Developing professional expertise in the knowledge economy: integrating industry-based learning with the academic curriculum in the field of information technology

In response to the forces of globalization, organizations have had to adapt and even transform themselves. Universities have had to recognize the value of practical working knowledge developed in workplace settings, and promote the value of academic forms of knowledge making to the practical concerns of everyday learning. This paper presents a contemporary case of a designed professional curriculum in the field of information technology that situates workplace learning as a central element in the education of students. Key integrative dimensions are considered along with an analysis of the perspectives of teaching staff and students on the educational experience. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2004, 5(2), 1-11)

A new voice in a new place: musical encounters with a difference

Australian education providers at the university level are being challenged to be more inclusive of cultural diversity and associated knowledge systems in their curricula. This article reports on some findings of a research study that aimed to evaluate the introduction of African music to primary teacher education students and to provide them with a context for assimilating African music into their own teaching practice. This paper reports on my work as a music educator in sharing my different worlds of experience ‘with one voice’ in order to expand students’ local knowledge base. It also discusses the nature and applications of African music and demonstrates some aspects that correlate with Western music. Through a study of both Western and African pedagogies and repertoire, students were able to gain a more holistic perspective of the role of music in society and were able to contextualize and transfer epistemological and pedagogical insights from one society to another.

Constructing the Australian musical child

This paper makes use of Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine some of the current directions in Arts education and Music Education, in particular, that are being promoted by education authorities in Australia. Foucault's concept of discourse, and analytical procedures developed from his ideas, have been much discussed recently but have not been applied very rigorously or very widely other than by Foucault himself. This paper will introduce some of the basic concepts and demonstrate how application of these concepts can identify, explain or elucidate basic misconceptions that are currently being promoted as the way forward in arts education.

Curriculum development and implementation has become an important focus for educational policy in the past ten years. Inspired by the work of the Federal Labour government between 1989 and 1994 which developed the national curriculum Statements and Profiles, many states have adopted a model of centralized curriculum development in which learning is mapped out for all students up to the age of eighteen. These learning "profiles" have been developed and disseminated at great expense in terms of time, money and effort. They represent a considerable investment of educational resources. Typically, however the resulting curriculum documents are complex, difficult to understand and use, and can appear unrelated to many of the normal practices in school. This has placed teachers in the position of having either to ignore them or to work against much of their own training and personal assumptions about what constitutes music education.

It will be suggested that there are some basic flaws in the way that many curriculum documents in Australia have conceived of music education and learning. With recent new developments in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, there is no indication that this process of profiling student development is really devoted to improving our understanding either of learning or of teaching. In fact, it would appear to be developing a life of it's own, oblivious to the practices and structures of our educational systems. It will be suggested that a more realistic assessment of our practices needs to form the basis of our frameworks and that they should not be developed as abstract theoretical models.

Tonic sol-fa in South Africa : a case study of endogenous musical practice

Tonic Sol-fa was introduced to South Africa during the mid nineteenth century initially by Christian missionaries and later by professional educators to schools, teacher training institutions and local communities. Despite Tonic Sol-fa being the principal means of formal pedagogy and the most commonly-accepted notational medium through which South African communities have developed and sustained what is unquestionably a vibrant choral music tradition, there has been some fairly forthright condemnation of the overall effects of European music - particularly tonal-functional harmony - on indigenous culture. Agawu (2003) and Nzewi (1999), for example, have identified what they describe as the adverse effects of European music on African culture.

This paper counters these criticisms in one respect. It argues that, as one of the most prominent manifestations of European musical culture in sub-Saharan Africa, Tonic Sol-fa represents what Ntuli (2001) identifies as endogenous knowledge - knowledge acquired from non-indigenous sources that has been assimilated and integrated with indigenous knowledge to become the collective heritage of a people. This contention is supported by four short case studies of indigenous South African composers - two past and two contemporary musicians - who have utilised Tonic Sol-fa in their choral music writing and teaching, albeit in differing ways. The paper aims to counter the general criticism that European music has been injurious to indigenous African culture; rather it argues that in reality this manifestation of European music represents an exemplar of endogenous knowledge.

