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8 décembre 2012

Tuning Sectoral Framework for Social Sciences

http://www.unideusto.org/tuningeu/images/stories/sectoral_framework_logo.jpgThe EQF is a common European reference framework which links countries' qualifications systems together, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. In this context, Tuning could bridge the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) and the Qualification Framework (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as well as bridging the subject area level and the general descriptors of both qualification frameworks. What is really required now are frameworks which offer descriptors and reference points at mediate level, more general than at subject area level and more precise than at the level of the EQF for LLL and the QF for the EHEA (the Dublin descriptors).
The project seeks to develop a credit based sectoral qualification framework for the sector/domain of the Social Sciences. The framework is intended to cover the levels 3 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The achievement of such a framework as an intermediate level between the subject area level and the general level of the EQF will facilitate the recognition of prior (formal, informal and non formal) learning by developing clear reference points. It will also contribute to the relationship of higher and general education and vocational education and training. A sector or domain is understood here as a combination of related fields of study which is based on more or less comparable learning profiles.
Description

The project will cover and will be based on the following two groups of subject areas. A first group for which learning outcomes/competences based descriptors and reference points have been developed in the framework of the Tuning and Thematic network projects: Business, European Studies, Education Sciences, Occupational Therapy and Social Work. A second group for which it is thought absolutely necessary to develop descriptors and reference points as being key fields in the Social Sciences domain: Law, Psychology and International Relations. The 40 institutions involved in the second group will be selected on the basis of an Open Call. Particular attention will be given to the relation between secondary general education on the one hand and vocational education and training and higher education on the other hand by identifying and comparing recognition procedures as well as standard pathways for admission to higher education programmes. The project builds on the results of the Erasmus, Tempus and Alfa TUNING projects, which have played a major role in promoting the learning outcomes/competence approach in higher education. The credit part of the framework will be based on ECTS taking into account the work that has been accomplished as part of the ECVET initiative.
Objectives

The main objective of the project is to develop a European credit based sectoral qualification framework covering the levels 3 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) on the basis of the outputs of the TUNING project, that is cycle level descriptors and reference points for a range of subject areas. The development of such a framework, covering secondary level and higher education at sectoral level will be a major step forward and will prove to be extremely useful for the recognition of prior learning (formal, non formal and informal). The intention is to develop also more clarity about credit ranges regarding the levels 3 to 5.
The most important objectives are the following:
    identification of (main) subject areas not covered by the Tuning project so far. Establishment of subject area based working groups for these fields. Initiating preparation of key features and cycle (level) descriptors for these subject areas;
    mapping of secondary general education and vocational education and training level from the perspective of the sector as well as for each subject area involved. Identification of communalities and differences at national level;
    identification of communalities and differences at sectoral as well as at subject area level at European level;
    preparation of cycle descriptors for the levels 3, 4 and possibly 5 at subject area as well as at sectoral level;
    identification of entrance and exit points as well as entrance levels at levels 3 and 4 and possibly 5 on the basis of different learning routes taken;
    identification of (ECTS) credit ranges for the levels 3 to 5 as well as exploration of the link to the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) initiative;
    identification of communalities and differences between the already prepared cycle (level) descriptors for the first, second, third level, i.e. the levels 6 to 8 of the EQF for LLL;
    preparation of sectoral cycle / level descriptors. These descriptors should be written in such a way that both the Dublin descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL are covered;
    identification of communalities between the different Tuning sectoral frameworks: sector by sector as well as all sectors concerned;
    identification of suggestions for fine tuning and bridging of the Bologna (Dublin) descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL.

