Abstract: This paper aims to describe how student satisfaction is
measured for work-based learners as these are non-traditional
learners, conducting academic learning in the workplace, typically
their curricula have a high degree of negotiation, and whose
motivations are directly related to their employers- needs, as well as
their own career ambitions. We argue that while increasing WBL
participation, and use of SSD are both accepted as being of strategic
importance to the HE agenda, the use of WBL SSD is rarely
examined, and lessons can be learned from the comparison of SSD
from a range of WBL programmes, and increased visibility of this
type of data will provide insight into ways to improve and develop
this type of delivery. The key themes that emerged from the analysis
of the interview data were: learners profiles and needs, employers
drivers, academic staff drivers, organizational approach, tools for
collecting data and visibility of findings. The paper concludes with
observations on best practice in the collection, analysis and use of
WBL SSD, thus offering recommendations for both academic
managers and practitioners.
Abstract: The focus of the study is to understand the factors of
curriculum innovation from the perspective of Language teacher
education. The overall aim of the study is to investigate Language
educators- perceptions of factors of curriculum innovation. In the
theoretical framework the main focus is on discussion about different
curriculum approaches for language teacher education and limiting
and facilitating factors of innovation. In order to achieve the aim of
the study, an observational research is employed. The empirical basis
of the study consists of questionnaire with sixty-three language
teachers from eight Romanian higher education institutions. The
findings reveal variation in Language teachers- conceptions of the
dominant factors of curricular innovation.
Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that there is a shortage of software developers, not only in South Africa, but also worldwide. Despite reports on a gap between industry needs and software education, the gap has mostly been explored in quantitative studies. This paper reports on the qualitative data of a mixed method study of the perceptions of professional software developers regarding what topics they learned from their formal education and the importance of these topics to their actual work. The analysis suggests that there is a gap between industry’s needs and software development education and the following recommendations are made: 1) Real-life projects must be included in students’ education; 2) Soft skills and business skills must be included in curricula; 3) Universities must keep the curriculum up to date; 4) Software development education must be made accessible to a diverse range of students.
Abstract: The new programming technologies allow for the
creation of components which can be automatically or manually
assembled to reach a new experience in knowledge understanding
and mastering or in getting skills for a specific knowledge area. The
project proposes an interactive framework that permits the creation,
combination and utilization of components that are specific to
mathematical training in high schools.
The main framework-s objectives are:
• authoring lessons by the teacher or the students; all they need
are simple operating skills for Equation Editor (or something
similar, or Latex); the rest are just drag & drop operations,
inserting data into a grid, or navigating through menus
• allowing sonorous presentations of mathematical texts and
solving hints (easier understood by the students)
• offering graphical representations of a mathematical function
edited in Equation
• storing of learning objects in a database
• storing of predefined lessons (efficient for expressions and
commands, the rest being calculations; allows a high
compression)
• viewing and/or modifying predefined lessons, according to the
curricula
The whole thing is focused on a mathematical expressions minicompiler,
storing the code that will be later used for different
purposes (tables, graphics, and optimisations).
Programming technologies used. A Visual C# .NET
implementation is proposed. New and innovative digital learning
objects for mathematics will be developed; they are capable to
interpret, contextualize and react depending on the architecture
where they are assembled.
Abstract: To investigate the correspondence of theory and
practice, a successfully implemented Knowledge Management
System (KMS) is explored through the lens of Alavi and Leidner-s
proposed KMS framework for the analysis of an information system
in knowledge management (Framework-AISKM). The applied KMS
system was designed to manage curricular knowledge in a distributed
university environment. The motivation for the KMS is discussed
along with the types of knowledge necessary in an academic setting.
Elements of the KMS involved in all phases of capturing and
disseminating knowledge are described. As the KMS matures the
resulting data stores form the precursor to and the potential for
knowledge mining. The findings from this exploratory study indicate
substantial correspondence between the successful KMS and the
theory-based framework providing provisional confirmation for the
framework while suggesting factors that contributed to the system-s
success. Avenues for future work are described.
Abstract: Technical laboratories are typically considered as
highly hazardous places in the polytechnic institution when
addressing the problems of high incidences and fatality rates. In
conjunction with several topics covered in the technical curricular,
safety and health precaution should be highlighted in order to
connect to few key ideas of being safe. Therefore the assessment of
safety awareness in terms of safety and health about hazardous and
risks at laboratories is needed and has to be incorporated with
technical education and other training programmes. The purpose of
this study was to determine the efficacy of technical laboratory safety
in one of the polytechnics in northern region. The study examined
three related issues that were; the availability of safety material and
equipment, safety practice adopted by technical teachers and
administrator-s safety attitudes in enforcing safety to the students. A
model of efficacy technical laboratory was developed to test the
linear relationship between existing safety material and equipment,
teachers- safety practice and administrators- attitude in enforcing
safety and to identify which of technical laboratory safety issues was
the most pertinent factor to realize safety in technical laboratory.
