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Three junior high teachers and 12 senior high school teachers were introduced to online teaching strategies and tools in a three-day workshop. The teachers developed their basic online course shell on Moodle, an open-source online course management system. Following the workshop, teachers revised their course shells and created short teaching modules to meet the differentiated needs of their students. The modules were evaluated using a modified version of the Quality Online Course Initiative (QOCI) Rubric (Illinois Online Network, 2007). All teacher participants completed the workshop training and 14 successfully met all the QOCI criteria on their modules. This Moodle training was a capstone experience following three years of curricula, content, and pedagogical training through the ISAMS project. The project was funded as part of a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Teacher Improvement grant which provided professional development for math and science teachers. © 2009, IGI Global.

With the rapid adoption of online learning and training, educators have drawn different conclusions regarding the viability of e-learning in supporting interactions that result in quality learning experiences and outcomes. This chapter describes several main online educational interaction models, highlights the Community of Inquiry model for contextualizing interaction from a sociocultural constructivist perspective and explains the characteristics of virtual learning communities. This chapter advances current understandings on online group learning processes with findings from a case study on distant students' experiences during virtual synchronous tutorials. Quantitative and qualitative survey results are presented on student satisfaction with the development of their skills in computer-mediated communication, increased understanding of course content, and enhancement of their overall e-learning experience through collaborative group discussions. Finally, the implications of the findings for designing distance courses and virtual group learning activities are discussed, and recommendations offered to enhance student experiences of online group learning. © 2009, IGI Global.

We investigated the effects of a long-term, continuous professional development (CPD) model, designed to support teachers to enact Project-Based Learning (PBLSAT). How do novice PBLSAT teachers view their acquisition of PBLSAT skills and how do expert PBLSAT teachers, who enacted the program 5-7 years, perceive the program? Novice teachers evaluated that they acquired the relevant skills but also expressed worries about enacting the program, due to potential difficulties for teachers. Nonetheless, the teachers enacted the program and identified unforeseen benefits for themselves and their students. We suggest that the CPD model helps teachers develop a sense of personal ownership and customization for the program, through multi-staged support to integrate student free-choice PBL into the formal science curriculum. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, B.V.

In The Means to Grow Up, Robert Halpern describes the pedagogical importance of "apprenticeship"-a growing movement based in schools, youth-serving organizations, and arts, civic, and other cultural institutions. This movement aims to re-engage youth through in-depth learning and unique experiences under the guidance of skilled professionals. Employing a "pedagogy of apprenticeship," these experiences combine specific, visceral, and sometimes messy work with opportunity for self-expression, increasing responsibility, and exposure to the adult world. Grounded in ethnographic studies, The Means to Grow Up illustrates how students work in unique ways around these meaningful activities and projects across a range of disciplines. Participation in these efforts strengthens skills, dispositions, and self-knowledge that is critical to future schooling and work, renews young peoples' sense of vitality, and fosters a grounded sense of accomplishment. In unearthing the complexities of apprenticeship learning, Halpern challenges the education system that is increasingly geared towards the acquisition of de-contextualized skills. Instead, he reveals how learning alongside experienced adults can be a profoundly challenging and complex endeavor for adolescents and offers readers an exciting vision of what education can and should be about. © 2009 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

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How many times have you heard the phrase: 'it's all political correctness gone mad! Do you ever wonder whether colleges and universities are really awash with trivial concerns about the use of language or whether they are actually trying to address serious concerns about discrimination and harassment? Have you ever wanted to get to the bottom of what all the fuss is about? This book is the first major study of political correctness in post compulsory education to be published in the UK. For readers in the UK unfamiliar with the nature of the controversies in US college campuses this book offers a comprehensive assessment of the key themes, including who and what was behind key campaigns. For readers in the US unfamiliar with how this cultural export has faired in the UK this book looks at the significant similarities and differences in the ways that the phrase has been used in both societies. Apart from addressing the roots of political correctness the book seeks to show how the phrase has helped to complicate the traditional boundaries between those on the political Left and those on the political Right. The book also demonstrates in clear terms how the phrase is integral to understanding key themes in cultural theory, such as postmodernism and identity politics. This book is intended to be of interest to a number of readers: Teachers working in colleges and universities; Teacher educators and student teachers working on programmes of initial teacher education; students studying undergraduate programmes in comparative politics and/or sociology and cultural studies Finally, the book will seek to capture the reflections of prominent academics and educationalists bon both sides of the Atlantic, who have worked in environments where the phrase has impinged on aspects of their work over the last twenty five years. If you think that 'political correctness' simply amounts to what jokes you are allowed to tell in a classroom, hopefully this book will challenge you to think again. © 2009 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

