Search

Copyright of Ljetopis Socijalnog Rada / Annual of Social Work is the property of Pravni Fakultet Sveucilista u Zagrebu, Studijski Centar Socijalnog Rada and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Industria Textila is the property of Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Textile si Pielarie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the role of occupational resources (field of occupation, socio-economic status, and income) in the odds of having a highly educated partner, having a partner with lower education, and staying single. The analysis of the EUSILC 2013 data demonstrate that women with better jobs and higher incomes have higher odds of living in a homogamous union with a highly educated partner. The data also show that if high resource women do not live with highly educated men, they are less likely to marry down compared to women with fewer resources and are more likely to stay single. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that women working in female-dominated professions are more likely to marry down and that the effect of the field cannot be explained by fewer personal resources. We also tested the idea that the link between individual resources and living arrangements is moderated by the female employment rate. We demonstrate that women are more likely to partner down in countries with higher female labor force participation. However, this tendency does not hold for high-income women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large literature has theorized about the importance of skill formation systems for labor market outcomes. Focusing on twenty two European countries, this paper establishes that countries differ in the strength of the pathways that connect educational credentials to the occupational structure. Pathway strength matters for the quality of occupational matching, for employment and earnings, and for the earnings gap between well matched and less well-matched workers. Systematic country differences matter most clearly in their implications for the average strength of linkage between educational credentials and the occupational structure. The strength of the association between local linkage strength and labor market outcomes may also vary by country or across the various country clusters that have been identified in the institutional literature. However, the considerable within-country heterogeneity in the cross-country rankings of individual pathways implies that one needs to look within countries to understand pathway structure and its connection with career progression and labor market outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In Europe, energy and climate policies started to take shape from the 1990s onwards culminating with the ambitious 20–20–20 climate goals and the Low-Carbon Europe roadmap 2050. The European Commission empower the importance of achieving the objective of the recast Directive on energy performance of buildings (EPBD) that new buildings built from 2021 onwards will have to be nearly zero-energy buildings. The general belief is that the energy performance optimization of buildings requires an integrated design approach and cross-disciplinary teamwork to optimize the building's energy use and quality of indoor environment while satisfying the occupants' needs. In this context, there is a substantial need for professionals such as architects and engineers specifically trained and educated in integrated design approach and trained to work in cross-disciplinary teams. To be able to push forward the development, it is essential that educational institutions foster professionals with such knowledge, skills and competences. An initiative toward this direction is the EU-project of IDES-EDU: “Master and Post-Graduate education and training in multi-disciplinary teams”. The paper describes the necessity of more integrated and cross-disciplinary approaches to building design through state-of-the-art of the building sector and educational initiatives in the participating countries in the project, and through theory of design processes. The paper also communicates the results of newly developed cross-disciplinary education established by fifteen different educational institutions in Europe. Finally, the paper explains and discusses the challenges encountered during development and implementation of the education across different professions and countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present paper-from a vantage in Bulgaria, and focusing in significant part on this country as an iconic example of the 'post-socialist freefall' and its dystopia on European capitalism's neocolonial 'new periphery'-is a revised version of an earlier chapter in Hill (2013). It was originally written as a 'post-socialist' supplement to perspectives on austerity capitalism, education and fightback as analyzed in that volume. The revamped paper comprises an Introduction and six main sections, the first three contained in installment 1 of the article here, Sections 4-6 in a second installment to appear in the next issue of JCEPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe places new demands on European education systems. In this context, the role that free digital learning (FDL) could play in fostering inclusion has attracted renewed interest. While the existing literature highlights some general design principles for developing FDL for migrants and refugees, there is little information on the use of FDL at specific education levels, or for specific learning purposes. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that was carried out as part of the Moocs4Inclusion project of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) between July and December 2016. The study, which has a European focus, disaggregates the analysis of FDL initiatives by what were identified as its three most common purposes: a) language learning, b) civic integration and employment, and c) higher education. For each of these topics, the study sheds light on the approaches used by a wide sample of initiatives, users' levels of awareness of what is available and take up, and migrants' and refugees' perceptions of the current offer. In order to collect the information needed to cover different approaches and perspectives, semistructured interviews with 24 representatives of 10 FDL initiatives and four focus groups with 39 migrants and refugees were carried out. The results show that there are indeed overlaps between the purposes of FDL initiatives and their design principles. Specific recommendations on how to better design FDL initiatives for migrants and refugees, taking into account their specific purposes, have also been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting excellence in manufacturing emerges as a strategic goal for the years to come, both for industry and society; manufacturing education has been identified as a major driver to achieving this goal. However, the pace of economic, social and technological change has increased the gap between the competences needed by industry and those provided by the universities' curricula. This requires an increasingly integrated approach by academia and industry in order to afford the problem of engineering competences' obsolescence. Framed in the above premises, the aim of this paper is to present the results of a two year postgraduate training program aimed at developing a new archetype of human capital to face the requirements of Intelligent and Sustainable Manufacturing. The case study presented in the paper addresses the needs for providing manufacturing education to meet the challenges in terms of "who"--the profile for the next generation of manufacturing engineer; "what'--the new system for education and its contents, and "bow'--innovative learning approaches and strategy to incentive the development of competence. The findings demonstrate the radical innovation in developing the next generation of engineers for Intelligent and Sustainable Manufacturing and the importance of a learning environment that is strictly based on virtuous industry-university partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at making an analysis of the erudite Dimitrie Cantemir from the perspective of contemporary sociology. The ideas brought forth by this paper can be summarized as follows: The erudite prince, whom Nicolae Iorga characterised as "raised among books of wisdom", managed to be a forerunner in the field of the future-to-be science of sociology. His fundamental work in this direction is Descriptio Moldaviae [Description of Moldavia], written upon request of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. Being written in Latin, as the philosopher-prince wrote this book of reference as foundation for the European sociology, allowed it to be studied by all European learners interested in aspects of a science that was to be defined. Moreover, arguments in support of the assertion that Dimitrie Cantemir is a forerunner of the science of sociology can also be found in other reference works, studies and monographs. A significant example is his work Hronicul vechimei a romano-moldo-vlahilor [Chronicle of the old history of the Romano-Moldo-Vlachs] in which, as a true sociologist, Cantemir makes a comprehensive analysis of the way in which the Romanians had lived in Dacia, their organization, customs, social hierarchy and their cultural-social relations with other European peoples, considering them a "bridge between the Orient and the West". Historia incrementorum atque decrementorum Aulae Othomanicae [The History of the Ascent and Descent of the Ottoman Court], although claimed by historians, is a reference work for the encyclopaedic mind of Dimitrie Cantemir, and a fundamental one for the European sociology. This book, existing in the Library of the American Congress, describes true sociologic investigations about the Turkish society and about the other European states of that time, which coexisted with the Ottoman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to report on the music education partnership formation and activities of the University of Botswana, the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) and other partners in Africa. The University of Botswana has been in this partnership for quiet a short period from 2008 to date. However, since the beginning of the partnership, some activities in the form of student exchange, staff exchange and intensive workshops have continuously been taking place. The paper will also highlight the readers on the funding of the exchange programme for both staff and student exchange. All these will help consolidate the beginnings of this exchange programme whose memorandum of understanding was signed by both universities (University of Botswana and University of Jyvaskyla) in July 2008. Issues and activities on how staff and students benefit from this partnership will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the educational experiences of research in Engineering Education in the Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Telecomunicacion at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid are presented. The research attempted to go beyond the experiences in the framework of the European Higher Education Area during the academic years 2005-2007. This paper describes the experience within the first-year course in the Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Telecomunicacion. Three years after the beginning of this research some feedback is given and some conclusions are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2004 seven European universities started to develop a "Master in Adult Education (EMAE)" in cooperation with the German Institute of Adult Education. Meanwhile the Master Programme has been successfully implemented in three European universities. Based on evaluation documents of the Master Programme, this paper analyses the challenges that the academic practice has to deal with when approaching the professionalisation of adult educators in a European way. For this purpose, core themes of European adult education are first to be analyzed. Second, we deal with the question regarding how an international didactic-methodical approach can be reached. Third, the reference of the programme to the European labour market is pointed