This thesis presents a socio-technical account of the adoption and development of Managed Learning Environments (MLE) in three Universities in Scotland. The term 'development' is used here to refer to the way that MLE initiatives evolve over time as the MLE framework is introduced into the universities discussed here. MLE is a technology framework that has been advocated by Funding Agencies and the Joint Information Systems Committee (the government body responsible for developing information systems in UK Higher Education) as a way of creating an institutional technology platform through which a University can create more efficient and effective online teaching practice and student management processes. This involves integrating all University information and learning systems into one standardised institutional system. Introducing a large-scale 1. T. initiative, such as MLE adoption and development, into the University is far from straightforward. Sectoral research indicates that MLE initiatives have not, in general, achieved the level of standardisation and integration of systems advocated in MLE policy. It suggests this may be because MLE initiatives have underestimated the social and technical complexity involved in MLE adoption and development. This has led to a call from within the Higher Education sector for more in-depth case study research of MLE initiatives in Universities in order to better understand what constrains them. The research reported on within this thesis adopts a socio-technical approach to understanding MLE adoption and development. This aims to understand the processes of interaction between technical and social elements involved in MLE initiatives. In particular, it analyses the influence of the broad social, political and commercial context of MLE advocacy on MLE initiatives in the case studies as a way of accounting for their different trajectories of MLE development. The thesis presents an examination of the way that actors in the case studies develop and construct expectations of MLE in practice that can drive MLE initiatives but, it is found, also constrain them. As a way of investigating how expectations for MLE adoption and development are constructed by participants in the case studies an analytical framework is developed that includes Technology Framing (Orlikowski & Gash, 1994), Computerisation Movements (Iacono, 2001) and an Ecology of Games (Dutton, 1995). The study develops several key insights regarding MLE adoption and development in the case studies that relate to the influence of the broad social, political and commercial context ofMLE advocacy. It finds that advocates ofthe MLE framework bring MLE expectations and artefacts into the University through engagement with wider networks of influence in this broad MLE 'landscape'. In an alternative pattern of socio-technical interaction, some groups counter frame MLE and seek an organisationally autonomous approach to technology practice. The MLE framework is found to be shaped in multiple locations, multiple levels and across a trajectory of events and interactions. In this pattern of technological development, the research demonstrates the key role of boundary dynamics and gate keeping within Universities, as MLE actors negotiate the boundaries between the University and the dynamics of the wider MLE 'landscape'. It is found that this process challenges established University gatekeepers and boundaries of socio-technical practice. In the Higher Education sector, rather than creating a 'level playing field' in UK Higher Education between well resourced and less well resources Universities, as first envisaged in MLE related policy, MLE adoption and development is found to be associated with defining distinctions between the case study Universities.

Higher education and more specifically University education is being called to account more and more. It follows therefore that the Universities must present information on the quality of service which they provide as perceived by their customers and their supporters who supply their funding. In this thesisr esearchi s reported on the measuremenot f the quality valuesw hich Students, Lecturing Staff, and Senior Management display within the period of a leaming programme. The principal aim was to ascertain through hypothesis testing if the level of congruence of the value systems of these three main contributors to the learning experience influenced the degree of satisfaction of the Students as the customers and to develope a framework for measuring contributor's quality values. Theseo bjectivesw ere researchedin stagesa s follows; The first stage was an extensive literature review which was used to underpin the ainis and objectiveso f the researchb y establishinga n understandingo f the relationshipsb etween Culture and Values, Quality, and Service. The Service review focused upon Higher Education in the University environment including such aspects quality and culture, values and the determinantso f servicqq uality, customerf ocus and society's role within the educatione xperience,s takeholderp ositioning within the educationp rocess,f inancial considerationsm, easuremenot f satisfactiona nd dissatisfaction,a nd studentt ransformation in terms of their educatione xperience.T he review revealeda numbero f weaknessesin existing knowledge primarily that there has been little research undertaken into the measuremenot f more than two parties within an educationt ransactiona nd how the involvement of more than two parties within such is perceived in relation to customer satisfaction. The second stage of the research was a Case Study using a mixed method approach which comprised interview techniques from which a framework for measuring quality in higher education was developed, and a questionnaire survey undertaken which was used to test the framework from which a number of conclusions were drawn. The Case Study was conducted within the Business School of the Napier University of Edinburgh. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies the study examined the expectations as prescribed by the Importance which Senior Management, Lecturing Staff, and Students placed upon aspects of their learning programme. Additionally Students were asked their perceived levels of Satisfaction with their programmes. The outcomes of iii the Case Study were analysed using triangulated methods and used to highlight any problem aspects within programmes. These aspects were then subjected to value analysis to test the effects of congruity of stakeholder values on the levels of customer satisfaction. The findings of the case study were that, during the period of the research, the degree of congruenceo f the three main stakeholdersh ad no impact upon the levelso f satisfactiono f the Students as customers of the learning programme as offered by the Business School. Further analysis of the Case Study findings indicated the following : 1) That significant core value Gaps between the levels of Student Importance and Satisfaction exist within certain aspects of their learning experience more particularly during the later period of their learning programme. 2) That the role of Senior Management within the learning programme seems to have little influence upon the Student level of satisfaction. 3) That communication channels between Lecturers and Senior Management on policies within the learning programme appear to need reappraisal. 4) That significant differences in core values of Importance exist between Lecturers and Students 5) That Student importance levels and by definition their value systems changed over the period of their learning programme. 6) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Full-time and Part-time Studentsp lacedu pon certain aspectso f their progranu-neo f learning 7) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Undergraduatea nd GraduateS tudentsp lacedu pon certain aspectso f their programmeo f learning 8) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Undergraduatea nd Lecturersp lacedu pon a programmeo f learningy ear on year. The size and distribution of the populations sampled has enabled conclusions to be drawn on the validity and generalisabilityo f the framework for measuringq uality valuesi n the field of higher education throughout the Napier University and to some extent when factors such as cross cultural values,d emographicc onsiderationsq, uestionnaire'sw ording, etc., are taken into account as the basis for the further examination of stakeholder value systems within the education experience in the UK and internationally.

