Introduction - Problem Based Learning is an approach to teaching and learning that has been designed using theory and research evidence about the nature of learning and of professional expertise and has been widely adopted. The advocates of Problem Based Learning claim many advantages for the approach. However it is often unclear what is meant by the term, and claims appear to be based on anecdotal evidence or small scale evaluative studies. There appear to be few reports of the use of Problem Based Learning in continuing professional education. Methods - This thesis analyses a Problem Based Learning curriculum and evaluates its effectiveness in a continuing education programme for nurses in England. Using a randomised experimental design the learning outcomes of students who followed a 'traditional' curriculum were compared with the students who followed a Problem Based Learning curriculum in the same educational programme. The programme lasted one academic year and was undertaken on a part time basis. Five 'teachers' participated in the study all of whom were volunteers. The two teachers who facilitated the experimental Problem Based Learning groups undertook various staff development activities to prepare for their role as facilitators. The students were qualified nurses from five NHS hospitals who applied to take the programme during the study period. Thirty five students were allocated to the experimental (PBL) curriculum of whom 20 subsequently completed. Thirty four students were allocated to the control (SGL) curriculum of whom 31 subsequently completed. The students had no previous experience of Problem Based Learning. Data Collection and analysis - A wide range of student outcomes were investigated using a variety of existing and new research instruments. Data on the process of curriculum development, programme delivery, students and teacher response were collected using non participant observation, teacher diaries, and researcher field notes. Qualitative data were analysed using the Framework method. Descriptive and Inferential Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS. Analysis followed an estimation approach. Standardised effect sizes (a) with 95°-o confidence intervals were calculated to estimate the difference in outcomes between students in the experimental (PBL) and control (SGL) curricula. Results - Students and teachers found it difficult to adapt and come to terms with the Problem Based Learning approach. It was apparent that Problem Based Learning did not meet the students normative expectations of 'teaching and learning'. Problem Based Learning appeared to cause the students great anxiety which lead to tensions between the teachers and students in the experimental (PBL) curriculum. This is reflected in the differences in student satisfaction indicaitors between the two curricula which all favoured the control (SGL) curriculum. Other results showed that students in the control (SGL) curriculum were more likely to perceive that the educational programme had changed their practice. A greater proportion of students in the experimental (PBL) curriculum did not meet the threshold score indicating readiness for selfdirected learning after completing the programme. The results exclude important statistically significant differences in impact between the two programmes on changes in approaches to learning, managers rating of performance, changes outside work, likelihood of taking on a teaching task in the workplace and on changing jobs. Discussion and conclusion - The mixed results from this study appear to contradict those obtained in some other studies of Problem Based Learning. The results are consistent with other studies using experimental designs. Different forms of Problem Based Learning may produce different results, and quality iof implementation may also be an important factor. However, if such 'local' factors are important then it suggests that the context and culture in which Problem Based Learning is implemented is at least as important as the approach itself. The study found strong evidence of student dissatisfaction and of a disjunction between Professional, Student expectations and Problem Based Learning practice. It is argued that Problem Based Learning theory and practice lacks an adequate conceptualisation of the relationship between the different conceptions of teaching and learning held by different stakeholder groups in continuing professional education. Within the discourse of Problem Based Learning it appears to be taken for granted that everyone shares the principles, aims and values that underpin the approach i. e. there is a lack of recognition that pedagogy is a site for struggle between a number of competing discourses.

Interprofessional education (IPE) aspires to prepare health and social care professions to deliver patient-centred integrated public services. IPE is now delivered in pre-registration education programmes and must be assessed. There is little research on how to assess interprofessionalism. In South Trent, three universities are currently using a modified competency framework to assess the knowledge, skills and attitudes of pre-registration health and social care students. The assessment utilises a student Portfolio designed to prospectively collect written reflective accounts of their learning following IPE. These reflections are as such self-perceptions of progress towards gaining an interprofessional competence throughout a curriculum. This study examined the student written reflective pieces to identify if learning had taken place and asked students about the use of the Portfolio as an assessment tool. A qualitative design was used in which the written student scripts were analysed using content analysis to identify knowledge, skills and attitudes. A random sample of eighty-five reflections from students of medicine, speech and language therapy and social work (De Montfort University, BA and the University of Leicester MA) were completed. A sub-sample of students were interviewed to gain their perceptions of using the Portfolios and these were analysed using thematic analyses. Thirty-five exiting student interviews were completed. The study found that all students were able to reflect on learning relating to new knowledge, practised skills and attitudes relating to interprofessionalism. Each professional student group reflected from within their uni-professional context although there was evidence of cross-boundary reflection and integration of knowledge because of the IPE. All students found writing these reflective accounts difficult and the quality of reflective writing improved over time. In particular students struggled to write about skills and attitudes. Of the interviews students perceived the Portfolio to be a good way to assess their progress and had helped them to engage with their learning. They appreciated that the work had advanced their abilities for self-analysis, requested more help for reflective writing and felt more prepared for on-going personal reflective professional accountability. The study offers teachers insights to enhance the Portfolio while affirming its value as part of the assessment of IPE.