out. Finally, the paper shows the influence that the EMAE can have on the academic and practice of adult education in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Organizacija is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper outlines the role of information and communication technology in educational management within the knowledge-based economy and society. There is also a comparative approach of using information and communication technology in European schools, taking into consideration the number of computers, the internet access, the use of computers and Internet in classrooms etc. In the end of this paper are presented some actions to develop lifelong learning based of information and communication technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current socio-economic context marked by high unemployment rates, the education is seen as an important pillar in the economic recovery process. The economic growth and competitiveness are supported by a highly qualified labour force and adapted to market requirements. By Agenda 2020 the European Union promotes and supports the education and the reducing of the school dropout. The countries from the Southern European Model have experienced in the last 10 years an upward trend in the unemployment rate, and two of the component countries (Greece and Spain) currently register the highest unemployment rates in the European Union. Given these issues in this paper I propose to analyse, through a model of panel data, the impact of educational attainment (by the rate of early school leaving and the graduation of a tertiary education), the investments made in education, the Gross Domestic Product and the total population on the unemployment rate in the Southern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, marine/maritime spatial planning (MSP) has matured from a concept to a practical approach in advancing sustainable development and management of marine space [1]. However, MSP still remains a relatively novel and complex process which involves various disciplines, procedures and engagement with multiple interests within differing governance arrangements and legal settings at different spatial scales in a dynamic system. MSP, therefore, requires marine planning practitioners and their institutions to be adequately equipped to address all of these and emerging challenges. Europe has invested in capacity building for MSP over the years with the adoption of the MSP Directive [ 2 ] being the main driver for implementation in some Member States alongside those where MSP had already been initiated. This paper provides an overview of experience, practical challenges, and lessons learnt from capacity building initiatives to do with education and training courses, establishing a national planning body, and cross-border projects, mainly from Europe. The paper broadly considers the skills, training and knowledge required for the MSP process. It stresses the importance of developing capacity at all levels, prioritising resources for capacity building and ensuring effective partnerships between the different actors and institutions. Finally, recommendations, potential next steps and priorities are suggested for furthering MSP capacity building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basis of the paper is the life story of Henrik (born 1968, basic education) recorded in January 1990. The story of a man, who in the 1980 attempted several times, unsuccessfully to emigrate from communist Czechoslovakia, is analysed here mainly with respect to his efforts to construct and negotiate a worthy social identity. The contradictions in the interpretation of his life story are also the distinct topic of Henrik's narrative. The paper shows how the anticommunist narrative framework, adopted by him from Western broadcasting, helped Henrik to rework his story from succession of failures in his intimate world into a succession of "endemic" failures of the authoritarian regime to deal with human beings. Then the paper compares the ways Henrik was treated by the Czechoslovak police and by foreign institutions for refugees and suggests that they both shared common standard expectations of a plausible emigrants' profile that excluded the possibility of the "lonely rebel career". The common features of sociological and institutional treatment of atypical life stories are also discussed. The author thinks that both approaches are sometimes jointed by underlying commonsensical understanding of social isolation as an indication of "otherness" and insanity". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of the Bologna process, traditional one-cycle degree programs have been re-arranged into two successive cycles (bachelor's and master's). In many European countries, this has created a new tertiary degree level below those previously offered. Focusing on Germany, this paper studies the consequences of this new form of differentiation for social inequality. First, we analyze social origin effects on the decision to continue higher education or to leave with a bachelor's degree for a recent post-Bologna cohort. We find that parents' education has a pronounced influence on the probability of their children's enrolment in the second cycle, comparable in size to the effect of parents' education on children's initial tertiary enrolment. Second, the observed gap in enrolment rates is largely the result of indirect influences, most importantly, type of institution. Third, we analyze changes in social origin effects on completion of a master's or traditional equivalent level program over time. Drawing on data from pre- and post-Bologna cohorts, we find that the share of graduates from low educated parents at the master's or equivalent traditional degree level decreases, when study courses adopt the two-cycle structure. Our findings stand in sharp contrast to an official goal of the Bologna Process, namely to support underrepresented groups in the framework of the so called ‘social dimension’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the case of education policy learning in Europe and argues that, contrary to dominant assumptions, education is a