Teaching assistants (TAs) are crucial to the work of schools and colleges across England. Their contributions are invaluable, particularly for those pupils most in need of additional support. The TA role is broad, changeable and context specific. Duties can include supporting pupils' readiness for learning, access to learning and recap of…

When yes/no or multiple-choice answers do not suffice--when a qualitative understanding of a topic rather than a quantitative head count is needed--it is time to consider focus groups. They work well when learning why, how, and what for is more important than measuring how many. Focus groups are primarily an open-ended form of inquiry, enabling…

This paper provides an account of how performance management is operating in a rural primary school in the county of Rutland, UK, which aspires to provide an outstanding standard of education for its pupils. The paper begins by outlining the existing regulations for the operation of performance management in schools, before going on to explain how…

Based on an analysis on the features and problems in the libraries of some newly-upgraded local undergraduate institutions, this article finally comes to a series of management countermeasures.

The Technical University of Denmark has tried to free resources in a stagnant or declining budget for development of new subject areas by planned contraction of ordinary activities, with only moderate success due to low mobility and strong specialization of the scientific staff. A more realistic planning system has been introduced, using…

Online education encompasses a variety of technologies, one of which is lecture capture--a long-standing practice at the University of Geneva. The faculty of arts has recorded most of its lectures on audiotapes since the 1970s, well before the World Wide Web existed. Modernization of the recording technologies, however, which until recently…

Trends in academic staffing in British higher education, especially in universities and polytechnics, are examined, along with major staffing issues facing employing authorities and academic staff in the short term. Implications for employee relations in a period of institutional change and resources constraint are considered. (MSE)

An overview is given of a study that examined the place of linguistics in undergraduate curricula in the United States and Canada, the nature and structure of the curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in linguistics, and the population served by the curriculum. The overview describes the project and its major activities (data collection and…

The emergence, development to the present, and future trends of teacher centers in Great Britain are examined. The effects of political decisions, educational expenditure, the Plowden Report, curriculum review, social crises, and other factors on the ways in which teacher centers were organized and have changed are discussed. Problems and possible…

The legislated merger of two Australian Colleges of Advanced Education, Armidale and Northern Rivers, and the University of New England is viewed from the perspective of a staff member. The legislation, expectations, and superficial and structural changes are examined, and implications for the country's higher education system are discussed. (MSE)

Since 1975 the allocation of the academic staff at the University of Leyden has been based on a limited range of tasks and means. An allocation model for technical and administrative staff is described. Some remarks covering aspects related to the structuring of models are provided. (Author/MLW)

Reasons for differences in academic standards in new and established South African universities are attributed to a fragmented educational system, disparities in student enrollment and staffing, and lack of a culture of learning. Areas requiring attention before quality assurance can be implemented are identified, and recommendations are made.…

A computerized system used in an Australian university school of education to allocate faculty teaching loads equitably and flexibly is described. It features reconciliation of workloads based on (1) course design and enrollment and (2) formulas relating to administration, research, and development responsibilities negotiated within the faculty.…

This report elaborates on nonnumerical summaries of quantitative data on practices applied to instructional materials by the staff members of 17 service agencies of the Education Department of Tasmania, Australia. The descriptions presented are based on interviews and observations made during a survey conducted between October 1987 and February…