8 décembre 2012

Tuning SQF Humanities and Arts

Final Report SQF HUMART The HUMART project is a break through initiative to identify common denominators in the academic sectors/domains of Humanities and the Arts. The project is implemented in the context of the Bologna Process, the creation of one European Qualifications Framework and the subject area reference points developed by Tuning. Furthermore the project seeks to create European wide transparency with regard to the relation between higher education and secondary and vocational education and training. This will allow for improved recognition of formal, informal and non formal learning against clear internationally established reference points.
At present the Higher Education sector is working with the two existing European Qualifications Frameworks.A Qualifications Framework is a common reference framework which links countries' qualifications systems, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. The Tuning HUMART project plans to bridge the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) and the Qualifications Framework (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) at the level of academic sectors/domains.
A sector or domain is understood here as a combination of related fields of study which is based on more or less comparable learning profiles. Point of departure in this exercise are the reference points at subject area level as developed in the Tuning projects. The HUMART project seeks to develop a credit based sectoral qualifications framework to cover the levels 3 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The work will build on a comparable project for the field of Social Sciences which has been completed in the year 2010.
Objectives
The main objective of the project is to find out whether it is possible to develop a credit points based ‘overarching’ SQF for the Humanities and the (Fine and Applied) Arts which covers the levels 3 to 8 of the EQF for LLL. The HUMART project will build on the outcomes of the successful project the Tuning SQF for Social Sciences.
The most important objectives are the following:
  •  
    • mapping of progression routes – on the basis of standardized questionnaire - regarding secondary general education and vocational education and training from the perspective of the sector as well as for each subject area involved. Identification of communalities and differences at national level; identification of entrance and exit points as well as entrance levels at levels 3 and 4 and possibly 5 on the basis of different learning routes taken;
    • establishment of subject area based working groups for Literary Studies, Linguistics, Theology and Art History which are requested to develop their own reference points and level descriptors for the levels 3 to 8;
    • preparation of subject area and sectoral level descriptors for the levels 3, 4 and 5 by the groups which already prepared the level 6 to 8 descriptors as part of the Tuning project, i.e. History, Architecture, Music, Dance and Theatre , Art and Design.
    • identification of communalities and differences at subject area level with regard to all nine subject areas and preparation of sectoral descriptors for the levels 3 to 8. These descriptors should be written in such a way that both the Dublin descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL are covered;
    • identification of (ECTS) credit ranges for the levels 3 to 5 as well as exploration of the link to the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) initiative;
    • identification of suggestions for fine tuning and bridging of the Bologna (Dublin) descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL;
    • testing of the provisional and final results during the running period of the project by admission offices at institutional level as well as (national) entities specialized in the recognition of prior learning.

Cooperation is foreseen with ENIC-NARIC which has completed two succeeding projects – CoRe I and CoRe II – supported by the European Commission to test the Tuning descriptors for recognition purposes and to advise on the language used for formulating sets of competences/learning outcomes. As a result a joint brochure is published in January 2011 entitled A Tuning Guide to formulating Degree Programme Profiles; Including Programme Competences and Programme Learning Outcomes.
HUMART outcomes

The outcomes of the SQF Humanities and Arts (HUMART) project are now available on the website. You are welcome to comment on the documents.

SQF HUMART Final Report 2010-2011
SQFs for the Creative and Performing Disciplines and the Humanities

Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Art History

Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Linguistics

Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Literary Studies

Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Theology and Religious Studies

ECTS and ECVET: Comparisons and Contrasts

EQF Level Descriptors Architecture

EQF Level Descriptors Art History

EQF Level Descriptors Visual and Performing Arts
EQF Level Descriptors History
EQF Level Descriptors Linguistics

EQF Level Descriptors Literary Studies

EQF Level Descriptors Music

EQF Level Descriptors Theology and Religious Studies
.
8 décembre 2012

EQF Level Descriptors Linguistics

Final Report SQF HUMARTHUMART outcomes
The outcomes of the SQF Humanities and Arts (HUMART) project are now available on the website. You are welcome to comment on the documents. Please direct any comments you might care to make in relation to this document to Ingrid van der Meer (y.van.der.meer@rug.nl). Download EQF Level Descriptors Linguistics.
Project Title: Sectoral Qualifications Framework for Humanities & Arts
GRADUATES IN LINGUISTICS AT LEVEL 4 ARE EXPECTED TO...
Knowledge

Demonstrate knowledge of the main categories for grammatical description and some basic grammatical processes.
Demonstrate broad knowledge of the influence of genres, contexts, audiences and purposes on language forms and their meanings.
Demonstrate broad understanding of the social and cultural role of language and discourse.
Skills
Carry out basic language description using appropriate descriptive terminology.
Describe and interpret in broad terms variation in and between different modes and genres of spoken and written texts.
Competence

Adjust their spoken and written language according to genres, contexts, audiences and purposes.
GRADUATES IN LINGUISTICS AT LEVEL 6 ARE EXPECTED TO...
Knowledge

Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the structure and use of language
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the role of language data in linguistic argumentation
Demonstrate knowledge of linguistic theories, principles, hypotheses and explanations
Demonstrate knowledge of linguistic methodologies and their relationship to linguistic theories
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the role of language in society
Demonstrate knowledge of the relatedness between linguistics and other disciplines
Demonstrate knowledge of the acquisition, production and comprehension of language.
Skills
Ask empirically motivated questions in relation to language
Analyse language data using appropriate linguistic techniques
Formulate linguistic generalizations on the basis of structured data
Collect, organise and interpret language data under guidance
Argue for or against a particular linguistic analysis on the basis of data sets.
Convey basic linguistic ideas to a non-specialist audience
Write and speak in the language of instruction
Engage in abstract thinking and carry out analysis and synthesis
Search for, process and analyse information from a variety of sources.
Competence

Demonstrate sensitivity to issues of register and language appropriacy.
Demonstrate a capacity to learn and stay up-to-date with learning
Demonstrate awareness of one’s own knowledge and skills
Demonstrate a capacity to reflect on one’s own performance
Demonstrate a capacity to reflect on one’s own problem solving skills.
GRADUATES IN LINGUISTICS AT LEVEL 7 ARE EXPECTED TO...
Knowledge

Demonstrate specialised knowledge within the areas of linguistics relevant to the program
Demonstrate theoretically grounded knowledge of the role of language data in linguistic argumentation
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of linguistic theories, principles, hypotheses and explanations
Demonstrate specialised knowledge of linguistic methodologies and their relationship to linguistic theories
Demonstrate specialised knowledge of the relatedness between linguistics and other disciplines.
Skills
Formulate theoretically grounded questions in relation to language
Formulate linguistic generalisations out of independently sourced data.
Select appropriate research methodologies
Collect and organise language data independently
Analyse and interpret complex language data within a relevant framework
Use appropriate linguistic techniques in handling data
Provide theoretically informed argumentation for or against a particular linguistic analysis on the basis of complex data sets.
Convey linguistic ideas to a non-specialist audience
Communicate in one or more major languages of the world
Write and speak according to the relevant register (formal, informal and specialist).
Competence

Demonstrate a capacity to generate new ideas
Demonstrate an ability to determine the nature of a problem and to reflect on the appropriate approach to its solution
Demonstrate an ability to be critical and self-critical
Demonstrate an ability to evaluate one’s own problem solving skills
Demonstrate an ability to work independently with abstract ideas
Demonstrate an ability to independently search for, process and analyse information from a variety of sources
GRADUATES IN LINGUISTICS AT LEVEL 8 ARE EXPECTED TO...
Knowledge

Demonstrate highly specialized knowledge as the basis for original thinking and research within linguistics.
Skills
Design and implement complex data collection procedures
Write and present for a targeted professional audience
Argue clearly and persuasively in a scholarly and/or professional environment
Communicate in a variety of modes at an expert level
Identify significant and topical research questions.
Competence

Demonstrate a capacity for original thinking in linguistics
Demonstrate a capacity to generate and recognise contributions to the field of linguistics
Recognise and respond to opportunities to promote linguistic ideas to a wider audience.
8 décembre 2012