This study investigated to what extent was Action Learning CPD (Continuous Professional Development) Implementation was an effective method to facilitate teachers in carrying out Inquiry-Based Learning. As a kind of experiential learning cycle, Action Learning CPD assists teachers in understanding the effectiveness of conducting Inquiry-Based Learning. This learning approach aims at encouraging students to make their own inquiries and developing their independent learning capabilities throughout the process of doing projects. In this study, Action Learning CPD is for teachers' professional development and Inquiry-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning are for student learning. The investigation was conducted in the three phases of ORIENTATION, PROBLEM-CENTRED, and WRITE-UP AND CONSOLIDATION over one academic year. It was guided by three research questions: (a) Why secondary school teachers need. CPD in conducting Inquiry-Based Learning? (b) Why Action learning might be a suitable CPD method for teachers to develop, implement and evaluate a student-oriented Inquiry-Based curriculum? (c) What are the implications for CPD found through investigating the implementation of Action Learning in conducting Inquiry-Based Learning? Since the main focus was to explore the extent to which teachers and students had changed in their perception and experience of Inquiry-Based Learning during and after Action Learning CPD Implementation, their perception and experience in developing, implementing and evaluating Inquiry-Based curricula were examined throughout the Action Learning Cycle of Experience-Understanding-Planning-Action, with reference to the pretest posttest comparisons of interviews and questionnaires evaluating both students and teachers' experiences during the Cycle. This study of school cases was also cyclical that observational data were collected throughout the one-year school-based support (09-10), with the researcher reflecting on it and making changes during the year. The data were classroom observations; year plans, records of meeting (agenda, minutes, and school visit reports) between her and individual teacher team; documents prepared by schools or co-developed with the officer (the said researcher) (e.g. curricula, teaching materials, assessment rubrics); samples of students' assignments; samples of documented teacher reflections in meetings and after workshops. A total number of 20 teachers and 317 students participated in this study. In the phase of ORIENTATION, there were three major pretest findings found in pre-CPD practice of conducting Inquiry-Based curricula: (a) - the segregation of Inquiry-Based Learning from the school-based curricula when developing the curricula; (b) in implementing the curricula - the lack of understanding of Inquiry-Based Learning as a learning process; and (c) in evaluating the curricula - the absence of educative purpose in using assessment rubrics for student learning process. Furthermore, there were significant discrepancies between teachers' and students' in their perceptions of Inquiry-Based Learning and discrepancies between teachers' ideology and practices of Inquiry-Based Learning. In the phase of PROBLEM-CENTRED where Inquiry Based learning took place, Action Learning CPD Implementation was therefore adopted: (a) to develop curricula with more focused study areas and conceptual frameworks; (b) to implement in class the learning objectives of concept formation, inquiry goal formulation, and textual inquiry; and (c) to evaluate curricula with educative assessment rubrics and students' self-assesment mechanism. In the WRITE-UP AND CONSOLIDATION phase where teachers and students and teachers finish and grade students' reports of their findings, the school teams and researcher concluded that: (a) curricula developed with more focused study areas and conceptual frameworks enabled students to construct knowledge and concepts; (b) curricula implemented in class with clear learning objectives enabled students to distinguish inquiry goals and collect and analyze information; and (c) curricula evaluated against prescribed learning outcomes enabled students to assess their own learning progress. It was evident that Action Learning Implementation would facilitate teachers in carrying out Inquiry-Based Learning but cautions were underscored in this study including cognitive overload, affective overload and time demands. The investigation shed light on how Action Learning could be implemented for future research in facilitating teacher teaching and student learning.