The central aim of this thesis is: to investigate changes in gender equity and equality in Scottish universities from mid-nineteenth century to 2011 with reference to the experiences and attitudes of female and male academics comparing their opportunities for promotion and equal pay. This is introduced with a review of Scottish social, workplace and educational history challenging the traditional Scottish claims for educational and intellectual democracy in terms of inherent inequity and inequality in female education. In addition, the social and educational history is analysed to reveal legacies of gender inequality as they feature in the present-day career experiences and opportunities of female in comparison to male academics.

This work is located in the unique context of the newly democratised South Africa of 1997 and comprises two phases reflecting its beginning as a Masters project and Its development into a doctoral study. It seeks to answer the research question: Can we improve the learning opportunities for South African Management Studies students from African cultures and restrictive economic and schooling backgrounds, by providing them with a curriculum that promoted free thought? The purpose of the first phase of this work was to evaluate an experience-based curriculum that was learner-centred. It aimed to meet the needs of the 'whole student' and to give the students opportunity to think freely and to achieve their potential. The evaluation, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data, formed the basis of a single case study: it explored the course's effectiveness in providing learning conditions that could promote students' personal, academic and intellectual growth from their first year of study. The purpose of the second phase was to problematise the case study, reflecting on it in the light of subsequent experience and research. This involved an exploration of the value of experience-based learning; the likelihood of the conclusions' replication, particularly within the faculty; the prospects for wider application of the case studied. The thesis argues that experiential learning helped this group of students perform better academically than their compatriots whose learning experience was limited to a traditional university approach, suggesting that the conditions under which teaching and learning occur affect the outcome. The concept of problem-based learning was found to provide an inadequate theoretical framework since its Western cultural underpinnings are foreign to the African culture and did not provide opportunities for 'whole student' independent thought. Since this thesis is based on a unique case study the conclusions cannot be generalisable although they are considerably strengthened in the light of students continuing to perform better over the next five years. Unless universities themselves change their approach to teaching and learning, however, it is suggested that it would be difficult to replicate these findings more broadly.

The thesis describes an investigation into Chinese adult learners’ learning experiences through case studies of two e-learning programmes conducted in China that were significantly different from each other in their original design. Margaret Archer’s critical realist account of structure and agency informs the theoretical framework of this study. The interactions between individual learners and their e-learning environments combined with their wider social cultural contexts, as manifested in their e-learning experiences are examined mainly through the lens of learners’ reflexivity. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and detailed accounts on learners’ experiences are given from qualitative data, obtained from interviews, digital diaries, informal discussions and reports. Learners were found to be exercising high level of reflexivity as the basis of their decision making in every aspects of their learning, including their commitment to learn, the formation of a learning community, the use made of learning technologies, adaptation to a new learning environment. The findings suggest that e-learning experiences are not technology-driven nor context determined. These findings have significant implications for e-learning design by reassuring the importance in understanding learners’ personal power and social context. They also caution against uncritical direct transfer of educational practice from one context to another.

