This article describes some concepts central to education for professional practise, as they emerged out of the efforts of a working party at the University College of Borås (UCB), Sweden. The working party was part of a project preparing an application for full university status to the Swedish government. Adopting the professional doctorate, as it has emerged in Australia and the UK, was one fundamental idea. The Swedish Higher Education system is briefly described as is the UCB. The relation between knowledge and practice in learning for professional activity and performance is discussed.

Vid Högskolan i Borås (HB), liksom vid alla våra lärosäten, formuleras och konstrueras visioner, planer och riktlinjer årligen i form av lokala styrdokument. Tre av dessa styrdokument1, Policy för kursutvärderingsarbetet vid Högskolan i Borås, Plan för jämställdhet och mångfald för anställda vid Högskolan i Borås och Likabehandlingsplan för studenter vid Högskolan i Borås, är föremål för det strategiska utvecklingsarbetet som här presenteras. I vårt utvecklingsarbete fokuserar vi på implementering av styrdokument utifrån ett pedagogiskt perspektiv, vilket i det här sammanhanget innebär att undervisande personal kopplar styrdokumenten till undervisning och kurser. Som arbetsmodell för detta har vi valt fokusgrupper.

Examensarbeten på högskolor och universitet kan idag göras på distans, vilket kräver andra former av handledning. Handledning innefattar kommunikation mellan den som handleds och den som handleder och kommunikation är en förutsättning för lärande. Tidigare forskning har främst varit inriktad på asynkron, skriftlig kommunikation i handledning på distans. I dag möjliggör video- och webbkonferenssystem synkrona möten som kommer så nära ett fysiskt möte som möjligt. Frågan är hur dessa system används för handledning och om något blir annorlunda när samtalen sker i virtuella rum istället för reella. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur handledare inom högre utbildning använder webbkonferens- eller videokonferensverktyg vid handledning av examensarbeten. Ett ytterligare syfte var att ta reda på hur handledare upplever att handleda med hjälp av video- eller webbkonferenssystem samt om något blir annorlunda. Metoden som användes var en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning. Intervjuerna genomfördes via ett webbkonferenssystem, Adobe Connect Pro. Resultatet visar att webbkonferenssystem fungerar väl för handledning på distans. Systemen används för handledningssamtal och kompletteras med andra verktyg för dokumentation och information. Webbkonferenssystemen effektiviserar handledningen och det finns flera fördelar för både studenter och lärare. Grupphandledning framhålls som en bra metod som stöttar studenter i examensarbetet. Att det är annorlunda att handleda på distans är alla handledare överens om. Något förändras i samtalet, men kamerans betydelse finns det olika syn på. För samtliga handledare är tekniken av underordnad betydelse, pedagogiken lyfts fram som det viktiga.

Sedan 2004 har barnmorskeutbildningen vid Institutionen för vårdvetenskap, VHB, på Högskolan i Borås bedrivits i form av en modifierad distansutbildning. Med det avses att kurserna dels består av träffar/föreläsningar på campus, dels av kommunikation och information via en Internetbaserad lärplattform . Utbildningen kritiserades för bristande kvalitet i såväl innehåll som upplägg vid Högskoleverkets, (HSV) kvalitetsgranskning 2007. HSV menade bland annat i sin kritik att studenterna blir isolerade på grund av utbildningsformen. Även sambandet mellan utbildning och aktuell forskning samt examinations-formerna ifrågasattes. På grund av den allvarliga kritiken fann VHB ett behov av att evaluera utbildningen och Centrum för lärande och undervisning, CLU, fick i uppdrag att genomföra en utvärdering av studenternas uppfattningar. En enkätundersökning genomfördes därför under våren 2008. Syftet med utvärderingen var att söka ta reda på studenternas uppfattningar om barnmorskeutbildningens kvalitet och genomförande. De frågeställningar som legat till grund är: - Hur har studenterna upplevt barnmorskeutbildningen vad gäller flexibel form? - Hur bedömer de studenter som idag är verksamma inom respektive område att barnmorskeutbildningen motsvarade kraven som ställs i arbetslivet? Resultatet visar att studenternas attityd till barnmorskeutbildningen generellt är neutral eller positiv.Studenterna bedömer att de kunskaper de förvärvat genom utbildningen motsvarar arbetslivets krav vä Sammanfattningsvis visar resultatet att HSV:s kritik mot utbildningsformen inte finner stöd i studenternas uppfattningar.