The Columbus, Ind., manufacturer of large diesel engines, is making efforts to address the shortage of skilled workers for automotive supplier, Cummins Inc., by partnering with local technical colleges. The company is also involved in a southeastern Indiana workforce development initiative called Economic Opportunities 2015 (EcO 2015). Similarly, the Chicago Mayor's Office of Workforce Development is working with Wright College, a two-year school in the city, to offer manufacturing internships. The program, being offered through the college's Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center and Instituto del Progreso Latino, helps connect students studying for manufacturing careers in CNC machining and industrial maintenance with local companies. The Oregon Institute of Technology had graduated North America's first bachelor of science in renewable energy systems degree. The program prepares students for fields involving solar, wind, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy.

Background. The quality of child care is of social and economic significance worldwide. The beliefs that child care workers hold about knowing and knowledge (epistemological beliefs) influence the quality of their professional work. However, attention to epistemological beliefs is rarely a focus in vocational education programmes. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of child care students' epistemological beliefs. Sample(s). All first- and second-year students completing a Diploma of Children's Services at three separate training institutes in a large metropolitan area in Australia were invited to participate in the study. There were 46 first- and 31 second-year students (77 in total, 71 females). Method. This study used semi-structured interviews based on a child care scenario to enable students to articulate their epistemological beliefs. A descriptive-interpretative approach in which interviews were analysed for patterns of meaning was used in the content analysis. The categories, based on the work of Kuhn and Weinstock (2002), included objectivism, subjectivism, and evaluativism. While this proved to be a useful framework, the authors remained open to new categories emerging. This constituted the interpretive component of the analysis. Therefore, the data were analysed using both data-driven and theory-led approaches to analysis, which still made it possible to take account of many viewpoints before arriving at the categories of beliefs. The categories were audited by a second researcher to establish trustworthiness and credibility. Results. The findings of this study revealed a range of epistemological beliefs; however, a new way of thinking about evaluativistic beliefs called 'basic evaluativism' emerged. This view of knowledge relates to the construction of evidence-based practice rather than knowledge as is typically the case in evaluativistic beliefs. Conclusions. Implications for the need to address epistemological beliefs in vocational education programmes for child care workers are discussed. © 2008 The British Psychological Society.

This paper examines the development of 'vocational habitus' as five apprentices in the carpentry trade move from high school to an apprenticeship training centre and then into the workplace. After a year, three students were continuing with the apprenticeship while the other two were not. This paper explores how individual and structural factors came together to produce these outcomes through an analysis of data from interviews with the students, their parents, and trainers. Analysis of the data suggests that signs along the way foreshadow outcomes - for example, students' prior experiences in school and part-time work, expectations regarding training and work in the trades, family support, social capital, and locations within the field. Findings suggest that more support could be provided for young people who are likely to experience difficulty with transitions, and more explicit attention could be given to helping students recognize tensions between fields while developing a 'feel for the game'. © 2008 Taylor & Francis.

Purpose: Radiography degree programmes are coming under increasing pressure from the community to ensure that graduates have not only the necessary academic development but also the practice-based skills. This study aims to establish a method of monitoring students' progress towards, and ability to meet, academic and professional competences throughout a radiography programme. Methods: Questionnaires were designed for students and academic staff to determine the stages and standards of progress of competence development, and to inform the review process of the current assessment tools throughout the programme. A literature search identified the appropriate pedagogy as a basis for devising the method. Another questionnaire was distributed to overseas radiography institutions to gain insights into other assessment practices to validate the framework. Results and discussion: It was established that years of study rather than semester periods were appropriate to allow students to meet the standards. Discrepancies were noted in the expectations between academic staff (higher expectations) and students (more realistic) in terms of the pace of development expected. As students progress at different rates, and do not experience the same clinical exposure, their ability to meet expectations may differ and so both sets of expectations were combined as a range of criteria. A multi-dimensional assessment approach should be adequate to gauge students' progress but time and resource effectiveness has not yet been addressed. The portfolio was identified as the pedagogy capable of integrating all the competence assessment tools, linked by reflective writing, to gather individual outcomes into a whole, and form a holistic framework. Outcome: The portfolio framework will initially run as a voluntary activity and standards of progress corresponding to the students' stages will be delivered to participants in advance. Participants will be required to select materials and reflect on these, as evidence of development. Faculty members will provide support and feedback to students and oversee the whole process. © 2007 The College of Radiographers.