This practical-theoretic diploma thesis deals with a glass artist and a schoolmaster Stanislav Libenský. He taught students in every grade of glass education however the subject matter of this thesis is his work in tertiary education at Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design in Prague according to the historical context. The practical part of the thesis comprises a melted and cut glass sculpture called Kontakty (Touches) which is realized according to findings in theoretical part of the thesis.

Magister Curationis - Mcur / AIMS: This study aims to investigate the use and acceptance of educational technologies by academics in a nursing school in the Western Cape, South Africa (determination of educational technology use, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and influencing factors). The findings of the study may be used to facilitate planning for and implementation of increase use of educational technologies to enhance teaching and learning. METHODS: The research design was a quantitative descriptive survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Due to small population size, all 58 academics (28 lecturers- qualified personnel to teach students conduct research and involved in administration of modules and levels) and 30 clinical facilitators- registered nurses with clinical expertise who assists students in the clinical placements were included in the study. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) provided the framework for the study. The study adapted an existing questionnaire developed by Kripanont in 2007. Validity and reliability of the instrument were established and pre-testing was done to validate the questions. Data was entered into SPSS version 23 and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics techniques. RESULTS: The findings suggested that though academics use educational technology but usage was found to be low and the academics were selective in the type of technology that they use which is influenced by need, availability, duties and academic positions of such academic. This will help facilitating planning for implementation of increased use of educational technology to enhance teaching and learning. Lecturers use educational technology for teaching and learning, while its use among the clinical facilitators is still minimal. The most commonly and frequently used devices were desktops and laptops. Low usage of smartphones for educational purpose among academics was reported. Email was the most common application used by academics for teaching and learning, followed by WhatsApp. The e-learning platform was poorly used; however, the lecturers still used it more compared with the clinical facilitators. Low usage was reported on other educational technologies included in the study. Most of the respondents reported a moderate to high experience with educational technology. More than two-thirds of the respondents used educational technology for enhancing their knowledge on current evidence of nursing, preparing for classes, preparing teaching materials, student contact and supervision and for facilitating/teaching in class. Time and institutional factors were mentioned to be important factors to consider when engaging with any educational technology. Finally, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and academic position were predictors of use of educational technology.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Education) / Deficit models dominate current research on academic retention and success in South African higher education and internationally. Most studies focus on students who are at risk of exiting higher education prematurely or those who fail academically because of their socio-economic conditions. Dropout and failure in existing research is often correlated to class and lack of access to financial resources. The prevailing philosophy based on needs assessment, deficit intervention and problem-solving does not sufficiently facilitate the academic success of diverse learners. Yet, surveys in most countries show that addressing weakness does not necessarily help people improve in their performance more than will highlighting their strengths (Hodges & Clifton, 2004). In contrast, this study adopts a strength-based approach, drawing largely on ‘ecological’ perspectives which recognize the importance of people’s surroundings and the multifaceted variables constantly at play, impacting the lives of students throughout the world. A strength-based model is posited as a pragmatic approach to pedagogy in the 21st century. This perspective recognizes the resilience of individuals and focuses on potential, strengths, interests, abilities, determination and capabilities rather than limits. This study accepts that there are persistent challenges to widening participation in South African universities, and leakages in the education pipeline continue with little improvement in graduation rates. However, there are numerous undocumented examples of academically successful students from working-class backgrounds whose academic attainment is not accounted for. Empirical data is required to establish the relationship between academic success and the resilience of undergraduate sponsored students from working class backgrounds. The case study examines factors that influence the academic attainment of undergraduate sponsored students and the institutional practices that enhance their performance at the University of the Western Cape. Factors motivating sponsored students from poor communities to succeed were explored. Furthermore, institutional influences that are relevant to, and inform students’ academic attainment are investigated. The study utilized a variety of data including relevant institutional documents, interviews with sponsored students and secondary data sourced from the Institutional Quality Assurance and Planning department. Findings of the study show that affordability through funding for equitable access to higher education is a motivating factor in academic attainment for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Also, participants in this study attributed their success to nurtured resilience across the institution, and the supportive relationships established through structured intervention programmes in and out of class. It is important to note, contrary to findings in other studies, that low socio economic background was more of a motivational factor and being resourceful for social mobility. This study adds to the limited understanding of the academic attainment of students from poor backgrounds who succeed against all odds. This provides direction to universities for adopting different approaches and offers insights for the University of the Western Cape into the experiences of its graduates. Based on the findings, the study highlights recommendations and opportunities for future investigation. / Ngalo-Morrison, L. (2017). Factors influencing the academic attainment of undergraduate sponsored students at the University of the Western Cape: A strength-based approach. PhD thesis. University of the Western Cape

