Developments in the evaluation of work-based learning: A UK perspective

UK higher education institutions are now expected to be able to demonstrate that they are adhering to the Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education in Placement Learning. The responsibility for ensuring that a placement provides an adequate opportunity for its intended learning outcomes rests with the educational institution. This paper draws on the author's experience of the management and evaluation of placements in the construction sector. In recognition of the increasingly global nature of the business, a placement programme has been developed to meet the particular challenges of students operating in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments. Participation in the European Commission's Leonardo da Vinci Vocational Training Programmes and pilot projects has enabled the identification of further criteria for evaluating and disseminating experience gained in work-based learning across the frontiers of language and culture. However, the paper also identifies problems peculiar to the UK market for construction professions and higher education programmes in construction-related disciplines. A study by Northumbria University highlighted challenges for both industry and higher education arising from economic pressures on students and the positioning of construction-related courses in the higher education market. Given the global nature of the construction business, it is clear that there are significant benefits to be gained from taking a global view of relevant issues

Global opportunities for securing overseas retail deposits within the UK banking industry

The UK banking industry is very competitive and banks work hard to keep their existing customers and entice new customers to join their banks. This report will focus on a single global opportunity for a UK bank to secure deposits from overseas customers in order to facilitate its growth strategy. To protect the identity of the bank, it will be referred to as the UK Bank throught this report

Business opportunities for water supply projects in the western highlands of Papua New Guinea

This paper has identified the opportunity for a water supply project in a rural village in the heart of the Western Highlands in Papua New Guinea. It begins with a brief review of the issue of access to safe, clean and portable water for citizens and the inability of Third World governments to meet water requirements and the changing emphasis of donor agencies, more specifically the World Bank to fund water supply and related services through a demand response approach [DRA]. It then examines the national social and economic development status of the country and focuses on the issue of lack of access to safe portable water as a key problem for rural inhabitants who comprise the majority of the population. Against this background the opportunity for this project is presented with a critical analysis of the community’s capacity to undertake and maintain the water supply facility using previous experience in two similar projects. It also outlines progress of work on this water project to date in relation to the formation of the water supply committee, completion of a feasibility study, design information, required materials and cost estimates, community financial contributions and the preparedness of the community to be responsible for the entire process. Potential risks to the project have also been identified and risk mitigation strategies are in place to address emerging issues. The value of undertaking this project is rooted in meeting the requirement for access to safe portable water as a basic need and for the long-term improvement in health and well-being of the people which indirectly contributes to economic benefits

Strategic considerations for construction in the People’s Republic of China: the case of German contractors in the 1990s

The construction industry has been struggling to integrate business strategies that are anticipating the internationalisation and infiltration of international markets. This article attempts to evaluate the China operations of German contractors from a strategic management decision perspective in the period between 1990 and 2000. Existing internationalisation theories have appeared to be inappropriate to explain international construction due to the unique project nature of construction business. The Ownership, Location and Internationalisation (OLI)-paradigm was initially developed to explain international production pattern was revised to form the basis for the evaluation of the Construction contractors’ market activities. The interviews indicate an industry-specific culture that affects how companies approach foreign markets. Some exceptional companies illustrated a higher degree of openness towards a more strategic and consistent approach in terms of the development of overseas markets

Critical edition of Pierre D'Ailly's Abbreviatio Dyalogi Okan

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On spatially-averaged electrokinetics of point charges and Maxwell's equations

Maxwell-like field relations which describe spatially-averaged kinematic behaviour of electrons and atomic nuclei (modelled as point charges) are obtained at any prescribed scale using weighting function methodology. Upon appeal to the experimental laws of Coulomb and Biot-Savart, and to dimensional considerations, these relations yield the macroscopic Maxwell equations as they pertain to electrostatics and magnetostatics. Generalisation to classical macroscopic electrodynamics is effected by taking account of signal transmission delay and selection of appropriate retardation potentials. Unlike previous derivations, no appeal is made to the microscopic field relations of Lorentz

Phacoemulsification compared with phacotrabeculectomy surgery: a within-person observational cohort study.

AIM: To compare reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) and gain in visual acuity (VA) following phacotrabeculectomy (PT) and phacoemulsification(phaco) in Tanzanian patients with primary open angle glaucoma(POAG). SETTING: CCBRT Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. DESIGN: Within-person observational cohort study. METHODS: Within each patient, one eye had PT and the other phaco. Patients were followed for up to 5-1/2 years, and IOP and VA in each eye were assessed. For a small group of patients, two additional postoperative time points were compared. RESULTS: 52 patients (34 male) with a mean age of 70 years (SD 8 years) were enrolled in the study. For those with 250 days or more follow-up, both operations resulted in lower IOPs and improved VA (p<0.001). The average drop in IOP was 50% (95%CI 45% to 55%) for PT and 41% (95% CI 36% to 46%) for phaco. Mean IOP was lower in the PT group 12.9 mm Hg vs 16.8 mm Hg (p=0.004). Extended follow-up in nine patients showed a rise in IOP of 1.8 mm Hg for PT and 4.2 mm Hg for phaco eyes between first (mean, 337 days) and second (mean 1482 days) follow-up (p=0.18). CONCLUSION: In this small study in African patients, PT resulted in lower IOPs than phacoemulsification alone but the difference between the procedures was relatively small. Phacoemulsification alone was effective in reducing IOP and improving VA for several years in this population. Given the relative simplicity of phacoemulsification, it is a therapeutic option worthy of consideration in some settings

Perspectives des étudiants sur l'éducation financière transdisciplinaire en Ontario

In increasingly uncertain economic times, education curricula around the world are changing to include the topic of financial literacy for students. This article reports the findings of a financial literacy study that examined the perspectives of students on their experiences with transdisciplinary teaching and learning of personal financial literacy. In this study, 344 post-secondary students reflected on their educational experiences in Ontario secondary schools by completing a quantitative survey composed of questions and self-assessments related to personal financial literacy curricula. While students felt that personal financial literacy education was important, they felt that there was a need for more knowledge and understanding in secondary school. Further, survey data identified variations in the personal financial literacy education students received that was linked to the stream (advanced or general) students were enrolled in. The findings are discussed, with particular attention to how students’ perspectives can inform policy and curriculum design moving forward.Dans un contexte économique de plus en plus incertain, les programmes d'enseignement du monde entier évoluent pour inclure le thème de la littératie financière des élèves. Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude sur la littératie financière qui a examiné les points de vue des étudiants sur leurs expériences de l'enseignement et de l'apprentissage transdisciplinaires de la littératie financière personnelle. Dans le cadre de cette étude, 344 étudiants de l'enseignement postsecondaire ont réfléchi à leurs expériences éducatives dans les écoles secondaires de l'Ontario en répondant à une enquête quantitative composée de questions et d'auto-évaluations liées aux programmes de la littératie en matière de finances personnelles. Alors que les étudiants estimaient que l'éducation à la littératie financière personnelle est importante, ils pensaient qu'il est nécessaire d'approfondir les connaissances et la compréhension à l'école secondaire. En outre, les données de l'enquête ont mis en évidence des variations dans l'éducation à la littératie financière personnelle reçue par les élèves, en fonction de la filière (avancée ou générale) dans laquelle ils sont inscrits. Les résultats sont discutés, en accordant une attention particulière à la façon dont les perspectives des étudiants peuvent éclairer la politique et la conception des programmes d'études