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Global Employability Skills are skills that students acquire during their study period, that are in addition to their academic knowledge and skills, and that would help in their careers. As students continue their university journeys, they often overlook or underestimate the importance of developing Global Employability Skills that employers may consider important for their jobs. In this paper, we present a mobile application, the GES App, designed to help students recognize, document, and articulate their skills to their prospective employees. The GES App is designed to stimulate university students to reflect upon their experiences and assess the skills they may develop outside of their formal university studies. This paper presents how such an app could support students plan their careers and develop their Global Employability Skills that would make them more attractive to their future employers. A use case scenario is described to illustrate the role the GES App could play, from the perspectives of students, staff, and employers. [For the full proceedings, see ED639391.]

This study aimed to reveal general landscape of research on teacher resilience, employing descriptive and bibliometric analyses. Descriptive analyses were performed utilizing Web of Science's internal system, while bibliometric analyses were executed through the VOSviewer program. Web of Science Core Collection was used as a data source. Citation analyses of publications, authors, and journals, as well as co-authorship, co-citation, and common word analyses were conducted. The research reveals a timeline of publications, indicating a notable surge in 2006, and a substantial increase in 2021. The countries with the highest number of publications on teacher resilience, in descending order, are the United States of America (USA), Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the People's Republic of China (PRC), according to the research findings. Authors such as Gu, C. Day, S. Beltman, C. Mansfield, and A. Price emerged from the citation analysis. Based on the results from the co-citation analysis, C. Day and Q. Gu were identified as the most frequently co-cited authors. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords highlighted key terms like resilience, teacher education, early career teachers, teacher candidates, professional learning, school leadership, and COVID-19. The findings were contextualized within the existing literature, leading to recommendations for future research. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 591-611.]

Legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 has ensured that considerable progress has been made in tackling discrimination in relation to the 8 protected characteristics that are defined in law. UK HEIs are well-versed in monitoring the diversity of their workforce and ensuring that recruitment is compliant with the legislation. However as HEIs become more diverse, we need to ensure that 'cultural differences' and 'misunderstandings', do not become barriers to genuine equality of opportunity for BAME staff. This small-scale research project explores these questions with BAME staff working in higher education in the UK. Implications for leaders and managers and Human Resources professionals are considered. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]

Predictive student models are increasingly used in learning environments due to their ability to enhance educational outcomes and support stakeholders in making informed decisions. However, predictive models can be biased and produce unfair outcomes, leading to potential discrimination against some students and possible harmful long-term implications. This has prompted research on fairness metrics meant to capture and quantify such biases. Nonetheless, so far, existing fairness metrics used in education are predictive performance-oriented, focusing on assessing biased outcomes across groups of students, without considering the behaviors of the models nor the severity of the biases in the outcomes. Therefore, we propose a novel metric, the Model Absolute Density Distance (MADD), to analyze models' discriminatory behaviors independently from their predictive performance. We also provide a complementary visualization-based analysis to enable fine-grained human assessment of how the models discriminate between groups of students. We evaluate our approach on the common task of predicting student success in online courses, using several common predictive classification models on an open educational dataset. We also compare our metric to the only predictive performance-oriented fairness metric developed in education, ABROCA. Results on this dataset show that: (1) fair predictive performance does not guarantee fair models' behaviors and thus fair outcomes; (2) there is no direct relationship between data bias and predictive performance bias nor discriminatory behaviors bias; and (3) trained on the same data, models exhibit different discriminatory behaviors, according to different sensitive features too. We thus recommend using the MADD on models that show satisfying predictive performance, to gain a finer-grained understanding on how they behave and regarding who and to refine models selection and their usage. Altogether, this work contributes to advancing the research on fair student models in education. Source code and data are in open access at https://github.com/melinaverger/MADD. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

