ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308580

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The globalization of the world's economy (and its labour market) reveals a growing need for graduate mobility. In this free global market, educational institutions are under increased pressure to show their intrinsic value, to define and guarantee their quality and to show continually their relevance to their communities and national governments (often the main financial stakeholder). Accreditation of degrees (and institutions) by a recognized international authority (or by an international network of recognized national authorities) is often quoted as the solution to address the needs of mobility and quality assurance. I believe that the process of accreditation is not the fundamental answer to these needs. Accreditation in education can be a stabilizing factor in a small-scale economical system, but it fails on a large (global) scale. The reason for this is that any accreditation scheme judges quality in an arbitrary way. The key to opening up free mobility of competencies and to leveraging quality education is to develop a system to measure objectively an individual's competence. A system that makes the abstract notion of 'competence' tangible to anyone, but that leaves the judgement open to the ones who need to judge…

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308599

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The last few years have seen intensive time invested in the discussions concerning quality assessment and quality improvement within the Polish university sector. There is limited experience of formalized quality assessment in the higher education sector in Poland, and several pilot projects have been running that represent a first step in establishing a general methodology, rules, procedures and, finally, system. In recent years the Warsaw University of Technology has been involved in some projects, mainly under the Tempus Programme. An essential element of quality assurance and quality assessment is that of benchmarking against international best practice; then our EU partners were visited. Data on existing quality management procedures and tools were collected and compiled, creating the background for future discussions and decisions. This year we started a new project(together with the Technical University of Lodz), devoted to quality issues - and precisely to the introduction of an internal quality education system in our universities. This paper outlines the previous results, but mainly the activities that will be carried out in the next two years to achieve the project's objective - establishment of a university quality assurance unit and introduction of a quality assurance system.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308607

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

There is an acknowledged problem with high non-completion rates of PhDs in the UK. Studies show that one of the major reasons for this is deficiencies in the supervision received. However, the unique and one-to-one nature of student/supervisor relationships makes it difficult to investigate the extent of these deficiencies. This article proposes a framework to evaluate the supervision requirements from the students' perspective. The supervision is divided into three elements: personal, indirect research-related and direct research-related help. The perceived short falls between expected and provided supervision for each element are then identified. A questionnaire survey is designed to act both as a test of the framework and to assess supervision requirements and their provision for PhD students in the construction management and engineering discipline in the UK. In addition, the student population is characterized and selected attributes; age, sex, industrial experience, full- or part-time status, nationality and funding sources, are compared with their supervision requirements. The results showed that the biggest discrepancy between expected and provided supervision was in direct research-related help. The framework is most valuable at individual level and for the framework to be effective communication is seen as being critical.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308616

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

This article is based on a survey carried out at Imperial College, to understand better needs, problems, advantages/disadvantages and solutions in the use of new technologies in a specific context, such as engineering education. In comparison with other research on this matter, perceptions, benefits and barriers to using computer-assisted learning and information and communication technologies in higher education, the present study reveals something more about the use of educational technologies in scientific subjects: many lecturers believe that technical subjects do appear to benefit greatly from the ability to teach using real-life computer simulations which help with student motivation and understanding. Moreover, the use of computers allows practical experiences and help in data analysis, and often work would be impossible without computers. Nevertheless, the survey results indicate that, although there are many advantages in the use of computers in teaching and learning, there are many difficulties for lecturers in using the new technologies because of logistical problems, such as lack of time, technical support, appropriate software and hardware, etc. There is a need to consider what support can be offered and how, on a national level.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308625

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Informatics is a first-year subject in the new Bachelor of Engineering/Graduate Diploma in Engineering Practice degree at the University of Technology, Sydney. All undergraduate engineering students must do this subject irrespective of their intended engineering discipline (civil, mechanical, environmental systems, electrical, telecommunications, computer systems). The focus of this subject is to introduce students to computational tools (such as spreadsheets and programming languages) and information retrieval tools (such as the World Wide Web), which support engineering, as well as looking at the effective and professional use of these tools. Informatics has three core elements: the development of specific skills which will assist students in both their studies and their professional practice; the development of an ability to continue to develop further skills independently; and consideration of a wide variety of issues related to the computational tools that the students are using. Examples of the issues covered include: privacy; accuracy of content; fraud; security; the professional and ethical responsibility of engineers for the results of their calculations; selecting the best tool for the job; and limitations of computational tools. This paper will review the activities and challenges the students faced, describe the approaches that we adopted and the various issues we raised, the expected and actual outcomes arising from the activities, and our plans for the future of the subject.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308634

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Students undertaking a final year elective subject in transportation planning at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, worked on a practical project for which there was an interested outside 'client'. From the students' perspective, this was essentially a 'simulated' consulting project which focused on transport planning issues faced by an inner metropolitan municipality in Melbourne. The overall experience, from everybody's perspective, proved to be so positive that the model for the project will be used in the course in future years. This paper has been written to inform engineering educators of how the project was implemented and to highlight some of the educational issues which this type of experience raised. Of particular interest to educators are issues associated with the functioning of some of the student groups and the opportunities provided by projects of this nature to establish strong links with industry.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308643

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

This paper presents the need for a systems and process perspective of logistics. By defining logistics in this way a template for a logistics education course is developed. The template addresses functional, process and supply chain needs and has been developed by a number of university partners with core skills in different traditional disciplines. The template is currently being prototyped with the principle of 'gestalt' - the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308652

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

A postgraduate training programme in the areas of student learning and supervision is presented. An experiential method of training is employed which involves laboratory and pilot plant supervisions in the Chemical Engineering Department of Imperial College. A series of workshops is used to facilitate discussion on teaching theory and practice, as well as on student counselling and communication issues. Log-book entries are used for the documentation of specific events arising from the supervision sessions, which provide a good basis for peer discussion, as well as an opportunity for self-reflection. A number of examples arising from the workshops are used to demonstrate the mutual benefits of the training programme to academic staff and students. In addition to training in teaching skills, the programme is shown to provide a mechanism for the quality control of demonstrators involved in undergraduate teaching, as well as a regular feedback mechanism to staff on the efficacy of the laboratory-based courses. Through teaching and a structured staff support scheme, the programme is believed to address some of the current concerns on the non-technical (soft) training, and on the further development of the broad science and engineering knowledge of UK postgraduate students.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308661

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The recognition and regulation of professional qualifications has sometimes been handled by state bureaucracies and sometimes by professionals themselves. However, professional services are now being provided within global operations and professionals are practising beyond the nation-state in which they were trained. There is a developing need for the international recognition of professional qualifications. It is becoming increasingly important that individuals, and the organizations which employ them, can feel confident that their qualifications are recognized and that professional licences are protected in international markets. This paper reviews the various approaches to the international recognition of professional qualifications and attempts an evaluation with respect to engineering, technology and the sciences. It continues with an examination of the challenges currently facing the international professional federations in these respects.

ISSN:0304-3797    

DOI:10.1080/030437900308670

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor