We explored the relationships between social contexts and factors that promoted and inhibited curriculum change at two universities. Thirty interviews were analysed using a general inductive approach to identify factors and forces in three social contexts (lecturer, departmental, and institutional). Curriculum change was characterised by six…

This review essay examines three new books on higher education and sustainability. It explores a number of the issues raised in the books, in particular, the meaning of a transformative orientation towards sustainability. The idea of loose and tight conceptual framings of sustainability is employed. A tight framing is where an institution embodies…

This article is written in response to a recent report on a review of teacher education in Scotland undertaken by Graham Donaldson (2011). In particular it questions the recommendation that engaging teachers in professional enquiry and research-informed teaching is the way forward for developing the professional capabilities required of "21st…

This paper aims to validate a theoretical model for developing teacher collective learning by using a quasi-experimental design, and explores the management strategies that would provide a school administrator practical steps to effectively promote collective learning in the school organization. Twenty aided secondary schools in Hong Kong were…

So, what's happening "down under" in campus sustainability? Providing an international context, our authors use Australian examples to describe planning for campus greening, learning for sustainability (curriculum), institutional learning, and competency-based training initiatives.

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the teaching and assessment strategies for an organisation-centred curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a case study. Data were collected from interviews and a focus group with worker-learners enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Education (Educational Leadership) course. Findings: The…

There is hardly any doubt that the First World War interrupted most of the international educational relations that had reached their peak in the two decades before the outbreak of the war. In virtually all areas of education--the educational system, educational science, teaching and learning, child welfare, and the educational…

When university academics implement changes in learning, such as introducing blended learning, it is conventional practice to examine and evaluate the impact of the resulting curriculum reform. Judging the worth and impact of an educational development is a complex task involving subtle differences in learning. Qualitative methods to explore these…

Explains lean instructional systems design/development (ISD) as it relates to curriculum architecture design, based on Japan's lean production system. Discusses performance-based systems; ISD models; processes for organizational training and development; curriculum architecture to support job performance; and modular curriculum development. (LRW)

In discussing the influence of texts in everyday lives, the author draws attention to their pervasive character in development work and how lives are ruled by them. The example used is the organizational and institutional development processes involved in creating a social service training program in a community college. (JOW)

Examines what two school-based qualitative research projects on staff relationships and whole school curriculum development have discovered about (British) primary school leadership and development. Findings suggest the importance of a collaborative culture and facilitative leadership styles. Reflections on leadership complexity, instrumental and…

Inspired by observation of a teacher-designed management studies program at an Irish secondary school, this paper demonstrates that whole school improvement is possible only after staff have acquired proficiency in the disciplines required of learning organizations. Free of externally imposed syllabi, teachers were forced to rethink, relearn, and…

This paper, which is part of a larger comparative project, outlines a conceptual framework for studying large-scale education reform across political jurisdictions. A great deal of comparative work on education reform is now being done, but this work often lacks a clearly articulated conceptual frame. This paper, based on studies of change in five…

The detailed organization of an integrated medical sciences curriculum from its initial planning to the final state of "automatic" administration are described. Flexibility and scope for controlled change and experiment are retained in spite of some reduction in departmental autonomy. (Author/LBH)

A summary of the State Committee report on Finnish adult education outlines principles and guidelines on which planning for program development should be based. Nine topics include: objectives, concepts, policy aims, functional background, system evaluation, organizational development, pedagogic development, financial and social support, and…