Se expone la experiencia alcanzada en el desarrollo docente-metodológico de las asignaturas relacionadas con la formación investigativa (Metodología de la Investigación Científica), y su impartición semipresencial con el empleo combinado de un Sistema de Gestión del Aprendizaje (SGA: MOODLE), las TIC y las técnicas de Elearning (Enseñanza flexible basada en Problemas), donde se emplean diversos recursos y actividades de la plataforma (Foros, Videos, Encuestas, Cuestionarios, Tareas, etc.) para lograr la motivación y adecuada orientación del desarrollo de la investigación de los participantes durante la elaboración de un proyecto científico-investigativo.

In this position paper the authors compare and contrast two large scale government initiatives to increase online learning in higher education. Both initiatives began around the same time and similar amounts of money were expended. In February 2000 the British government established the UKeU (UK eUniversities Worldwide Limited). The aim was to create ‘a single vehicle for the delivery of UK universities higher education programmes over the internet’. The Government allocated GBP62 million to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the project over the period 2001-2004. On 28 February 2004 the HEFCE effectively scrapped the UKeU after spending just on GBP50 million. UKeU had managed to attract 900 out of a projected 5, 600 students. A House of Commons Select Committee (March 2005) damned the experiment as a ‘terrible waste of public money’. At the beginning of 2002 the Swedish government also allotted a large sum of money (in total SEK470 million) to create the Swedish Net University. The Net University is still in existence and acts as a portal for students wishing to study online. Despite the name it is not a university with academic staff. A small number of technicians and administrators look after a website where students can search for and enrol in courses offered by universities who cooperate in the Net University venture. Its base consists of 35 participating universities. Online course offerings (subjects) have risen steadily from 1,000 in the first year to just over 3000 in 2007. Today about 80 full programmes have been registered. In this paper we study the reasons for the success of Sweden’s Net University and compare it with the failure of UKeU. In our conclusion we make a number of recommendations and point out some important lessons that can be learned from a comparison between two large scale government e-learning initiatives

In this article, the authors report on a study that was carried out at the University College of Boras. Teachers using an online learning platform (WebCT) were surveyed to see to what extent they made use of the various features available to them on the learning platform. The extent to which teachers employed all the features was low. The article provides comparative details about the use of the various features (chat, discussion forums, assessment etc) and analyses reasons for their underutilisation. This case study is used to make more general points about pedagogy of online learning and discusses the need for greater cooperation between all the stakeholders involved in putting courses online. It can be counter productive for a university to simply impose a learning management system upon its teaching staff and decree that they put their courses online. If a university is concerned with quality and innovation in the education it offers its students, then a great deal of groundwork needs to be done if teachers and students are going to get the most out of a move to blended or online learning. This article offers a number of recommendations for ensuring that teachers embrace rather than resist a move to innovative and quality assured online education. (Contains 1 note and 2 figures.)

Abstract: In this paper the authors argue that although Higher Education researchers have been largely responsible for the creation of the Internet, university lecturers have been far less innovative and active in their use of this form of Information Communication Technology (ICT). To support our case we use our own research to show the manner and extent to which a Learning Management System (LMS) is used by a sample of teachers from an Engineering Department in Sweden. We also analyze the use of interactive LMS tools by lecturers who undertake staff development courses. The teachers in our two samples make very little use of online asynchronous discussions (OADs) either as teachers or as students. We use logic and the literature to explain this phenomenon and make some recommendations for improving the scholarly, innovative and pedagogical use of LMS in both staff development and mainstream university courses.