The HUMART project

Final Report SQF HUMART SQF Humanities and Arts
The HUMART project is a break through initiative to identify common denominators in the academic sectors/domains of Humanities and the Arts. The project is implemented in the context of the Bologna Process, the creation of one European Qualifications Framework and the subject area reference points developed by Tuning. Furthermore the project seeks to create European wide transparency with regard to the relation between higher education and secondary and vocational education and training. This will allow for improved recognition of formal, informal and non formal learning against clear internationally established reference points.
At present the Higher Education sector is working with the two existing European Qualifications Frameworks.A Qualifications Framework is a common reference framework which links countries' qualifications systems, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. The Tuning HUMART project plans to bridge the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) and the Qualifications Framework (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) at the level of academic sectors/domains.
A sector or domain is understood here as a combination of related fields of study which is based on more or less comparable learning profiles. Point of departure in this exercise are the reference points at subject area level as developed in the Tuning projects. The HUMART project seeks to develop a credit based sectoral qualifications framework to cover the levels 3 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The work will build on a comparable project for the field of Social Sciences which has been completed in the year 2010.
HUMART outcomes
The outcomes of the SQF Humanities and Arts (HUMART) project are now available on the website. You are welcome to comment on the documents. Download SQF HUMART Final Report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The HUMART project is a break through initiative to identify common denominators in the academic sectors/domains of Humanities and the Arts. The project has been implemented in the context of the Bologna Process, the creation of a European Qualifications Framework and the subject area reference points developed by Tuning. Furthermore the project has sought to create European wide transparency with regard to the relation between higher education and secondary and vocational education and training. This should facilitate recognition of formal, informal and non- formal learning against clear internationally established reference points and descriptors. At present the Higher Education sector is working with the two existing European Qualifications Frameworks. A Qualifications Framework is a common reference framework which links countries' qualifications systems, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. The Tuning HUMART project has focused on the development of Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks for the Humanities and for the Performing and Creative Disciplines. These frameworks should help in the bridging of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) and the Qualifications Framework (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) at the level of academic sectors/domains.
A sector or domain is understood here as a combination of related fields of study which is based on more or less comparable learning profiles. The HUMART project has sought to develop a credit based Sectoral Qualifications Framework to cover the levels 4 to 8 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The work has built on a comparable project for the field of Social Sciences which was completed in the year 2010.
The objectives and outcomes of the SQF HUMART for Humanities and Arts have been established by using the strategy of reflection, debate and consultation in the form of working groups, a method which has proven to be successful in the Tuning I to IV projects (2000 - 2009). Close cooperation with and consultation of experts in the field of non-formal and informal learning at both national and international level were also applied. This cooperation and consultation has been of relevance in particular for mapping secondary formal, informal and non-formal level education.
The project was based on 9 subject area working groups reflecting a range of disciplines in the Humanities, that is History, Art History, Linguistics, Literary studies, Theology and Religious Studies and disciplines reflecting the Creative and Performing Disciplines, that is Art and Design, Dance and Theatre, Music and Architecture. The first four groups were asked to develop reference points/descriptors for their subject area. The other five groups had previously developed reference points/descriptors for their subject area based on the Dublin Descriptors and they were asked to convert them into EQF for LLL based ones. The major successful outcomes of the project are two Sectoral Frameworks and the nine subject-area based frameworks with descriptors based on the EQF for LLL. It is particularly underlined that the two SQFs use a methodology which is a development and improvement on the one that was used in the previous Tuning SQF for the Social Sciences. In addition to using the three EQF categories on the ‘horizontal’ plane, the SQFs vitally introduce a number of ‘dimensions’ in the vertical plane. This adds substantially to the readability of the frameworks. More information can be found on http://www.unideusto.org/tuningeu/ under SQF Humanities and Arts.
OUTCOME 5. SUGGESTIONS FOR FINE TUNING AND BRIDGING OF THE BOLOGNA (DUBLIN) DESCRIPTORS AND THE DESCRIPTORS OF THE EQF FOR LLL

The approach taken to the categorisation of Learning Outcomes by the QF EHEA in the Dublin Descriptors and by the EQF LLL in its descriptors of the eight levels of learning is not the same, although both relate closely to Bloom’s taxonomy. The Dublin Descriptors have been drawn up on a five categories of LOs namely:
a. Knowledge and Skills
b. Applying knowledge and understanding
c. Making judgments
d. Communication skills
e. Learning Skills.
The EQF descriptors are based on a tripartite division of learning outcomes each of which is closely defined as follows:
a. ‘Knowledge’ means the outcome of the assimilation of information through learning. Knowledge is the body of facts, principles, theories and practices that is related to a field of study or work. In the EQF, knowledge is described as theoretical and/or factual;
b. ‘Skills’ means the ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and solve problems. In the EQF, skills are described as cognitive (use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking) and practical (involving manual dexterity and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments);
c. ‘Competence’ means the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and/or personal development. In the EQF, competence is described in terms of responsibility and autonomy.
This difference of approach has inevitably led to serious questions being raised about the degree of compatibility between the two learning frameworks, since compatibility cannot be taken for granted. Several attempts have been made to assess the relationship between the two of which this HUMART project is the latest. Mention may be here of three such previous attempts, the published results of which are all readily available on the internet.
The first is the result of the BE-TWIN project, entitled ECVET-ECTS: Building Bridges and Overcoming Differences, published in July 2010. This has a very positive attitude to the compatibility of the two systems.
The second is the results of the DOCET project conducted as part of the Erasmus Mundus Programme, entitled EQF-CDIO: a reference model for engineering education, published in the autumn of 2010. Although generally positive in is approach to the question of the compatibility of the two learning framework, this second report raised some doubts about the strict degree of coincidence between EQF learning levels 5 to 8, on the one hand, and the four Bologna cycles, on the other hand.
The third project is that of Tuning which produced in October 2010 its report on Tuning SQF for the Social Sciences. This was, as previously discussed earlier in this report, the first attempt to produce a set of sectoral learning outcomes on the EQF model for all programmes in the Social Sciences offered in HEIs. A clear methodology and procedure was developed for producing this table of learning outcomes for each of levels 4 to 8. Even if some members of the project initially felt some doubt, in a few cases even serious doubt, as to the degree of coincidence between the EQF levels and the Bologna cycles, the outcome of this exercise was an undoubted success.
On the basis of the Tuning SQF for the Social Sciences, Tuning HUMART has taken a significant step further. Its approach in the construction of the sectoral tables has been to use a grid which can be read, with greater clarity, in both planes. The first of these two planes is the ‘horizontal’ plane represented by the three categories of the EQF framework. The second plane is based on the more ‘progressive’ approach of the Dublin Descriptors, and constitutes sectoral ‘dimensions’ which are displayed in the vertical plane. This means that the resultant tables are more easily readable in both planes. The differences between the two sectors has resulted in lists of these vertical dimensions which varied somewhat even if there is a great degree of overlap. For the Humanities, these categories for each of levels 4, 6, 7 and 8 are as follows:
• The Human Being
• Cultures and Societies
• Texts and Contexts
• Theories and Concepts
• Interdisciplinarity
• Communication
• Initiative and Creativity
• Professional Development
For the Creative and Performing Disciplines for each of levels 4, 6 7 and 8 these dimensions are as follows:
• Making Performing, Designing, Conceptualising, Creation (skills/knowledge)
• Re-thinking, Considering and interpreting the Human (competences)
• Experimenting, innovating and Researching (skills/knowledge)
• Theories histories and Cultures (knowledge)
• Technical, environmental and Contextual issues (skills/knowledge)
• Communication, Collaboration and Interdisciplinarity (skills/competence)
• Initiative & Enterprise (skills/competence). Download SQF HUMART Final Report.
8 décembre 2012

ECTS and ECVET, Comparisons and Contrasts

Final Report SQF HUMARTHUMART outcomes
The outcomes of the SQF Humanities and Arts (HUMART) project are now available on the website. You are welcome to comment on the documents. Download ECTS and ECVET: Comparisons and Contrasts.
1. Introduction

In 2010, TUNING published my article entitled, ‘ECTS and ECVET, Comparisons and Contrasts’. This article was an annex to the final report for sectoral project in the Social Sciences. It was produced, on request, as a background to the possible attribution of ECTS credit ranges to qualifications in this sector at EQF levels 3 and 4, that is at the two levels immediately preceding the most frequent entry point of learners into higher education. The attribution of such credit ranges was one of the six major intended outcomes of the project. Given the great uncertainty about ECVET still pertaining at the moment the project moved towards its conclusion and, principally, the uncertainty concerning the way in which ECVET credits would be allocated in practice, it was thought impossible to pursue in depth this intended outcome of the project. Such a judgment was effectively inevitable given that the long-promised Users Guide for ECVET, a guide, which, it was hoped, would furnish answers to all the questions and doubts about ECVET raised in my article, and by others, had not yet been published.
This uncertainty still prevailed when the last adjustments were made to the article in early September 2010. Obviously, this situation still obtained at the time that this HUMART sectoral framework project held its initial meeting shortly after in early October 2010. The potential for making proposals for possible ECTS credit ranges for EQF levels 3 and 4, on the basis of equivalent ECVET credits, for this sector, could only be seriously advanced, during the course of the project, if greater clarification about ECVET were forthcoming and if this demonstrated real compatibility, in practical and not just theoretical terms, between ECVET and ECTS credits.
4. Conclusion

