I-Spi: innovative shared practical ideas: a support guide for literacy and numeracy in the early years of schooling, for home tutor/supervisors in distance education

Innovative Shared Practical Ideas (I-Spi) is a guide to help you and your children learn together. It is designed to affirm, support and strengthen your role as home tutor/supervisors in your daily learning sessions with your children. In this guide particular emphasis is given to the value of talk, formal and informal early literacy and numeracy practices (including ideas from distance school lessons, from home tutor/supervisors, research, and beyond), assessment of these practices together with informal assessment ideas for gauging your children’s literacy and numeracy progress, and stepping in and building on strategies

Global engineering education: Australia and the Bologna process

This paper presents a critical comparison of major changes in engineering education in both Australia and Europe. European engineering programs are currently being reshaped by the Bologna process, representing a move towards quality assurance in higher education and the mutual recognition of degrees among universities across Europe. Engineering education in Australia underwent a transformation after the 1996 review of engineering education1. The paper discusses the recent European developments in order to give up-to-date information on this fast changing and sometimes obscure process. The comparison draws on the implications of the Bologna Process on the German engineering education system as an example. It concludes with issues of particular interest, which can help to inform the international discussion on how to meet today’s challenges for engineering education. These issues include ways of achieving diversityamong engineering programs, means of enabling student and staff mobility, and the preparation of engineering students for professional practic e through engineering education. As a result, the benefits of outcomes based approaches in education are discussed. This leads to an outlook for further research into the broader attributes required by future professional engineers. © 2005, Australasian Association for Engineering Education

Towards a profitable and sustainable future for grain growers: A professional development model for farm partners

Many Australian grain growers need to change their management approach to ensure their continued viability, but do not have the required knowledge and skills. Uptake of relevant education and training is poor, despite the positive correlation between learning, change and farm viability. As men are generally occupied with the operational aspects of the farm, much of the management role has been taken on by their partners, despite their lack of relevant formal qualifications. Professional development of farm partners therefore has the potential to improve the viability of grain growers. A model combining learning circles and action learning projects is proposed.