Debates over the role of universities often contest the balance between public good and private benefit. UK government policies have promoted work-based learning programmes in higher education as a means of improving the national economy. This research examines knowledge in work-based learning where curriculum is individually negotiated around each student's work role and projects, questioning the knowledge base legitimated by universities in these awards. The literature used draws on three main areas of thought, concerning the purposes of universities in society, everyday knowledge in the curriculum, and theories related to the curriculum of work, including reflection on practice. The investigation uses an interpretivist approach to examine a sample of students' perceptions of the forms of knowledge being gained, and explores the extent to which academic recognition is premised on their own experience and privileges personal knowledge. Through semi-structured interviews a model encompassing different forms of codified and uncodified knowledge is used as a tool for both questioning and analysis. The relative importance of different knowledge types, of theory and of reflection in students' learning is established, supported by qualitative data providing further evidence to illuminate their perspectives. The findings show that, although students report personal development and benefits, the most significant source of learning is everyday knowledge derived from reflection on experience, rather than new knowledge gained from broader academic or professional sources: The conclusion drawn is that this challenges the capacity of these programmes to fulfil the stated policy aims of employment-related higher education. Furthermore, the knowledge base appears. to blur the boundaries between different forms of knowledge with limited evidence of the use of wider theory or explanatory concepts from subject disciplines. Concerns over the university's role in the equating personal knowledge with conceptual knowledge are located in the broader discourse of personalisation and relevance in educational curricula.

This thesis is based on a longitudinal research project conducted at the University of Reading to learn more about the career development of undergraduate students. The research is timely because we have entered a new era in higher education. Government targets and the widening participation agenda leading to increased third level participation have resulted in the growth of a diverse undergraduate population, with differing needs and expectations. The research also comes at a time when universities and employers are concerned with enhancing graduate employability to ensure success in an increasingly competitive labour market. For these reasons, it is important to understand more about how undergraduates approach their careers. The research study is based on a series of interviews and diary entries involving a group of thirty second-year undergraduates from two disciplinary areas, one business-orientated and the other more traditionally Arts based. The findings are described and analysed from an interpretive perspective and presented in the form of quotations, vignettes and career narratives. The factors that have influenced career ideas, including the role of career-related activities, are explored in terms of how they impact on students' pursuit of career. The analysis of the information gathered over the period of an academic year, reveals a complex and incisive picture of undergraduate conceptualisation and orientation to career. This research makes theoretical, methodological and practical contributions to our knowledge of the career development of young people. From the perspective of theory, it has implications for career theory as a new typology for explaining undergraduate students' career development is proposed. Methodologically, this research challenges positivist designs and has implications for researchers engaging in qualitative projects in general, as questions of reflexivity and ethical boundaries are raised. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that as students are oriented to pursue their education, future and careers in different ways, different approaches to implementing careers support and the employability agenda are required. As a result of these findings, suggestions for possible future research and practice are proposed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Universities in response to government initiatives, have engaged with the vocalisation of Higher Education. This has included the extension of placement opportunities in the belief that this will imbue undergraduate teaching with enhanced relevance to the world beyond the university while increasing the employability of graduates. Among a range of claimed benefits for internships, it has been asserted that there will be enhanced academic performance; to date there has been virtually no published empirical evidence on this relationship. This thesis addresses this lacuna. A set of investigations was designed to test for enhanced academic performance post-placement, with differences in the architecture of the placement as intervening variables. It was found that under work environment architecture, there was no significant difference between the academic performance of placement undergraduates on return to academic studies and that of their non-placement peers; under learning environment architecture there was a significant difference between those who had taken placement and their non-placement peers. There was evidence of prior-selection: students who were academically stronger tended to undertake placement. There was indications that in the learning environment architecture, those who had taken an internship did not add value to their academic performance, whereas their non-intern peers did. There was some evidence that academic motivation in the immediate post-internship period was diminished. In accounting for the findings, the processes of transfer of learning are considered as well as sub-issues including the role of contracts and motivation in transfer of learning. Consideration is taken of the implications of the findings for the constituent stakeholder groups. Issues relating to the public policy are considered and directions for further research are suggested. The results support the view that internships can be designed to promote academic values and learning; they should not be seen merely as vehicles for promoting the learning of skills and competencies which are not readily produced in the universities.

