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Teaching anatomy is becoming increasingly challenging due to the progressive evolution of university teaching missions, student populations, medical and undergraduate curricula, coupled with a paucity of empirically tested evidence-based instructional practices in the anatomical and medical education literature. As a mechanism to confront these pedagogical challenges, recent advances in educational psychology are analyzed for developing a framework to guide educational reform efforts. Extensive research in educational psychology over the last 100 years has resulted in four major theories on human learning that have facilitated a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered classrooms and are described here in temporal order of development: behavioral theory, information processing theory, metacognitive theory, and social constructivist theory. Each theory is analyzed in detail and is used to construct instructional design principles for enhancing anatomical education research and practice. An example of a cognitively based learning environment for an undergraduate anatomy course is presented. Preliminary results suggest that intentionally drawing on different theories of learning when making instructional decisions gave students the learning support they needed to be successful and nearly doubled the course's student retention rate over a 3-year period. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Vocational education has a long history of association with differentiated curricula in the American high school. But within the last two decades there has been a movement for curriculum change - a new vocationalism - that has sought to draw the subject closer to the dominant academic mainstream. This study of high school principals (n = 665) explored whether the new shift in curriculum thinking is being accompanied by changes in how students are assigned to curriculum tracks. More particularly, it explored whether racial and socioeconomic factors continue to influence tracking and to dictate which students get vocational education and whether these same demographic factors also influence the expectations held by principals about the likely postschool destination of graduates. Findings are that indeed race and socioeconomic status significantly influence both track assignment and principals' expectations in a way that conforms to the principle of self-fulfilling prophecy. The findings did not support the view that ethnic and racial minorities are more likely than white students to be placed in the vocational track; however, there was strong evidence of such differentiation with respect to the general track. © 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess the evidence of whether new forms of medical training, where substantial training takes place in general practice, will be acceptable to GPs. In particular, we asked the questions: Are GPs willing to act as trainers and supervisors in their practices? Do GPs have the appropriate skills to be trainers? Do practices have the infrastructure and resources to support placements? And, are patients happy to be seen by medical students and General Practice Registrars? Design: Key Australian and international databases, key Australian journals and key Australian websites were searched for literature on general practice-based training of medical students and General Practice Registrars. Results: In the international and Australian literature, we found that many GPs consider training medical students and General Practice Registrars to be intrinsically satisfying. They vary in their skills, and most medical schools have made significant investments in training and support activities. Many practices do not have the necessary infrastructure, and investments need to be made if extended placements are to be successful. Many patients are happy to be seen by students and Registrars, but careful thought needs to be given to implementing appropriate models so that students have good learning opportunities, patients are not disadvantaged and general practices can operate efficiently. Conclusion: The success of this new model of clinical placements is dependent on medical schools having a detailed understanding of the needs and expectations of GPs. © 2006 The Authors; Journal Compilation © 2006 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Growing concerns about retention and attrition rates in a mass and increasingly marketised higher education system have encouraged the idea that 'meeting learner needs' should be a key focus for institutional attention. It is suggested that this approach is unrealistic, however, because of the extent of the diversity which it attempts to respond to. An alternative response is to move away from the individualised focus on needs, deficits and 'support', towards a consideration of 'activities, patterns of interaction and communication failures', in relation to higher education pedagogical cultures. This move reconceptualises the idea of 'barriers to learning', attempting to understand how more subtle aspects of higher education pedagogical cultures may themselves be creating conditions which make it difficult, or even impossible, for some students to learn. Deliberately forging a middle path between conventional and radical approaches to pedagogy, the article attempts to identify examples of 'older' values and assumptions which may be positive and functional, and to separate these out from a number of other values and assumptions which, it is argued, may act to prevent students from being able to access new disciplinary worlds. © 2006 Society for Research into Higher Education.

This insightful book is ideal for students, researchers and policy makers wanting a sound overview of the critical issues of gender in lifelong learning. Asking pertinent questions relating to discourses on policy, the authors offer the reader a rare view of lifelong learning from a gender-focused perspective, filling a gap in the literature and moving current debate on into new areas. Questions addressed include: To what extent can the policy discourses and institutional contexts of lifelong learning be seen as masculinised and/or feminised?. What are the gender implications of lifelong learning policy?. In what ways are learners' identities constructed through lifelong learning?. Does lifelong learning provide opportunities to challenge or transgress gender binaries?. What are the implications for practice?. All rights reserved.

