Search results

This book chapter takes an institutional perspective on competing logics in global markets concerned with sustainability values and how market actors in the form of buyers and sellers attempt to solve these conflicting situations. We do this by identifying competing institutional logics in global market contexts aiming for sustainability values, together with techniques for navigating these competing institutional logics in the organizational field studied. As an empirical illustration, we use a case study of buyers and sellers in two different markets where sustainability has come into focus for their market relationships. This viewpoint allows us to better understand how global market actors deal with the competing institutional logics in their market context. We make three contributions with this research: firstly, we identify the institutional logics in global markets towards sustainability; secondly, we demonstrate how global market actors prioritize among the competing logics and their market relationships and thirdly, we outline what this means for the relationship between buyers and sellers in global markets towards sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to share reflections of the three authors on the process of instructional design and implementation of blended learning for teachers ' professional development (PD) in rural western Kenya. It proposes reforms in provision of teachers ' professional development to enable professional development providers to access specialized skills in instructional design (ID) and blended learning.

The paper resulted from a design-based research including 12 entry and 12 exit interviews, observations of three face-to-face meetings of blended learning sessions and ten classroom observations of teachers implementing new teaching approaches learned through blended learning.

The paper provides insights into the authors ' experiences in this research. They shared the following reflections: engagement in ID empowered them and they are confident that they can engage in systematic instructional design on a larger scale; they gained technical knowledge and skills in authoring content in HTML on eXe open source platform; uploading the content and processing audio and video content was equally enthralling to them.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to consider incorporating the design-based research, instructional design and blended learning approaches used in this study while conducting related research in their dissimilar contexts.

The paper includes implications for the design, development and implementation of teachers ' professional development for challenging contexts as a contribution towards achievement of both Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All (EFA).

This paper fulfils an identified need to study provision of professional development for teachers who lack opportunities for professional development.

Purpose – In this chapter, I present a systematic discussion of the relationship between social work (SW) and library and information science (LIS) and explore how SW can contribute to the education of LIS practitioners so that they become more than information facilitators and grow professionally to be true agents of change.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Using engagement with immigrant communities as a case in point and building on the empirical comparative study of public librarians in the Greater Toronto Area and New York City, I outline the current gaps and deficiencies of LIS curricula that can be rectified through blended education. I also integrate the potential contributions of SW into LIS through the case study of an immigrant member of a library community.

Findings – Building on the case study, I introduce a four-tiered model that can be applied to a wide array of courses in LIS programs and conclude with suggestions for taking steps toward blending SW perspectives into the LIS curriculum.

Originality/Value – I position the potential fusion of SW and LIS as “professional blendedness,” which serves as a catalyst for change, and also examine the concept of the blended professional as a change agent. I introduce the rationale for adopting theoretical, practical, and pedagogical approaches from SW in the field of LIS and focus on four specific contributions that can most benefit LIS:

• the person-in-environment approach;

• the strengths perspective and empowerment;

• the interrelated notions of cultural competence, diversity, and intersectionality; and

• the theory-mindedness approach (including theory and practice models).

the person-in-environment approach;

the strengths perspective and empowerment;

the interrelated notions of cultural competence, diversity, and intersectionality; and

the theory-mindedness approach (including theory and practice models).