In this paper the authors use the theory of communicative action (Habermas, 1984-6) to analyse problematic relationships that can occur between supervisors and PhD students, between co-supervisors and between the students themselves. In a situation where power is distributed unequally, instrumental and strategic action on the part of either party can complicate and disturb efficacious relationships. We use Flanagan’s critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954) to analyse twenty-five incidents that are told from a supervisor perspective and twentyfive from a PhD student perspective. The analysis reveals that a large proportion of incidents involved power struggles. Other categories include lack of professional or emotional support and poor communication. Rational dialogue based on Habermasian principles might have avoided many of these problems. The analysis concludes with some practical suggestions as to how the use of communicative action theory and critical incident technique can improve supervision, supervision training and the PhD process.

Projektet har utvärderats gemensamt av en utvärderingsgrupp med en utvärderare från respektive högskola. Detta har skett kontinuerligt utifrån en formativ ansats. En slututvärdering av projektets metod och innehåll har genomförts efter projekttidens slut. Resultatet av den visar att projektet har genomförts enligt intentionerna i projektplanen och det uttalade syftet med projektet har väl uppfyllts. Den valda organiseringen med styrgrupp, sekretariat, referensgrupp och en oberoende utvärderargrupp fungerade dock mindre väl. Ett sätt att se på samverkansarbetet hade kunnat vara att studera de skilda kulturerna, dvs. praktiken kontra akademin, genom intervjustudier med olika aktörer, både inom och utanför högskolan. Den resursstruktur och incitamentskultur som finns inom högskolorna prioriterar inte övergripande, rubrikskapande samverkansaktiviteter. I stället skapas samverkansaktiviteter utifrån mångas engagemang i form av lokala nätverk, personkontakter, studenternas examensjobb i företag och organisationer, uppdragsutbildningar, enskilda föreläsaruppdrag och forskningssamarbeten av mindre omfång och med minde synlig genomslagskraft. Det glapp, som alla menar finns mellan ledning och operativ nivå, utgörs inte av att den operativa verksamheten inte ”förstår” vad den ska göra, utan snarare av att de samverkansaktiviteter som här prioriteras är så vardagliga och vanligt förekommande att de inte rubriceras som samverkan. Med våra/utvärderarnas alternativa analyser, vill vi peka på att det fanns en mångfald tidigare rapporter som problematiserat och diskuterat samverkansproblematiken ur i stort samma perspektiv som PROSAM-projektet och med flera snarlika åtgärdsförslag. En möjlighet för projektet hade kunnat vara att utifrån dessa studier fördjupa och utveckla analyserna av hur interna kulturförändringar skulle kunna åstadkommas. Förändringar handlar inte bara om att försöka hantera och lösa organisatoriska problem utan problemet ligger främst i att ta reda på hur de kulturella skillnaderna ska överbryggas, hur teoretiker och praktiker kan mötas i intressanta utvecklingsprojekt, hur olika slag av kunskap möts och befruktar varandra.

En grundläggande tanke med högre utbildning är att bidra till förmågan hos människor till självständigt tänkande. Ett vedertaget sätt att uppnå detta är att tillhandahålla tillfällen för reflektion kring den information som levereras i form av föreläsningar och litteratur. Reflektion behöver också uppstå när en lärare ger återkoppling till en student på olika former av utfört arbete. Högre utbildning är traditionellt förankrad i begreppet konstruktiv kritik där fokus ofta ligger på att bedöma ett arbete utifrån fel och brister. För lite uppmärksamhet har ägnats åt att förstärka studentens lärande genom att betona det som studenten gjort bra. Gene - rella och svepande formuleringar i positiv anda försvinner lätt i mängden av detal - jerad negativ kritik. I denna artikel presenteras därför en grundläggande modell som konstruerats för att i stället fokusera på att uppmuntra studenten. Modellen utgår från att en öppenhet främjar till att både skapa och ta emot återkopplingen. Med denna modell kan återkopplingen bli verklig och användbar för studenten och därmed kan ett självständigt och konstruktivt tänkande utvecklas.

