Education Commons^™

Two Decades Of Rpl/Apel In Ireland: Practitioner Views, Anne Murphy

Level 3

My first involvement with APEL was in 1990 when I was invited to design a system by which cohorts of experiences practitioners in the disability training sector could achieve a sectoral qualification primarily through recognition of prior certificated and experiential learning. A taught route to the particular qualification was already in operation in partnership between the Adult Education Centre in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth (now National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and the National Rehabilitation Board. The trainers’ qualification was an essential element of quality assurance for the sector with funding support provided by the EU Social Fund. However, it was …

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Ca Donnelly

Level 3

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally

Is There A Need To Debate The Role Of Higher Education And The Public Good?, Sandra Fisher

Level 3

Calls for sustaining and increasing investment in higher education are often made on the basis that higher education is a `public good'. The idea of higher education as a public good is frequently conceptualized in terms of its contribution to economic development. If more people participate in higher education then society as a whole will benefit.

Outside of the economic benefits of higher education there is less debate as to what is meant by `public good' in the context of higher education. This paper explores higher education as a public good and its role in realizing the public good ( …

Information-Literacy Programmes And Course Curricula: The Case For Integration, Anne Ambrose, Brian Gillespie

Level 3

"Our ability to think, and to select and use the information at our disposal will be the critical determinant of the future success of the Information Society in Ireland."

(Information Society Commission 2000: 118)

The quotation above acknowledges the critical importance of information skills, and suggests that the very success of the concept of an 'information society' relies upon an information-literate population. Surveys of employers show an increasing demand for 'graduates with an ability to analyse, evaluate and process information effectively' (Big Blue, 2002: 4). Such skills are directly related to the aims and processes of …