This paper presents a six-week telecollaborative project carried out between B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for languages -- CEFR) level learners of English from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain, and B1 (CEFR) level students of Spanish as a foreign language from the University of Bath (UK). The aim of the project was to help Spanish-speaking students develop their Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). Students carried out asynchronous discussions focusing on two cultural topics in groups of four through the social network MeWe and participated in synchronous Zoom sessions in pairs. To conclude the project, students completed a collaborative task with their overseas partners. Qualitative data was gathered through the analysis of the transcripts of the Zoom sessions, the students' posts on MeWe, as well as a final project questionnaire. Results revealed that the students who engaged the most in the synchronous sessions and felt curiosity about their partners' culture were also the same ones who contributed the most to the cultural discussions on MeWe. At the end of the course all participants felt they had learnt something about their partners' culture. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

Game-based learning is gaining popularity in language education. For the present study, three games were developed with a central focus on intercultural interaction to be played internationally in dyads or small groups using Video-Communication (VC) tools or a Virtual World (VW). The interactions were carried out in Spanish as a Lingua Franca (LF) between 32 university students over a period of three weeks. Different sources of data were gathered in order to study how games, played in an intercultural setting in VWs and VC, influence or not key affective variables in language learning. Initial results of the final questionnaires show that the interaction games did boost students' engagement in virtual exchanges, but results were more promising for the VC than the VW condition. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

These proceedings contain the papers of the International Conference e-Learning 2016, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, 1-3 July, 2016. This conference is part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2016, 1-4 July. The e-Learning (EL) 2016 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. These proceedings contain keynote lecture, "Twenty-First Century Skills, Technology and Open Learning: Re-Designing Teaching for the Digital Age" (Tony Bates) [abstract only] and workshop, "Making Sustainable Online Learning a Reality Informed by the Community of Inquiry Framework" (Susi Peacock and Lindesay Irvine). Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) Determining Factors of Students' Perceived Usefulness of e-Learning in Higher Education (Aleksander Aristovnik, Damijana Keržic, Nina Tomaževic and Lan Umek); (2) EvalCOMIX®: A Web-Based Programme to Support Collaboration in Assessment (María Soledad Ibarra-Sáiz and Gregorio Rodríguez-Gómez); (3) A Holistic Approach to Scoring in Complex Mobile Learning Scenarios (Marcel Gebbe, Matthias Teine and Marc Beutner); (4) Content Development for 72,000 Learners: An Online Learning Environment for General Practitioners. A Case Study (Dirk Pilat); (5) First Stages of Adult Students' Relationship to Scientific Knowing and Research in the Open University's Web-Based Methodology Course (Leena Isosomppi and Minna Maunula); (6) A Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Social Networks in Educational Contexts (Azam Shokri and Georgios Dafoulas); (7) Care Management: On Line-Based Approaches to Nurse Education in Ultrasound Imaging (Elena Taina Avramescu, Mitrache Marius and Adrian Camen); (8) Can e-Learning Change Work Practices? (Signe Schack Noesgaard); (9) A Practice of Mobile Learning Bases on Cloud Computing (Heng Wu and Zhong Dong); (10) Guidelines for Conducting a Post-Graduate Module within a Blended Synchonous Learning Environment, Facilitator and Student Perspectives (Christopher Upfold); (11) IT Tools in Initial Teacher Training (Dorin Herlo); (12) Application of a Reference Framework for Integration of Web Resources in DOLTRN--Case Study of Physics--Topic: Waves (Fabinton Sotelo Gomez and Armando Ordóñez); (13) Creating Micro-Videos to Demonstrate Technology Learning (Mark Frydenberg and Diana Andone); (14) An Analysis of Students Enrolled to an Undergraduate University Course Offered Also Online (Nello Scarabottolo); (15) How Do We Know What is Happening Online: A Triangulated Approach to Data Analysis (Marina Charalampidi and Michael Hammond); (16) Analysis of 3D Modeling Software Usage Patterns for K-12 Students (Yi-Chieh Wu, Wen-Hung Liao, Ming-Te Chi and Tsai-Yen Li); and (17) A Distributed Intelligent e-Learning System (Terje Kristensen). Short papers in these proceedings include: (1) Using Cognitive Maps to Promote Self-Managed Learning in Online Communities of Inquiry (Susi Peacock and John Cowan); (2) Automation in Distance Learning: An Empirical Study of Unlearning and Academic Identity Change Linked to Automation of Student Messaging within Distance Learning (Hilary Collins, Hayley Glover, Fran Myers and Mor Watson); (3) Developing the 1st MOOC of University of Porto: Challenges and Strategies (Isabel Martins, Nuno Regadas and Margarida Amaral); (4) Informal Language Learning in Authentic Setting, Using Mobile Devices and SNS (Ruthi Aladjem and Bibiana Jou); (5) Enhancing Third-Year Medical Clerkships: Using Mobile Technology for Teaching and Learning (Janette R. Hill, Michelle A. Nuss, Ronald M. Cervero, Julie K. Gaines and Bruce Middendorf); (6) Statistical Measures of Integrity in Online Testing: Empirical Study (Tom Wielicki); (7) The Complexities of Digital Storytelling: Factors Affecting Performance, Production, and Project Completion (Peter Gobel and Makimi Kano); (8) Collegewide Promotion on e-Learning/Active Learning and Faculty Development (Nobuyuki Ogawa and Akira Shimizu); (9) Training Portuguese Teachers Using Blended Learning--A Different Approach (Bertil P. Marques and Paula Escudeiro); (10) Gamify and Recognize Prior Learning: How to Succeed in Educators' Further Professional Training with Open Badges (Esko Lius); (11) How Do K-12 Students' Manage Applications on Their Mobile Devices? (Ruthi Aladjem and Sharon Hardof); (12) Digital Storytelling for Inclusive Education: An Experience in Initial Teacher Training (Marco Lazzari); and (13) Learning Factory--Assembling Learning Content with a Framework (Peter Steininger). Reflection papers in these proceedings include: (1) Equalizing Educational Opportunities by ICT (Ana María Delgado García and Blanca Torrubia Chalmeta); (2) The Acceptability of MOOC Certificates in the Workplace (Christina Banks and Edward Meinert); (3) Orchestration of Social Modes in e-Learning (Armin Weinberger and Pantelis M. Papadopoulos); (4) Information Competencies and Their Implementation in the Educational Process of Polish Universities. Exploratory Studies (Anna Tonakiewicz-Kolosowska, Iwona Socik and Monika Gajewska); (5) Virtual & Real Face to Face Teaching (Romeo Teneqexhi and Loreta Kuneshka); and (6) Virtual Scaffolding--Constructivism in Online Learning (Lachlan MacKinnon and Liz Bacon). The following poster is included: Active Learning Methods in Programming for Non-IT Students (Olga Mironova, Irina Amitan, Jüri Vilipõld and Merike Saar). An author index is included. Individual papers contain references.