Projektet Modell för ökad användning av öppna digitala lärresurser har syftat till att skapa en modell för spridning av öppna digitala lärresurser på högskolan, för information och utbildning på alla nivåer samt en teknisk undersökning av förutsättningarna för kopplingar mellan lärplattform och institutionellt arkiv.

This article investigates barriers to a wider utilization of a Learning Management System (LMS). The study aims to identify the reasons why some tools in the LMS are rarely used, in spite of assertions that the learning experience and students’ performance can be improved by interaction and collaboration, facilitated by the LMS. Lecturers’ perceptions about the use of LMSs over the last four years at the School of Engineering, University of Borås were investigated. Seventeen lecturers who were interviewed in 2006 were interviewed again in 2011. The lecturers’ still use the LMS primarily for distribution of documents and course administration. The results indicate that their attitudes have not changed significantly. The apparent reluctance to utilize interactive features in the LMS is analyzed, by looking at the expected impact on the lecturers’ work situation. The author argues that the main barrier to a wider utilization of LMS is the lecturers’ fear of additional demands on their time. Hence, if educational institutions want a wider utilization of LMS, some kind of incentives for lecturers are needed, in addition to support and training.

The purpose of the project was to improve Project Degree reports, follow-up the students work in different companies, increase the number of reports finished in due time and develop and encourage social interaction and cooperation. After discussions with students the following method was suggested -Web based education tool (WebCT) -Discussion room -Calendar with possibility to make “public” statements, book meetings and announce important common activities as fairs, exhibitions, etc. -Common area with weekly report on progress, working papers, opposition and final report Through the transparency in a common course the result was that the students increased their knowledge, became more dedicated, got continuous and improved feed-back from the instructor and most of all improved quality of the Projects Degree reports.

LiveUSB Mediated Education (LUME), em português ‘Educação Mediada por Memória USB’, é um método para a educação assistida por computador. Foi desenhado com a intenção de distribuir cursos completos em locais nos quais o acesso à Internet é pouco confiável e/ou o acesso a computadores é escasso. A forma de distribuir cursos, empregando o método LUME, foi publicada previamente por Garrote, Pettersson e Christie (2011) e por Garrote e Pettersson (2011). Essas publicações utilizam dados compilados durante a aplicação de cursos de formação docente de universidades integradas ao Projeto USO+I, descrevendo obstáculos enfrentados e possibilidades visualizadas durante o desenvolvimento da proposta formativa, tais como a combinação de métodos pedagógicos inovadores com Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) e Recursos Educacionais Abertos (REA).

New technology creates many new teaching and learning possibilities but at the same time places great demands on teachers and learners (Scott, 2001). In March 2002 the Swedish government created the Net University to stimulate and mediate net based learning in higher education. SEK600 million was set aside to be distributed between universities who supported e-learning initiatives. Of the total amount SEK500 million was given directly to universities who offered e-learning courses via the Swedish Net University. Some of this material was packaged in a pedagogically sound way and reflected well on teachers educational designers who cared about and understood the special requirements of e-learners. Unfortunately other material consisted of course notes and lectures that were simply downloaded with a great deal of thought for the learner. More recently the Net University has seen the need for more interactive courses that make use of commercial learning management systems (hereafter LMS). LMS such as BlackBoard, WebCT, Fronter, Ping Pong and others provide a way for teachers and learners to arrange course materials in a clear and helpful way as well as providing useful interactive teaching and learning tools. In early 2006 it hopes to be able to recommend that participating universities use one particular LMS in order to gain the greatest pedagogical and economical benefit for the universities and their teachers and learners. The recommendation follows an exhaustive evaluation process.

