SLEID - Studies in Learning, Evaluation, Innovation and Development (www.sleid.cqu.edu.au) is a peer review scholarly journal. Refereed articles are recognised by DEEWR.
CALL FOR PAPERS Vol. 6. No. 1
This edition of SLEID focuses on the experiences of interrupted and beginning learners enrolled in bridging and first year tertiary programs. It considers the challenges - educational, cultural, social, economic and so forth - that such learners encounter. It explores the range of ways in which bridging programs and first years courses might tailor their curriculum and support services to facilitate the successful progression of these students. It considers the ways in which such learners negotiate the institutional forces and other factors that impinge on their experiences. Further, as this themed issue interrogates the values of lifelong learning, we invite writers to consider situations in which formal higher education might not be appropriate to certain learners and what alternative pathways might be facilitated to enable them to realise their aspirations.
RATIONALE
The rationale for this themed edition is to focus on the experiences of students whose successful transition to tertiary education is vital if the key aspirations of fostering a well-educated populace committed to the values of lifelong learning are to be realised. The social and economic costs of having a particular subsection of the community 'slip through the cracks' and miss out on the opportunities associated with higher education are significant.
Traditionally, a university student had a certain set of values and qualities that seemed to predispose him (for it was mainly he) to this experience. From this perspective, beginning and interrupted learners from non-traditional backgrounds might risk being marginalised within the accepted values of university study. However, rather than accept that such marginalisation is the case, this edition encourages scholars to interrogate this idea and explore the complex array of ways in which beginning learners interact with the university in general, and their studies in particular.
This special theme issue of Studies in Learning, Evaluation, Innovation and Development will be of interest to academics within all fields of higher and other education sectors who are concerned with the way in which a culture of ongoing change shapes teaching and learning practices. In particular the focus on different ways of supporting beginning learners will be relevant to all of those involved in higher education. This includes those involved in educational policy, curriculum design, institutional governance, technological innovation and learning and teaching practice as these activities engage with the challenges of ongoing change.
Timeline: Call for papers - May 2008
Expressions of interest - Abstracts of 150-200 words - July 2008
Finished papers - January 2009
Published - April 2009
Contacts:
Geoff Danaher Phone 61 7 4930 6305; Email g.danaher@cqu.edu.au
Phillipa Sturgess Phone 61 (0)7 4930 9116; Email p.sturgess@cqu.edu.au