Qualification Recognition And Staff Mobility

Commentary on the preamble to the recommendation

The mission of the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) is to ensure that all higher education students are exposed to cutting edge research in their classrooms, and that students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are actively engaged in relevant and authentic research in their chosen discipline. To this end, NAIRTL has initiated a wide range of events and activities aimed at enhancing student learning and that support stronger links between research and teaching. This report focuses on the impact of just one of these creative interventions, namely the NAIRTL grants initiative. The objective of the grants initiative is to provide financial support to research proposals that endeavour to enhance student learning through developing innovative and creative approaches to teaching and assessment. More than forty per cent of the National Academy's total budget to date has been invested in the grants initiative, funding 161 projects that involve 420 researchers in seventeen higher education institutions in Ireland. This report focuses on the impact of the projects that were funded in the period 2007-2010. The report is divided into three parts. The first part provides a brief introduction to the National Academy, giving an overview of a selection of its main initiatives i.e. the awards programme for excellence in teaching, professional development activities in academic practice, and development of publications and resources. Part two of this report presents the findings of an evaluation of the impact of the grants initiative. Part three of this report presents fifteen case studies of projects that were funded through the NAIRTL grants initiative. Appended are: (1) NAIRTL Publications; (2) Table of Outputs; and (3) List of Projects Funded 2007-2011. (Contains 23 footnotes.).

Regionalization of higher education in Africa is the least researched topic in the field of Social Science. IN this regard, this book is a pioneer in terms of exploring both the historical and theoretical dynamics of regionalization processes within Africa. THe interplay manifested within the book between Political Science theories and higher education concepts makes the whole analysis strong and solid. THe book raises fundamental questions that focus on context and formation, operationalization and implications, and challenges and prospects of regionalization processes in Africa. IN doing so, it gives both, the analytical contexts of the evolution of higher education regionalization in Africa and the current initiatives by the African Union as a whole.

Advancing the Regional Commons in the New East Asia highlights a number of interests which members of ASEAN and Plus Three countries collectively recognize. This set of common interests includes not only economic development but also social development. Written by nationals in their respective countries, the different chapters in this volume highlights the different foundations for such common interests and these reflect the different constructive ways in which ASEAN and Plus Three countries come to see a multi-strand cooperative partnership. The task of advancing the regional commons will involve efforts to recognise and nurture ASEAN’s and Plus Three’s common interests in terms of broad social development, managing regional security issues, the development of a regional infrastructure, and ensuring collective progress for all member countries. ASEAN becomes a community in 2015 and the idea of embracing, protecting, sustaining and advancing the regional commons become a vital process. Concurrently, APT has also realized that its contribution to the achieving goal of community and promoting regional commons is absolutely critical for both ASEAN and the Plus Three countries. Academics will find in this volume a clear analytical treatment of issues which regional groupings are currently facing and this can provide the basis for a comparative analysis. This volume will also be of interest to students and the general public looking for a systematic introduction to the successful implementation of cooperative ventures and also an assessment of the new collaborative energies which shape this dynamic region.

It is difficult to compare the qualifications of Adult Educators in Europe as there has been little transparency so far.The flexi-path project aims to provide better comparability of the qualifications of Senior Adult Educators. This English language publication describes the ideas behind the project and explains the theoretical background.The book also introduces a toolkit for self-evaluation, based on the competence profile for Adult Educators at level 6 (Bachelor) and 7 (Master) of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The toolkit is also an instrument for the evaluation of competences, identification of training needs as well as offering a new perspective on the assessment and recognition of non-formally acquired qualifications.