scholarly journals Academics’ experience of copyright

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 601-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikee Chauhan ◽  
Peter Willett

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to obtain a snapshot of attitudes and comprehension of the University of Greenwich (UoG) academics towards copyright and the impact of same on their teaching, complementing this with a survey of the experience of academic librarians (ALs) throughout the UK when dealing with faculty and copyright. Design/methodology/approach Two questionnaires were created and circulated to capture information from two sampled groups: the UoG academic staff and UK-wide ALs. A total of 55 responses were received to the questionnaire distributed to the former, and 83 responses were received to the questionnaire distributed to the latter. Findings The majority of the UoG academics believed they possessed a fair, or better than fair, understanding of copyright, with numerous respondents self-taught on the subject. Nevertheless, a significant number thought they might have broken copyright when teaching, while also revealing the belief that copyright was a limitation on their teaching. The AL survey suggested an average comprehension of copyright among academics, while noting that some of the latter felt a degree of antipathy towards copyright. Originality/value Although focused on a single institution, this study implies that copyright instruction for academic staff needs to be substantially improved, and it suggests the need for greater visibility of training programmes.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick French ◽  
Jason Antill

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into how the new energy efficiency legislation in the UK is impacting upon the valuation of certain properties. This paper looks at how to adapt implicit valuation models to reflect the new risks of the impact of legislation. Design/methodology/approach This practice briefing is an overview of the new legislation and comments on the appropriateness of valuation models in different scenarios. Findings This paper analyses the likelihood of capital and rental value changes under the new energy efficiency guidelines. Practical implications The role of the valuer in practice is to identify the impact of the new legislation on the value of the subject property and choose the correct model for the valuation task in hand. Originality/value This provides guidance on how valuations can be undertaken to reflect any impact of the new energy efficiency legislation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 35-37

Purpose With organizations striving to attract Millennials into their businesses and ensure that they are entirely engaged, new approaches need to be considered. This paper aims to consider the value of equine-assisted learning (EAL) programs. Design/methodology/approach A literature review examined current research and use of EAL in the field of management training and development. Findings EAL does promote a number of so-called soft skills among employees, including communication, body language awareness, relationship building, and teamwork building. Originality/value EAL is an up-and-coming management training trend, the subject so far of very little research – especially so in the UK, where it has not yet had the impact it is beginning to make in the USA.


Author(s):  
Cecilia Goria

It is widely believed that digitally-driven changes are not welcomed amongst academic staff in higher education. However, when in March 2020, the University of Nottingham went online in response to the UK government’s COVID-19 lockdown, a different picture started to emerge. This contribution reflects on the initial steps taken to respond to the COVID-19 emergency measures, including the support required to implement these steps and ensuing staff feedback. It also reflects on the process of moving forward from a state of emergency to a more thought-through digital pedagogical approach. In this scenario, the ultimate goal of this reflection is to argue that, as a consequence of the educational turbulence caused by COVID-19, the portrait of academics prone to resisting digitally-driven changes needs to be replaced by one that emphasises the significance of making the pedagogical values of these changes meaningful to the staff who eventually implement them.


