A personal view of the progress of the Enterprise in HigherEducation Initiative in its first three years and an outlook into thefuture is presented. It is argued that the…
Abstract
A personal view of the progress of the Enterprise in Higher Education Initiative in its first three years and an outlook into the future is presented. It is argued that the Initiative has achieved a great deal with very limited means, but that much of this is due to the work of enthusiasts, both among academics and employers, of whom there is a strictly limited supply. Whether the Initiative can succeed in the long run will depend on the enthusiasts, together with top management, achieving sufficient institutional change to make the work acceptable also to other people.
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Erika Martens and Michael Prosser
The evaluation and continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in higher education is an issue of sustained concern. While most universities are implementing…
Abstract
The evaluation and continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in higher education is an issue of sustained concern. While most universities are implementing systems of quality assurance, there is substantial variation in the principles underlying these systems. La Trobe University has developed and implemented a university‐wide system of quality assurance that ensures that each subject is systematically reviewed and enhanced by those teaching in the subject. While it incorporates compulsory student evaluation of teaching of each subject the result of this student evaluation is not the focus of the quality assurance system. The focus is on ensuring that those teaching the subject, reflect on and make recommendations for further improvement of the subject. Outlines the quality assurance system, the principles on which it is based and describes and analyses the processes engaged in during its development.
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Joseph O’Shea and Latika L. Young
In this chapter we argue that inquiry-based learning can be efficacious in providing diverse and flexible levels of challenge to promote educational growth across a variety of…
Abstract
In this chapter we argue that inquiry-based learning can be efficacious in providing diverse and flexible levels of challenge to promote educational growth across a variety of populations. In this way, we position inquiry-based pedagogy as a way to support equality within education, as the practice promotes the academic and personal development of each unique student. We ground our argument in a philosophical approach that advocates for equality of educational growth as the principal guiding and evaluating measure. We outline how a university can take a scaffolding approach to embedding research-focused, inquiry-based learning throughout the curricular and co-curricular landscape of an institution, presenting an approach that facilitates students’ growth toward open inquiry and the highest levels of scholarship. Within an era of scarce resources, we focus on programs representing a wide range of cost and scalability so that they can be implemented to best suit individual institutional needs.
Barica Marentič Požarnik and Barbara Šteh
In this chapter, the story of professional development of Barica Marentič Požarnik (Professor Emerita, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) is shared in an interview conducted by…
Abstract
In this chapter, the story of professional development of Barica Marentič Požarnik (Professor Emerita, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) is shared in an interview conducted by Barbara Šteh. Central to the story is the impact of her participation in ISATT together with other influences (organisations, projects, conferences, individual contacts) on her professional activities and beliefs. Through the telling, the Slovenian context, particularly in the areas of initial teacher education, continuous professional development, curricular reform and research practice, becomes visible. At the end, some remaining issues are revealed.
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Subjects the league table of universities published in The Times and The Times Good University Guide in 1995 and 1996 to statistical and conceptual analyses. Shows the “measures”…
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Subjects the league table of universities published in The Times and The Times Good University Guide in 1995 and 1996 to statistical and conceptual analyses. Shows the “measures” used by the compilers of the tables to be problematic in a number of technical respects. Shows that the number of underlying variables is largely reducible to a single factor which discriminates between pre‐1992 and post‐1992 universities. Casts serious doubt on the validity of the tables from both technical and conceptual perspectives.
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Argues for an eclectic and pragmatic model of academic development. Such a model encourages inquiry into, and conversations about, academic problems and practices. The intention…
Abstract
Argues for an eclectic and pragmatic model of academic development. Such a model encourages inquiry into, and conversations about, academic problems and practices. The intention is to produce more or less useful, though tentative, suggestions for action and intervention. These would reflect Rorty’s pragmatic rationale for “nonideological, compromising, reformist muddling through”, or what Dewey called “experimentalism”. Examines each main term: “towards”, “pragmatic”, “scholarship”, and “academic development”. For example, “pragmatic” is characterised as wanting to promote a liberal, democratic, consensual, just, and even a Utopian society. “Scholarship” is examined as a broad conception following Boyer. “Academic development” is viewed as promoting useful (rather than, say, true or correct or best) approaches to teaching and learning, as encouraging experiments and inquiries, as being more anti‐managerial than managerial, as arguing for a conversational and contestational approach, and as claiming only “tentative responses, possible readings and suggested ideas for action and intervention”.
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Jeff Muldoon, Joshua Bendickson, Antonina Bauman and Eric W. Liguori
Elton Mayo was a professor at a prestigious university, but not a researcher; a scholar, but more concerned with executives; a capitalist, but someone who downplayed monetary…
Abstract
Purpose
Elton Mayo was a professor at a prestigious university, but not a researcher; a scholar, but more concerned with executives; a capitalist, but someone who downplayed monetary incentives; an insider, but someone whose own background was more of an outsider. These contradictions have resulted in scholars questioning Mayo’s impact on the field of management. Thus, this paper aims to critically review Mayo and his contributions to management through a lens calibrated to the context of his time, providing a more contextually accurate view of Mayo and his work and offering a clearer view of his meaningful impact on the field.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, the authors connect otherwise disparate information to critically review Mayo’s work within the context of its era.
Findings
The authors’ critical review of Mayo identified nine topical areas where Mayo and/or his work have been misunderstood or misinterpreted. For each area, the authors offer a more contextualized and appropriate interpretation of Mayo and his viewpoints, and thus more accurately informing the management literature.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to thoroughly revisit Mayo and his work through a contextualized lens, offering a more informed view of why Mayo’s seemingly controversial behaviors were actually quite standard behaviors given his context.
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Jeffrey Muldoon, Eric W. Liguori, Steve Lovett and Christopher Stone
This paper aims to analyze the political background of the Hawthorne criticisms, positing that the political atmosphere of the 1940s, influenced by the decline of the new deal…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the political background of the Hawthorne criticisms, positing that the political atmosphere of the 1940s, influenced by the decline of the new deal liberalism and the rise of the conservative coalition, stimulated scholars to challenge the Hawthorne studies.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary sources used in the guise of archival commentaries, journal articles and other published works (books and book chapters). Secondary sources are offered to provide additional insight and context.
Findings
The findings show that politics unnecessarily discredited Mayo. As a result, contemporary scholars failed to recognize Mayo’s work as an important part of the basis for modern management theory.
Research limitations/implications
The purpose of the research is to look into the political context of the Hawthorne studies to understand how management practice and research is impacted by ongoing political issues.
Originality/value
To date, no work has fully accounted for or understood the political climate of the time in considering the criticisms of the Hawthorne studies. By more fully understanding the political context, scholars can reevaluate the weight they place on the then criticisms of the Hawthorne studies.