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a case study from a project funded by the Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE) on the use of a blended learning delivery approach in property education. “Blended learning” is a combination of multiple teaching styles and delivery methods which aim to complement each other and work to support and enhance student learning. This paper aims to examine the use of a blended learning approach to teach economics to property and construction students with the aim of improving students’ engagement and employability. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the development and evaluation of a Property and Construction Economics module. A case study approach was used. An end‐of‐year evaluation of the module was conducted which aimed to obtain students’ feedback on the new delivery approach. An evaluation questionnaire was emailed to 164 students who enrolled on this module at the end of the academic year. A total of 82 completed questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 50 per cent. An analysis of questionnaire responses and written comments is presented. Findings – The students found that the overall structure of the module, including the lecture, workshops, seminars and the use of the Virtual Learning Environment was integrated well and it enhanced their overall learning experience. The students found the module structure was practical and had a good balance of theory and practice and the use of an issues‐based approach made economic concepts easier to understand. Several suggested changes were also made, focusing on greater use of technology during the module delivery and making it more “blended”. It was suggested a more interactive delivery style should be adopted, which would provide more support to students for learning and developing professional skills. An online discussion platform should be developed to facilitate students’ peer support. Originality/value – This paper is the first study to report both lessons learnt in the development of a blended learning delivery method together with students’ interaction with the blended learning environment in property‐related courses in the UK. The paper therefore constitutes the “best available evidence” on these questions and its significance lies in this contribution to knowledge. Property‐related course providers can use the experience of this case study to inform the design of blended learning in their programme in order to improve students’ learning experience and engagement.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional format which emphasizes collaborative and contextual learning and hence has favored face-to-face course design. However, with the plentitude of online tools which technology offers nowadays, PBL courses can also be effectively offered to students who cannot physically be present at the campus. The change process from offline to hybrid, blended, or online PBL courses need to be carefully managed and the right combination of technology and learning activities selected from the ever increasing available set. Hybrid, blended, or online courses differ in the amount of integration between offline and online activities. A mixed-method design was used to elaborate on how the different (hybrid, blended, or online) PBL courses can be effectively build and taught to create learner engagement. Twelve people (change agent, instructor, and participants) were interviewed and 82 students filled out a course evaluation form. The data was used to describe how a hybrid, blended, or online course was created and how the instructor and students perceived it. Instructional and change management implications for implementation are presented. Instructional implications deal with the needs of the learner, the role of the instructor, and the importance of sound technology integration in the course. Change management implication highlights the need to foster intra-institutional collaboration.

This paper aims to report the detailed findings of a Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE) funded study into good practice in the use of blended learning in property education. “Blended learning” is a combination of face‐to‐face learning experiences and online learning experiences which aim to complement each other in order to support and enhance student learning. The aim of this paper is to examine the benefits that blended learning provides to students' learning experience and engagement in property education. It also seeks to discuss lessons learnt from academics who deliver Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) accredited property‐related courses, in developing blended learning and students' interaction with the blended learning environment.

This paper presents the research findings from interviews and questionnaire surveys of RICS and CIOB accredited property‐related course providers and the students who currently study these courses. Eight course directors of property‐related courses were interviewed and through discussion with the academic interviewees a questionnaire was developed and sent to all RICS and CIOB undergraduate and postgraduate course directors in the UK. The eight interviewed course directors were requested to send out a questionnaire to their students, and 442 completed students' questionnaires were returned. Further telephone interviews with seven students were conducted. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify similar themes. The frequency of the answer in the questionnaire and comments from interviewees is presented.

Both academics and students find that blended learning gives greater flexibility for student learning in terms of learning style and study pace. With the adoption of a wide range of delivery methods, blended learning can successfully improve students' experience and enhance their engagement. It is also important to ensure that blended learning is really “blended” and includes a good mix of delivery methods. “Face‐to‐face interaction” with students is important as students require reassurance and on‐going support from lecturers. Providing training for students to use specialist software in order to equip them to fully utilise blended learning is also essential. Finally, allocation of sufficient time and resources for the development and maintenance of blended learning programmes is also key to its success.

This paper is the first to investigate the lessons learnt from academics in developing blended learning and also students' interaction with the blended learning environment in property‐related courses in the UK. Property‐related course providers can use the results of this study to inform the design of blended learning in their programme in order to enhance students' learning experience and engagement.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the use of blended learning in property education courses in different countries. The rationale for this study is to fill the research gap in this area. The focus of previous research on blended learning has been on individual countries only, and there is yet to appear any research on a cross-country comparison. The purpose of this study is to identity the differences as well as the good practices using blended learning as a delivery approach in different countries As a result, individual countries can learn experience from another country. It is expected academics interested in using blended learning as a delivery approach will benefit from the research findings of this paper, through gaining an understanding of the advantages and challenges of using blended learning in different countries.

This paper presents the research findings of questionnaire surveys and interviews with academics teaching property courses in Australia and the UK. The questionnaire aimed to gather academics’ views on blended learning, their reasons for using blended learning as a teaching method, their design of blended learning courses and the support they provide to students on dealing with web technology. The aim of the interviews was to gain deeper insight into the successful factors and challenges in the use of blended learning. In total, 16 interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify similar themes. Content analysis was used as a method to analyse the interview data. The frequency of the answer in the questionnaire and comments from interviewees is presented.