At the conclusion of this brief survey of credit attribution in the BIF sector, it seems an inescapable fact that it is going to prove no easier to propose ECTS credit ranges for EQF levels 3 and 4 within the HUMART sector than it was for the Social Sciences sector which preceded this project. Unless, of course, further clarification and simplification about ECVET credit attribution over a wide range of VET sectors is forthcoming in the next few months.
This is a disturbing conclusion which might be driving the HEI and non-HEI sectors further apart rather than achieving the greatly-to-be-desired end of bringing them closer together. This is all the more true given the unavoidable further conclusion that quite a number of the other questions about the way in which ECVET will be constructed and operated in practice have not been given satisfactory answers in these two groups of documents.
Nevertheless, it remains possible that the breaking down of barriers between the two educational sectors may still succeed. At best, it would appear that the transfer of credit from further/continuing to higher education is likely to proceed purely on the basis of comparisons of statements of learning outcomes for units which are at equivalent levels/cycles of the EQF and of the QF EHEA. However and because learning outcomes are not of themselves easily measurable and translatable into numbers of credits, this will only be achievable where there is clear and strict pre-agreement between individual further/continuing educational institutions, on the one hand, and individual HEIs, on the other hand. This is something that has been in existence now for some considerable time and before the idea of ECVET was conceived, although very rarely on a cross-frontier basis.
One can only hope fervently that as ECVET evolves, this pessimistic conclusion may prove to be erroneous. Download ECTS and ECVET: Comparisons and Contrasts.
8 décembre 2012

Actes et discours de Vincent Berger

http://sciences.blogs.liberation.fr/test/images/logo_libe.pngPar Sylvestre Huet. Que penser du long discours de Vincent Berger lors des Assises de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la recherche? Un Vincent Berger qui préside l’Université Paris Diderot, et conduit la très grande opération de l’IDEX Sorbonne Paris Cité.
Ce discours a suscité des réactions très diverses. Les uns s’enthousiasmant pour sa forme, flamboyante. Et même pour ce qui se présente comme une critique en règle de la politique gouvernementale passée et donc, l’espoir d’une politique radicalement différente. Suite de l'article...
http://sciences.blogs.liberation.fr/test/images/logo_libe.png Με Sylvestre Huet. Τι γίνεται με την μακρά ομιλία σε ακροατήριο Vincent Berger Τριτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης και Έρευνας; Μια Vincent Berger πρόεδρο στο Πανεπιστήμιο Paris Diderot και οδήγησε τη συντριπτική λειτουργία της IDEX Sorbonne Παρίσι Cité. Περισσότερα...
7 décembre 2012

The Future of Higher Education

Kristen Domonell's blog. With Massive Open Online Courses gaining popularity, and even being considered for college credit, it's pretty clear that online learning is changing the game. But will bricks be replaced with clicks? This infographic explores what higher ed may be like by the year 2020.
The Future of Higher Education
7 décembre 2012

Foreign languages: the 10 easiest to learn

http://bathknightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/telegraph-logo.jpgBy Anne Merritt. The English language is closely related to many Germanic and Romance dialects, so when it comes to language study English speakers aren’t starting from scratch. Anne Merritt lists the 10 easiest to pick up.
We English speakers have a bad reputation in the world of language. According to a European Commission survey in 2012, 61 per cent of British respondents could not speak a second language. However, with growing foreign economies and more global communication than ever before, languages are becoming a crucial skill for professionals.
Ten easiest languages for native English speakers to learn.
The English language is closely related to many Germanic and Romance dialects, so when it comes to language study English speakers aren’t starting from scratch. Anne Merritt lists the 10 easiest to pick up.
Afrikaans
Like English, Afrikaans is in the West Germanic language family. Unlike English, its structure won’t make your head spin. A great feature of Afrikaans, especially for grammar-phobes, is its logical and non-inflective structure. Unlike English, there is no verb conjugation (swim, swam, swum). Unlike Romance languages, there is no gender (un homme, une femme in French)...
French

