Because of their individuality, it was not reasonable to delineate a model workshop. Nevertheless clear principles of good practice were established, for example that there was a need to create a careful balance between the following emphases: - learning individually and within groups; - experience of oral and written work; - practice in formal and informal talk; - the development of basic skills and wider learning-experiences; - student autonomy and teacher-guidance. As a result of the study it became clear that, whatever the lost opportunities discovered in individual workshops, in contrast with school they represented a positive educational experience for those who had been failed by traditional teaching-methods and students thought they were more effective in meeting their literacy needs. It also became clear that there was a need for staff development in the sample colleges and therefore probably in the FE sector as a whole in order to enable tutors to make more effective use of literacy workshops

Australia and education in the Pacific: What is relevant and who decides?

Education plays an essential role in defining national culture. Therefore, aid donors' involvement in recipients’ national education systems is always likely to be controversial. In the case of the Pacific Island Countries, this sensitivity is increased by the fact that there are significant divisions of opinion within the countries, notably between those who emphasise the role of education in preparation for participation in the global economy and those who are fighting to preserve their local cultures from extinction. Whilst optimists argue that it is possible to do both by creating global citizens who are deeply grounded in their own cultures, realists suggest that with very small groups this is simply not possible. Both sides accept the statistical evidence that the small group cultures of Melanesia have failed in delivering even basic literacy to all as compared with the nationwide cultures of Polynesia. Meanwhile, Australia pursues an explicit neoliberal agenda of providing education to the islanders to make them employable across the globe. This paper explores some of the issues in this debate, including differences of approach between AusAID and NZAID

Global Trends in Transnational Higher Education

Research on global trends in transnational education. Those surveyed were asked to provide their experience about whether students undertaking their study via transnational education had the same experience as students who went abroad to study

Playback Theatre as a Response to the Impact of Political Violence and Structural Oppression

In Playback Theatre, audience members share true stories from their own lives and subsequently watch as a team of actors and musicians turn these accounts into improvised enactments. The method is now practiced in over 60 countries as a way to promote dialogue, community building, and psychosocial wellbeing. This thesis, composed of 7 published articles, covers new ground by investigating the use of Playback Theatre for addressing the impact of political violence and structural oppression. The enactment of personal stories within a communal context is presented as an effective intervention within broader efforts that aim to raise consciousness and mobilize diverse audiences towards engagement in political action. In addition to Playback's role as a form of cultural activism, the author also explores its use as a form of community-based trauma response - one that enables practitioners and community members to address the structural roots of large-scale violence while also attending to the personal impact of adversity. The limitations, risks and pitfalls of Playback are also presented, including the possibility that practitioners may inadvertently exert their privilege to replicate oppressive ideologies or dynamics within the performance space. The importance of working collaboratively and strategically with a range of partners is also emphasized. Although the discussion focuses on the use of Playback Theatre within occupied Palestine, some articles also explore its use within other contexts including the Dalit movement in India. In addition to a focus on the pragmatic functions of Playback Theatre, the author also explores the value of beauty and aesthetics, particularly in relation to psychodramatic group work

Identifying essential characteristics and competencies of good multicultural team leaders: A pilot study

In an increasingly globalised world, where multicultural teams are becoming normative, organizational trainers are having to train people to lead multicultural teams. However, in doing so, they find themselves limited to training tools and theoretical constructs which are based on monocultural models of teamwork or cross-cultural theories of leadership. In practice, multicultural teams are far more complex than either of these and there is a need for conceptual frameworks and tools for training which are specifically designed according to the demands placed on leaders of multicultural teams. Despite an increasing literature on multiculturalism and global teams, there is a marked lack of either a well-developed theory of multicultural teams or a research-derived profile of a good multicultural team leader. This research sought to fill this gap through creating a profile of the characteristics and competencies of a good multicultural team leader. The research comprised gathering the opinions of people who have worked in multicultural teams concerning what a good multicultural team leader needs to know, be or do. Focus groups, questionnaires and interviews were employed and the data were analysed and collated into the form of a profile which defines the characteristics and competencies of a good multicultural team leader. This profile can be used as a specific tool for designing training for multicultural team leaders

The Role of Education in Peacebuilding: Integrating Peace Education into Secondary School Social Studies Curriculum in the Solomon Islands

