Rabindranath Tagore (1861--1941) is primarily known worldwide as the first Asian poet to receive the Nobel Prize in literature, in 1913. He lived and died in colonial India as a British subject. However, any engagement with studies of Tagore would reveal that, despite his outstanding achievements in creative writing and music, he deserves to be…

This article approaches the question of how far critical pedagogy can be institutionalised through a series of historical and contemporary examples. Current debates concerned with the co-operative university are examined, as well as histories of independent working-class education and the free university movement. Throughout this history, critical…

As universities are swept by a near-global tide of capitalist restructuring, myriad forms of resistance are also on the rise. While struggles that grapple directly with universities are vital, different streams of activism aim beyond them, in the form of "prefigurative" politics--one that works to build a better world "in the shell…

In Flanders, action research as a means of enhancing quality in initial teacher training and in teaching practice is not as widespread as in some of the neighbouring countries. In this article the authors argue for trainees and qualified teachers setting up and conducting research in their teaching practice. Rather than perceiving this as an…

On the basis of insights provided by Whitehead and John Cobb, I show how the People's Free University of Saskatchewan (PFU) is a working model of free, open, community-based education that embodies several characteristics of Whitehead's philosophy of education. Formed in opposition to the growing commercialization at the original "people?s…

Goldsmiths College, founded in 1891 by a company for higher education and recreation for the "men and women of the industrial, working and artisan classes," has been denied full school status although owned by the University of London. Recent debate about the college's future has focused on maintenance of standards and its tradition of…

Reviews the background, development, and structure of the Open Tech Programme--a new British experiment in open learning--and compares it with the Open University with respect to their aims and methodologies. Funding and quality control are also discussed, and some advice is offered for other countries contemplating similar developments. (EAO)

The Netherlands' higher education context and the problems of systematic evaluation are examined. The Free University's application of an evaluation model, AMOS, (Analyse Model voor het Onderwijs in A Studierichtingen) at the levels of institution, department, and course is described. (Author/MSE)

This article is a descriptive overview of one aspect of the history of Quebec's Tele-universite (TU). This case is used to unveil the inter-organizational and political tensions which may accompany the somewhat difficult development of a distance education model. Teleuniversite was created in 1972 as an experimental project by the Universite du…