Equity in Distance Education

2013 ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Willems
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Meta Level ◽  
Planning Decision ◽  
The Impact

Within the context of distance education, an understanding of the impact of social justice issues is crucial for informing research, practice, funding, and policy. Equity and the related concerns of access, social inclusion, and ethics impact all levels of distance education, from the macro (research and development, including the globalisation of distance education), through the meso (community and open learning, including choices in educational technology), and down to the micro (teaching and learning, including choices in curriculum design). As a consequence, a modification to the macro-meso-micro framework of distance education is called for: one that situates equity at a meta level. This meta level encompasses all aspects in the field of distance education, and acts as a guide for policy-makers, academics, and administrators on planning, decision-making, and practice within the discipline.

scholarly journals Exploring new learning paradigms in ODL: A reflection on the paper of Barber, Donnelly and Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead”.

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom H Brown
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Teaching And Learning Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Revolution

<p class="Paragraph1"><span lang="EN-US">The paper of Barber, Donnelly &amp; Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead”  addresses some significant issues in higher education and poses some challenging questions to ODL (Open and Distance Learning) administrators, policy makers and of course to ODL faculty in general.  Barber et al.’s paper does not specifically address the area of teaching and learning theories, strategies and methodologies per se.  In this paper I would therefore like to reflect on the impact that the contemporary changes and challenges that Barber et al. describes, have on teaching and learning approaches and paradigms.  In doing so I draw on earlier work about future learning paradigms and navigationism (Brown, 2006).  We need a fresh approach and new skills to survive the revolution ahead.  We need to rethink our teaching and learning strategies to be able to provide meaningful learning opportunities in the future that lies ahead.</span></p>

scholarly journals Using building adaptation to deliver sustainability in Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Wilkinson ◽  
Kimberley James ◽  
Richard Reed
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Building Adaptation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Decision Making Tool

PurposeThis paper seeks to establish the rationale for existing office building adaptation within Melbourne, Australia, as the city strives to become carbon neutral by 2020. The problems faced by policy makers to determine which buildings have the optimum adaptation potential are to be identified and discussed.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts the approach of creating a database of all the buildings in the Melbourne CBD including details of physical, social, economic and technological attributes. This approach will determine whether relationships exist between attributes and the frequency of building adaptation or whether triggers to adaptation can be determined.FindingsThis research provided evidence that a much faster rate of office building adaptation is necessary to meet the targets already set for carbon neutrality. The findings demonstrate that a retrospective comprehensive examination of previous adaptation in the CBD is a unique and original approach to determining the building characteristics associated with adaptation and whether triggers can be identified based on previous practices. The implication is that a decision‐making tool should be developed to allow policy makers to target sectors of the office building stock to deliver carbon neutrality within the 2020 timeframe.Practical implicationsDrastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required to mitigate global warming and climate change and all stakeholders should be looking at ways of reducing emissions from existing stock.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the existing body of knowledge by raising awareness of the way in which the adaptation of large amounts of existing stock can be fast tracked to mitigate the impact of climate change and warming associated with the built environment, and in addition it establishes a framework for a decision‐making tool for policy makers.

Let’s Perform and Paint! The Role of Creative Mediums in Enhancing Management Research Representation

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshmi Balachandran Nair ◽  
Pauline Fatien Diochon ◽  
Reka Anna Lassu ◽  
Suzanne G. Tilleman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Business Professionals ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Multisensory Experience ◽  
Research Representation

The limited reach of management research results in missed opportunities to support the decision-making processes of business professionals and policy makers. To strengthen the impact of management research and overcome barriers posed by text-heavy representation, we advocate for the use of creative mediums (e.g., collage, film, poetry) to showcase the product of an inquiry, either alone or as a supplement to traditional reporting. We provide a rationale for how these mediums trigger interest, foster a multisensory experience, convey complex meaning, and spark contemporary, inclusive dialogues. Each of the four rationales is discussed by showing an example of previous use, and explaining how the respective barrier to research representation is overcome. We finally offer recommendations for how management researchers can employ creative mediums to enhance the fertility of their work.