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year has been converted into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2021 received 358 submissions, from more than 40 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters and Workshops. 117 submissions (overall, 33% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. [This document contains the proceedings of the virtual International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021. The proceedings were published by inScience Press. For the 2020 proceedings, see ED604955.]

This work is part of an ongoing research project and literature review on the role of art in education and the interrelationships between art, creativity and online learning (focused on Business Education students from a university in Mexico). This research looks at the experiences of international students studying a business programme in the UK of the move to online teaching and learning that was suddenly imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first part shares the issues and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students studying in the UK based universities that were identified in a seminar organised by FLS and QC Media Team. The second part draws on a guest lecture delivered to Business Education students from a university in Mexico using online learning, which sought to ascertain their experiences and the support needed during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology used was a focus group with the students, using a set questions focused on their experience of engaging in online teaching and learning, compared to traditional classroom-based, face-to-face learning. The findings of the research confirm that the move to online teaching and learning has had both negative and positive impacts on the Mexico students, in relation to creativity, arts and painting practice. Tellingly, both groups of students -- from the first stage and second stages of the research -- said they wanted to go back to classroom based face-to-face teaching and learning. All of the students indicated that they wanted more support from their teachers and their institutions. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

UK universities are increasingly focusing on employability and internationalisation strategies, resulting in the promotion and integration of an optional or compulsory Professional Training Year (PTY) within degree programmes. The University of Surrey encourages students to undertake a PTY in the third year of undergraduate study, either in the UK or overseas. This is optional for most subjects but compulsory for language students, and corresponds to their Year Abroad (YA). As a consequence of the popularity of the PTY across all faculties and an emphasis on work experience, the vast majority of language students at Surrey choose to work abroad rather than study during their third year. In this chapter, I discuss some of the challenges and opportunities presented by work placements abroad and outline a range of strategies for embedding employability skills in YA preparation sessions and language modules. [For the complete volume, "Perspectives on the Year Abroad: A Selection of Papers from YAC2018," see ED603732.]

