Needs before means: the dialectics of learning and technology

The general argument advanced in this paper is that in the changing context of present-day higher education it is vital that our educational purposes and student needs are clarified before decisions are taken about the means, including the use of learning technology, of satisfying those purposes and needs. The development of a critical understanding is still seen as the central purpose of higher education even in the context of a more vocationally relevant mass higher education. It is argued here that dialogue is the key to critical learning based on a process of dialectical communication. The task then is to construct an understanding learning environment which fosters interaction between students, staff and resources, reconciling individual needs with collective purposes. The specific role of learning technology as a means of encouraging dialogue within a learning environment is illustrated through examples of language learning such as TLTP CKS33 and the RACE Hipernet Project. Through a dialectical process, the appropriate use of learning technologies in meeting students' changing needs can be progressively refined

Using problem-based learning to develop graduate skills

Original article can be found at: http://www.gees.ac.uk/planet/ [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]The Hertfordshire Integrated Learning Project’s (1)(HILP) model for developing Graduate Skills is based on the integration of skills development with academic content using problem-based learning (PBL) as the integrative mechanism. This paper considers how, in modified form, it can be used as one of the principal means of implementing an explicit embedded approach to skills development in the curriculum. The modified form, developed to suit local conditions and requirements, is referred to as the HILP hybrid PBL model.Peer reviewe

Migration studies from paper and board food packaging materials. Part 2. Survey for residues of dialkylamino benzophenone UV-cure ink photoinitiators

A survey of retail samples was conducted in two phases with 50 general paper and board food contact materials and articles analysed in 1992, and 121 samples, specifically of printed cartonboard, analysed in 1995. Packaging samples were extracted with ethanol containing 0.4% triethylamine. The extracts were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the presence of 4,4'-bis(dimethylamino) benzophenone (Michler's ketone, MK) and 4,4'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone (DEAB) confirmed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The limits of detection for MK and DEAB in packaging were 0.05 mg/kg and 0.1-0.2 mg/kg respectively. In the first phase, MK was detected in 24% of the 50 samples at concentrations of 0.06-3.9 mg/kg paper. DEAB was detected in 12% of samples (0.1-0.2 mg/kg). In the second phase, 26% of the 121 cartonboard samples contained detectable MK (0.1-1.6 mg/kg) and 4% contained DEAB (0.2-0.7 mg/kg). Residues of the monoamine 4-(dimethylamino)benzophenone (DMAB) were found in 10% of the 1992 samples (0.1-0.6 mg/kg). DMAB was not surveyed in 1995. These levels are too low to indicate the use of these cure agents for printing the packages. Rather, the most likely origin is from the use of recycled fibres. For three samples where the highest concentration of MK was detected, the food was analysed by GC-MS after extraction and clean-up. There was no measurable migration of MK at a detection limit of 2 μg/kg food. It is concluded, therefore, that the concentrations of MK present in the packaging samples analysed are unlikely to pose a risk to human health