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1 – 10 of 14In this article, an analytical framework that can be used by educational administrators to evaluate and modify policy development in curriculum innovation is presented. The…
Abstract
In this article, an analytical framework that can be used by educational administrators to evaluate and modify policy development in curriculum innovation is presented. The framework is applicable to curriculum innovation of varying types and magnitudes, being relevant both to small‐scale innovation at individual schools and tertiary institutions as well as to large‐scale innovation emanating from centralised educational bureaucracies. Three criteria guided the generation of the analytical framework. Firstly, the framework must be sufficiently comprehensive to permit analysis of all the major components in policy development. Secondly, it should be systematic and enable orderly examination of issues and behaviour. Thirdly, it should facilitate objectivity in analysis. In producing the framework, a considerable volume of literature in areas such as administration, politics, decision‐making and policy‐making, educational planning and educational change was scrutinised. On the basis of this literature review, broad and generalised questions were generated so that diverse manifestations of policy development in curriculum innovation can be analysed. The framework derived relates to the four major interacting variables found to be operative in policy development in curriculum innovation, namely, the participants, the decision‐making and policy‐making processes, the innovation and the environment. It is also designed to allow examination of the interaction of the variables.
Concerns of nursing literature today reflect the aspirations and changing character of the profession as it seeks to:
Helen Irvine and Christine Ryan
In the context of the Australian Government’s attempts to impose budget austerity measures on publicly funded universities in its higher education sector, the purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of the Australian Government’s attempts to impose budget austerity measures on publicly funded universities in its higher education sector, the purpose of this paper is to assess the sector’s financial health.
Design/methodology/approach
The multi-dimensional study is based on seven years of government financial data from all 39 publicly funded Australian universities, supplemented by information from universities’ annual reports. Using a financial health model that reflects vulnerability, viability and resilience, the authors examine sector data using a suite of metrics. The authors analyse differences between those universities in the Top 10 and Bottom 10 by revenue, as a window into the financial health of the sector at large.
Findings
While mostly financially viable, the sector shows signs of financial vulnerability, particularly in the areas of expense control and financial sustainability. Possibly in response to an uncertain funding environment, universities are managing long-term liquidity by growing reserves. Debt represents largely untapped potential for universities, while differences between the Top 10 and Bottom 10 universities were most evident in the area of revenue diversity, a strong predictor of financial viability.
Research limitations/implications
Focussing on a specific set of financial metrics limits the scope of the study, but highlights further research possibilities. These include more detailed statistical analysis of data, financial case studies of individual universities and the implications of revenue diversification on academic standards.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to higher education literature, providing empirical evidence of universities’ finances. It highlights the importance of universities’ financial resilience in an uncertain funding environment.
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Helen Arkorful, Sam Kris Hilton and Fred Awaah
The abandonment of governmental development projects either after completion or midway completion at the taxpayer’s expense in Ghana could be attributed to lack of effective…
Abstract
Purpose
The abandonment of governmental development projects either after completion or midway completion at the taxpayer’s expense in Ghana could be attributed to lack of effective community engagement (CE). Thus, this study aims to assess CE in development projects by comparing government-sponsored projects to private-sponsored projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was adopted where a multiple case study design was used as a research strategy. Data was collected from selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana by using a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed using the thematic and comparative analysis techniques.
Findings
The results reveal that CE in government-funded projects was low, while CE in projects funded by private organizations was high. Three levels of engagement (consultation, participation in decision-making and consent) were also identified. Furthermore, the roles of public participation, including knowledge sharing, collective sense of ownership, among others, were ascertained. Finally, resources constraints, competing interests, lack of information flow, public attitudes toward change and central government/political interference are challenges of CE in development projects.
Originality/value
This study has provided an empirical basis for government and other development agents to draft a policy on CE to serve as a guide, spell out the role of CE, mitigate the challenges of CE and ensure strict compliance to the three levels of engagement.
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The Government Printing Office (GPO) is authorized by law to act as the primary printer and distributor of U.S. government documents for the federal government. Among its mandates…
Abstract
The Government Printing Office (GPO) is authorized by law to act as the primary printer and distributor of U.S. government documents for the federal government. Among its mandates is the operation of the Federal Depository Library Program — one of America's oldest information networks — through which certain libraries across the country and its territories receive government publications. The majority of depositories are designated as official Congressional Depository Libraries by members of Congress for their respective districts or states. Some libraries enter under special legislation, such as most of the law school libraries, and are called “by law” depositories. All of these depositories work closely with GPO to ensure that the public will receive free access to federal publications.
Reviews the context of the establishment of rate‐supported public libraries in Great Britain leading up to the establishment of a Library Association in 1877. The major figures…
Abstract
Reviews the context of the establishment of rate‐supported public libraries in Great Britain leading up to the establishment of a Library Association in 1877. The major figures involved in the early profession are indicated and the topics discussed in early meetings described. The relationship of provincial public libraries with London libraries is indicated and its influence on the early profession discussed, together with other major issues confronting the first members.
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Douglas J. Ernest and Holley R. Lange
With the introduction of optical disc technologies in the mid‐1980s, access to periodical literature has entered a new era. Although librarians perceive inadequacies with some of…
Abstract
With the introduction of optical disc technologies in the mid‐1980s, access to periodical literature has entered a new era. Although librarians perceive inadequacies with some of the new systems and the means by which they deliver information, users have embraced them enthusiastically.
THE training model to be discussed is based on an integrated set of manual and mechanised indexing systems, all handling the same body of information from a limited subject field…
Abstract
THE training model to be discussed is based on an integrated set of manual and mechanised indexing systems, all handling the same body of information from a limited subject field. By extending the scope of the model's operations to include prior and subsequent activities like the selection and abstracting of the documents to be indexed, and the preparation and dissemination of material through the use of the indexes, the model may be used for a wide range of documentation training, principally at three levels: demonstration by the lecturer to the students; use by the students in the retrieval and dissemination of information; and development by the students through the selection and abstracting of documents, the indexing and storage of information and ultimately the use of feedback from the dissemination stage to improve the systems.
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Accounting Education Change Commission have mandated the adoption of 150 semester hours for accounting students and…
Abstract
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Accounting Education Change Commission have mandated the adoption of 150 semester hours for accounting students and as a prerequisite for taking the CPA examination. More than 40 states have already adopted the 150‐hour requirement. Proponents of the change have argued that accounting education has to change from a knowledge‐based education to a process‐oriented programme and develop a process of inquiry and a desire for life‐long learning in the students. They hope to effect changes to result in improved intellectual, communication, and interpersonal skills, and a better understanding of the broad picture in a business. It is argued here that although the mandate may have been well‐intentioned but knowingly or unknowingly the authors have chosen to ignore the most essential component, i.e. what does it take to teach the students for success in the accounting profession? It is argued that the missing link is primarily trained and versatile teachers, followed with the lacking prerequisites for the students and their parents. Furthermore, no consideration has been given to the additional cost involved for the students and their parents and the question of commensurate job opportunities for those involved.
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