Conferences

Citation

(2011), "Conferences", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 1 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/heswbl.2011.50501aac.001

Conferences

Article Type: Conferences From: Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, Volume 1, Issue 1

Education in a Changing Environment Conference 2011, 6-8 July 2011, Creativity and Engagement in Higher Education, Mary Seacole Building, University of Salford

The University of Salford’s 6th Education in a Changing Environment Conference will explore and discuss international best practice in teaching and education research in higher education. Through themes of social media; learning, teaching and assessment; networking and partnerships, the conference will identify creative models for engagement in a shifting education landscape.

Under the third theme, we would particularly like to encourage people involved in organisational and work-related learning to present their work either by means of a full paper or by some form of presentation (see below). Within this theme, we hope to involve both academic colleagues and those with whom you are in partnership.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Alec Couros, Glynis Cousins and Norman Jackson

We would welcome your participation including:

Full papers – deadline for submission 24 January 2011

Abstracts – this can include workshops, presentation by pecha kucha, demonstration, posters or other types of presentation to be specified by the author – deadline for submission 14 February 2011

Further details available at: Conference Co-chair: Chris Procter, e-mail: c.t.procter@salford.ac.uk, web site: www.ece.salford.ac.uk

International Conference, Vocational, Professional and Work-based Learning, 23-26 June 2010, Intercollege, Larnaca, and Asgata Village

Overview report

There has been a growing interest in recent years in work-based learning (WBL), driven in part by economic imperatives in the UK and Western Europe. There are important discussions to be had about the nature of professional knowledge and practice, and its place within an educational discourse surrounding WBL. Tensions exist between universities, further or tertiary educational providers, governments and the workplace itself. These tensions surfaced at this conference, providing for lively debate and sometimes sharply outlined visions of an uncomfortable future for many of us working in the sector.

It was fortunate then that the setting was Cyprus, where the sunshine, delicious food and unsurpassed hospitality prevailed upon the delegates over the three days. We were hosted by Intercollege for the first two days, and then the community centre at Asgata village. Both settings provided a generous welcome to the delegates, with Intercollege also holding their graduation ceremony while we there, and Asgata village providing a Mayoral reception. I will remember my time at this conference for many years – as will my waistline. On a personal note, I was honoured to have the opportunity to spend time with Nikki Christodoulou, who presented a thoughtful and insightful paper about reflective practice as a form of appreciative enquiry in WBL. She is doing important work in Cyprus with future teachers. I also spent time with Marianna Papastephanou on a rickety bus journey towards Asgata. I still pinch myself when I recall discussing my research on Dewey with an Aristotelian philosopher! Kevin Flint was also a great inspiration, as he enlightened me on Dasein and Temporal Play in relation to WBL.

The four key note speakers were David Boud (Emeritus Professor UTS) and Dr Abdulla Al Karam (Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Government of Dubai), both of whom found a receptive audience through their speeches on Missing Dimensions of Learning in Education and A Brave New World of Learning. Carol costly outlines her vision for the future which was a challenge for all of us. Chris Winch’s paper on the virtues of learning was inspirational.

The choice of papers represented a rich, diverse and truly international set of discussions, reflecting four main themes:

WBL practices

Many of these papers focused around curriculum design, and best practice, ranging from changes to Human Resource policies in Cyprus, to new work-based provision within the environmental health sector and workforce education for forensic practitioners. A key conclusion within this theme was the role of partnerships and collaboration, with challenges highlighted around accreditation, qualifications frameworks and transferability for WBL initiatives.

Research about and within the workplace

This theme was the most diverse, and it was a pleasure to hear and discuss some of the research deriving from WBL. Augustine Okanlawon focused on research regarding cultural influences on learning styles. While, learning styles as a conception has undergone a great deal of scrutiny recently, this paper provided some insights into the impact of national culture on behaviour. Daniel Bishop’s comparative research about differences in learning between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large firms questions the “obsession” with formal accredited training. The impact of the Professional Doctoral programme was presented by Iacovos Psaltis from the European University, and a lively debate was promoted by Tracey White on the application of Communities of Practice within a work-based programme for organisational change.

Reflective practice and continuing professional development

For me, this theme presented the most challenge, both in listening to presentations which appeared to accept notions of reflective practice without question, and in discussions with well informed practitioners who are effecting change at a micro level. To reflect on and about professional and work-based practices is to engage in a political activity, and in this sense it is fraught with dangers for both teacher and learner when introduced as part of an accredited and professionally regulated course. Sabina Siebert and John Moxen provided some insight into this through their presentation of a Foucauldian perspective on reflection in WBL, and Niki Christodoulou raises important points about the need for collaboration, and active engagement of teachers in a community of practice based on trust, support and fruitful dialogue.

Professional knowledge

Finally, this theme, bravely interwoven throughout the conference in the form of challenging questions to presenters on the nature of knowledge by Kevin Flint, was perhaps the most challenging of all the themes as it brought the delegates into a fundamental exploration of knowledge, professional expertise, epistemology and projective judgement. Aristotle, Heidegger and Dewey were marshalled in a heady mix of German and Greek, leaving us reeling about notions of gnoseology, dasein, temporal play, boredom and routinised practices. I leave the final word to Marianna Papastephanou:

Beyond a narrow treatment of the pressures of production, performance, problem-solving and decision-making as well as beyond the space of distant study viewed as protected and sanitized, there always lies eukairia (good, appropriate time) for the learning that corresponds to the desire for various ways of knowing and to a reconciled theory and practice.

Work-Based Learning Futures 4, Work Based Learning: Policy into Practice?Jonathan GarnettDirector, Institute for Work Based Learning, Middlesex University

The Work-based Learning Futures conference series began in 2007 as a collaboration between the Institute for Work-based Learning at Middlesex University and the University of Derby Corporate. The aim of the series is to foster the development of a supportive and critical community of practitioners working at the leading edge of work based and employer engagement initiatives. Three well-received and nationally distributed collections of edited papers from the earlier conferences have been published (www.uvac.ac.uk).

The theme of Work-based Learning Futures 4 was the relationship between Policy (institutional, regional, UK national and international) and higher education level work-based learning (defined as learning through, at and for work). Policies were interrogated from a work-based learning perspective and with consideration to the flexibility and capacity of work-based learning in higher education to impact in the policy arenas.

Key policy areas included in the conference were:

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  Higher education funding council policy. Several papers illuminated the range of “Employer Engagement” initiatives within the UK. The capacity of work-based learning to enhance learning, teaching and assessment and the ability of work-based learning and the accreditation of prior experiential learning to widen access to higher education also featured strongly.

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  Economic and business growth national policy. Contributions focused on the potential of work-based learning to engage with the needs of business. This area showed the strength of the conference series approach as it gave authors the chance to share and refine their thinking over the years spanned by the conferences. It was also notable that participants were making full use of previous conference publications to construct and position new arguments. A leading example of this was looking at the impact and operation of work-based learning from an intellectual capital perspective.

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  EU lifelong learning policy. The key contribution here was to seek to locate university level work-based learning in the context of lifelong learning. There was an emerging international strand to the conference with keynote input from the Netherlands and papers from Mauritius and the Middlesex University application of work-based learning through international centres in Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong and Ireland.

A fourth volume of papers resulting from this conference will be published in November 2010 and selected papers will be considered for further development and publication in the UVAC journal. By popular demand from conference participants, there will be a Work-based Learning Futures 5 in 2011. To receive information of this conference, please e-mail: K.Hecker@mdx.ac.uk to request that you are placed on the advanced distribution list.