fruitful area for the analysis of Europeanising processes. More specifically, an examination of the case of the Scottish school inspectorate's European exchanges is useful in relation to the study of international policy communities, their formation and particular workings, as it signals a new level of 'political work' (Smith, 2009): that of exporting, internationalising and then importing afresh one's local/national knowledge, once it has successfully gone through the international 'test', and is therefore still relevant and future-proof (to the nation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) has consequences at all stages of life, requires high service provision and leads to high health and societal costs. However, ID is largely disregarded as a health issue by national and international organisations, as are training in ID and in the health aspects of ID at every level of the education system. Specific aim: This paper aims to (1) update the current information about availability of training and education in ID and related health issues in Europe with a particular focus in mental health; and (2) to identify opportunities arising from the initial process of educational harmonization in Europe to include ID contents in health sciences curricula and professional training. Method: We carried out a systematic search of scientific databases and websites, as well as policy and research reports from the European Commission, European Council and WHO. Furthermore, we contacted key international organisations related to health education and/or ID in Europe, as well as other regional institutions. Results: ID modules and contents are minimal in the revised health sciences curricula and publications on ID training in Europe are equally scarce. European countries report few undergraduate and graduate training modules in ID, even in key specialties such as paediatrics. Within the health sector, ID programmes focus mainly on psychiatry and psychology. Conclusion: The poor availability of ID training in health sciences is a matter of concern. However, the current European policy on training provides an opportunity to promote ID in the curricula of programmes at all levels. This strategy should address all professionals working in ID and it should increase the focus on ID relative to other developmental disorders at all stages of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents an overview of the history of Spanish as a Foreign Language, from its beginnings in the late fifteenth century to the twentieth century. It is the first survey of its kind published in English. It shows that we are well informed about the broad lines of development, but that much remains to be done in some areas, particularly in analysing the materials used to teach Spanish and their connection to the European pedagogical tradition. Much less is known about who the learners of Spanish were throughout Europe. It seems that the students of Spanish in Northern Europe, for example, had specific learning goals which were probably not the same as the learners of Spanish in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Swiss Journal of Sociology / Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studii de Ştiintă şi Cultură is the property of Studii de Stiinta si Cultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The last 20 years has seen many changes in medical education, with reforms taking place in undergraduate health-care studies with the application of the Bologna principles and also transfer of the same educational principles to postgraduate medical specialty training. It is the aim of this article to grossly sketch and contextualise these reforms in the rapidly evolving European Union, before defining harmonisation of the medical postgraduate training and the bodies involved in this process; thereafter, the authors try to present the potential consensus points that can make the process of harmonisation in anaesthesiology postgraduate training in Europe become a reality. Finally, a brief outline of the potential challenges concludes the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Co-operation and education are fundamental issues when dealing with national and international organizations involved in digital forensic investigations. Although these two aspects are often separately handled, they are strictly connected. On the one hand, different agencies can leverage on co-operation for the training of their investigators while, on the other hand, co-operation is possible only if an adequate level of education on digital forensic matters is reached. In this paper, the concrete outcome of a complete training program that involved several European antitrust agencies is reported (named EAT_FIT, European Antitrust Training in Forensic IT). We sum up the activities and the techniques that are generally used in antitrust investigations, and we outline the rationales used to set up such a training course. Assessment data collected both during and after the training highlight the needs and the difficulties faced by the digital forensic practitioners working in the field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Revista de Economía Aplicada is the property of Revista de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes a nonlinear distribution method based on dynamic targets for reducing the early school leaving (ESL) population. The aim of this proposal is to provide policymakers with a new view in terms of transferring the EU-wide headline target to national targets. This methodology was applied to the 2010-2020 EU education target at two territorial levels. Weighting was based on the ESL rate, for the total population, by sex, and unemployment rate (for those 15-24 years of age). In addition, the proposed method was applied to the Lisbon Agenda goal. The results found underlining the need for decentralised weighted decisions to be made at different territorial levels, and a view to converging toward the common aim throughout the geographical area over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that national culture influences management philosophy and practice. While examining existing