This thesis presents an in-depth qualitative case study of the efforts of six classrooms in three Solomon Islands' secondary schools to integrate peace education into their teaching of the social studies curriculum at junior secondary level. It has been claimed that teaching peace has the potential to create a culture of peace and healing in conflict and post-conflict societies and thus in turn to advance a civilisation of peace that extends beyond the post-conflict era. In order to address such claims, classroom observation was conducted in three community high schools, simultaneously over a period of four months. Using the critical features of peace education and curriculum policy, the integration of peace into classroom practice is described. Distinctions between these features in relation to theory and policy are examined as they emerged 'in practice,' allowing indigenous peace practices to inform the classroom curriculum. Building on these empirically grounded findings, this thesis strongly supports the integration of indigenous-based peace practices and perspectives into the curriculum. The diversity within cultures affords an opportunity to understand school curricula as culturally situated. Through the analysis, the concept of peace is understood as the basis upon which a curriculum is constructed. Through the analysis, the concept of peace is understood as the basis upon which a curriculum is constructed. The study demonstrates that a classroom peace curriculum can be culturally relevant if it is guided by a clear concept of peace. In Temotu Nendo, the conceptualisation of peace as nowe is the foundation of the culture's peacebuilding practices. In practice, nowe easily lends itself as a framework upon which the development and teaching of peace can be developed. As a case study, this research was not intended to represent the teaching of peace in all Solomon Islands' schools. However, it concludes that the case study has provided a credible and culture-specific approach to teaching peace in schools, providing insights for other cultures in the country and/or other parts of the world. The integration of peace into the school curriculum from a cultural perspective forms an important contribution to education and peacebuilding and can be extended to other areas of social practice. Finally, the thesis suggests areas for further research and discusses implications and contributions relating to theory, methodology and practice

Why Reconciliation Failed in Thailand

This dissertation seeks to explain why successive Thai governments have failed in maintaining peace through conducting reconciliation processes. Relying on a public survey and quantitative analysis, it argues that the reconciliation process conducted by several governments during the past decade failed because trust building–both in terms of trust in national institutions and trust among the people–has been ignored. The neglect of the Thai governments to invest time and other resources in building trust has made the term reconciliation unpopular and created perceptions of the reconciliation process as being conducted as a means for the people holding state power to defeat the people of opposing groups rather that a means of resolving conflict problems and reconciling society. This dissertation thus recommends that the government as one of the most important political institutions for the facilitation of a reconciliation process must seek the ways to increase its trustworthiness in the eyes of the public. Interactive channels must also be made available to the people to communicate together, to build understanding, and to exchange opinions; especially channels for broad-based discussions about the pathway to transform the conflicts and the future of this country in order to build trust between the people. Without these recognitions and mechanisms, the political conflicts in Thailand could not been transformed to durable peace

ZIC3 in heterotaxy

Mutation of ZIC3 causes X-linked heterotaxy, a syndrome in which the laterality of internal organs is disrupted. Analysis of model organisms and gene expression during early development suggests ZIC3-related heterotaxy occurs due to defects at the earliest stage of left-right axis formation. Although there are data to support abnormalities of the node and cilia as underlying causes, it is unclear at the molecular level why loss of ZIC3 function causes such these defects. ZIC3 has putative roles in a number of developmental signalling pathways that have distinct roles in establishing the left-right axis. This complicates the understanding of the mechanistic basis of Zic3 in early development and left-right patterning. Here we summarise our current understanding of ZIC3 function and describe the potential role ZIC3 plays in important signalling pathways and their links to heterotaxy

The Engaged Identity: An approach to identity, complexity, and intravation for human adaptivity and transformation

Human adaptive capacity is increasingly understood as an important element of human flourishing and sustainability and yet the question of how we cultivate the capacities for transformation and human flourishing remains. This thesis introduces the Engaged Identity approach and examines the intersections of how we enact and embody identity, complexity, and adaptability. As a practice, it works to build the adaptive capacity of individuals and support identity expansion in order to create sustainable relationships. Grounded in identity theory, complexity science, and contemplative practice, the approach serves as a foundation on which frameworks and methodologies for conflict transformation and peacebuilding can exist. Furthermore, it proposes that without the cultivation of these capacities, regardless of the theoretical framework or methodology used, sustainable relationships and solutions are not possible. The thesis provides an overview of the Engaged Identity approach, examines the literature that grounds the praxis, and analyzes a case study, comprised of six training workshops held in Nigeria from October 2013 through August 2014. Examining how the approach aligns with and enhances conflict transformation processes, this thesis argues for an intravative approach to conceptualizing, cultivating, and enacting human adaptive capacity and transformative processes. Through phenomenological and grounded theory methodology, the study uses survey, interview, and participatory observations to document participants experiences and observations on the effects of the approach and the implications for inclusion in the broader context for adaptive and transformative praxis