This study aims to identify the literacy skills of individuals whose highest level of education was in the field 'teacher training and educational sciences'. The study sample comprised 10,618 individuals in the field of teacher training and educational sciences, selected from 31 countries (participating in the International Adult Skills Assessment…

A benefit of the increasing participation in online professional development courses is the ability for such courses to reach a wide variety of educators, despite geographic distance. Along with this benefit comes the challenge of ensuring that such courses can engage learners from diverse backgrounds. The current study investigates educators'…

Much research has been done on blended learning and the design of tasks most appropriate for online environments and computer-mediated communication. Increasingly, language teachers and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) practitioners recognise the different nature of communications in online settings and in face-to-face settings; teachers do not…

This case study investigates the implementation of a virtual learning environment designed for language teachers for an institution-wide language programme in a UK higher education institution. This development has taken place over a 3 year period and included a pilot virtual learning environment for 300, followed by a full implementation to more…

This paper discusses the operations of Focus Learning Support (FLS), an organisation that provides educational support for overseas students, in particularly, Nigerians who are desirous of pursuing academic courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom (UK). In highlighting the vital role that education plays in the national…

This paper investigates the relationship between quality of support services in online education and the level of satisfaction of e-learners with these services. Case study was employed to measure University of Surrey's virtual MBA students' satisfaction with course facilitator, personal tutor and help desk functions designed for online education.…

Delegates to the 1991 Aspects of Educational and Training Technology Conference responded to questions concerning pre-conference and conference arrangements, facilities, program, and content. Based on the analysis of the questionnaires, recommendations for future conferences concerning conference planning, pre-conference contacting, registration,…

Investigated were: (1) sex differences in the ability of 20 boys and 20 girls between 8 and 9 years of age to draw a plan of their house; and (2) variables related to such differences. Subjects were tested on four Piagetian tasks (verticality, horizontality, and two Euclidean space tasks), plan drawing, and vocabulary. After children completed the…

This paper discusses fee-based services in public libraries. The first section examines examples of charging for public library services in three countries: the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland; and New Zealand. The intention is to consider the circumstances in which charging was introduced, the public's response in terms of the effect on…

This study used data from the 1991-93 Carnegie International Survey of the Academic Profession to examine the perceptions of college faculty in regard to the emphasis on research over teaching in advanced-industrialized higher education systems, the compatibility of research and teaching, and job satisfaction. It focused on data from 8 countries…

This paper discusses the issues surrounding the establishment of a system of professional development and training for early childhood workers and practitioners in the United Kingdom. The paper focuses on what needs to be done to accomplish an effective and efficient program of continuing professional development of practitioners. The paper first…

This paper presents the background and then reports progress made in the development of two view-based searching systems--HIBROWSE for EMBASE, searching Europe's most important biomedical bibliographic database, and HIBROWSE for EPOQUE, improving access to the European Parliament's Online Query System. The HIBROWSE approach to searching promises…

The growth in the size of the Internet has resulted in much effort being spent on indexing its contents. The most popular solutions are created by automatic methods, and although offering impressive coverage, they are disappointing where precision of meaning is required. Alternative services created by human beings arrange and index resources…

This document contains three papers on key skills and competencies and human resource development (HRD). "Career Related Competencies" (Marinka A.C.T. Kuijpers) reports findings from surveys completed by Dutch employees who identified these issues: self-reflection is more important than career control; age and gender influence attitude…