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This paper presents an analysis of the ways in which UK higher education (HE) has become increasingly commercialised and commodified in the post-1980s. It critiques the strategies adopted by successive UK governments to reinvigorate the relationship between educational and economic life, and to facilitate a more corporate and entrepreneurial spirit within the academy in line with the pressures of a 'knowledge-based economy'. Arguing for a more critical exploration of teaching and learning within HE, the paper presents evidence from work carried out by the Reinvention Centre for Undergraduate Research, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching in Learning (CETL) which adopts a research-based learning approach to teaching and learning at undergraduate level.1 Within the context of ongoing debates surrounding the relationship between teaching, learning and research in UK HE, the paper advocates a reinvention of curriculum design through an engagement with the broader principles of critical pedagogy, and in so doing, presents a critical engagement with the commercialisation of HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) curricula utilise authentic problems that are based in the real-world of practice. This very characteristic enables students to develop an intimate knowledge about the intricacies of practice, metaphorically, seeing the details of the forest floor. However, it is equally important for students to develop an overall conceptual framework of the curriculum and understand how the different aspects of the subject domain relate to each other, i.e. seeing the landscape. This paper explores the extent to which these two aspects of curriculum design, in particular the landscape, were achieved in an 'Education Theories' module for lecturers in higher education. It utilises Hung's 3C3R problem-design model to help develop these connections. The findings alert curriculum designers to pay more focused attention to the holistic problem from Hung's model and the model's relationship with other learning resources (lectures, etc.) in supporting connectivity in PBL hybrid curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details an action research enquiry into the efforts undertaken at Brookes Business School to bring integration to the international business curriculum and develop student autonomy via a synoptic module for international credit entry students. After outlining the general aims for student learning in higher education and the difficulties in achieving them by means of conventional didactics, an overview of the history, development and conceptualization of the generic synoptic module is presented. The main features of our international business synoptic are then illustrated, with a discussion of the pedagogical principles that informed the design and implementation of processes aimed at facilitating effective learning. In assessing what the module has accomplished, evaluatory evidence that also takes into account students' perceptions, provides support to its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper adds to extant professional education literature by reflecting on apparent differences in pedagogy of similar professional programmes of study, allowing deeper insight into the unique strand of higher education influenced by the professions. A comparative international case study approach is adopted of an interpretive qualitative nature regarding curricular, teaching and learning and assessment strategies of an accounting department in South Africa (SA) and one in the UK. Findings point to significant differences in curriculum and assessment but less so in teaching and learning approaches. One department endeavoured to find a balance between vocational and academic activities, whilst the other favoured the former being inconsistent with both its governmental and institutional governing bodies. Explanations offered include differing strengths of coercive, competitive, mimetic and normative influence [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning outcomes have become widely used in higher education, but also misused to the point of being controversial and a bureaucratic burden. This paper distinguishes three kinds of learning outcome found in current literature: (1) those used in individual teaching events; (2) those specified for modules or short courses; and (3) those specified for whole degree programmes. The nature of each is explored and their use in assessment and auditing is discussed, together with related notions such as the 'corridor of tolerance', emergent outcomes, etc. It is concluded that learning outcomes used in individual teaching events (1) are the most useful kind if employed flexibly, but that they cannot be specified exactly or used for auditing performance, and their relationship with assessment is complex. Learning outcomes specified for modules or short courses (2) state little more than a list of contents; they cannot be stated precisely and have limitations in guiding assessment. Learning outcomes specified for whole degree programmes (3) is a misuse of the term 'learning outcome'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium sponsored by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) on Curriculum and Assessment in Higher Education. Topics include teaching in higher education, assessment for learning and design for learning. The symposium featured several academicians including Professor Katherine Isaacs, Professor Liz McDowell and Professor Phil Race.

Learning and teaching in the university sector is at an impasse. Almost every university one surveys seeks to produce graduates who are adaptive, creative, curious, and entrepreneurial. But the learning and teaching quality assurance frameworks upon which universities rely to prepare such graduates are comprised of rigidly prescriptive norms, wideranging managerial oversight, and time-consuming bureaucratic processes. The learning outcome and the rubric stand out as the two most prevalent technologies deployed in such systems. Much the same could be said about a comparison between the openness of transdisciplinarity and the relatively closed system of disciplinary learning and teaching. In an effort to move beyond such dilemmas, the learning and teaching model of the knowledge ecology can restore to the classroom the individuality and spontaneity that has gone missing while it can also prepare students for the demands and challenges of the precarious world they will enter upon graduation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of research into teaching is considered a desirable characteristic of higher education, and valuable for student learning. Nevertheless, not much is known about the prevalence of research integration in students' everyday experiences within higher education. This article reports on an empirical study on the prevalence of six research-related goals in 45 educational programmes in Flanders. The study aimed at identifying the patterns in the prevalence of these goals at programme level. For each programme, a profile was identified. A cluster analysis revealed three different patterns: a low-attention pattern (N=21), a results pattern (N=16) and a critical-thinking pattern (N=8). The prevalence of the patterns in the programmes included in the sample differs between distinct types of programmes, but not between disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence that students' epistemological beliefs impact on approaches to learning and consequent learning outcomes. Epistemological beliefs have been shown to influence students' approaches to study and problem-solving, motivation and persistence in information seeking. There are also some preliminary research findings that suggest the structure of learning environments can influence students' epistemological beliefs. A study was designed to investigate the impacts of a new course on students' epistemological beliefs. The new course structure was based on engaging students in web-supported independent activities prior to small-group workshops that focused on active learning. Findings indicate that students' epistemological beliefs changed during the course implementation, and that students with more complex epistemological beliefs achieved better results in the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for well-qualified health care professionals (including pharmacists) is projected to increase over the next 10 to 20 years. In many jurisdictions, immigration will become an increasingly important human resource to replace aging, retiring workers and drive ongoing economic prosperity and growth. Higher education has been an underutilized resource for foreign-trained professionals seeking re-qualification. Bridging education provides a structured system for continuing professional development of professionals, linked to existing curriculum, assessments and standards in higher education. The International Pharmacy Graduate Program in Ontario (Canada) has developed a model that has been recognized by the provincial government as a ‘best-practice’ for bridging education. This model consists of four elements: prior learning assessment and recognition; university-benchmarked skills enhancement education; mentorship; and asynchronous learning opportunities. Success rates on licensing examinations for those completing all components of the program currently exceed 95%, indicating the value of bridging education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]