Magister Legum - LLM / South Africa

Česká republika má míru nezaměstnanosti jednu z nejvyšších v Evropě. Naopak Velká Británie má míru nezaměstnanosti jednu z nejnižších. Jedním z nejlepších způsobů, jak nezaměstnanost snížit, je poskytovat kvalitní a tolik potřebné vzdělání. I když tuto skutečnost mnozí přehlížejí, právě porovnání těchto dvou zemí dokazuje, že tomu tak opravdu je. První a druhá kapitola obsahuje informace o vzdělanostních systémech v obou zemích. Obě kapitoly pak přibližují fakt, jak jsou vzdělání a zaměstnanost propojené obory. Další kapitoly přináší především porovnání obou zemí podle zvolených ukazatelů, které jsou čím dál tím více důležité. Pochopitelně nechybí ani nové trendy ve vzdělávání, které lze v současné době využít. V sedmé kapitole jsou uvedena rizika ale i příležitosti, které by měly vést ke zlepšení situace. Lze zde nalézt ale i doporučení, která by bylo dobré v České republice realizovat.

This thesis analyzes the system of financing tertiary education in the Czech Republic and Russia. Expenditure on education is the process of investing in the future not only individual but also society as a whole. Currently, education becomes more important and countries that are in this respect is well developed, can achieve significant competitive advantage. The work is devoted to a comparison of tertiary education, the Czech Republic and Russia, the countries of the OECD and associated countries. Describes the current situation of higher education in the Czech Republic and Russia, aimed at analyzing the problems of financing programs at public universities. The work focuses on current problems and the need for changes in these problem areas, particularly increasing the share of private resources to finance higher education.

The main aim of dissertation thesis is to estimate, how much affects the investment on human capital (tertiary education) economic benefits. Thesis includes results about internal rates of return and also some estimation based on Mincer function. Results are compared with OECD Education at A Glance publication. Thesis works with models of tuition fees and progressive personal income tax.

The thesis is focused on learning materials at University of Economics Prague. In the con-text of modern trends in tertiary education it highlights opportunities to improve learning process with electronic learning materials. The theoretical part discusses the role of learn-ing materials and e-learning in tertiary education. The practical part then continues to ana-lyse the current situation of learning materials at the University of Economics. The main focus of the thesis is on the availability of high quality electronic learning materials. When looking for possible solutions the thesis also explores approaches used at other universities in the Czech Republic and abroad. It concludes with evaluation of possible solutions and makes recommendations for improving the situation with electronic learning materials at the University of Economics.

This diploma thesis addresses the tertiary education in Denmark. Education and investment in human capital are the key factors for economic growth nowadays. This thesis describes a system of education in Denmark, focusing on tertiary education. It analyzes the indicators that are related to higher education. Among these indicators are length of study, the amount of earnings according to educational attainment and unemployment. These indicators are presented in an international context and are compared with the values of countries in the European Union and countries belonging to the OECD. This thesis is focused on the Danish tertiary education mainly because in Denmark, college students are viewed differently than in the Czech Republic. Students at universities in Denmark have the option to receive subsidies and loans that are available to everyone. As a result, Denmark ranks among countries with the highest expenditure on education relative to GDP. In conclusion, the thesis evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the system in Denmark and also comes up with proposals to improve the system.

This study examines the values underlying marriage formation before childbearing among highly educated women living in Stockholm. This group has been shown in previous research to have increasing propensity to enter marriage before childbearing, due to changing values. Previous studies have suggested a possible connection between rising individualism and gender equality on the one hand, and a new marriage trend on the other hand, noted especially among the highly educated in large cities in Sweden. The values underlying the rise in marriage popularity is yet to be explored which is the aim of the present study based on 20 indepth interviews. The analysis is guided by theories on individualism and gender equality by Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Gøsta Esping-Andersen. The results show that rising individualism has created a need for relationship stabilizing tools, where marriage works as a practical security measure for relatively new relationships, prior to having children. The results also show that for the group in the study childbearing and marriage are strongly connected. In contrast to individualization theories this  study shows that high marriage propensity can coexist with high levels of individualization.