Subject Brexit and the UK economy. Significance The share of the UK workforce in employment is the highest since records began almost 50 years ago, supporting rising real wages; but the contrast between this and the number of firms issuing profit warnings and considering relocation is deepening. Partly explaining the disconnect between a surging job market and plunging business investment is that, just as after 2008-09, firms are avoiding decisions on large investments that would be hard to reverse, while taking advantage of a flexible job market and spending more on workers, for the moment. Impacts There could be a Brexit ‘dividend’ if the final outcome's impact is economically better than many fear, led by a surging pound. Globally light UK regulation limits the scope for change, but Open Europe sees politically feasible regulatory changes adding 0.7 pp to GDP. Assessing the impact of uncertain job-market changes and potential tax cuts on revenues makes the budget outlook the trickiest to judge. A thorough OECD study suggests that EU membership has boosted UK FDI by 28% and sees leaving the EU cutting it by 22% in the next decade. Brexit could accelerate UK innovation -- a 2018 survey of 1,000 managers by Adecco shows that 33% may automate tasks to fill skill gaps.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Creaser ◽  
Susanne Cullen ◽  
Ruth Curtis ◽  
Nicola Darlington ◽  
Jane Maltby ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring together the findings of two studies investigating the value of academic libraries to teaching and research staff in higher education institutions. The Working Together (WT) project was an international study, funded by SAGE Publishing, investigating the value of academic libraries for teaching and research staff in the USA, UK and Scandinavia. The Raising Academic Impact (RAI) project was an initiative of the University of Nottingham (UoN) aimed at increasing the impact of academic librarians in departments across the university by assessing perception and awareness of current library services and future needs of academic staff. Design/methodology/approach – The WT project was conducted during Spring 2012, comprising a series of eight case studies and an online survey exploring the case study experiences and findings within their wider regional and academic context. One was conducted at the UoN, and included the RAI project. The RAI project was originally a four-phase initiative conducted by academic librarians at the UoN. The first phase, which is reported in this paper, consisted of a survey of teaching and research staff, distributed in summer 2012, investigating awareness, uptake and value of existing services, as well as demand for new library services. Findings – Determining the value of academic libraries is a challenging task as very little evidence (beyond the anecdotal) is collected. Perceptions of library value vary greatly between what librarians think the value of their library is to academic staff and how academic staff actually value their library. Information literacy and study skills teaching are greatly valued by academic staff. Despite current efforts, research support is still limited, owing to a cultural barrier hampering greater collaboration between libraries and academic staff in this area. Communication and marketing are keys to increase the value of academic libraries to teaching and research staff. Originality/value – This paper presents the key findings from the two studies in parallel. It is anticipated that these discoveries will be of interest to the wider library community to help libraries develop services which are closely linked to the needs of teaching and academic staff.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Mary Taberner

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the impact of the marketisation of the English HE sector on academic staff and the nature of their professional work is felt to the same degree in different English universities. The study was conducted between November 2015 and April 2017. Design/methodology/approach Using the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative, inductive approach is adopted. In total, 12 semi-structured interviews of 60-90 min each were conducted with academics of six English university types (ancient, old and new civics, plate-glass, technological and post-1992). Participants who were identified by non-probability sampling included professors, principal, senior and lecturers and associate lecturers. Findings Six key themes emerged regarding the impact on academic staff and their work: efficiency and quantity over effectiveness; autocratic, managerialist ideology over academic democracy and debate; instrumentalism over intellectualism; de-professionalisation and fragmentation of the academy; increased incidence of performativity, bullying and workplace aggression; and work intensification. The ancient university is least impacted by marketisation in terms of academic staff and the nature of their work. Next are the old and new civic universities, followed by technological, plate-glass universities. The most impact is felt by academics (and the nature of their work) in the post-1992 universities. Research limitations/implications There is a relatively small number of interviews in this study; therefore, it is difficult to categorically correlate an academic biography with their opinion in the context of their university type. More male than female participants were interviewed. International staff were not interviewed, and this could bring a varying perspective to the narrative found in this study. A mixed approach in further research would aid this objective. Some of the questioning in the pilot study was not as focused as any further primary research would have to be. Originality/value A further area of study, which could have practical implications, add originality and value would be to investigate how good practice in “employee engagement” in the university context might pave the way forward. This has the potential to benefit academic staff directly and the institution, a win–win solution for all stakeholders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella McKnight ◽  
Sarah-Louise Collins ◽  
David Way ◽  
Pam Iannotti

Purpose The government’s ambition is to have three million more apprentices by 2020. The newness of degree apprenticeships and insufficient data make it difficult to assess their relative importance in boosting the UK economy, meeting higher skills needs of employers, closing educational attainment gaps, increasing social mobility and supporting under-represented groups into professional employment. The purpose of this paper, led by the University of Winchester and delivered by a new collaboration of private and public sector partners, is to build a pipeline between those currently failing to progress to, or engage with, degree apprenticeships and employers seeking higher skills and a broader pool of applicants. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides an analysis of collaborative initiatives and related research in England as the context for university involvement in degree apprenticeships. The case study illustrates the benefits of collaboration in targeted outreach initiatives within the local region to address gaps in progression to degree apprenticeships. Findings This paper illustrates how establishing a regional picture of degree apprenticeship provision, access and participation can inform effective partnerships and build capacity locally to deliver the higher skills employers need, further demonstrating the potential benefits of university involvement in degree apprenticeship provision in contributing to local and national policy ambition. It also shows how effective targeted interventions can help under-achieving groups, including those in social care and women in digital enterprises. Originality/value The authors believe this paper is the only academic analysis of the impact of Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund activity in the region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-200
Author(s):  
Frances Porritt ◽  
Linda Murphy ◽  
Gemma Wells ◽  
Emma Burns

