Peter Robert Woods

When Group Work Leaves the Classroom Does Group Skills Development Also Go Out the Window

In moving towards what Lemke (1996) terms the ‘interactive learning paradigm’, higher education has adopted two key principles consistent with group learning technologies: • learning is always mediated by and occurs through language (Falk, 1997; Gee, 1997); and • learning is distributed across a range of other people, sites, objects, technologies and time (Gee, 1997). A third and relatively recent principle to emerge on the higher education scene that seems to ‘contradict’ accepted views of group learning technologies is that: • many universities now choose to offer ‘learning resources’ online. This paper asks whether Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are ‘robust’ enough to support, sustain and address industry, employer and government calls for greater attention to group skills development in university graduates. Data features an examination of respondent feedback (n = 171) in an ‘ICT-rich’ group work setting, and the subsequent ratings of group skills development over a 13-week period. This discussion offers an account of learner outcomes by adopting Kirkpatricks (1996) four levels of evaluation of learning as a classification scheme for determining learner satisfaction (Level One), the effectiveness of learning transfer (Level Two), its impact on practice (Level Three) and the appropriation of learning behaviours by participants (Level Four). The contrasting patterns of ICT use between female and male users in the data are discussed in relation to building social presence and producing social categories online. Differences reported here indicate that ICT group work is moving forward, but opportunities to challenge rather than reproduce existing learning relations and differences, remain largely unresolved.

Performance Management of Australian and Singaporean Expatriates

The cross‐cultural and practical challenge of evaluating the management performance of Australian and Singaporean expatriates has received little research attention. This paper explores critical perceptions of performance management by analysing the results of structured interviews with Australian and Singaporean expatriate managers and human resource professionals. Contrary to initial expectations, a slight majority of respondents were satisfied overall with the fairness and accuracy of expatriate performance management practices. Their proposals for more effective performance management are analysed, focussing on the efficacy of involving multiple, cross‐cultural raters in performance appraisal. The cultural differences between Australian and Singaporean expatriates are also explored. The findings of this research provide important direction for the development of culturally sensitive international human resource management practices.

Exploring citizen perceptions of barriers to e-government adoption in a developing country

Purpose – This study aims to explore how citizens socialise and network in relation to using and adopting e-government. The paper suggests that governments need to consider social networks when introducing e-government initiatives. Using qualitative research, this study explores the reasons, fears, motivations and factors with respect to e-government relevant to two social groups of people, those who do and those who do not have regular access to the internet in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan. Design/methodology/approach – The study analyses the results of focus groups representing different social groups of Jordanian citizens across the digital divide. The focus groups followed the nominal group method to explore questions relating to e-government adoption. The nominal group method provided preliminary categorisations of responses; however, further initial and axial coding of data were used to analyse recordings of focus group transcripts. Findings – Contrary to previous research, this study highli...

Effective Teaching in the Multicultural Business Classroom

Abstract Universities continue to attract growing numbers of international students, so addressing how teachers deal with cultural diversity in the classroom has become increasingly important. This paper outlines the development of a program aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of teaching a university business course in the multicultural classroom. Initially, data were collected from focus groups comprising international students and experienced teachers. Following these focus groups, the problems experienced by teachers working with international students in business tutorials were further explored by collecting survey data from experienced teachers. These data were then used to develop a training program with the aim of improving the skills of teachers in the multicultural classroom. The training program focused on four broad areas: recognition of different teaching models; communication; improving participation and assessment strategies.