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The development of students' professional skills is an important issue in higher education in China. This research reports a 3-month study investigating engineering students' communication strategies (CSs) while they were interacting to do a 12-week mobile-assisted learning project, i.e., "Organizing and Attending a Model International Conference". This learning project was a major teaching module of the English course of Professional Applications, which used a blended teaching mode integrating face-to-face instruction and mobile learning. Sixty-seven students volunteered to participate in the study. The instruments included eight oral communication sessions, a questionnaire, stimulated recall interviews, the participants' WeChat exchanges, etc. Results showed that the participants used a variety of CSs when completing the academic learning project. Moreover, these CSs were closely related to the students' involvement in social interaction. Future research should focus on a longitudinal investigation of the amount of scaffolding that helps students transfer their communication strategies across tasks.

The research reported here was focussed on accessing the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding the critical factors which support highly effective learning in schools in the United Kingdom. Their perceptions were arranged into a taxonomy so that they can be used as a starting point for their reflections on the observations they make of teaching and learning in schools with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of their own teaching. The choice of technique used to access the perceptions was driven by the desire to provide the pre-service teachers with a method that they could use themselves to engage with the "voice" of their own pupils regarding the factors which support effective learning. The engagement of pupil voice has become increasingly significant in understanding effective pedagogy and in securing more personalised approaches to learning in United Kingdom school contexts.

Tutors' intentions when providing feedback may not be accurately perceived and acted on by students. In this study, 19 biological sciences students and six tutors were interviewed concerning the tutor's intentions when providing specific feedback and the students' perceptions and usage of that feedback. A phenomenological approach was used to analyse the interview data. Additionally, copies of the documented feedback were examined and the feedback style was classified. Student conceptions of the role of feedback included providing guidance, identifying what the tutor wants and giving meaning to the work to develop learning. Analysis of tutor feedback styles indicates that tutors were focussed on giving praise and correcting misunderstandings in the present assignment. Since developmental aspects of students' learning were rarely addressed in tutor feedback, these findings suggest some misalignment in feedback provision. Tutors need to provide more guidance to students regarding the use of feedback, possibly by introducing better scaffolding and variation into their feedback. (Contains 2 tables.)

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the possibilities and problems with engaging in effective communication about sustainability in higher education (SHE) institutions. Design/methodology/approach: Using a case study of a new (post-1992) university in the UK, the research investigated the ways in which sustainability issues were communicated with staff across the institution, and any barriers encountered. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group with selected staff led to the development of four key themes related to different aspects of the communication strategy, and it is these which are explored in this paper. Findings: This research suggests that there are some particular difficulties with regard to communicating messages about sustainability successfully. These relate to the lack of an agreed definition or shared understanding of sustainability, and also to potential individual differences in values and attitudes which may act as a perceptual filter of the message. Research limitations/implications: This is a small-scale project so findings should be treated with caution. However, the lack of previous research in this area gives this interest as an exploratory study. Practical implications: In the context of a large organisation, the research emphasizes the importance of alignment of institutional strategies, in order to provide a coherent view of what the organisation expects from employees. This needs to be supported by staff at the highest level, in order for it to have the maximum impact. Originality/value: This paper is the first to use a model of organisational communication to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of communication around SHE context.

This article argues that accessing and taking note of the voice of pupils is critical in working towards removing barriers to effective learning. Pupil voice was accessed using an innovative form of group interview incorporating an Ishikawa or fishbone tool and card sorting exercise. The data were collected from 132 pupils, from Years 7 to 9 (aged 11 to 14) in three UK secondary schools. The techniques proved to be successful ways to help pupils to articulate their views. There was an immediacy and authenticity in the process, which generated 13 "classroom conditions" that pupils felt were significant in securing effective learning. The 13 conditions potentially provide a grounded framework to engage teachers and student teachers in analysis, reflection and discussion regarding effective teaching skills and strategies. (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.)

