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What are the values and policies which are driving the development of Further Education institutions? The rapid expansion and development of the post-compulsory sector of education means that further education institutions have to cope with ever-evolving government policies. This book comprehensively examines the current trends in further education by means of both policy analysis and research in the field. It offers an insightful evaluation of FE colleges today, set against the background of New Labour Lifelong Learning initiatives and, in particular, the links between college and community. This timely investigation of FE and New Labour policy, takes a unique community education perspective to determine whether the social objectives of current policy can be achieved by policy-makers, managers, staff and students in FE institutions. For students, lecturers and educators in the post-compulsory sector, in addition to policy-makers and managers, this is an invaluable source of information on a subject which is still largely under-researched. © 2003 Terry Hyland and Barbara Merrill. All rights reserved.

Distance education is a growing area of interest in the academic literature. An explosion of articles has appeared in recent years documenting this trend at postsecondary institutions. The topics addressed in the literature include the demand for distance education, its acceptance by students and instructors, the quality of distance learning, the methods of delivery, the economic impact of providing distance education, and the technological requirements necessary for the delivery of online courses. This bibliography focuses on the academic literature of the last decade and provides an overview for planners and policymakers in their attempt to develop quality distance education programs.

Background. The literature review presented here was conducted as part of an English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting funded project to evaluate the use of portfolios in the assessment of learning and competence. Initial consideration of the topic revealed the need to clarify the terminology and approaches used to assess competence using portfolios, and therefore the literature review was conducted to inform the study. Aims. To clarify definitions, theoretical bases and approaches to competence and the use of portfolios in the assessment of learning and competence in nursing education. Methods. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases and the keywords competenc*, portfolios and nursing. Articles published in the period 1989-2001 in English were obtained and their reference lists scrutinized to identify additional references. Twenty articles were found using a combination of the keywords competenc* and portfolios, and 52 using the combination portfolios and nurse education. Articles were included in the review if they focused on the use of portfolios in nursing, and those concerned with professional or transitional portfolios were excluded. This article will analyse definitions of and approaches to competence and its measurement and to portfolios and their use as discussed in the articles identified. Results. Three approaches to competence were identified, each with its appropriate forms of assessment. With regard to portfolios, a number of definitions were again found, but there was a consensus that the theoretical basis of their use is theories of adult learning. A number of reasons for and advantages and disadvantages of their use were found, as well as varying ideas about what a portfolios should consist of and how it should be assessed. Conclusions. A holistic approach to competence seems to be compatible with the use of portfolios to assess competence in nursing students, but the concept and its implementation is still evolving. A variety of assessment methods are needed for assessment and portfolios appear to have the potential to integrate these. Reflection is an essential component of a portfolio, as are the student-teacher relationship and explicit guidelines for constructing the portfolio. Issues of rigour in assessment of portfolios need to be addressed, but the assessor's professional judgement will inevitably enter into this assessment.

The aim of this chapter is to raise awareness of the points of view of students in post16 education who are required to learn mathematics, or deal with mathematical ideas, whilst studying other subjects. These students are likely to be following vocational courses, such as the General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs), the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), the Modern Apprenticeship scheme or BTEC. Many of the ideas and issues raised in this chapter could also be of relevance to teaching on more academic courses. © 2002 Compilation, original and editorial matter, The Open University. All rights reserved.

In the nine years since the appearance of the first edition of Stephen Smith’s book, labour economics has become a more firmly entrenched subject on the curriculum. Previously regarded as a subsection within industrial economics, there are now very few universities that do not devote a course to it in its own right. The focus of topics covered within it has also altered - the notion of human capital has now become much more central and microeconomic considerations are now as widely studied as macroeconomic phenomena. The 2nd edition will address these changes and give greater centrality to microeconomics to reflect current course teaching. The book adopts an international focus and covers important themes such as: • labour demand and supply • wage determination and unions • personnel economics • unemployment and globalisation. With features such as case studies, end of chapter questions, further reading sections, this new edition will prove popular with all students of labour economics. © 1994, 2003 Stephen Smith.

