Glenda Campbell-Evans

An Alternative Practicum Curriculum: exploring roles and relationships

Abstract This paper describes a curriculum change in teacher education. The challenges and successes of working with student teachers within an alternative structure, in different relationships, over an extended period of time, are reported and analysed. This paper also explores the way the participants’ roles changed to facilitate reflective practice and students’ ability to link theory to practice within the practicum component of the course. Our data were drawn from the interactive journals kept by the students throughout the twenty‐week programme; focus‐group evaluation meetings with co‐operating teachers, student teachers and university teachers; descriptive and analytic accounts of tutorial sessions; and planning and programme documents. From the data we identified the key themes of collaboration, empowerment, relationships and mentoring. By highlighting the highs and lows of the school‐based‐semester (SBS) experience for each of the stakeholder groups, we explored the roles and relationships of the...

Leading at the Coal-Face: The World as Experienced by Subject Coordinators in Australian Higher Education.

This article is based on nationally funded research into the role, capabilities, challenges and professional development needs of subject coordinators in Australian higher education. The second of three data collection phases involved a multi-institutional survey of staff in the role of subject coordinator with the aim of understanding the role through the experiences of those who undertake it. In particular the conceptualization of this lowest level in academe as one of ‘leadership’, and as being the first rung on the academic leadership ladder, formed the underpinning logic for data collection. Results allow for a contemporary picture of leadership responsibilities to be drawn and also highlights some of the challenges which confront staff in this role. The vast majority of staff consider themselves as demonstrating leadership, although they have varying views about how others higher in the management hierarchy understand and appreciate their role. Most see themselves as performing effectively with the key challenges they face highlighted in the article. Outcomes suggest the need to undertake substantial capacity building of leadership for new and incumbent subject coordinators in response to the ever-changing nature of the higher education environment.

The Perils of Bureaucratic Complexity: Education for All in Nigeria.

This paper reports research which investigated the issue of access in the Universal Basic Education (UBE) and sought to know why access to education remains the biggest challenge with over 10.5 million school-aged children out of school in Nigeria (NUT, 2004; UBEC, 2004; UNICEF Report, 2015). Data for this study were collected through document analysis and interviews with 30 bureaucrats responsible for implementing UBE in two geo-political zones and the federal capital territory. According to the analysed data, the challenge of access in UBE implementation was attributable to bureaucratic complexity. Recommendations have been developed for UBE implementation that seeks to enable enhanced access to education among Nigerian children. Key words: Universal basic education (UBE), Bureaucracy, policy implementation, Education agencies (UBEC), tate Universal Basic Education BOARD (SUBEB) and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Nigeria.