Micro-credentials: the potential of personalized professional development

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-35
Author(s):  
Tiffany Hunt ◽  
Richard Carter ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
Sohyun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Systems Change ◽  
Group Instruction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Content Assessment ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce micro-credentials as an innovative, personalized professional development modality. With traditional time bound professional development (PD) offering largely whole group instruction with little feedback or a focus on skill mastery, micro-credentials have the ability to develop educator skills, provide relevant content, encourage flexibility, and measure earner mastery. Although relatively new, state leaders and administrators are exploring the use of micro-credentials to improve educator practice at the individual level. Such efforts encourage systems change aligned with new technologies and advancements. Design/methodology/approach This article is designed to review the impetus for the use of micro-credentials in education and the potential this personalized professional development has to change and improve traditional support of educators' professional growth and skill development. We structured the article to first introduce the possibilities micro-credentials (MCs) have in initiating systems change in education. We then define MCs and explore their use in state policy. Additionally, we present the benefits MCs offer and how an individual would select and complete one. To conclude, we connect all elements in the article and emphasize the need for further research and analysis. Findings Findings from our review indicate that 9 states are currently exploring the use of micro-credentials in their state ESSA plans. We recognize that there are several benefits of micro-credentials that make them appealing to state leaders and administrators. These include personalization, competency, flexibility, cost efficiency, and collaboration. It is noted that a large number of organizations are offering micro-credentials and it is most often the responsibility of educators to determine which micro-credentials meet their needs and may be utilized for continuing education credit. Steps in earning micro-credentials are similar across platforms, though content, assessment expectations, and depth vary widely. Originality/value Rapid strides in technology have created change and advancements to societal norms, required workforce skillsets, and personalization. As a result, leaders in education are exploring new and innovative ways to provide professional development to educators. This article will introduce the concept of micro-credentials and explore their focus on personalization, competency-based learning, flexibility and skill development. Individuals interested in shifting the delivery and methodology of traditional PD will be intrigued by the potential micro-credentials offer and the work that is currently being done to explore this PD option.

The influence of culture on consumer perceptions of deceptiveness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haithem Zourrig ◽  
Mengxia Zhang ◽  
Kamel El Hedhli ◽  
Imene Becheur
Keyword(s):  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Information Manipulation ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Situational Constraint

Purpose This study aims to apply McCornack’s (1992) information manipulation theory to the context of fraud and investigates the effects of culture on perceived deceptiveness. Design/methodology/approach In total, 400 Chinese consumers and an equal-size sample of Canadian consumers were recruited to fill an online survey. The survey integrates four scenarios of insurance fraud and measures of perceived deceptiveness, cultural tightness and horizontal-vertical idiocentrism allocentrism, in addition to some control variables. Findings Results show that at the societal level of culture, perceived deceptiveness is higher in individualistic than in collectivistic cultures. When accounting for the level of situational constraint, cultural tightness was found to magnify the perceived deceptiveness. At the individual level of culture, vertical-allocentrism and vertical-idiocentrism were found to weigh against the perception of deceptiveness. Originality/value Understanding cultural differences in perceived deceptiveness is helpful to spot sources of consumers’ vulnerability to fraud tolerance among a culturally diverse public.

Business plan competitions in developed and emerging economies

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Awais Ahmad Tipu
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Business Plan ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Individual

Purpose This paper aims to review the academic literature on business plan competitions in developed and emerging economies to assess the contribution to the knowledge so far and identify research gaps. Design/methodology/approach A variety of databases (such as ABI/Inform Global, Academic Search Complete, Business Source Premier and Emerald Full Text) were used to find peer-reviewed journal articles. Regardless of time, different search terms were used to find relevant journal articles such as business plan competitions, business plan contests, business plan teams, business plan judges, business plan development and business plan scores. After a careful review of the identified articles, a total of 22 articles were included in the final review. The articles in the final set were manually coded using the thematic codes. Findings Despite the popularity of business plan competitions, limited academic literature exists, particularly in the context of emerging economies. A total of 16 out of 22 studies are conducted in developed economies. The findings suggest that the literature on business plan competitions is largely centered on the structure of business plan competitions, the characteristics of the participating teams and the benefits of business plan competitions. The individual level benefits of business plan competitions include the development of entrepreneurial skills, opportunity for networking and access to mentors. Business plan competitions can be better aligned with public policy, particularly in case of emerging economies. Therefore, a more focused and integrated approach among industry, academia and government in encouraging business plan competitions could potentially make a far-reaching impact in establishing an enterprising society. While much is known about the structure and the benefits of business plan competitions, there are various research gaps which need to be addressed. Originality/value The current paper is the first identifiable review of the literature on business plan competitions. The proposed questions for future research will potentially help in addressing the identified research gaps.

