The school environment offers a unique platform for health promotion work with children and young people. Increasingly multifaceted health problems among children and young people and their families require investments in multiprofessional collaboration in schools. The aim of this study was to investigate teaching staff's perceptions of the school…

This project is focused on the second element noted by the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) to streamline the national vocational education and training (VET) system so that it can better respond to the needs of industry -- faster development of qualifications. It looks at the vocational qualification development processes in different…

The investigation of targeted competencies and respective learning environments in two cases of piano teacher education aimed to identify themes for higher music education programme development. Application of the model of six instrumental/vocal music teacher roles resulted in the conceptual understanding of these roles in four permeable spheres…

This article reports the development and results of a project within the Comenius program to promote teachers' occupational well-being, in which Finnish, Irish, Italian, and German school communities participated between 2003 and 2006. The project made use of participatory action research, in which the occupational well-being of staff was…

The aim of this study was to identify social patterns in mobile technology mediated collaboration among distributed members of the professional distance education community. Ten participants worked for 12 weeks designing a master's programme in information sciences. The participants' mobile technology usage activity and interview data were first…

Focuses on the new role of a university library as a strategic partner within the university. Suggests the changes of the operating environment of universities will demand for new competences, tasks, modes of management and leadership, as well as organizational structure in libraries. Presents findings of the evaluation processes carried out in…

The author describes the Research and Training Center at Lahti (Finland): its general task, its goals, and its organization. The center's main projects are examined: open university studies, supplementary professional education, employment oriented training, extension projects, international cooperation, and research activities. Financing of the…

This paper contrasts two planned online university ventures, the Virtual University of Finland and the University of Australia Online. The meaning and operations of these institutions are considered with respect to the virtual teaching and research nexus, cost issues, and their capability to respond to quick changes in knowledge. The issue of…

The international vocational education research collaboration between the University of Jyvaskyla (UJ) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPISU), which began in 1993, was studied. Information for the case study was gathered from questionnaire and interview data from linkage participants from VPISU, seven UJ researchers, and…

This paper reviews the history and current status of services to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Finland. It notes the availability of free or almost free health services in Finland and the resulting very low infant mortality rate. The history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), termed "minimal brain…

Reflecting a common objective of ensuring quality Education for All, this book is a joint initiative of UNESCO and COL and jointly published. Lifelong Learning in Distance Higher Education brings together a diverse group of experts from many countries. The book provides a clear picture of the challenges, problems and potential of distance higher…