Abstract: In this paper we canvass three case studies of unique
research partnerships between universities and schools in the wider
community. In doing so, we consider those areas of indeterminate
zones of professional practice explored by academics in their
research activities within the wider community. We discuss three
cases: an artist-in-residence program designed to engage primary
school children with new understandings about local Indigenous
Australian issues in their pedagogical and physical landscapes; an
assessment of pedagogical concerns in relation to the use of physical
space in classrooms; and the pedagogical underpinnings of a
costumed museum school program. In doing so, we engage issues of
research as playing an integral part in the development,
implementation and maintenance of academic engagements with
wider community issues.
Abstract: Since the late 1980s, the new phenomena of 'employment subcentres' or 'polycentricity' has appeared in the metropolises of North American and Western Europe and it has been an interesting topic for academics and researchers. This paper specifically uses one case study-Guangzhou to explore the development and the mechanism of employment subcentres and polycentricity in Chinese metropolises by spatial analysis method on the basis of the first economic census data. In conclusion, the paper regards that the employment subcentres and polycentricity has existed in Chinese metropolises. And that, the mechanism of them is mainly from the secondary industry instead of the tertiary industry in North American and Western Europe
Abstract: This paper reports a case study on how a conceptual
and analytical thinking approach was used in Art and Design Department at Multimedia University (Malaysia) in addressing the
issues of one nation and its impact in the society through artworks. The art project was designed for students to increase the know-how
and develop creative thinking in design and communication. Goals of the design project were: (1) to develop creative thinking in design
and communication, (2) to increase student understanding on the
process of problem solving for design work, and (3) to use design
elements and principles to generate interest, attention and emotional responses. An exhibition entitled "One Nation" was showcased to
local and international viewers consisting of the general public, professionals, academics, artists and students. Findings indicate that the project supported several visual art standards, as well as
generated awareness in the society. This project may be of interest to
current and future art educators and others interested in the potential
of utilizing global issues as content for art, community and environment studies for the purpose of educational art.
Abstract: In this paper, the action research driven design of a
context relevant, developmental peer review of teaching model, its
implementation strategy and its impact at an Australian university is
presented. PRO-Teaching realizes an innovative process that
triangulates contemporaneous teaching quality data from a range of
stakeholders including students, discipline academics, learning and
teaching expert academics, and teacher reflection to create reliable
evidence of teaching quality. Data collected over multiple classroom
observations allows objective reporting on development differentials
in constructive alignment, peer, and student evaluations. Further
innovation is realized in the application of this highly structured
developmental process to provide summative evidence of sufficient
validity to support claims for professional advancement and learning
and teaching awards. Design decision points and contextual triggers
are described within the operating domain. Academics and
developers seeking to introduce structured peer review of teaching
into their organization will find this paper a useful reference.
Abstract: This paper presents the outcomes of a qualitative
study which aims to investigate the pedagogical potentials of serious
games in the preparation of future teachers. The authors discuss the
existing problems and barriers associated with the organization of
teaching practices in Bulgaria as part of the pre-service teacher
training, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of the interviewed
academics, teachers and trainees concerning the integration of serious
games in the teaching practicum. The study outcomes strongly
confirm the positive attitudes of the respondents to the introduction
of virtual learning environments for the development of professional
skills of future teachers as a supplement to the traditional forms of
education. Through the inclusion of serious games it is expected to
improve the quality of practical training of pre-service teachers as
they overcome many of the problems identified in the existing
teaching practices. The outcomes of the study will inform the design
of the educational simulation software which is part of the project
SimAula Tomorrow's Teachers Training.
Abstract: Most of the academics connect a theory of
multiculturalism with globalization and limit it by last decades of
20th century. However, Kazakh society encountered with this
problem when the Soviet-s rule emerged. As a result of repression,
the Second World War, development of virgin lands representatives
of more than 100 nationalities lives in Kazakhstan. Communist
ideology propagandized internationalism, which would defined
principles of multicultural community but a common ideology
demands a single culture. As a result multicultural society in the
USSR developed under control of Russian culture. Education in the
USSR was conducted in two departments: autochthonous and
Russian. Autochthonous education narrowed student capabilities.
Also because of soviet ideology science was conducted in Russian
Universities provided education in Russian and all science literature
were in Russian. Exceptions were humanitarian fields where Kazakh
departments were admitted. Naturally non-Kazakhs studied in
Russian departments, moreover Kazakhs preferred to study in
Russian as most do nowadays preferring English. As a result Kazakh
society consisted of Kazakhs, Kazakhs who recognized Russian as a
mother tongue and other nationalities who were also Russian
speakers. This aspect continues to distinguish particular qualities of
multicultural community in Kazakhstan.
Abstract: The emergence of networked information and communication has transformed the accessibility and delivery of scholarly information and fundamentally impacted on the processes of research and scholarly communication. The purpose of this study is to investigate disciplinary differences in the use of networked information for research and scholarly communication at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. This study has produced quantitative data about how and why academics within different disciplines utilize networked information that is made available either internally through the university library, or externally through networked services accessed by the Internet. The results indicate some significant differences between the attitudes and practice of academics in the science disciplines when compared to those from the social sciences and humanities. While respondents from science disciplines show overall longer and more frequent use of networked information, respondents from humanities and social sciences indicated more positive attitudes and a greater degree of satisfaction toward library networked services.
Abstract: There are increasingly plagiarism offences for
students in higher education in the digital educational world. On the
other hand, various and competitive online assessment and
plagiarism detection tools are available in the market. Taking the
University of Glamorgan as a case study, this paper describes and
introduces an institutional journey on electronic plagiarism detection
to inform the initial experience of an innovative tool and method
which could be further explored in the future research. The
comparative study and system workflow for e-plagiarism detection
tool are discussed. Benefits for both academics and students are also
presented. Electronic plagiarism detection tools brought great
benefits to both academics and students in Glamorgan. On the other
hand, the debates raised in such initial experience are discussed.
Abstract: The production of activated carbon from low or zero cost of agricultural by-products or wastes has received great attention from academics and practitioners due to its economic and environmental benefits. In the production of bamboo furniture, a significant amount of bamboo waste is inevitably generated. Therefore, this research aimed to prepare activated carbons from bamboo furniture waste by chemical (KOH) activation and determine their properties and adsorption capacities for water treatment. The influence of carbonization time on the properties and adsorption capacities of activated carbons was also investigated. The finding showed that the bamboo-derived activated carbons had microporous characteristics. They exhibited high tendency for the reduction of impurities present in effluent water. Their adsorption capacities were comparable to the adsorption capacity of a commercial activated carbon regarding to the reduction in COD, TDS and turbidity of the effluent water.
Abstract: The interdependences among stock market indices
were studied for a long while by academics in the entire world. The
current financial crisis opened the door to a wide range of opinions
concerning the understanding and measurement of the connections
considered to provide the controversial phenomenon of market
integration. Using data on the log-returns of 17 stock market indices
that include most of the CEE markets, from 2005 until 2009, our
paper studies the problem of these dependences using a new
methodological tool that takes into account both the volatility
clustering effect and the stochastic properties of these linkages
through a Dynamic Conditional System of Simultaneous Equations.
We find that the crisis is well captured by our model as it provides
evidence for the high volatility – high dependence effect.
Abstract: With the proliferation of multi-channel retailing, developing a better understanding of the factors that affect customers- purchase behaviors within a multi-channel retail context has become an important topic for practitioners and academics. While many studies have investigated the various customer behaviors associated with brick-and-mortar retailing, online retailing, and brick-and-click retailing, little research has explored how customer shopping value perceptions influence online purchase behaviors within the TV-and-online retail environment. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of TV and online shopping values on online patronage intention. Data collected from 116 respondents in Taiwan are tested against the research model using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. The results indicate that utilitarian and hedonic TV shopping values have indirect, positive influences on online patronage intention through their online counterparts in the TV-and-online retail context. The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for multi-channel retailing.