We can thank William the Conqueror for excellent, colour, identity, and about 8000 other French-derived English words left over from the Norman occupation. Linguists estimate that French has influenced up to a third of the modern English language, from the language of the courts in the 11th century to modern terms like je ne sais quoi, après-ski, and bourgeois...
Spanish
For language learners, a great feature of Spanish is its shallow orthographic depth – that is, in most cases, words are written as pronounced. This means that reading and writing in Spanish is a straightforward task...
Dutch
Another West Germanic cousin of the English language, Dutch is both structurally and syntactically familiar for English speakers. In terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, it parallels English in many ways, such as groen (green) or de oude man (the old man)...
Norwegian
This North Germanic language has consistent pronunciation and, for English speakers, some pretty breezy grammar. Norwegian and English have very similar syntax and word order. Verbs are an especially simple feature, with no conjugation according to number or person. The rules of conjugation are particularly straightforward, with a simple –e suffix for past tense, and –s for passive verbs...
Portuguese
Portuguese is grammatically similar to other Romance languages. One attractively simple feature is its interrogative form, which is expressed by intonation alone, not through rearranging phrases. We’re leaving now can become a question just by raising one’s voice at the end (“We’re leaving now?”) which is a natural linguistic habit of English speakers anyway. In Brazilian Portuguese, questions can also be posed through one catchall question tag: não é?
Swedish
Another Germanic language, Swedish shares many cognate words with English, such as konferens (conference), midnatt (midnight), and telefon (telephone). The syntax is also familiar to English speakers, with a Subject-Verb-Object structure, and verb conjugations which follow the same patterns and rules as in English grammar...
Italian
The most romantic of Romance language, Italian has a Latin-rooted vocabulary which allows for many Italian/English cognates, including foresta (forest), calendario (calendar), and ambizioso (ambitious)...
Esperanto
Esperanto advocate Leo Tolstoy claimed to have learned it in four hours. Most linguists class it among the easiest languages to learn, especially for Indo-European language speakers...
Frisian
This language is native to Friesland in the Netherlands, and is spoken by fewer than half a million people. Still, it is English’s closest sibling, uniquely connected in the tiny linguistic category of North Sea Germanic languages. The two parted ways, so to speak, when Old English and Old Frisian started evolving independently around the 8th century... Read more...

7 décembre 2012

Could online courses be the death of the humanities?

The Guardian homeHumanities are at risk, less from the free education market than the free market strategies in education, says Aurélien Mondon.
Let's be clear, access to quality lectures for free is a fantastic achievement, allowing hundreds of thousands to access knowledge for its own sake. But with Tedx, Coursera and others like them taking part in the democratisation of education by removing it from the shackles of consumerism and the market, there is a risk that such developments will be detrimental to the exploration of knowledge in the long term. Carole Cadwalladr recently reported in the Observer that free online access to tertiary courses and lectures was set to revolutionise education. She imagined a United Kingdom where "the 'second-tier' universities … could struggle in the brave new free education market world". What her piece ignored is that these universities are already struggling, not because of the "free education market", but because of the hegemony of free market strategies in education. This is particularly striking in the humanities, an area of study to which only one paragraph was dedicated, but that could be the greatest loser in this recent transformation of the education landscape.
A world where online learning is generalised and ends up replacing other education delivery modes could seriously impact the original purpose of a university. Most of the examples cited by Cadwalladr are from what is often termed the 'hard sciences'. Even in these disciplines, a problem lies in what seems to me the central element of higher education learning: the development of critical abilities and the potential for students to express their own original analytical skills. Assessment marked automatically, where only one answer is correct, does not leave space for human imagination and, by extension, progress. But critical skills are also (or should be) central to assessment in the humanities, from good essay writing to more developed research. Read more...
7 décembre 2012

EdMedia 2013 - World Conference on Educational Media and Technology

EdMedia 2013 - World Conference on Educational Media and Technology. Victoria, BC, Canada - June 24-28, 2013.
The EdMedia World Conference on Educational Media and Technology is an international conference, organized by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). This annual conference serves as a multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion and exchange of information on the research, development, and applications on all topics related to multimedia, hypermedia and telecommunications/distance education.
Proposal Submission Guide & Form

EdMedia--World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications is an international conference, organized by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). This annual conference serves as a multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion and exchange of information on the research, development, and applications on all topics related to multimedia, hypermedia and telecommunications/distance education. EdMedia, the premiere international conference in the field, spans all disciplines and levels of education and annually attracts more than 1,500 leaders in the field from over 70 countries. For a list, see: Countries @ EdMedia. We invite you to attend EdMedia and submit proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, tutorials, workshops, posters/demonstrations, corporate showcases/demos, and SIG discussions. The Conference Review Policy requires that each proposal will be peer-reviewed by for inclusion in the conference program, proceedings book, and online proceedings available on EdITLib - Education and Information Technology Digital Library.
Topics
The scope of the conference includes, but is not limited to, the following major topics as they relate to the educational and developmental aspects of multimedia/hypermedia and telecommunications. Sub-topics listed here.
  1. Infrastructure
  2. Tools & Content-Oriented Applications
  3. New Roles of the Instructor & Learner
  4. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI/CHI)
  5. Cases & Projects
  6. Universal Web Accessibility
  7. Indigenous Peoples & Technology.
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