scholarly journals Evaluation Methods of the Impact of Structural and Cohesion Funds on Economic and Social Development at Regional and National Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Cristina Bătușaru ◽  
Amelia Bucur
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Social Development ◽  
National Economy ◽  
National Level ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Analysis of the role and implications of the funds coming from the European Union have on the national economy is very complex and complicated at the same time, because of the multitude of issues and indicators that this process shapes and drives, depending on the source of funding, the modality of funding and on the destination for which it has been allocated. Using mathematical models to assess the impact of European funding on the national economy is paramount valuable as it brings important information that can be used by policy makers in decision making sewage inputs and financial resources, in view of adopting optimal economic policy

scholarly journals Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice Editorial 8.3

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 2-4
Author(s):  
Geraldine E. Lefoe ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
New Directions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

Welcome to the third and final issue of Volume 8 of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning (JUTLP) in 2011. As the year draws to a close we are seeing some striking changes to the higher education sector internationally. In England budget cuts have seen the closure of the twenty-four Higher Education Academy subject centres at the same time as the establishment of student fees. In Australia the cap has been lifted across the board on the number of students that can be enrolled in universities with the resultant projected increased student numbers. The focus in Australia is on social inclusion yet in England the concern for the introduction of fees is just the opposite, these will be the very students who may now be excluded. The changes in both countries see new measures of accountability and more complex regulations put in place. Will this cause people to rethink the way we teach and the way students learn? For the Higher Education Academy in the UK, new directions see the hosting of a summit on learning and teaching with a focus on flexible learning, an indicator of new directions for many institutions. In Australia, we see a renewed opportunity to investigate such changes through the opening of the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) and its role of recognising the importance of learning and teaching through grants and awards schemes. We hope in 2012 we’ll hear more from our authors about the impact of these transformations, as well as those changes occurring in other countries around the world, on teaching practice in our universities.

scholarly journals South African universities in a time of increasing disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Coetzee ◽  
Brownhilder Neneh ◽  
Karlien Stemmet ◽  
Jana Lamprecht ◽  
Constance Motsitsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
African Students ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
The Impact

Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have disrupted the higher education environment in unprecedented ways.Aim: This article identifies the impact of increasing disruption driven by the 4IR and COVID-19 on the content and curriculum design of degree programmes in economic and management sciences offered by South African universities.Setting: Six South African and five top-tier US and UK universities.Methods: The study used a non-positivist qualitative research design and specifically the case-study approach. A document analysis of the information in university yearbooks and prospectuses was conducted, using a purposive sampling design.Results: An online presence will become more important due to increased disruption, and will not only ensure an additional revenue stream, but also promote continuity in operations and mitigate threats from competitors. COVID-19 has accelerated the extent of this disruption and expedited the migration to online teaching and learning platforms.Conclusion: Since science, technology, engineering and mathematics are integral to the majority of 4IR-related modules, South African universities must not shy away from degree programmes that ignore inter- and multi-disciplinary curriculum designs. Coupled with the challenges facing the majority of South African students to access electronic devices, data and the internet, COVID-19 has thrust this challenge to the forefront in the South African higher education landscape. By comparing the developments in South African universities with those in trendsetting, top-tier, global universities, management can assess the extent to which they are internationally competitive and adapting to the demands of the 4IR.

Research Preregistration as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Undergraduate Psychology Courses

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Sarai Blincoe ◽  
Stephanie Buchert
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Planning Tool ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Psychology Courses ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology

The preregistration of research plans and hypotheses may prevent publication bias and questionable research practices. We incorporated a modified version of the preregistration process into an undergraduate capstone research course. Students completed a standard preregistration form during the planning stages of their research projects as well as surveys about their knowledge of preregistration. Based on survey results, our senior-level psychology students lacked knowledge of importance of the preregistration movement in the sciences but could anticipate some of its benefits. Our review of the completed preregistration assignment suggested that students struggle with data analysis decision-making but generally perceive preregistration as a helpful planning tool. We discuss the value of a preregistration assignment for generating discussions of research practice and ethics.

SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGIES & FINANCE IN CONSTRUCTION: A MULTI-CRITERIA METHODOLOGY

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano A. R. Barbosa ◽  
Martins Vilnits ◽  
Walter Leal Filho
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Environmental Awareness ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Planning Decision ◽  
The Impact

Considering the efforts to adjust the great demand of the civil construction in the developing countries and the economic interests of the sector, in line with current sustainable trends, this article presents a methodology to support the planning and decision making of construction companies. An analysis of the elements involved in the process, their interaction and proposed application priorities are evaluated using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method as a multi-criteria decision support tool. The results obtained allow us to observe the parameters that guide the decision-making of the managers in the construction sites, the impact of low productivity and limited investments in innovation and processes, which still adopts the traditional methods of construction. However, exists a margin that is sustainable, without major financial impact, through the management and encouragement of the environmental awareness of investors, entrepreneurs and construction workers. The actions that interfere with the process and its application priorities in construction are related, within the context of innovation, technology and finance oriented to sustainability. Supported by the concepts of management and SOI (Sustainability-oriented innovation) topics, a discussion of the civil construction scenario in Brazil is carried out through the economic, social, technological and managerial issues typical of developing countries, guided by the strong trends in the macro-economics adjustments and rational use of natural resources in the coming decades. It highlights the main challenges of the sector and presents a analysis, planning, decision-making approach and collective impact actions that could support the development actions of the sector, in order to reduce the distance from the concepts of environmental awareness and attitudes existing in developed countries.

Distance Education and ICT-Supported Learning in Lesotho

2010 ◽  
pp. 181-195
Author(s):  
Angelina Khoro
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Human Resource Capacity ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Information And Communication

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are regarded as a major contributor to the transforming of distance learning. The researcher assumed that education practitioners in developing countries like Lesotho, have limited, or no access at all to ICT for supporting instruction, since they still rely heavily on print and tutor/learner meetings as their distance mode of course delivery. The study assessed the feasibility of introducing ICT-mediated education for tutors and learners on a Distance Education Programme in Lesotho. The paper specifically focused on issues relating to the place of ICT in teaching and learning at a distance, ICT policy initiatives and challenges of infrastructure, human resource capacity, and cost as they affect provision of, and access to computer-mediated learning. Interventions critical to alleviating the situation are also discussed. Policy-makers and distance education practitioners require this type of feedback to be able to effect meaningful improvements in ODL programmes.

School Governance Structure and Its Impact on Student Performance: A Comparative Study between Four Provinces of China and the PISA2015 High-Scored Countries/Economies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 825-843
Author(s):  
Decheng Zhao ◽  
Luhuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
School Management ◽  
School Governance ◽  
Government School ◽  
Modern School ◽  
Principal Accountability ◽  
The Impact

Improving the school governance structure and establishing a modern school system are the current research focuses in elementary and middle school management. Through a comparative analysis of the school governance structure of four provinces and cities in China (Beijing-Shanghai-Jiangsu-Guangdong, BSJG) and PISA2015 high-scored countries/economies, we found that the school autonomy in seven major aspects including “teacher selection, teacher dismissal, evaluation policy, enrollment policy, textbook selection, curriculum content, and curriculum design” in BSJG schools was significantly lower than that of high-scored countries/economies. The average decision-making of BSJG principals and teachers in various affairs was also substantially lower than the high-scored countries/economies. The multilevel analysis found that the impact of school governance structure on student performance presented different patterns between BSJG and high-scored countries/economies. Therefore, China needs to (i) expand the autonomy of school management further and establish a new government-school relationship; (ii) give priority to curriculum management and ensure its autonomy in schools; (iii) improve the principal accountability system, and strengthen the principal’s power and responsibility in school management; (iv) strengthen democratic management, thereby promoting teachers’ participation in the decision-making of school affairs.

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