literature, it becomes clear that, for decades, most contributions in this field have reflected the European and North American viewpoint. However, for anyone interested in a more balanced view, an insight into Eastern perspectives on such influences is necessary. Also a more systematic effort is needed to bridge the gap between cultures. This paper is meant to provide a brief introduction to cultural differences between the East and the West regarding leadership, as they are perceived from an Eastern perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Capacity building has been a much promoted principle of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) since its advent beginning in the 1970’s. Although the concept of capacity building includes human resource development, organizational development and institutional and legal framework development, in practice it has often become focussed on the transfer of technical knowledge and procedures to managers and decision makers. The effect of this is often to emphasise and promote sectoral approaches rather than a holistic one as advocated by ICZM. Experiences gained during the EU Intereg IIIB COREPOINT project led to the development of a training programme that progressively reduced its formal lecture-style content and increased opportunity for discussion and delegate participation. It also produced a more uniform and systematic style and structure to presentations, in particular the case studies illustrating the eight EU ICZM principles of best practice, and embedded the ICZM principles and European perspectives of coastal management within the context of the work environment. This paper reviews methods for practitioner-oriented capacity building, and details the evolution of a training course to sensitise and familiarise coastal practitioners with the principles and practices of ICZM, working from local to national to trans-national scales. The lessons learnt from the ICZM capacity development in COREPOINT are identified and it is suggested that these are relevant and applicable to many other ICZM initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Electrónica Interuniversitaria De Formación del Profesorado is the property of Asociacion Universitaria de Formacion del Profesorado (AUFOP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

At European level we have access to many EU recommendation and directives on European Knowledge Society, but despite of this we re still facing social exclusion, limited access to education, health services and high rates of unemployment, low social and political participation. This research analyzes the role of education in EU recommendations and directives concerning EKS and their impact and how educational exclusion affects diverse areas of society: employment, health, housing and political participation; and what kind of educational provision contributes to overcome it. This paper explores the main findings from the policy analysis, standardized open-ended interviews, and the communicative data analysis obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, in 2008 there were approximately 77 million citizens with a basic or less than basic level of education (ISCED 2). This is 28% of the population. We find 23% of the active population in the same conditions. In some European countries this percentage exceeds 50%. The problem is present in all countries, though in highly differentiated dimensions. Compared to countries capable of potentially guaranteeing everyone the chance to achieve and exceed the levels of minimum qualifications (EQF 1 and 2), there are others in which the provisions are decidedly inadequate with regard to managing the phenomenon. Even though the matter is often neglected, current experiences in Europe - and not just in the countries with good performance - are able to show that effective solutions exist and are already in practice. This is why the study presented in this paper is aiming at learning more about existing good practices, to achieve at least one higher level of qualification in their lifetime, in particular those with low or no qualifications. The study intended to achieve these results by looking at and investigating existing good practices: supporting improvement of basic skill levels of adults and raising the qualification levels of those who do not have the EQF level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progress of humanity, over time, was subject to technical discoveries. This puts humanity in the face of new challenges: the transition to information society / knowledge society. This time, however, the focus must fall primarily on quality rather than quantity. Leap which should make it in the third millennium will be one based on the strength of mind, spirit, and not brute force, physical. Terms of new paradigms and expectations of the moment can not be met by itself, the natural evolution of things, but requires focusing on increasing volumes of knowledge and on their uptake. A key role in enhancing knowledge is the educational system. From this perspective, the authors have proposed carrying out a quantitative analysis of the state of the Romanian education is in line with Europe. Another objective of this paper is to achieve a number of estimates relating multiple indicators characterizing education in Europe and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the globalization process of the mass-media information projected within individual consume and to analyze the educational vulnerability towards media messages in the European context of contemporary challenges. The constant evolution of information technology and communication has shaped the socio-cultural significations of the decisions taken in the educational area. Schools must benefit from advanced programs that promote mass-media competency, aiming to develop aptitudes and competencies, needed for critical analysis of the mass-media language and how education is perceived nowadays. The article is the result of an experimental questionnaire-based survey. The focus group is made up of students from The Department of Continuous Education and Open Distance Learning of West University Timisoara. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educacao & Sociedade is the property of Centro de Estudos de Educacao e Sociedade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Magis: Revista Internacional de Investigación en Educación is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the prevalent notion that that the production of knowledge, academic research and teaching can and ought to be audited and assessed in the same manner as the production of other goods and services. The emphasis on similarities between industry and the academy leads to a neglect of fundamental differences in their aims and, as a consequence, a tendency to evaluate scientific research in terms of patents and product development and colleges and universities in terms of the labour market. The article examines the idea of the free academy, on the one hand, and compares and contrasts it to the idea of free enterprise, on the other. It is argued that the view of the university as a supplier of specific solutions for pre-determined, non-scientific needs (a workforce with skills currently in demand, innovations for commercial partners, justifications for political decisions, etc) undermines the public legitimacy of university science and weakens the fabric of scientific training and practice. The article proposes that the university's main purpose must be to provide a recognized neutral, autonomous agency of rigorous, disinterested investigation and scientific education, which constitutes a necessary condition for an enlightened liberal democracy: an informed, capable and critical citizenry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social-institutional endorsement towards the perspective of recognising and enhancing learning acquired outside the formal education and training contexts (non-formal and informal learning), has been gaining strength and has entered policy agendas throughout Europe, but also in other major non-European countries. Nevertheless there are still several open issues on this topic both at an institutional and technical level. This paper does not intend to give answers or propose a theory. Instead, it will attempt to formulate some reflections and open work pathways on some basic aspects. • WHAT IS - or isn't - non-formal/informal learning? • FOR WHOM and with which tools are European countries dealing with the issue of the relationships between formal and non-formal/informal learning? • HOW, in operational practice, is the enhancement of non-formal/informal learning dealt with? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educação is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper reviews the accessibility laws and regulations in the United States and selected European countries to provide information on Web accessibility to rehabilitation educators. Readers can use this information to gain an understanding of what is being done to make websites accessible in order to better advocate for persons with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of 'Communist Affirmative Action' on inequality in access to secondary and post-secondary education in five former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe between 1948 and 1989.1 argue that earlier research failed to identify any periods of reduced inequality in former socialist countries because it employed inadequate definitions of both the dependent and independent variables. I correct these inaccuracies and I investigate data from the 'Social Stratification in Eastern Europe after 1989' survey. I am indeed able to document that inequality in access to education declined during the periods of the most extreme Communism in the early 1950s and, in some countries, also during the early 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Washington Accord was first signed in 1989 by US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. It applies to the accreditation of engineering education programs. Hong Kong signed in 1995, South Africa in 1995 and Japan in 2005. This paper is an account of the corresponding author's experience in the developments of the engineering education in Singapore (in the 1990's) and Malaysia (in the 2000's) who are provisional members to the Washington accord. It hopes to support the admission of Malaysia as a full member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy-makers in Europe and beyond are increasingly preoccupied with finding ways to foster lifelong learning. Recent work has drawn attention to the pedagogical benefits of apprenticeships which combine opportunities for learning in the workplace and in specialist educational institutions. This paper suggests that the combination of employment and attendance on part-time courses in higher education also has pedagogical and motivational strengths. Those looking for ways of widening participation have often been slow to recognise the strengths of the mixed approach. Furthermore there has been little analysis of its appeal to individuals who, for various reasons relating to social and economic change, are reluctant to participate in full-time courses. It follows from the arguments presented that more resources and effort should be invested in increasing the opportunities available to people across the socioeconomic spectrum to participate in both education and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning from others in education through study visits and direct observation has a long history. It has always been comforting to expect to avoid mistakes by taking advantage of others' experience. This expectation is even stronger today in our endeavours to create a European future. Yet these are not always successful. Education institutions are too complicated and closely interwoven with society to allow for an easy and clear understanding of their functioning. This paper looks critically at the character and the prospects of study visit programmes. It identifies the difficulties and the pitfalls of study visits and investigates the circumstances under which such visits can really contribute to successful policy-making and problem resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]