Shadowing experiences and the extension of communities of practice: A case study of women education managers

Recent developments in workplace learning have focused on relational and social network views of learning that introduce practitioners to the norms, values and assumptions of the workplace as well as the learning processes through which knowledge is acquired. This article reports on a qualitative study of a mentoring programme designed to assist women education managers gain promotion by broadening their networks and stimulating insights into the senior management positions for which they were being prepared. The findings are that members reflexively assess and reassess goals and values to demystify knowledge and resolved cognitive dissonance in these processes. Moreover, this article shows that women participants learn from the networks, and that the networks learn from the participant in a reciprocal and informal way. The article concludes that organizational learning programmes must focus on enabling such networks to flourish.

The judicious utilization of new technologies through authentic learning in higher education: A case study

Though technology holds significant promise for enhanced teaching and learning it is unlikely to meet this promise without a principled approach to course design. There is burgeoning discourse about the use of technological tools and models in higher education, but much of the discussion is fixed upon distance learning or technology based courses. This paper will develop and propose a balanced model for effective teaching and learning for “on campus” higher education, with particular emphasis on the opportunities for revitalisation available through the judicious utilisation of new technologies. It will explore the opportunities available for the creation of more authentic learning environments through the principled design. Finally it will demonstrate with a case study how these have come together enabling the creation of an effective and authentic learning environment for one pre-service teacher education course at the University of Queensland.

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