This paper discusses a university-wide pilot designed to encourage academics to creatively explore learner-centred applications for digital audio. Participation in the pilot was diverse in terms of technical competence, confidence and contextual requirements and there was little prior experience of working with digital audio. Many innovative approaches were taken to using audio in a blended context including student-generated vox pops, audio feedback models, audio conversations and task-setting. A podcast was central to the pilot itself, providing a common space for the 25 participants, who were also supported by materials in several other formats. An analysis of podcast interviews involving pilot participants provided the data informing this case study. This paper concludes that audio has the potential to promote academic creativity in engaging students through media intervention. However, institutional scalability is dependent upon the availability of suitable timely support mechanisms that can address the lack of technical confidence evident in many staff. If that is in place, audio can be widely adopted by anyone seeking to add a new layer of presence and connectivity through the use of voice. (Contains 2 tables.)

A small pilot study was conducted to explore the self-concept of young people with a learning disability from a Jewish community in an inner city area. Four young people participated in the project. All attended a college dedicated to the further education of people with special needs from the Jewish community. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the participants. A low-technology augmentative communication strategy called Talking Mats was employed [ J. Murphy and L. Cameron (2002b) "Talking Mats and learning disability: a low-tech resource to help people to express their views and feelings." Scotland, University of Stirling] to cater for the participant's varying communication needs. The participant placed relevant symbols on a mat to capture views expressed during interview. Three key themes emerged from the data: "being young," "having a learning disability" and "being Jewish." The narratives associated with each theme were closely intertwined. Membership of the Jewish community was central to the concept of self. The research highlighted the importance of context and cultural belonging to the construction of identity. Use of "Talking Mats" during interview proved an accessible format, both for exploring the views of people with learning disabilities, and providing them with feedback about the research.

This qualitative exploratory paper investigates whether communications/public relations is regarded by opinion formers in UK education as a strategic business activity or a tactical marketing tool. It is based upon depth interviews with 16 senior managers with strategic roles in UK higher or further education, or Government bodies, conducted between June and September 2004. The findings seem to suggest that communications/PR is ideally seen by leaders as a strategic function, but that there are limitations to this vision becoming a reality. The research goes on to offer initial conclusions on some of the issues surrounding perception, resource, and implementation of strategic communications/PR in UK education, with implications for practitioners considered.

In common with universities in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, increasing numbers of Australian universities have established offshore education partnerships, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. More than one-third of international students currently enrolled in Australian university courses study at a campus in their home country or somewhere other than in Australia (IDP 2002). Such partnerships, also assumed under the rubric of "transnational education" and "franchising", add additional challenges, complexities and risks to the roles of international education managers and administrators. Using convergent interviews and case studies, this paper identifies and examines the critical success factors for the successful establishment and development of relationships between Australian universities and their international partners. Critical among these are the development of effective communication structures and frameworks, the building of mutual trust, and the encouragement and demonstration of commitment between relationship partners.

This article proposes the concept of digital heuristics to model and explain political communication strategies in the complex environment of hybrid media systems. Insights from recent psychological and political research on heuristic decision-making are combined with literature on the current structural context and features of online communication in order to make the case for a heuristics-oriented approach to political communication strategies. I argue that despite the growing importance of data analytics, in increasingly dynamic and uncertain communication environments, political actors mainly design their strategies according to simple rules (heuristics) that rely on selective information (as well as trial and error) rather than to complex models. Analyzing interviews with communication managers from major political parties in Germany and the United Kingdom, I identify and conceptualize two types of digital heuristics in use: hybridity-based and algorithm-based. The article concludes with considerations for a future research agenda using the concept of digital heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from part of an evaluation study of the Communication Aids Project (CAP), a government-funded project in England which provided communication aids to school-aged children. The paper focuses on parents' views of the CAP process and the impact of the aid. Fourteen parents were interviewed twice over the telephone: once before or just as their children received communication aids and again six to eight weeks later. Parents expressed satisfaction with the impact of the aid on their children's lives and showed they had realistic expectations concerning potential short- and long-term benefits. They raised two main concerns regarding the provision of aids, namely the timescale involved and access to accurate information and advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]