This chapter deals with the year spent abroad by language students and its impact on their employability skills, with a focus on students at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC), Durham University, who spend the third year of their four-year Bachelor of Arts programme abroad. The chapter reviews selected studies on Study Abroad (SA) and employability skills and considers the context for Durham University students. The results of a questionnaire completed by students about the activities undertaken during the Year Abroad (YA), the employability skills that they developed, and how they present these skills to employers are then described. The analysis of their responses reveals that the great majority of students find the YA useful for employability, during which time they develop a wide range of transferable skills. [For the complete volume, "Perspectives on the Year Abroad: A Selection of Papers from YAC2018," see ED603732.]

This is the book of abstracts for the conference held in 2017 entitled: ''METADISCOURSE ACROSS GENRES: MAPPING INTERACTION IN SPOKEN & WRITTEN DISCOURSES'', also known as MAG2017. The 1st International Conference on Metadiscourse Across Genres took place in METU Northern Cyprus Campus, Cyprus between 30 March-1 April 2017 with the participation of Prof. Ken Hyland, Prof. Anna Mauranen and Prof. Annelie Adel as keynote speakers. This international conference aimed to disseminate current research work on Metadiscourse and related areas in line with various qualitative and quantitative approaches with special focuses on Discourse Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Genre Analysis and eventually the first-of-its kind conference in the field of Metadiscourse has welcomed 110 participant and hosted 3 plenary talks and 94 research talks given by researchers from 40 countries from Japan, Mexico, Turkey to Botswana and United Kingdom. The book of abstracts includes the abstracts of the talks with various qualitative and quantitative approaches with special focuses on Discourse Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Genre Analysis. We would like to acknowledge that the event was co-organized by individual researchers: Dr. Erdem Akbas (Erciyes University), Assoc Prof. Ciler Hatipoglu (Middle East Technical University) and Prof. Yasemin Bayyurt (Bogazici University) with the initial suggestion coming from Reza Abdi (University of Mohaghegh Ardabili).

This study seeks to understand the changing academic identities of higher education teaching academics as they inhabit an increasingly digitized locus of teaching and learning. Using interviews and a selection of ethnographic approaches, (e.g. photographs as elicitation, workplace participant observation) this paper explores lecturers' narratives of change and fluid academic selves presented in discussion on the performance space of the online arena. Participants were recruited from two HEIs (UK and Middle East based) that were at different points on a digitization continuum, with varying interpretations of the importance of this medium to pedagogic design. The aim is to surface shared and differing experiences between digital as integrated in a curriculum or as complement to traditional teaching materials, with a particular focus upon adaptations to academic identity. The paper takes three initial areas for early exploration; building rapport on line, synthesizing what students need to know and standardization vs individualization. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

Tertiary teaching is going through transformations as a result of web affordances, open access, and online learning platforms, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Some academics are taking advantage of MOOCs by integrating them into their teaching practice. This study investigates why some UK lecturers are blending MOOCs into their Face-to-Face (F2F) lecture-based teaching, how they are using them, and what they have learnt from the experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six lecturers who had the experience of integrating MOOCs into their teaching. Data analysis shows that academics have a wide range of reasons for adopting this practice, with the most common reason being giving students a platform to engage in global communities and international conversations. Results generated both an understanding of why some academics are using MOOCs in their teaching practice, and a list of practical advice for MOOC-based blending novices. [For the complete volume, "Education 4.0 Revolution: Transformative Approaches to Language Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Campus Design," see ED607129.]

