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"Students"

The changing nature of work has and is impacting on emergency services education programs in Australia. University-Industry partnerships are becoming more common and the learning and outcome requirements at management level is becoming more complex. Professionalisation does not bring all good news for the staff receiving training. These training outcomes have become broader and less tangible than the discrete competencies of the students initial trade education. Student discomfort causes these trade professionals to scrutinise the credibility of the academics, and the university, and demands non-trade teachers to prove their relevance in an industry where work can be life threatening.

Seija Mahlamäki-Kultanen INTRODUCTION Rural municipalities and villages all over the world, including Finland, are losing their younger inhabitants and enterprises at the same time as bigger centres (towns and cities) keep growing (Cecora, 2000). Sustaining the population of rural areas by increasing the number of rural enterprises is a big challenge for vocational education and entrepreneurs. According to Finnish Law, each Finnish vocational curriculum includes entrepreneurship education, and a vocational degree should guarantee the competence for independent business ownership. The restructuring of the Finnish vocational education system meant that at least 20 credit units of work-based learning and everyday contact with entrepreneurs are included in the 120 credit units of the vocational study programme. This study sets out to see what the entrepreneurial culture in Finnish rural areas is like and whether it gives cultural room for the young students from vocational institutes to become entrepreneurs. Basically, vocational education is culture-bound and the cooperation between educational institutes and entrepreneurs depends largely on mutual understanding of each other. The methodology used is qualitative triangulation; cultural narratives, metaphor analysis and theory-based rating of the sectoral business cultures according to the theory of cultural differences by Hofstede (2001) are used. CULTURE AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS According to Hofstede (2001), culture is the collective programming of the mind. Still, not everyone in a given culture adheres to the same dominant thought pattern. Hofstede found four cultural dimensions originally from an international questionnaire study of IBM employees, which asked people about an imaginary ideal job…. © Alain Fayolle, Paula Kyrö, Jan Ulijn, 2005.

This article reports on a series of interviews held with individuals in the middle of a Foundation Degree, during which they were asked for their views of studying for this qualification. It draws on a research project conducted with part-time students involved in work-based learning. The research into their ‘learning journeys’ aimed to explore the process of becoming and being a student. Findings suggested that individuals had embarked on a Foundation Degree for career-related reasons, although they also noted that their course returned secondary benefits, such as an increase in self-confidence and additional life skills. Interviewees found it difficult to juggle competing demands on their time, and needed emotional and practical support from those around them to do so. Other areas of concern were the lack of adequate assistance from tutors that some students felt when it came to writing assignments and the financial hardship that undertaking such a vocational qualification could bring. Results from this study highlight facets of Foundation Degrees that need to be considered by those delivering such courses. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Online MBA programs have seen a rapid rise in student enrollments in recent years and institutions of higher education have keen interests in offering quality online MBA programs to meet the demands. The present study reports the results of a case study in which over 100 students enrolled in a top-ranked online MBA program were interviewed and surveyed to investigate their perceptions of the benefits and challenges in online learning and their suggestions for improving the quality of the online MBA program. It was found that virtual teaming was a major factor that influenced the students' online learning experience; they viewed virtual teaming experiences as valuable for preparing them for the increasingly global business environment; at the same time, it also served as a key challenge to their learning in the online environment. students' suggestions for improving the quality of online MBA program are discussed as well. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Indigenous students complete secondary education at about half the rate of non-Indigenous students, yet are twice as likely to participate in Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Schools subjects. This paper explores the reasons for this phenomenon. It draws on data from two national studies: a survey of 20 000 young people and their experience of vocational learning, and a qualitative study that included interviews with 118 Indigenous VET in Schools students and 160 school staff and other stakeholders. It discusses the role of VET in addressing the needs and aspirations of Indigenous students, and identifies key aspects of good practice in the provision of VET for Indigenous students.The paper argues that VET in Schools cannot succeed as a 'stand alone' solution to the problem of Indigenous educational disadvantage, but must be offered within the context of educational provision that accommodates the diverse educational needs and aspirations of Indigenous students.

An introduction to problem-based learning (PBL) is presented and comparisons among three different types of instructional methods are described. The three methods include: fully traditional content based learning, a combination of lecture-type instruction and PBL instruction, and full PBL instructional methodology with a partial use of Lego RCX System. The Lego RCX System demonstrated its superiority as an identical platform in designing real-life problems in measurement and control, in controlling the problem difficulties and is inspiring student's interest in classes. The results indicate that PBL method significantly improves important skills in analyzing and solving open-ended, real-world problems.

This study investigates the influence of teacher perceived administration of self-regulated learning on students' motivation and information-processing over time. This was done in the context of the Interactive Learning group System (ILS®): a large-scale innovation program in Dutch vocational schools. A total of 185 students were grouped post facto over contrasting groups, which differed in the adherence of teachers to vital, instructional principles based on self-regulated learning. Differences over time in student motivation and information-processing between these contrasting groups were explored. Mean differences as well as striking differences in relations between variables over time were found. Strong teacher adherence to the instructional principles of ILS was associated with a significant increase in deep-level processing and a positive relation between motivation and deep-level processing strategies over time. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The education of students of health administration has traditionally combined both the theoretical and practical to enhance and balance the learning experience. Classroom exposure to the principles of management, law, organizations, and finance is coupled with problem solving, practicum, internship, and administrative residency experiences. However, just as recent years have seen the developmentof courses from managed care and alternative delivery systems to total quality management and continuous quality improvement, there is also emerging an awareness of the need to enhance the practical side of the learning equation. Perhaps this need is finding expression in curricular opportunities for students to learn from a participatory model known as civic engagement (CE). CE is a way of integrating academic study and community service to strengthen learning while promoting civic and personal responsibility to strengthen communities. Based on experiences with graduate and undergraduate students spanning the last ten years at Texas State University--San Marcos (Texas State), it is suggested that a CE paradigm has been developed within the Department of Health Administration that merits consideration by other programs of health administration. As a model for change, it has the potential for reforming both health administration education and most other higher education disciplines as well.

This article presents a longitudinal case study of an urban district school-university partnership designed to prepare students for health careers. We not only summarize the accomplishments of this partnership but also identify factors in the partnership dynamics that hindered the expected improvement in student outcomes. By suggesting possible generalizations that can be tested elsewhere, we seek to contribute to theory building about the role of external partnerships in promoting career-focused high school reform. We conclude by making practical recommendations for similar university-high school partnerships in urban districts. © 2005 Corwin Press, Inc.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been the focus of many developments in teaching and learning facilitation in recent years. It has been claimed that PBL produces independent learners who are motivated, engaged in deep learning, work as a team, and develop effective strategies, skills and knowledge for life-long learning and professional work. Technology and Problem-Based Learning is aimed at educators who may be considering introducing PBL and need to know what it involves, its benefits and the practical details of how to implement it. Technology and Problem-Based Learning provides practical advice grounded in research and experience, to enable tutors to introduce PBL quickly and effectively. It also covers major issues including rationale for PBL, how to write effective problems, preparing students and tutors, being an effective facilitator, assessing students, dealing with problems, using IT. © 2006 by Idea Group Inc. All rights reserved.