Public service motivation and willingness to collaborate

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Alexa Haddock-Bigwarfe
Keyword(s):  
Homeland Security ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings – Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level. Research limitations/implications – Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single state's homeland security summit. Practical implications – It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes. Originality/value – This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.

scholarly journals THE NEED FOR INFORMATION AND THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS FACTORS OF CRITICAL AND UNCRITICAL DISSEMINATION OF PANDEMIC NEWS

2021 ◽  
pp. 170-195
Author(s):  
Elena I. Rasskazova ◽  
Galina V. Soldatova ◽  
Yulia Y. Neyaskina ◽  
Olga S. Shiriaeva
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Digital World ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

Relevance. The modern society creates the image of a successful person as actively interacting with different information flows, including an impressive stream of news content. This paper assumes that there is a personal need for tracking and spreading news that develops in the interaction between person and digital world. The individual level of this need could explain the interaction with information (its critical and uncritical dissemination) and the subjective experience of its redundancy and inaccuracy, including those experiences and actions in a pandemic situation. The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship of the subjective need for news with personal values, beliefs about technologies (“technophilia”) and the dissemination of news about the pandemic. Method. 270 people (aged 18 to 61) filled out The short (Schwartz) Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), Beliefs about New Technologies Questionnaire, Monitoring of Information about Coronavirus Scale as well as items on the subjective need for receiving and disseminating news, readiness for critical and non-critical dissemination of news about pandemics, subjective experiences of redundancy and distrust of pandemic-related information. Results. According to the results, the Need for News Scale allows assessing the subjective importance of receiving news and discussing them with other people and is characterized by sufficient consistency and factor validity. The need for regular news is more pronounced among men, older people, people with higher education, married people, people who have children, while the need to discuss news is not related to sociodemographic factors. For people, who are more prone to technophilia, it is more important to regularly receive and discuss news information with others, which, in turn, mediates the relationship between technophilia and monitoring news about coronavirus. The need for news dissemination mediates the relationship between technophilia and readiness for critical and non-critical dissemination of information about the pandemic.

scholarly journals Professional development of sustainability competences in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Lambrechts ◽  
Elli Verhulst ◽  
Sara Rymenams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to provide insights into the relation between professional development (PD) and organisational change processes towards sustainability, with a specific focus on empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds upon a constructivist approach, combining a literature review, a desk research on key publications and reports and a socio-political analysis to reveal the specific context in Flanders, Belgium. Findings are then connected to earlier insights from research on organisational change for sustainability. Findings The paper provides a number of PD initiatives that focus on sustainability in general and in a single higher education (HE) institution. Framing such initiatives as an organisational change process offers insights on how elements of empowerment are currently incorporated in PD initiatives and how it can strengthen them to lead to the further integration of sustainability competences in HE. Research limitations/implications Limitations are linked with the kind of sources used in the constructivist approach. The analysis only looks at written reports on the topic, albeit it also builds upon the first-hand experiences of educators in the HE institution focused upon in the case. Practical implications There is a need to frame PD initiatives as an organisational change process towards sustainability with specific attention towards empowerment. Without this framing, PD approaches comprise the risk of being left in the margins or being understood as single initiatives without any connection to the bigger picture, i.e. the transition towards sustainability in HE. Social implications Interlinking PD and organisational change provides opportunities to frame the sustainability transition within the university in a wider societal context. Originality/value The paper provides an original contribution to the debate on sustainability competences, as it frames the PD within an organisational context, rather than focusing on the individual role of educators.

scholarly journals Bifidobacterial Succession and Correlation Networks in a Large Unselected Cohort of Mothers and Their Children

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 497-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Avershina ◽  
O. Storrø ◽  
T. Øien ◽  
R. Johnsen ◽  
R. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Populations ◽  
Bifidobacterium Adolescentis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Correlation Networks ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Related Development ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTBifidobacteria are a major microbial component of infant gut microbiota, which is believed to promote health benefits for the host and stimulate maturation of the immune system. Despite their perceived importance, very little is known about the natural development of and possible correlations between bifidobacteria in human populations. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed stool samples from a randomly selected healthy cohort of 87 infants and their mothers with >90% of vaginal delivery and nearly 100% breast-feeding at 4 months. Fecal material was sampled during pregnancy, at 3 and 10 days, at 4 months, and at 1 and 2 years after birth. Stool samples were predicted to be rich in the speciesBifidobacterium adolescentis,B. bifidum,B. dentium,B. breve, andB. longum. Due to high variation, we did not identify a clear age-related structure at the individual level. Within the population as a whole, however, there were clear age-related successions. Negative correlations between theB. longumgroup andB. adolescentiswere detected in adults and in 1- and 2-year-old children, whereas negative correlations betweenB. longumandB. brevewere characteristic for newborns and 4-month-old infants. The highly structured age-related development of and correlation networks between bifidobacterial species during the first 2 years of life mirrors their different or competing nutritional requirements, which in turn may be associated with specific biological functions in the development of healthy gut.