This document contains 43 papers from a conference on researching inclusion. The following are among the papers included: "Include Me Out: Critique and Contradiction in Thinking about Social Exclusion and Lifelong Learning" (Paul Armstrong); "The Linking of Work and Education To Enable Social Inclusion" (Dave Beck); "Including Citizenship in the Adult Curriculum" (Roseanne Benn); "Researching 'Inclusion': Reality and Rhetoric; It's All in the Curriculum Approach" (Darol Cavanagh); "Flexibility and Inclusion in Lifelong Learning: Working the Discourses in Further Education" (Julia Clarke, Richard Edwards); "Researching Inclusion: The Development of Adult Education for Women" (Janet Coles); "Peripheral Vision: Staff Development and Part-Time Tutors in Adult Education" (Derek Cox);"Valuing Exclusive Educational Provision for Disabled Adults" (Mark Dale); "Without and Within: Inclusion, Identity and Continuing Education in a New Wales" (Ian Davidson, Brec'hed Piette); "Adding Life to Your Years: Transformative Learning for Older People at the Irish Museum of Modern Art" (Ted Fleming); "The Network Society and Lifelong Learning--The Work of Manuel Castells and Theories of Adult Education" (Nick Frost); "An Inclusive MBA? Researching Curriculum Design and Delivery" (Roger Hall, Caroline Rowland); "Including the Excluding Image: Researching and Teaching Cultural Images of Adult Educators" (Ann Harris, Christine Jarvis); "Re-Visioning the Boundaries of Learning Theory in the Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)" (Judy Harris); "Reducing Exclusion--Introducing Choice: The Introduction of Distance Learning into Taught Courses" (Christine Hibbert); "Accountability, Audit and Exclusion in Further and Higher Education" (Phil Hodkinson, Martin Bloomer); "Voices from the Community: The Challenge of Creating a Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Inclusive Learning Environment" (Ann-Marie Houghton, Helen Ali); "Opening Pathways to Inclusion: The Importance of Non-Accredited Learning in the Lives of Students in the Local Authority Sector" (Ann Jackson, Belinda Whitwell); "Education in a Uniting Society?" (Nick Small); "'We're Not the Only Ones Learning Here'--An Investigation of Co-Tutoring and the Dynamics of Power within a Class of Adult Dyslexics" (Barbara Taylor); and "Including Mezirow's Concept of Perspective Transformation in the Study of Adult Education" (Miho Tokiwa-Fuse). Many papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

These 12 papers represent different perspectives concerning internationalization of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. The papers are: (1) "Internationalisation of Vocational Training in Europe" (Margrethe Vestager); (2) "International Employees Plead for Education and Assistance in Adjusting to Living in Foreign Cultures" (Jean R. McFarland); (3) "Globalisation and Internationalisation: Two Conflicting Discourses? Towards a Multilingual, Ethically Reflective Intercultural Competence" (Karen Risager); (4) "Trends in the Internationalisation of Qualifications" (Tim Oates); (5) "Internationalisation--What Are the Possibilities?" (Jorn Sogaard); (6) "Education and Training in Times of Globalization" (Michael Brater); (7) "The International Challenge for VET" (Kim Moller); (8) "Qualification Development of Internationally Active Skilled Workers--From Mobility of Labour to 'Virtual Mobility'" (Peter Wordelmann); (9) "Trainer Exchanges: A Staff Development Opportunity" (Marilyn Young); (10) "Internationalisation as a Challenge for Vocational Colleges in Europe" (Ronald Monch); (11) "The Internationalisation of VET: The Australian Experience" (Tony Crooks); and (12) "All of Us Must Have a Dream..." (Riccardo Petrella, interviewed by Norbert Wollschlaeger). Each paper contains references. (YLB)

While the debate on breakthrough technologies has focused on inept, dexterous, and socially transforming technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants and robot dexterity, in second/foreign language learning, particular emphasis is placed on AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). This study takes a closer look at the role of three newly developed AR applications in promoting a better understanding of complex concepts such as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), strategies in dealing with disruptive students, and an immigrant's perspective in moving to a foreign country with no knowledge of the language(s) spoken in that country. The AR applications were developed and implemented during intercultural exchanges among students enrolled in academic institutions in the UK and Cyprus. The aim was to develop AR applications that were geared toward the learning needs of future language teachers and examine what students could achieve through the use of these applications during goal-driven tasks and activities. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

