This study aims to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Blackboard E-learning management system used in distance education programs at Taibah University in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The study takes a descriptive approach, employing several survey tools to acquire data on various aspects of the e-learning experience from the point of view of…

How do open and distance learning institutions review and renew themselves to ensure their continued fitness for purpose? Here we report on the work of a change team in the UK Open University, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning created to examine, innovate and improve student support. The existence of the Centre for five years from…

This article discusses the implications of a framework to improve matching supply and demand in VET by a policy to improve quality by using anticipation and foresight approaches. Analysis of the Austrian anticipation system identified some basic aspects such as policy. The analysis focused on two issues: the observation and measurement of…

The demand for workers (employers, self-employed people and employees) having research training extends beyond the researcher workforce itself and is increasing. The research workforce is not uniform but segmented according to disciplines and the economic and sectoral contexts in which researchers work. The growth of cross-disciplinary and…

On June 5, 1989, the Council of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Economic Community passed a detailed and comprehensive Resolution on continuing vocational training in Europe. Some of the possible consequences of the resolution are the following: (1) the prospects for the implementation of the Resolution are highly…

Professional development for teachers will continue to be central to the continuing need to help schools deal more effectively with the problems of change. Three themes are emphasized--the individual teacher, the school, and the system. This publication, consisting of 24 papers, is intended to inform public debate on the issue which is critical to…

Reviews the development of European Union's early childhood social policy agenda over the last 15 years, examining what part of the agenda addresses early years issues and what problems the EU should focus on. Raises questions that require attention and makes a series of suggestions as to what a distinctive European approach for early year…

This report of a World Health Organization Expert Committee discusses the importance of ensuring healthy psychosocial development and the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in children and stresses the inadequacy of existing services in most countries. The first section reviews the current world situation in child mental health,…

The National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) was formed after a 1986 review of the system for certifying vocational qualifications in the United Kingdom and charged with the task of reforming the existing system. The following are among the NCVQ's major achievements to date: establishment of a framework of achievement levels to which…

Compares the rationale and regulatory requirements for daycare put forth by the Department of Health with those currently operating with the Department for Education and Employment for schools and nursery education in the United Kingdom. Suggests that these two policy frameworks are based on different assumptions about practice and lead to major…

Egypt's educational system has divided its attention among a series of humanistic, social, and economic goals. Recently, however, the increasingly rapid pace of technological change within the country has caused Egyptian educational policymakers to place greater emphasis on reforming and updating its technical education system. The approach to…

Prefaces this journal issue on policy-making in early childhood services. Reviews ideas about policy-making processes and policy agendas and what processes shape them, with particular reference to the relationship between research and policies on early childhood services, setting a context for the subsequent articles in the journal. (Author/AA)

This report reviews current standards for the provision of family and group day care services in Canada in 1976. The first chapters describe the scope of the study and the problems encountered in setting and comparing program standards. The main body of the report surveys program standards in each Canadian province. These reviews focus on specific…

A 1979 survey of career education programs in the secondary schools of New Zealand revealed a general need for improvement. Most of the 269 programs surveyed could be improved in a number of areas, particularly definition, coordination, and commitment. Some schools, for example, define career education as career advising, when in fact it should be…

A longitudinal study of teacher education in three New Zealand Colleges of Education (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) was conducted between the years 1989-1992 to examine: (1) the process of teacher education as it unfolded over time for those involved in it; (2) the experiences of a cohort of students preparing to become primary school…