Musical arts education in Africa : differentiation, integration and disassociation

By discussing the future challenges to musical arts education in Africa in which local cultural practices are valued, the differences of those historically marginalised by virtue of gender, race, ethnicity, and class, are celebrated. In Africa, musical arts education and culture are regarded as an integral part of our life, which not only embraces the spiritual, material and intellectual aspects of our society, but also contributes greatly toward our emotional development. This affirms the integrity and importance of various forms of 'Art' including literature, technology, design, dance, drama, music, visual art, media and communication.

This paper will discuss the future of African musical arts education programmes through the dynamic cycle of differentiation, integration and disassociation. The authors will consider the concept of ‘differentiation’, ‘integration’ and ‘disassociation’ within musical arts practice. An analysis of selected international arts education programmes provides a globally differentiated perspective through a discipline-based approach. In the African context, arts education programmes are located within an integrated approach. The structure of a Music Action Research Team (MAT cell) in Southern African Developing Community (SADC) countries will be highlighted as a means to address disassociation through the active engagement of professional development programmes offered by the Centre for Indigenous African Instrumental Music and Dance (CIIMDA).

Developing and rewarding advanced teaching expertise in higher education - a different approach

The Australian university sector is undergoing a major change, with a significant increase in the emphasis on quality teaching and learning. This change is being driven by the national government. The paper asks if the correct response to this change of emphasis should be a change in the attitude to the appropriate mix of research and teaching skills within an institution, and within individual staff of the institution. The same question could be asked of how to better develop teaching expertise in many higher education sectors globally. It is proposed that to create excellent teaching and learning within an institution may better be achieved by allowing staff to become experts in a narrow field of teaching rather than
generalists across the basics of teaching. The creation of a Community of Experts in teaching parallels the process of creating a Community of Experts in Research and can bring similar benefits in the teaching area to what it does in the research area.

Music education and minority groups cultural and musical identities in the 'newer' South Africa : white Afrikaners and Indians

Music Education, as well as cultural and musical identities are all being renegotiated, post-Apartheid, within the so-called 'newer' rather than the commonly known 'new' South Africa. The developing situation with certain minority groups is particularly interesting. Education in general has undergone much change since the first democratic elections in 1994: music education specifically has been affected by such change in terms of content, delivery and assessment. Within the South African context, cultural and musical identities are often intertwined with language, racial and even tribal identities, and discussing one implies the others. We are particularly interested here in the role of formal Music Education in relation to white Afrikaners and Indians as they renegotiate their cultural development, including musical aspects

Socio-ethical issues for expertise location from electronic mail

Knowledge workers frequently lack sufficient expertise to perform work effectively. This paper describes a recently developed expertise locator system based on automated key-phrase identification of experts from electronic mail (e-mail) messages. The paper provides an analysis of the key socio-ethical challenges involved in the implementation and use of the e-mail expertise locator system. Findings include a set of complex socio-ethical challenges, and their managerial and theoretical implications are discussed. The paper highlights possible sensitivities of employees with respect to their potential identification by the system as domain experts. It also highlights the potential for employee misuse of e-mail expertise locator systems, which must be carefully managed to reduce the risks involved.

The Wikipedia : experts, expertise and ethical challenges

Participatory models are replacing the traditional models of experts and expertise that are based on individuals, their credentials and domain experience. The Wikipedia is a well-known and popular online encyclopedia, built, edited and administrated by lay citizens rather than traditional experts. It
utilises a Web-based participatory model of experts and expertise to enable knowledge contributions and provide administration. While much has been written about the Wikipedia and its merits and pitfalls, there are important ethical challenges stemming from the underlying Wikipedia model. Ethical concerns are likely to be important to Wikipedia users, however as yet, such
concerns have not been systematically explored. By reviewing and synthesising existing literature, this paper identifies six key ethical challenges for existing and potential Wikipedia users, stemming
from the underlying Web-based participatory model of experts and expertise. Important implications arising from the findings are also discussed.