Healthy Avatars, Healthy People

2017 ◽  
pp. 247-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Triberti ◽  
Alice Chirico
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Patient Engagement ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Engagement Interventions ◽  
Vicarious Reinforcement ◽  
The Individual

Recent literature shows that new technologies can be used to promote patient engagement. The present contribution focuses on Virtual Worlds (VWs), namely virtual environments that multiple users can experience together thanks to the use of avatars. Indeed, VWs offer interesting opportunities for patient engagement interventions on two levels. On the individual level, customized avatars are known to have relationships with users' inner experience and Self-conception, so that they may constitute a peculiar additional tool for psychological assessment. Moreover, they are able to promote healthy behaviors thanks to a strong vicarious reinforcement (Proteus effect). On the collective level, VWs constitute an ideal platform to support the emergence of collective flow states (Networked Flow) which are related to the patients' creative activity and well-being. The present contribution deepens these phenomena, presenting VWs as an innovative and interesting tool for the patient engagement interventions of the future.

scholarly journals Knowledge grafting during internationalization: utilizing localized professionals in the foreign market

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 2009-2033
Author(s):  
Martin Johanson ◽  
Pao T. Kao ◽  
Heléne Lundberg
Keyword(s):  
Market Entry ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand knowledge grafting through localized professionals in the internationalization of the firm. Knowledge grafting refers to firms increasing their knowledge stock by acquiring new staff, and while the concept is not new in studies on firms’ internationalization, there is little understanding of the characteristics of the individuals carrying the knowledge, the types of knowledge grafted and how it contributes to a market entry process. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an explorative study with a multiple-case research design and purposely selected five localized Swedish managers working for Russian subsidiaries of Swedish firms. Face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed based on three types of knowledge: general foreign market knowledge, social network knowledge and professional knowledge. The authors also considered both private and professional ties. Findings The findings show that characteristics of the localized professional and the firm can influence the type of knowledge grafted and how it is used. The findings also highlight the key role of the individual as knowledge carrier and show an alternative way to obtain knowledge in firm internationalization. Research limitations/implications This study comes with limitations. Only Swedish firms entering Russia with wholly owned subsidiaries have been considered. Further studies comparing knowledge grafting with firms in different entry mode, varying stage of market entry, as well as other countries of origin can further enrich our understanding. Future studies can also focus on localized professionals to shed light on the knowledge transfer between them and other individuals within the firms and the potential impact of their departure on knowledge grafting. Practical implications Internationalizing firms should pay attention to the opportunity of grafting knowledge by appointing localized professionals already living in the market. Governmental agencies in the host county can be a valuable source for identifying foreign nationals of the same origin as the firm. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on the individual level of knowledge grafting and to examine how localized professionals acquire knowledge to support firms in internationalization.

The individual side of ambidexterity

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 592-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Salas Vallina ◽  
Maria D. Moreno-Luzon ◽  
Anna Ferrer-Franco
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Learning Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine whether inspirational leadership of heads of specialized medical units is related to individual ambidexterity of their dependent physicians; and second, to study the possible mediating role of organizational learning capability (OLC) in the relationship between inspirational leadership and individual ambidexterity.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was used on a sample of 194 medical specialists from Spanish public hospitals.FindingsResults show that inspirational leadership is positively related to individual ambidexterity among healthcare physicians. In addition, the results of the study revealed that the relationship between inspirational leadership and individual ambidexterity is mediated by conditions that facilitate learning, namely, OLC.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses cross-sectional data, which do not guarantee causality relationships among the examined variables.Practical implicationsThe results of this paper suggest first that heads of healthcare units should inspire followers to achieve both exploration and exploitation. Second, it is also necessary to consider that inspirational leaders promote those conditions that facilitate learning, which should be particularly taken into account to enhance both physician’s exploration and exploitation.Originality/valueIn stressing an evident gap in the relationship between leadership and ambidexterity at the individual level, this paper attempts to advance in the leadership literature by revealing how the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions, and enhancing enthusiasm and confidence, empowers physicians to both explore and exploit knowledge. The results also indicate that the inspiration transmitted by the heads of medical services, facilitate physician’s perceived learning conditions which, in turn, fosters their individual ambidexterity.

Organizational culture now and going forward

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 650-668
Author(s):  
Pyounggu Baek ◽  
Jihyun Chang ◽  
Taesung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
North America ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Organization Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Modern Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the fundamental premises (i.e. perspectives on organizations and intrinsic research contributions) embodied in the literature on organizational culture and offer insights into where organizational culture research should be headed now and going forward. Design/methodology/approach This research provides an integrative review of organizational culture research and investigates commonalities and differences in terms of the fundamental premises between North America and Europe. Findings The findings include that the modern perspective was most pervasive (87 percent) in both regions, with Europe slightly more open to varied perspectives such as symbolic and postmodern ones; approximately 70 percent of the studies were geared toward organization-level contributions, less than 10 percent toward individual-level contributions, and less than 20 percent toward mega-level contributions as the underlying research intent; and (c) in terms of the perspective-contribution combination, the pair of modern perspective and organization-level contribution was most dominant in both regions, while the individual-level contribution was paired with no other perspectives than the modern one. Research limitations/implications This research suggests that the research community shape a whole new discourse on organizational culture and recommends several promising research avenues. Originality/value By engaging in fundamental discussions on how an organization has been perceived and what purpose it has meant to deliver, this research offers an overarching view of where we stand currently and possibly where we should be heading in terms of organizational change management.

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