Across the western world, there is a growing awareness of the importance of workplace learning, seen at the level of national and international policy, as well as in the developing practices of employers, training providers and Trades Unions. Authoritative, accessible, and appealing, it presents key findings on work-based learning, bringing together conclusions and investigating a variety of workplace contexts to show how such learning can be improved. An extensive practical treatment, brought to life with illustrations from both the public and private sectors, this book has a unique combination of breadth of coverage and depth of understanding. Grounded in rich and detailed empirical studies, this volume challenges conventional thinking. An important new addition to the Improving Learning series, it focuses on guidelines for improving learning by marrying the very best theory and practice to provide an accessible and authoritative guide to workplace learning. Practitioners, policy makers, students and academics with an interest in learning at work will find this an invaluable addition to their bookshelves. © 2006 Karen Evans, Phil Hodkinson, Helen Rainbird and Lorna Unwin. All rights reserved.

This article considers the prevalence of what have been termed 'training discourses' as dominant practices within a particular University of Technology, and discusses the implications of such discourses for teaching and learning. The rapid emergence of this training or skills discourse in Universities of Technology in South Africa, in preference to discourses that emphasise praxis (a combination of theory and practice) and, by implication, of social redress and transformation, is interrogated within the framework of the current emphasis on training for economic growth. While in some instances the training discourses could be considered empowering for students because of the inclusion of authentic, workplace practices, these discourses could also be considered constraining if they limit students ' ability to solve problems critically and creatively. The ability to adapt to new and changing workplace environments, this article will argue, could be better developed by a more developmental discourse of 'critiquing', 'knowing' and 'doing', rather than just 'doing'.

While much research has examined how education influences work outcomes, fewer scholars have questioned whether or how school-labor market relationships might influence educational outcomes. With their rising enrollments and growing occupational programs, 2-year colleges are an increasingly important site of the school-to-work transition. Using interview and survey data from a local sample of 14 public and private 2-year colleges, we describe the employer linkages forged at different types of 2-year colleges, how institutional contexts shape linking activities, and how college-employer links are related to students' efforts at college and confidence about degree completion. Using national longitudinal data (BPS and IPEDS), we test whether the patterns identified in our local sample are reflected nationally, examining whether the availability of job placement services by colleges predicts students' timely degree completion. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose: This paper seeks to explore undergraduate placement experiences in tourism and hospitality SMEs, focusing on the notions of surprise and sense making. It aims to argue that surprises and sense making are important elements not only of the adjustment process when entering new work environments, but also of the learning experience that placements provide. Design/methodology/ approach: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students who had recently completed a 48 week placement. Findings - The paper finds that the surprises students encountered were not as dramatic as the literature on organisational entry suggests. This is partially explained by students already having gained substantial amounts of work experience prior to the placement. A number of SME-characteristic employment experiences were confirmed while others were questioned. Research limitations/implications: Further detailed research is required that takes a more holistic account of the placement experience in order to understand more fully the impact of placement on learning and career choices. Practical implications: The paper raises important questions about the value of undergraduate placements in an age of mass higher education where many students work part-time. Originality/value: An apparent lack of reflection hindered the sense making process, which raises questions as to whether placements are achieving their potential for experiential learning. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) is now an established but relatively underused process in higher education (HE). In our review article, we argue that this is because APEL not only challenges the traditional university monopoly of knowledge but also challenges other established processes and social constructions. Work-Based Learning (WBL) has used APEL to great advantage in allowing people to gain access to HE. Also, it has done much to challenge traditional discipline based assumptions associated with APEL practice through seeking to recognise the knowledge and abilities that come about through the three spheres of work, the academic and the personal. This article examines the perspectives of five tutors who regularly support the development of, and assess the APEL claims of WBL students. The perspectives of the tutors are presented as vignettes. These, together with three short case examples, are used to illustrate themes that are related to the APEL process: power and control within the infrastructure of universities; the power of the disciplines to skew the depth and significance of prior and experiential learning; the pressure from government for universities to foster employee learning; competing value positions of academics and of students; and the social influence of students and assessors' gender, race and class. We look at these five overlapping themes and how the field of WBL may have certain features that can help overcome these constructions in the APEL process. We also consider the struggles of WBL and its own emerging value positions.