This document contains 19 papers presented at a conference on educating adult educators at the University of Exeter, England in July 1998. The following are included: "Themes and Issues in Training the Adult Educator" (Rosesanne Benn); "Training Adult Educators in Poland" (Tadeusz Aleksander); "Educating Teacher Educators" (Nomi Arnom); "The Training of Adult Educators in Western Europe by Open and Distance Learning Methods" (Geoff Chivers, Nikki Chowdry); "The Formation of Prisoners' Own Educational Systems and Their Relationships to 'Outside' Adult Educators: Re-defining the Boundaries of a Discussion on Educating the Adult Educator" (Howard Davidson); "Encouraging Reflective Practice in Adult Educators Studying through Distance Education" (Darryl Dymock); "Training in and for Voluntary Organizations in the UK" (Konrad Elsdon); "Integrated Practice: Reflections on the Need for a New Concept in Our Education of Adult Educators" (Ellen Enggaard and Helle Marstal); "The Role of an Educator in Kyoudou Gakushu (Mutual Study in a Small Group): Educational Provision for Young Adults in Japan" (Yaguchi Etsuko, Fuse Miho); "Developing Teacher Educators for Working with Student Retrained as Teachers in a Mid-life Career Change" (Rivka Geron, Nomi Arnon); "NVQs in Higher Education Tutor Training: The Candidates' Experience" (Yvonne Hillier); "Mirror Images: Reflective Practice in the Training of Adult Educators" (Cheryl Hunt); "When Is Staff Development Not Staff Development? When It's Training" (Ann Jackson); "The Cultural Sources of Dilemmas in Adult Educators' Training in Contemporary Poland" (Witold Jakubowski); "Training Art Tutors in Adult Education" (David Jones); "Adult Educators for Voluntary Groups in the Polish Transformation Period" (Ewa Kurantowicz); "Training Adult Educators for Working with Adults in Croatia" (Ilija Lavrnja, Anita Klapan); "An Open Window for the Training of Adult Educators: Higher Education" (Nick Small); and "Recognising Prior Learning and Assessing Current Competency in the Training of Adult Educators--Does It Devalue the Learning Process?" (Tom Stehlik). Each paper contains references. (KC)

Along with the burgeoning expansion of online platforms for student learning in higher education have come complementary analytics tools to rate student engagement, learning, success and progression. As, in the UK, institutions embrace these tools as part of government-led attainment targets and awards (e.g. Teaching Excellence Framework), the 'quantitative rush' to measure and evaluate retention from the institutional perspective risks muffling the individual student voices that can be heard through qualitative approaches to their learning journeys. This is particularly relevant for introductory level students as they seek to navigate the unknown of their first year of higher education, and it is recognised that introductory students require the greatest levels of pastoral care to succeed. Enhancements to University CRM systems have created an opportunity for the preservation of narratives of withdrawal made by students as they engage with the university to defer, reduce or cancel their studies. This is particularly important in the distance learning sector, both because these dialogues have been less visible to the institution than through traditional campus support provision, and because part time students tend to have more complex lives. These narratives have permitted a criteria of authenticity and criticality to institutionally led discourses around withdrawal. They demonstrate the importance of considering the student experience, motivation and participation with the university, rather than the privileging of institutional frames of reference. Similarities and differences in perceptions around the meanings and values of their higher education experiences, and reasons for withdrawing have been developed thematically in this paper to better understand student motivation, and provide a useful triangulation to output from quantitative studies on retention. Key word findings from these introductory level students enrolled on Business and Law modules within a UK business school include the following: Dialogue on personal concerns, the time commitment to study successfully, and how stressors, both inside and outside of the study environment impact the student's ability to commit, or wish to commit to their courses. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