This was done by analyzing survey-based data sets particularly those
obtained from samples of 210 students in the polytechnic. The
Pearson Correlation was used to measure the association between the
variables and to test the research hypotheses. The result of the study
has found that there was a significant correlation between existing
safety material and equipment, safety practice adopted by teacher
and administrator-s attitude. There was also a significant relationship
between technical laboratory safety and safety practice adopted by
teacher and between technical laboratory safety and administrator
attitude. Hence, safety practice adopted by teacher and administrator
attitude is vital in realizing technical laboratory safety.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of the authors in designing, experimenting, assessing and transferring an innovative approach to energy education in secondary schools, aimed to enhance the quality of learning in terms of didactic curricula and pedagogic methods. The training is online delivered to youngsters via e-Books and portals specially designed for this purpose or by learning by doing via interactive games. An online educational methodology is available teachers.
Abstract: Product Data Management (PDM) systems for Computer
Aided Design (CAD) file management are widely established
in design processes. This management system is indispensable for
design collaboration or when design task distribution is present. It is
thus surprising that engineering design curricula has not paid much
attention in the education of PDM systems. This is also the case
for eduction of ecodesign and environmental evaluation of products.
With the rise of sustainability as a strategic aspect in companies,
environmental concerns are becoming a key issue in design. This
paper discusses the establishment of a PDM platform to be used
among technical and vocational schools in Austria. The PDM system
facilitates design collaboration among these schools. Further, it will
be discussed how the PDM system has been prepared in order to
facilitate environmental evaluation of parts, components and subassemblies
of a product. By integrating a Business Intelligence
solution, environmental Life Cycle Assessment and communication
of results is enabled.
Abstract: South Africa is facing a crisis with not being able to produce enough graduates in the scarce skills areas to sustain economic growth. The crisis is fuelled by a school system that does not produce enough potential students with Mathematics, Accounting and Science. Since the introduction of the new school curriculum in 2008, there is no longer an option to take pure maths on a standard grade level. Instead, only two mathematical subjects are offered: pure maths (which is on par with higher grade maths) and mathematical literacy. It is compulsory to take one or the other. As a result, lees student finishes Grade 12 with pure mathematics every year. This national problem needs urgent attention if South Africa is to make any headway in critical skills development as mathematics is a gateway to scarce skills professions. Higher education institutions initiated several initiatives in an attempt to address the above, including preparatory courses, bridging programmes and extended curricula with foundation provisions. In view of the above, and government policy directives to broaden access in the scarce skills areas to increase student throughput, foundation provision was introduced for Commerce and Information Technology programmes at the Vaal Triangle Campus (VTC) of North-West University (NWU) in 2010. Students enrolling for extended programmes do not comply with the minimum prerequisites for the normal programmes. The question then arises as to whether these programmes have the intended impact? This paper reports the results of a two year longitudinal study, tracking the first year academic achievement of the two cohorts of enrolments since 2010. The results provide valuable insight into the structuring of an extended programme and its potential impact.
Abstract: With the rapid expansion of city scale and the
excessive concentration of population, achieving relative equality of
extracurricular education resources and improving spatial service
performance of relevant facilities become necessary arduous tasks. In
urban space, extracurricular education facilities should offer better
service to its targeted area and promote the equality and efficiency of
education, which is accomplished by the allocation of facilities. Based
on questionnaire and survey for local students in Hangzhou City in
2009, this study classifies extracurricular education facilities in
meg-city and defines the equalization of these facilities. Then it is
suggested to establish extracurricular education facilities system
according to the development level of city and demands of local
students, and to introduce a spatial analysis method into urban
planning through the aspects of spatial distribution, travel cost and
spatial service scope. Finally, the practice of nine sub-districts of
Hangzhou is studied.
Abstract: Data Structures and Algorithms is a module in most
Computer Science or Information Technology curricula. It is one of
the modules most students identify as being difficult. This paper
demonstrates how programming a solution for Sudoku can make
abstract concepts more concrete. The paper relates concepts of a
typical Data Structures and Algorithms module to a step by step
solution for Sudoku in a human type as opposed to a computer
oriented solution.