The Australian and UK property academics have similar views on many aspects of blended learning. Their definitions of blended learning are similar as their reasons to use it as a teaching method. The commonly used teaching and learning activities in their blended learning courses in both countries are, again, similar, such as the use of lectures, case studies and guest lecturers. On the other hand, the academics in the two countries face different challenges. A challenge faced by the Australian property academics is to deliver online courses to students who have limited internet downloading capacity and broadband width. Australia is a very large country and has more regional and remote areas. Another challenge faced by the Australian academics is keeping up with the constant introduction of new teaching and learning technology by their universities. On the other hand, the UK academics faced a different challenge, which was to sufficiently engage and encourage students to contribute in online Discussion Boards. The finding is possibly because the UK study was conducted two years prior to the Australian study and the idea of online discussions was relatively new to students at the time. The conclusion drawn from this research is that “time” and the size of the country influence the use of blended learning.

This project is the first to conduct a cross-country comparison on the use of blended learning in professionally accredited property courses.

The purpose of this paper is to determine if a blended learning component can aid professional development, improve student ability and be approved at the foreign language level using the lesson study (LS) method at a university in Japan.

This paper introduces the three main theoretical concepts of blended learning, learner autonomy and technology in education before explaining the LS in full. Two groups of students were taught using almost identical syllabus. One group, the A group were taught using computer rooms for two semesters, while the other (B) group were taught in regular classrooms without computers for one semester then with computers for the following semester. The impact on the student and teacher will be discussed.

The findings of this study indicate that technology, in the form of a blended learning component added to a test-based curriculum, can enhance student test-scores, raise teacher and student awareness of technology and improve ability over a relatively short period.

This study emphasizes the power of technology in modern day education. Through blended learning methodology this study proposes that teachers in the modern age should adopt some form of technology into their teaching technique.

This paper is directed at teachers who are interested in integrating technology into their teaching techniques, through either computer aided or mobile assisted learning, but are slightly apprehensive in doing so. This study focuses on the introduction of an online and mobile digital flashcard tool called Quizlet. Very little literature exists in this field as the mobile application was only released in 2013.

The purpose of this paper is to study the use of blended learning in the workplace and questions whether interpersonal interaction facilitates learner engagement (specifically behavioral, cognitive and/or emotional engagement), and if so, the means by which this occurs.

A qualitative approach was taken to this exploratory study, a single-case study design was utilized, and data collection methods involved interviews with facilitators and past participants of a blended workplace learning (BWL) program.

Human interaction in the BWL program included learner–facilitator, learner–learner and learner–colleague interaction. Where human interaction was present, it was reported to be linked with more active behavioral engagement, higher cognitive engagement and stronger and more positive emotional engagement than where human interaction was absent.

The single-case study design does not allow for generalizability of findings. Reliance on self-reported data through interviews without cross-validation from other forms of measurement is a further limitation of the study.

Effective blended learning programs for workplaces are those that provide opportunities for learners to engage through human interaction with facilitators, other learners and colleagues. The findings advance current knowledge of BWL, and have implications for human resource development professionals, and designers and facilitators of blended learning programs for workplaces.

The study contributes to existing literature on blended learning in the workplace and emphasizes the importance of ensuring that human interaction is still an element of blended learning to maximize the benefits to learners and organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to identify insightfully future roles and skills required by librarians to meet the ever changing users’ need in the modern library landscape.

The study adopted a qualitative approach. It deployed the Delphi technique and other knowledge elicitation techniques, such as systematic literature review, in-depth key informants interviews, formal and informal discussions, and own experience. Data collection was quitted when it reached to the theoretical saturation. Content analysis was used to analyze the gathered data. Triangulation of methods was also employed to complement one another, and enhance the credibility and validity of the results.

The findings of the study revealed that some of the roles and skills required by librarians are evolutionary, while others are revolutionary, but the ultimate future role of librarians is to change knowledge revolution into society (to create informed society) through re-socializing and shaping the young generations. The result also confirmed that a synergy of passion, knowledge, skills and cultural intelligence yield blended librarians that fit the future library landscape. To be a librarian is more than just equipped with knowledge and skills; it requires passion and solid discipline. For librarians, unlearning is equally relevant skills like learning.

Instead of the usual skills assessment, this study approached it in a new perspective and divulged a synergy of passion, knowledge, skills, cultural intelligence, professionalism, and discipline as essential assets for the twenty-first century librarians.