A review and analysis of assessment objectives of academic and vocational qualifications in English further education, with particular reference to creativity
Thirty‐six per cent of 18–19‐year‐old sixth‐form and further education college leavers in the UK currently go on to university. A majority of the remaining 64% apparently go into work or work‐related training. Yet, for this latter group, as with the former, 16–19 education was supposed by the Department for Education and Employment to equip them with the skills applicable in the workplace, where a student’s ability to apply skills and knowledge in a variety of contexts—i.e. creativity—is as important as having a qualification. Creative skills, according to the Construction Industry Training Board, are key requisite skills in the workplace and also key to job and business success. This paper examines the extent to which assessment objectives in the 16–19 education curriculum in England require students to demonstrate creative skills in their work, be it class assessment or external examinations. It finds that all but two subject specifications and syllabuses (in one discipline) explicitly state creativity as an assessment objective, although a few other subject specifications (in other disciplines) required candidates to demonstrate some creative skills in their work.
Learning to design collaboratively: Participation of student designers in a Community of Innovation
Creativity researchers have drawn on cognitive principles to characterize individual innovation. However, few comprehensive frameworks have been developed to relate social innovation to social cognition research. This article introduces the Communities of Innovation (COI) framework and examines its applications in a culture designed to promote collaborative creativity. Findings included evidence for some aspects of the COI model (flow and hacker ethic, entrepreneurship, collaboration and mentoring, sense of community, and learning through design criticism), moderate support for others (dynamic expertise and idea prototyping), but no evidence for other components (developing adaptable knowledge and expertise, symmetrical expertise within the community, community reflection, shifting interpersonal roles, or benefiting from cultural/educational/skill/other diversity). The majority of the new ideas identified and shared by participants were developed through interaction with others. Implications for refinement of the COI framework and future research are discussed.
Staying or Leaving the Course: Non-Completion and Retention.
Contents Foreword to the Second Edition Preface Acknowledgments Part 1: What Do We Know About Retention and Withdrawal Rates? The Context 3 Terminology, Definitions and Interpretations 21 Data Collection: Scope, Methods and Purposes 33 Non-completion Rates 50 Variables Affecting Completion Rates 61 Part 2 What Do We Know About the Reasons for Non-Completion? Research and Institutional Evidence 85 Variations and Common Findings 102 Part 3 Strategies for Improving Retention Re-course Contact and Transition 121 On-course Support 131 Academic Support 145 Provision of Student Support Services 158 Conclusions 168 Bibliography 183 Appendices 192 Index 197