A strong higher education (HE) system plays an important role in a successful nation's economy and society (Browne 2010). The Leitch Report (2006) emphasised the role of HE in developing the world class skills required to achieve prosperity in an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving global economy. However, literature suggests that HE institutions (HEIs) are not sufficiently preparing their students for the world of work, and that more needs to be done to better equip students for the requirements of employment (Adecco Group 2012, Blair 2006, Gillinson and O'Leary 2006, Nguyen et al. 2005, The Institute of Directors (loD) 2007). Despite the requirements of the government and employers regarding graduate employability being well documented, the perceived needs of students and graduates are less well researched (Bamett 2007, Crebert et al. 2004, Mason et al. 2003, Sleap and Reed 2006, Yorke 2006). The HE employability agenda should understand students' perceptions of their HE experience to better design programmes that adequately prepare them for the requirements of the labour market (Burgess 2007, Denholm 2011, Kay et al. 2007, Nguyen et al. 2005, UKCES 2009). Utilising the perceptions of HE students and graduates, this research programme aimed to identify what more can be done to prepare students for the world of work and diminish the apparent skills gap that exists between HE graduates and the world of work requirements. To do justice to the complexity of these issues an in-depth qualitative research approach was utilised (Johnston 2003, Tod et al. 2007). The research programme broadly consisted of three phases: 1. Phase 1 involved interviewing 17 Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) School of Sport & Exercise Sciences (SSES) alumni about their attitudes regarding the purpose of HE, the impact their HE experience had in preparing them for the requirements of the world of work, and what more can be done to, prepare students for their post HE lives. 2. Phase 2 utilised an ethnographic research approach and was conducted in two parts. Part 1 involved participant observation within the SSES student learning and teaching (L&T) environment and culture, and aimed to determine what the SSES curriculum provides in preparing students for the post HE world. Part 2 involved conducting focus groups with final year SSES undergraduate students regarding their experiences and perceptions of the employability focused L&T opportunities provided. 3. Phase three involved interviewing 11 SSES graduates at the end of their undergraduate university experience about their attitudes regarding the purpose of HE, and their evaluative perceptions of the SSES course from the perspective of L&T and post HE preparation. Phase 2 found that the SSES had responded to the demand of the competitive graduate job market and developed a three stage employability model that involved opportunities to prepare students for post HE. This included personal development planning (PDP), careers sessions, guest speakers, a placement and reflective practice. The SSES were perceived to be proactive in providing opportunities, advice and encouragement to help students develop personally and professionally. However, the research also demonstrated that students are not engaging sufficiently with these aspects of the curriculum. Yorke (2006) notes that the provision of opportunities to develop employment prerequisites does not guarantee that such development occurs, and that it cannot be assumed that students are employable on the basis of curricular provision alone. Students' lack of engagement was explored through phases 1, 2 and 3 by gaining a better understanding of students' attitudes to L&T within their university culture. This understanding and the subsequent recommendations can be utilised to diminish the dissonance between SSES provision and students' engagement, and determine how the SSES can promote effective learning and post HE preparation within the SSES curriculum. Phase 1 and 3 of this research programme demonstrated that students generally envisage that HE will develop them personally and result in them feeling more prepared for their lives post HE. Since students are orientated to pursue their degrees and post HE preparations in different ways, HEIs need to ensure that they understand and meet the aspirations and needs of the broader student population (Barrie 2007, O'Regan 2009). Understanding the individual needs of students and providing them with the post HE nurturing and support they require will result in them being better prepared to meet the requirements of the working world, which will in turn lead to a more skilled workforce that can enhance the economy and society (Barrie 2007, Brennaner al. 2005, Martin et al. 2000, Minten 2010, O'Regan 2009). Critically, such student support needs to be orientated around an enhanced student awareness of the relevance and value of what they are learning and how it relates to the post HE world. Specifically, students need to be engaged with an effective support network that is grounded in the competitive reality of the world of work, the reality and outcome of their degree, the world of work requirements, and the importance of engaging in curriculum interventions that prepare students for the world of work. Alongside enhancing awareness, students need to be supported and guided through the process of determining and appropriately preparing for their individual post HE aspirations. This process should involve gaining an awareness of the wide range of post HE opportunities that are available, consideration of how these options fit students' individual needs, and gaining some experience of those opportunities. To better prepare students for post HE and diminish the gap that exists between the skills graduates gain from the curriculum and the requirements of the world of work, there needs to be a closer fit between the two. In essence, the world of work realities and requirements need to feature more centrally within HE L&T culture and content to enhance the employability relevance and value students attach to their degree programme.