Purpose In the era of high student fees and intense market competition, many universities now buy books for their new students, and recently have incorporated student choice into the offer, enabling students to choose how to spend funds. Teesside University has successfully piloted such an approach with one academic School, the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law. The pilot has now been extended to all academic Schools, with all students receiving £100 per academic year to spend on reading list books. The scheme covers new full-time undergraduate students at the University, and is operated in collaboration with an external company, John Smiths. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Teesside University Advance scheme against baseline data of book borrowing and reservation patterns of reading list titles. The paper explores the impact upon the student experience and student perceptions of the Library. Design/methodology/approach The project used a mixed methods approach. The quantitative strand analysed book borrowing and reservation patterns data from library systems and from book purchasing patterns data provided by the online store supporting the scheme. Students were also surveyed about the scheme. The qualitative strand, via one-to-one interviews conducted by the student researcher, gained an insight into why students select certain titles to purchase; and what their expectations of the university library are for the supply of reading list titles. Findings Analysis revealed an overall decline in book borrowing from the library of the titles selected for purchase by students via the scheme. Student perceptions of the library were positive and demonstrated a strategic use of library resources alongside book purchases and open web resources. At early stages of university undergraduate study, students need guidance on most appropriate resources to use and why, from either reading lists or book bundles. Originality/value Teesside University scheme is unique in the UK in covering all new full-time undergraduates and letting them choose which reading list titles to buy with the university funds provided.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maree Conway

Purpose This study aims to identify and explore the nature of ideas of the university in the present to demonstrate how the ideas both enable and constrain the emergence of its possible futures. Design/methodology/approach An integrated literature review of work on the western university was undertaken to identify the defining elements of ideas discussed in the literature – purpose, social legitimacy and embedded future – for the university in each idea. Findings Four contested and co-existing ideas of the university in the present were identified, and the nature of their co-existence and their underpinning assumptions about the purpose and social legitimacy and the embedded future held by each idea are made explicit. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses only on public, non-profit western universities as they exist in Australia, Europe, the UK, Canada and the USA in the present. Whether other forms of the university such as private non-profit and private for-profit “fit” into the four ideas and university types identified here was not explored and is a topic for future research. Originality/value The paper draws on an extensive literature to identify a new frame to understand the evolution of multiple ideas of the university, the impact of these ideas on the empirical organisational form of the university and how they shape assumptions about the university’s possible futures.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Mapes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share findings from the evaluation of dementia adventure (DA) holidays provided in 2016 and drawing on these data, to share reflections on positive risk-taking, which are inherent in outdoor activities, and consider the implications for research and practice with people with dementia. Design/methodology/approach Data are drawn from the 2016 internal evaluation report, using mixed methods design, of DA holidays independently reviewed by Dr Ruth Bartlett at the University of Southampton. Findings DA holidays are leading to a range of social, emotional and physical well-being outcomes, as well as wider benefits for the community of people with dementia, their family and carers. Practical implications Drawing on what positive risk-taking means for individuals, families and organisations, top ten considerations for positive risk taking outdoor activities are presented. Originality/value The number of organisations providing adventure experiences and holidays for people with dementia in the UK remains very low with just a handful of organisations. The impact and evaluation of these holidays is just emerging and whilst compelling needs replication, with larger sample sizes supported by clinical and scientific expertise to deepen our understanding of the impact of positive risk-taking outdoor activities. Additionally, there is a need for thinking and acting differently summarised by the phrase “THINK OUTSIDE” in developing a wide range of nature based positive risk-taking activities with people with dementia.


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