The purpose of this paper is to challenge the commonsensical acceptance of commitments to excellence within postsecondary education and reveal their inherent neoliberal foundation. Because excellence appears neutral, natural, universal, and a legitimate educational goal, it obfuscates the embedded assumptions that undergird the material practices…

This consensus statement was the result of a conference on school-to-work transition for youths with disabilities which brought together service providers, consumers, family members, researchers, and others. Consensus was reached on several principles, organized around six broad areas: (1) what school-to-work transition for this population is and…

The distinctions between types of open and distance learning broadly equate to the concept of learning at a time, place, and pace that best suits the learner. Distance learning refers to geography, whereas open learning refers to time. Flexible learning is a generic term referring either to geography or time. Combining these distinctions allows…

The concept of lifelong learning has become important in recent years as adults increasingly need to adapt and innovate, become more flexible workers, and take more active roles in the education of their children. Most of the discussion of lifelong learning, however, is couched in terms of formal educational institutions. But informal learning may…

One possible explanation for Australia's technical and further education's (TAFE's) defensiveness in its relationship with higher education is its lack of a secure definition since its foundation by the Kangan committee. Perhaps vocational education could found its identity on another characteristic. Neither an analysis of various definitions of…

The resurgence of "lifelong learning" has renewed consideration of the nature of "working knowledge." Lifelong learning has many aspects, including construction and distribution of individuals' very self-hood, educational institutions' role in capturing informal experiences, and the juggling required between family and…

This book explains the TrainSmart approach to training, which is based on how the authors believe the brain naturally learns best. Part 1 introduces the five pillars of the TrainSmart Model, which are as follows: (1) engage (engage participants' attention); (2) frame (establish a frame of reference); (3) explore (introduce a conceptual activity);…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on issues of human resource development (HRD). "The Complex Roots of Human Resource Development" (Monica Lee) discusses the roots of HRD within the framework of the following views of management: (1) classic (the view that managers must be able to create appropriate rules and…

This document presents a framework for vocational education (VE) in Australia. Section 1 presents an overview of the range of references in Australia's "Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the 21st Century" to elements of VE in schools and linkages between the education/training sector and business/industry. Section 2…

Our understanding of workplace learning is shaped by four dominant discourses that may be labeled the discourses of design, demand, development and desire. Within these different discourses, understanding of workplace learning is shaped and bounded by particular assumptions about the "self in context," which includes the organizational…

This document shares strategies and techniques that can facilitate transfer of learning among health care workers. The guide begins with a discussion of reasons why "good" training fails and lists possible interventions for addressing the following performance factors: job expectations; performance feedback; physical environment and…

The application of frontline management training in the community and health services (CS&H) industry in Victoria, Australia, was examined through interviews with managers of 11 user and 11 provider organizations in the public and private sectors. The study focused on the following topics: (1) the appropriateness of the Frontline Management…

A somatic approach to education implies education that trusts individuals to learn from and listen to the information they are receiving from the interaction of self with the environment. Somatic or embodied knowing is experiential knowledge that involves senses, perceptions, and mind-body action and reaction. Western culture has been dominated by…

This book is a step-by-step guide for teachers interested in collaborating with their peers to promote their mutual professional development. The book integrates the principles of self-directed learning, cooperative learning, and critical reflection into a system in which teachers coach one another and collaborate in action research as the primary…

The future of electronic learning was explored in an analysis that viewed the provision of learning at a distance as a continuum and traced the evolution from distance learning to electronic learning to mobile learning in Europe and elsewhere. Special attention was paid to the following topics: (1) the impact of the industrial revolution, the…