This publication presents seven papers as well as workshop summaries from a conference on managing quality assurance frameworks of further education and higher education validating bodies in the United Kingdom. Two opening papers reflect on managing quality assurance: "Key Issues" (Anne Stennett) and "Quality Fears at the FE/HE Interface" (John Bird). Three papers represent contributions from three quality regulating organizations--the Higher Education Quality Council, the Further Education Funding Council, and the Business and Technology Education Council--and describe their respective quality assurance frameworks. The papers are: "Managing Quality Assurance and Making it Work" (John Hilbourne); Current Developments in FE: Implications for Quality Assurance at the FE/HE Interface" (Terry Melia); and "Quality: Building it in and Checking it Out (Who Shares Wins)" (Chris Chapman). The third section offers two papers addressing the practical aspects of managing the quality assurance process: "Progression from FE to HE: Managing Quality Assurance Where the Baton is Exchanged" (Mike Abramson) and "Quality Assurance: Managing and Getting the Commitment" (Paul Gallagher and Peter Chambers). A final section summarizes three workshops on the topics of identifying the issues, managing quality assurance, and formulating recommendations for enhancing quality. (JB)

Higher education is increasingly recognised as being critical to social and economic prosperity. It is also a policy area where the Commonwealth could significantly increase its impact. This could be achieved without major cost, by working through activities already in place, and persuading member governments to make stronger use of these brands and mechanisms. This paper focuses on four key areas selected by the the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) Steering Committee: (1) Costs and access; (2) Links with employment; (3) Securing the next generation of academics; and (4) Student and staff mobility. These were chosen because of their importance, relevance to conference themes, and synergy with existing Commonwealth-related initiatives. In each case, the brief summary of issues is intended to stimulate debate on whether, and how, the Commonwealth could play a greater role. [This paper was prepared for the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) (19th, Bahamas, Jun 22-26, 2015).]

This study focuses on the undergraduate mathematics students' perceptions and applied techniques for the preparation for their final examination in Abstract Algebra. The results of this study suggest that the revision for the final examination involves, firstly, the review of the lecture notes, followed by the solution of the coursework together with the use of model solutions and the solution of the past papers. The order of the last two activities varies. An often-occurring revision technique involves, instead of a linear succession of the aforementioned activities, a 3-dimensional spiral approach towards revision, with the three activities interchanging until the students who apply it feel that they have achieved adequate object-level and metalevel learning.

The paper provides analytical insights into highly acute issues concerning preparation and adoption of Qualifications Frameworks being an adequate response to the growing interactions at the global labor market and flourishing of knowledge economy. Special attention is paid to the analyses of transnational Meta Qualifications Frameworks (A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and Towards a European Framework for Research Careers) and the UK National Qualifications Framework, separately for each of its constituent parts, as well as Russia. Doctoral Degree level is chosen as a core for the analytical overview as the authors believe that this qualification level deserves much attention and continuous improvement to provide highly qualified personnel for the sphere of science and education in the nearest future. Critical remarks on the real impacts of such Qualifications Frameworks policy from the international perspective are represented. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]

I became interested in inequality in education and academic achievement from my youth, after I attended the first year of my secondary school in a rural college. However, I was also privileged to attend an elite college from year 2 of my secondary schooling, having changed from the rural college to a city college in the 70s. I realized, from these experiences, the potentially huge impact of inequality in the education system in relation to quality and standards. It was from this experience that I came to fully appreciate why some parents choose to send their children to particular types of school to achieve good qualifications; and why others send their children to a public college. I also made a promise to myself that I must be a teacher with the hope of supporting student retention and achievement. The purpose of this paper was derived from my previous work on student retention, and to share my experience working in elite and public colleges in London; the inequality and difference observed in teaching on their higher education programmes. My main aim in carrying out this research was to compare the difference in retention strategies in relation to private and public colleges, for which I employed qualitative research methods, observing the difference in college practices. Interviews were also conducted with few parents to ascertain their reasons for choosing either public or private colleges for their children. The findings show that both the private college and the public college used for the study have good practices in education and in their retention strategies. However, the private college had higher retention and achievement rates compared to the public college. Bringing together my experiences of teaching in these colleges for a short period, and my previous research work on key retention strategies, I carried out this mini study to explore this particular aspect of inequality in education; and how can institutions work together to eliminate inequality in education. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]