Often we discuss recent educational books with educationalists we meet while going round — usually their reaction is non‐committal. But occasionally one book causes an intense…
Abstract
Often we discuss recent educational books with educationalists we meet while going round — usually their reaction is non‐committal. But occasionally one book causes an intense reaction of pleasure or dismay. Here, Harold Silver, himself no mean educational writer, gives vent to his stronger feelings — having read ‘British Further Education’ by A. J. Peters (published by Pergamon Press, Oxford, at 63s)
The first of two articles discussing inadequacies in the structure and government of education. This article deals with some assumptions made about democracy and with the growth…
Abstract
The first of two articles discussing inadequacies in the structure and government of education. This article deals with some assumptions made about democracy and with the growth of the system. The second article will discuss the role of teachers, governing bodies and education authorities, and put forward proposals for renovating the structure of the government of education.
Chelsea Polytechnic, one of the crop of 1890's foundations, was always distinguished from its fellow London Polytechnics by its relative inability to attract ‘the poorer classes’…
Abstract
Chelsea Polytechnic, one of the crop of 1890's foundations, was always distinguished from its fellow London Polytechnics by its relative inability to attract ‘the poorer classes’, for whom the Polys were designed. As Chelsea College of Science and Technology, and a CAT, it was distinguished by its lack of technology. It had always done a high percentage of London University degree work, and when it failed to become the University of Hertfordshire after the Robbins promotion, and became instead a School of the University of London, historical justice appeared to be done. The College, on a cramped site amid some of the most expensive land in London, has a strong base in the biological sciences, and was mentioned for this reason by the Todd Report on medical education as a possible candidate for participation in developments in this field. From the existing physical sciences it has moved also into engineering science. A discussion of the College as a whole would involve a consideration of the constraints not only of its geographical position but also those of a new School in a university faced with an immense need to rationalize its resources. Instead we have chosen to illustrate its development by looking at the College's most important recent offspring — its Centre for Science Education.
The second of two articles discussing inadequacies in the structure and government of education. The first described the range of implications of the term democracy, and the…
Abstract
The second of two articles discussing inadequacies in the structure and government of education. The first described the range of implications of the term democracy, and the growth of an efficient system, insensitive to democratic considerations.
“Of profound significance is the program of Coleg Harlech, a small and independent Welsh institution, whose students have been shop‐assistants, miners, steel‐workers, quarrymen…
Abstract
“Of profound significance is the program of Coleg Harlech, a small and independent Welsh institution, whose students have been shop‐assistants, miners, steel‐workers, quarrymen, lodging‐housekeepers, weavers, and clerks. What did they study in 1928–29? History, philosophy, psychology, economics, political science, Welsh and English literature …”
Mant aeons away, O Best Beloved, there was a large, dank, dim cave inhabited by a tribe of large, fierce, hairy Guardians. They wore dark robes that did not show the dirt; they…
Abstract
Mant aeons away, O Best Beloved, there was a large, dank, dim cave inhabited by a tribe of large, fierce, hairy Guardians. They wore dark robes that did not show the dirt; they never bathed, they never shaved. They were too busy guarding their sacred Treasures from the periodic raids of the Bandar‐Log—strange chattering simian creatures who dwelt in the shattered red brick Georgian ruins of something they called ‘durms’. From time to time one of these little anthropoids would steal past the Guardians into the back of the Cave and try to make away with one of the Treasures clutched in a prehensile paw. Needless to say, they were severely beaten as a lesson to their fellows. The best time for raiding was during the fifteen‐minute intervals, at ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, when the Guardians would sit down, grasp a mug of hot water and stare at the wall. The ritual was thought to have a religious significance—only the name survives, ‘kafe‐brick’.
Tom W. Miller, Bernell Stone and Harold R. Silver
Discusses arbitrage pricing theory as a multifactor model for explaining rates of return on securities; and the use of principal components analysis to reduce the number of…
Abstract
Discusses arbitrage pricing theory as a multifactor model for explaining rates of return on securities; and the use of principal components analysis to reduce the number of variables studies. Applies these ideas to returns on treasury bills and government bonds for 1,000 business days ending in March 1997 to obtain a set of three endogenous factors for the term structure of interest rates, forecasts returns for one‐day and 30‐day horizons and produces a time series of the forecast errors for eight short‐term interest rates. Compares the results with those from a single factor autoregessive forecasting model and finds that although their accuracy is similar for short horizons, the multifactor model is superior for longer horizons and shorter time to maturity.
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The external examiner system in higher education is, for a variety of reasons, widely believed to be under strain: as a result, the role of the external examiner has, in recent…
Abstract
The external examiner system in higher education is, for a variety of reasons, widely believed to be under strain: as a result, the role of the external examiner has, in recent years, come under particular scrutiny. Reports a survey of current and desired practice regarding external examining in higher education courses in art and design. Suggests that, in these disciplines, it is generally desired that external examiners act in an auditing role rather than become involved in details of assessment practice. The manifested desire for external examiners to take the role of “course consultant” introduces a tension which may not be capable of resolution under existing expectations of external examining. Claims that there is a need to reconstrue the role of the external examiner within a broader framework of quality assurance processes if maximum benefit is to be gained from an external perspective.
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Geoff Lancaster and Gerry Brierley
Examines the background to privatisation in the UK and explores current practice. The transition to change over two decades has brought about more demanding and value‐conscious…
Abstract
Examines the background to privatisation in the UK and explores current practice. The transition to change over two decades has brought about more demanding and value‐conscious customers along with an information technology revolution. Corporate culture is seen as a litmus test, shaping changes in performance and unifying the social dimensions of an organisation. Privatisation has seen changes emerge in some companies more dominantly than in others. Uses this background as a building block to articulate detailed empirical research that has been conducted within three formerly nationalised companies: The National Remote Sensing Centre, Royal Ordnance Environmental and The Stationery Office. Concludes that pre‐privatisation, notions of quality of service, lower prices and working for the good of consumers was not achieved, as profits were not seen as a commercial requirement. Of the companies researched, two seemed to be strongly influenced by the culture of their parent company. Two companies that have adapted a marketing culture seem to have fared better than the company with a strong financial culture. All three companies experienced difficulty in breaking free from an inbred philosophy of production orientation.