502 research outputs found
The significance of work allocation in the professional apprenticeship of solicitors
It is a peculiarity of the solicitorsâ profession that it has historically relied on methods of pre-qualification âtrainingâ by way of apprenticeship and that an entirely respectable non-graduate route into the profession remains. In a political context, however, where the profession is called upon positively to demonstrate its standards of performance, the professional regulator seeks to attach a competence framework to the existing model; shifting the focus from how the trainee learns to what the trainee learns. This paper will explore the period of traineeship from the perspective of the trainees themselves, drawing on two small qualitative studies, focussing on the fundamental context factor of the allocation and structuring of their work. In the first study the context for this evaluation is the set of outcomes being tested by the professional regulator and in the second, the perceptions of qualified individuals looking back at their apprenticeship, The paper concludes that there remains work for the profession to do not only in fostering supportive and expansive apprenticeships, but in attending, however, supportive the surrounding environment, to the work being carried out by trainees and its relationship with the work carried out by newly qualified solicitors
Teacher knowledge and initial teacher education in the English learning and skills sector
Recent reforms of initial teacher education (ITE) in the learning and skills sector(LSS) in England are standards based and emphasise subject specialism. The reforms are underpinned by objectivist epistemological assumptions which are incompatible with socio-cultural theories of professional knowledge, and ignore the diverse teaching roles and contexts in the sector and wider systemic issues. A qualitative scoping study found that LSS in-service trainee teachers drew on three types of knowledge resources, or clusters of ârulesâ for practice, in their teaching: these were related to their subject/vocational area, generic teaching and learning processes and specific learners and groups. Trainees generated knowledge resources through participation in their workplace, ITE course and other social contexts, and from embedded and encoded workplace knowledge. Traineesâ beliefs, values and prior experiences were both a knowledge resource and influenced their engagement with knowledge generation activities. It is argued that using a knowledge resources perspective, which recognises how trainees generate knowledge and seeks to bridge gaps in their access to knowledge resources, would
be more effective in supporting traineesâ development than the current reforms
Pragmatic Software Innovation
Part 2: Creating Value through Software DevelopmentInternational audienceWe understand software innovation as concerned with introducing innovation into the development of software intensive systems, i.e. systems in which software development and/or integration are dominant considerations. Innovation is key in almost any strategy for competitiveness in existing markets, for creating new markets, or for curbing rising public expenses, and software intensive systems are core elements in most such strategies. Software innovation therefore is vital for about every sector of the economy. Changes in software technologies over the last decades have opened up for experimentation, learning, and flexibility in ongoing software projects, but how can this change be used to facilitate software innovation? How can a team systematically identify and pursue opportunities to create added value in ongoing projects? In this paper, we describe Deweyan pragmatism as the philosophical foundation for Essence â a software innovation methodology â where unknown options and needs emerge as part of the development process itself. The foundation is illustrated via a simple example
The IT-CMF: A Practical Application of Design Science
The IT-Capability Maturity Model [IT-CMF] is a high-level process capability maturity framework for managing the IT function within an organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain the IT-CMF as a â method meta-modelâ for IT management, emphasizing the novel approach to addressing the application of design processes and design artifacts by means of a very structured use of engaged scholarship and open innovation techniques to the ongoing challenge of managing organizationâs IT capability
Crystal Structures and Electronic Properties of Haloform-Intercalated C60
Using density functional methods we calculated structural and electronic
properties of bulk chloroform and bromoform intercalated C60, C60 2CHX3
(X=Cl,Br). Both compounds are narrow band insulator materials with a gap
between valence and conduction bands larger than 1 eV. The calculated widths of
the valence and conduction bands are 0.4-0.6 eV and 0.3-0.4 eV, respectively.
The orbitals of the haloform molecules overlap with the orbitals of the
fullerene molecules and the p-type orbitals of halogen atoms significantly
contribute to the valence and conduction bands of C60 2CHX3. Charging with
electrons and holes turns the systems to metals. Contrary to expectation, 10 to
20 % of the charge is on the haloform molecules and is thus not completely
localized on the fullerene molecules. Calculations on different crystal
structures of C60 2CHCl3 and C60 2CHBr3 revealed that the density of states at
the Fermi energy are sensitive to the orientation of the haloform and C60
molecules. At a charging of three holes, which corresponds to the
superconducting phase of pure C60 and C60 2CHX3, the calculated density of
states (DOS) at the Fermi energy increases in the sequence DOS(C60) < DOS(C60
2CHCl3) < DOS(C60 2CHBr3).Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 4 table
Social Experimentation as Reflection-in-A ction
We present the results of our review of some forty community-level interventions undertaken in the developing world over the past twenty years m order to reduce malnourishment in children. We argue that such interventions, if they are considered as social experiments, cannot be assimilated to models of quasi-experimental method. We propose an alternative model of experimentation, which we call "reflection-in-action", which seems to us better suited to account for the kinds ofvahdity and rigor attainable in situations such as these.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68568/2/10.1177_107554708400600101.pd
Two-level Hamiltonian of a superconducting quantum point contact
In a superconducting quantum point contact, dynamics of the superconducting
phase is coupled to the transitions between the subgap states. We compute this
coupling and derive the two-level Hamiltonian of the contact.Comment: REVTeX, 5 pages, reference adde
Shot noise in tunneling transport through molecules and quantum dots
We consider electrical transport through single molecules coupled to metal
electrodes via tunneling barriers. Approximating the molecule by the Anderson
impurity model as the simplest model which includes Coulomb charging effects,
we extend the ``orthodox'' theory to expand current and shot noise
systematically order by order in the tunnel couplings. In particular, we show
that a combined measurement of current and shot noise reveals detailed
information of the system even in the weak-coupling limit, such as the ratio of
the tunnel-coupling strengths of the molecule to the left and right electrode,
and the presence of the Coulomb charging energy. Our analysis holds for
single-level quantum dots as well.Comment: 8 page
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Knowledge practices in design: The role of visual representations as 'epistemic objects'
We use a detailed study of the knowledge work around visual representations to draw attention to the multidimensional nature of `objects'. Objects are variously described in the literatures as relatively stable or in flux; as abstract or concrete; and as used within or across practices. We clarify these dimensions, drawing on and extending the literature on boundary objects, and connecting it with work on epistemic and technical objects. In particular, we highlight the epistemic role of objects, using our observations of knowledge work on an architectural design project to show how, in this setting, visual representations are characterized by a `lack' or incompleteness that precipitates unfolding. The conceptual design of a building involves a wide range of technical, social and aesthetic forms of knowledge that need to be developed and aligned. We explore how visual representations are used, and how these are meaningful to different stakeholders, eliciting their distinct contributions. As the project evolves and the drawings change, new issues and needs for knowledge work arise. These objects have an `unfolding ontology' and are constantly in flux, rather than fully formed. We discuss the implications for wider understandings of objects in organizations and for how knowledge work is achieved in practice
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