This article investigates the experiences and training needs of student teachers as they learn to teach post-16 English on a secondary Post Graduate Certificate in Education. A case-study was conducted on a sample of Open University PGCE English students and mentors over a six-month period. Five research instruments were developed and used iteratively to generate qualitative data. The study reveals significant problems, resulting in students feeling underprepared at the end of their 11–18 PGCE for the demands of post-16 English teaching. The results illuminate the need for more effective models of learning to teach post-16 English. © 2003, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Educators in a number of disciplines rely on field strategies to show their students how to apply concepts they have learned in their coursework. Very little guidance has been provided to criminal justice educators on ways to successfully bring the field into their classroom. Three strategies for bringing “the real world” into criminal justice courses include field trips, police ride-alongs, and the use of guest speakers. Using our experiences and ideas from the educational literature, this paper addresses the use of each method and suggests a number of strategies to make these field experiences pedagogically successful in criminal justice courses. © 2003, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

This article investigates the needs and experiences of student teachers in England and Wales as they learn to teach post-16 on an 11-18 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). A different curriculum and assessment framework is in place post-16, offering much with which mentors might engage in their training role. However, mentoring in relation to post-16 teaching is reported as inconsistent. As a consequence, students feel underprepared at the end of their training for the demands of post-16 teaching. students and mentors describe the demands of learning to teach post-16 differently to pre-16, particularly the need to differentiate subject knowledge. Yet little attention is given to effective post-16 teaching strategies in the literature, so students possess a false preconception of post-16 teaching, which mentors have not always been able to challenge. The research was organised as a case study of post-16 teaching and was conducted on a sample of Open University PGCE English students and mentors. Five research instruments were developed and used iteratively to generate qualitative data revealing student perceptions and mentor responses. The study reveals significant problems for student teachers as they learn to teach post-16, which were confirmed by mentors. The results illuminate the specific need for more effective models of post-16 mentoring in initial teacher training (ITT). Mentors need more effective training in the breadth of their role, and the ITT Standards need to ‘mainstream’ competence in post-16 teaching more explicitly. The results also exemplify the relative invisibility of the emerging 14-19 debate as it might affect ITT. The study concludes that post-16 teaching in schools is likely to continue to be on the margins of ITT, and might be better supported in a newly qualified teacher’s induction year. © 2003 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

The article puts forward a case for broadening the curriculum within Higher Education to incorporate and encourage group work-based learning (GWBL) experiences for students. Two case studies are described within two universities in terms of organising, monitoring and assessing group-based work. It is argued that being a part of a 'consultancy team' and responding to 'real clients' enables students not only to enhance their skills base but also provides them with opportunities for personal and social development both within and outside the world of work. The debate centres upon the concept that work-based learning (WBL) should be more than just 'economistic' in the way that emphasis is placed primarily on 'training for employment'. This central tenet of government policy is considered to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition for providing for group work-based learning experiences for students. The concept of 'social capital' is explained in terms of how group participation can bring about moral, cognitive and social benefits to its members and to the wider community. © 2003, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The Foundation Degree was introduced into the United Kingdom awards system by the Government in 2000 as part of a wider strategy to widen participation and to enhance the development of vocational awards at higher education level. The award was controversially called a ‘degree’, despite the fact it was of only 2 years duration and not at honours degree level. This appears to fly in the face of the European Bologna Declaration. At he heart of the Government's vision for this degree was the concept of partnerships involving higher education, further education and business, in consortia-based development and operation of programmes. The authors examine the concepts of partnership and consortia, and the role they have played in the introduction of the Foundation Degree in the United Kingdom. They focus on the key players including national agencies, educational institutions, employers and students in order to examine the benefits and pitfalls, which can be identified in partnership and consortia arrangements in the development and delivery of vocational awards. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.