Perceptions of learning and teaching quality in Higher Education:developing a culture of co-creation of value

Perceptions about the quality of learning and teaching in Higher Education has for many years focused upon the application of market based principles. This includes the notion of students as “customers” of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) service. We argue that the application of the customer analogy is unhelpful however, as students this approach is likely to affect student expectations about the service and their judgements about its quality. The purpose of this paper is to propose a study consisting of a series of interventions to develop a culture of value co-creation at a UK based HEI. By introducing CCV principles, it is hoped to steer students away from seeing themselves as “customers”, and passive recipients of in the learning and teaching process, to one where they take responsibility for their own learning experience, to be explored and acted upon in partnership with their lecturers and other stakeholders.

The sociological approach to teaching and learning in higher education with special reference to first year sociology courses at a technological university

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Diversifying into technical clothing manufacture as entrepreneurial learning:a situated learning theory perspective

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate analytically how entrepreneurial action as learning relating to diversifying into technical clothing - i.e. a high-value manufacturing sector - can take place. This is particularly relevant to recent discussion and debate in academic and policy-making circles concerning the survival of the clothing manufacture industry in developed industrialised countries. Design/methodology/approach - Using situated learning theory (SLT) as the major analytical lens, this case study examines an episode of entrepreneurial action relating to diversification into a high-value manufacturing sector. It is considered on instrumentality grounds, revealing wider tendencies in the management of knowledge and capabilities requisite for effective entrepreneurial action of this kind. Findings - Boundary events, brokers, boundary objects, membership structures and inclusive participation that addresses power asymmetries are found to be crucial organisational design elements, enabling the development of inter- and intracommunal capacities. These together constitute a dynamic learning capability, which underpins entrepreneurial action, such as diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors. Originality/value - Through a refinement of SLT in the context of entrepreneurial action, the paper contributes to an advancement of a substantive theory of managing technological knowledge and capabilities for effective diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors. Copyright © 2014 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Lessening sensitivity:student experiences of teaching and learning sensitive issues

Despite growing interest in learning and teaching as emotional activities, there is still very little research on experiences of sensitive issues. Using qualitative data from students from a range of social science disciplines, this study investigates student's experiences. The paper highlights how, although they found it difficult and distressing at times, the students all valued being able to explore sensitive issues during their studies. The paper argues that it is though repeated exposure to sensitive issues within the classroom that the students became more comfortable with the issues. This process of lessening sensitivity is an important part of the emotional journey through higher education. It will argue that good student experiences need not always be positive emotions and that sensitive issues should be seen as an important part of transformational education.

Learning to be different:heterogeneity and efficiency in distributed smart camera networks

In this paper we study the self-organising behaviour of smart camera networks which use market-based handover of object tracking responsibilities to achieve an efficient allocation of objects to cameras. Specifically, we compare previously known homogeneous configurations, when all cameras use the same marketing strategy, with heterogeneous configurations, when each camera makes use of its own, possibly different marketing strategy. Our first contribution is to establish that such heterogeneity of marketing strategies can lead to system wide outcomes which are Pareto superior when compared to those possible in homogeneous configurations. However, since the particular configuration required to lead to Pareto efficiency in a given scenario will not be known in advance, our second contribution is to show how online learning of marketing strategies at the individual camera level can lead to high performing heterogeneous configurations from the system point of view, extending the Pareto front when compared to the homogeneous case. Our third contribution is to show that in many cases, the dynamic behaviour resulting from online learning leads to global outcomes which extend the Pareto front even when compared to static heterogeneous configurations. Our evaluation considers results obtained from an open source simulation package as well as data from a network of real cameras. © 2013 IEEE.

Developing Collective Teaching Computer Software for the Course “Decision Theory”

Improvement of training students using modern information technologies, like collective developing teaching computer software, is discussed. Organizational, technical, technological advices are given. Experience of using information technologies in educational course “Decision Theory” is described.

The Principles of Creation of Teaching Materials and Organization of Ukrainian Language Learning Process using Distance Support in Senior Classes

The article deals with the topicality and problems of using information and communication technologies in secondary education, conditions and methods for Ukrainian language learning with the distance support in senior classes. The article shows the principal similarity of distance learning to training one. The common and specific principles of creation of teaching materials for a distance learning course are described. It reveals the conditions of effective organization of Ukrainian language learning with distance support on the material of distance course “Business Ukrainian and Culture of Communication”.

Complex Adaptive On-line Learning System “Theory of Automatic Control"

The controlled from distance teaching (DT) in the system of technical education has a row of features: complication of informative content, necessity of development of simulation models and trainers for conducting of practical and laboratory employments, conducting of knowledge diagnostics on the basis of mathematical-based algorithms, organization of execution collective projects of the applied setting. For development of the process of teaching bases of fundamental discipline control system Theory of automatic control (TAC) the combined approach of optimum combination of existent programmatic instruments of support was chosen DT and own developments. The system DT TAC included: controlled from distance course (DC) of TAC, site of virtual laboratory practical works in LAB.TAC and students knowledge remote diagnostic system d-tester.

Teaching Strategies and Ontologies for E-Learning

* The work is partially suported by Russian Foundation for Basic Studies (grant 02-01-00466).

Approaches to Organization of Teaching for Creating Digital Learning Materials

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013