A series of 15 publications over the years 1991-2003 represent research activity into educational development and the professionalisation of learning, teaching and assessment in higher education (HE). This output constitutes an original contribution to knowledge about teaching in higher education within the following three broad areas: - the professional training of teachers in HE, including: the need for such training, the nature and design of that training, its evaluation, and its effectiveness and desirability; - helping students to learn through 'teaching' each other; - the effect assessment has on student approaches to learning, the need for teachers in HE to understand that effect, to develop and identify best practice, and to find ways of using that effect strategically. Progression in each area is dealt with separately, as parallel developments of the main theme over the past 12 years. In the three areas identified above, the research demonstrates: • the need for training and for the professionalisation of teachers in HE, and the potential effectiveness of both initial training courses and of educational development workshops to help bring that about; • that forms of structured peer 'teaching' can have a sustained and transferable benefit to the students' learning; • that a simple, short and inexpensive intervention in the assessment process can effect a significant improvement in student learning which is sustained over time. The research also provides evidence which: a) questions whether the increased emphasis on specifications, descriptors and explicitness is sufficient on its own to establish and maintain standards and transparency of standards; b) demonstrates the need, when descriptors are used in course design, to distinguish clearly between threshold and aspirational outcomes. The publications have also been successful in disseminating good and best practice to a wider practitioner audience.

Exercise based interventions are common in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. These interventions have been investigated in other manual therapy disciplines, but little empirical data exists about. osteopathic approaches to exercise. There is a need to examine the role of exercise in osteopathic undergraduate education and the osteopathic treatment and management of patients in order to identify, clarify and develop upon educational and professional needs of the practising osteopath. The aims of this thesis were to explore the integration of exercise therapy in the undergraduate osteopathic curriculum, gain an understanding of the interpretation and uses of exercise therapy in osteopathic practice and explore potential concordance between education and practice. To provide context for the studies in the thesis, preparatory work included . examining the historical and philosophical developments within osteopathy and the utilisation of exercise therapy and physical activity in wider health care provision. Curriculum evaluation of the intended (content analysis of course documents) delivered (faculty member perspective) and received (student perspective) undergraduate osteopathic curricula revealed the idiosyncratic and sporadic nature of documented and delivered exercise content. The intended curriculum was seen to pertain to academic education whilst the delivered and received curriculum was reflective of clinical education. There was evidence of shared desires from osteopathic students and faculty members who suggested that they would welcome a standardised, experiential, patient centred approach to exercise therapy. The interview study with practitioners revealed a patient centred approach to the use of exercise therapy. However there remains some confusion over the use and understanding of exercise terminology. Paradoxically with the stated patient centred approaches practitioners expressed exercise delivery using paternalistic language. Favoured modes of exercise showed common trends with other manual therapies such as the use of 'core stability' programmes, but bore little resemblance to those delivered during undergraduate education. Exercise therapy and its potential for use is a substantial issue for osteopaths and for education providers in the UK. There is some dissonance between clinicians reported patient centred care approaches and actual delivery of exercise advice. Exercise education in osteopathy and clinical practice are not concordant and clinical aspects of undergraduate education are not documented clearly and are largely opportunistic. There is a need for further consensus about the role of exercise therapy in osteopathic practice and this should be a driver for a more coherent approach across education and practice.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into physiotherapy students' experience of formative assessment on placements. A purposive sample of nine physiotherapy students was selected from a pre-registration problem-based learning programme. Four postgraduate practice educators were interviewed to explore emergent themes. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews. Reflective logs and theme boards were used to promote participants' reflection prior to interview. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was used.

No description available.

This thesis investigates the relationship between policy intentions and policy effects. As a qualitative case study, the research focuses on an access course developed by teachers in a sixth form college in inner London. The study examines teachers' motives and students' experiences of the course as well as their post college careers over seven years. It draws on a combination of data, including interviews with teachers and students and documentary materials. In order to contextualise the research, four 'episodes' in the national development of access education are examined. Ball's policy cycle provides a theoretical framework and a toolbox of theories and concepts are employed, drawn from feminism(s) as well as structural and post-structuralist perspectives. The empirical study begins by telling the teachers' story of the development and demise of this access policy. The focus then moves to the students and the extent to which they could re-write the policy text and how this changed in different contexts of the policy cycle. At the sixth form college the opportunities for such re-making were considerable, with students characterised as 'receivers', 'rejecters' and the largest group 'recreators'. In higher education and in job seeking their room to manoeuvre was much more constrained. A recurring theme throughout the thesis is that despite the social justice intentions of these teachers some aspects of the policy were stigmatising. Targeting students for special treatment involved drawing attention to their 'difference' in order to justify the allocation of resources. This involved a recognition-redistribution dilemma and may have disadvantaged them further in some ways. This thesis supports former research findings of the mismatch between the ethos and teaching methods of access courses and those of higher education. Despite juggling and struggling with the demands of their degree courses the majority of students were eventually 'successful.' Four students rejected higher education in favour of alternative careers and even those with degree qualifications found these did not ensure graduate employment. The policy cycle approach is developed theoretically by adding explanatory power through the concept of recognition-redistribution dilemmas and by providing some evidence that the model under-emphasises structural constraints. The thesis concludes by highlighting issues confronting the future of access education.