In this paper the authors present research findings from a comparative case study involving the pedagogical use of learning management systems (LMS) at the university level. Two engineering programs are compared, one based at the University College, Borås, Sweden (hereafter UB) and the other at the Instituto Superior Politéêcnico Joséê Antonio Echeverrîa, Havana, Cuba (hereafter ISPJAE). At UB twenty two engineering lecturers were surveyed concerning their use of LMS. At ISPJAE fifteen lecturers were given a course on LMS, provided with tools to use it, and subsequently interviewed about the extent to which they had employed it in their courses. The aim of the case study was threefold. Firstly to compare the lecturers' knowledge and understanding of the pedagogical advantages of using LMS in face-to-face, blended and online learning. Secondly to determine the extent to which an LMS was used and evaluate the pedagogical value of such use. Thirdly to investigate the administrative, technological and pedagogical barriers involved in using an LMS.

Este documento es el resultado de la ejecución del "Proyecto USO+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación. Mejora de la pertinencia de la educación en las ingenierias de Latinoamérica", financiado por la Union Europea

In this paper the authors present a solution to the problem of giving practical training in handling information and communication technology (ICT) without depending on internet access. The proposed method is to use an USB-memory to emulate selected educational resources that are otherwise available on the internet or on a local network. How this method can influence pedagogical issues is discussed and, it is asserted that the method offers interesting learning advantages beyond the obvious independence of internet connections. The paper describes the planning and implementation of a course about the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in higher education and, in particular, how it was designed to meet the needs of educators in a developing country with slow or unreliable internet connections. The course was a part of the project USo+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación. Mejora de la pertinencia de la educación en las ingenierías de Latinoamérica (University and Society: Improving of the relevance of the education in the engineering of Latinoamerica) this project financed by the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The University of Borås was assigned to design and teach a course about LMS to engineering educators in Latin-America.

This study was conducted to find out how lecturers in developing countries perceive the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). A group of teachers at the Instituto superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría, Facultad de Ingeniería Eléctrica (Havana, Cuba) participated in a course about the use of Learning Management Systems that only used OER. After they had been introduced to the concept they answered a questionnaire with a number of statements about the use and sharing of free material on the internet. The answers show that the lecturers were positive to the use of free course material and expressed their willingness to make their own material available. The results also confirm the hypothesis that peer recognition is an important reward for the time and effort spent on producing freeware. The authors assert that extensive use of OER could increase the quality of education, as well as making education more accessible in developing countries. To stimulate the production and dissemination of OER it is recommended that institutions of education worldwide promote the use of OER and encourage lecturers to take part in the free sharing of material on the internet.

The purpose of this study was to examine lecturers' attitudes towards learning management systems (LMS), with particular reference to identifying obstacles to increased use. At the University College of Borås, Sweden, 22 lecturers who had used WebCT during the previous 9 months were interviewed. The answers show that most of the lecturers, including those who only used minor parts of the LMS, believed that they could benefit from using a LMS in the future. The study did not support the hypothesis that fear of the complexity of the system or unwanted effects on education are important reasons for lecturers not to use the LMS. When lecturers decide individually to use tools in the LMS, the major concern is the initial amount of work compared with the expected benefits. Due to the benefits of a fully implemented LMS and the results of this study, it is recommended that institutions in higher education take actions to establish LMS as a standard tool, and support development of the lecturers' professional competence.

A poster presentation about the course of the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS), given by the University of Borås to lecturers in Cuba, Guatemala and Peru.

In this article the authors propose LiveUSB Mediated Education (LUME) as a term to describe the packaging of a complete set of course material together with the software necessary to access the material on a portable memory device. It is argued that the method offers a convenient tool to utilize Open Educational Resources (OER) and can significantly improve the availability of education worldwide. The article gives a description of the design and implementation of a course within the project USo+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación financed by the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The course uses only OER and all material is available from USB-memory sticks to meet any problems of limited access to computers or internet.

In this article the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) at the School of Engineering, University of Borås, in the year 2004 and the academic year 2009-2010 is investigated. The tools in the LMS were classified into four groups (tools for distribution, tools for communication, tools for interaction and tools for course administration) and the pattern of use was analyzed. The preliminary interpretation of the results was discussed with a group of teachers from the School of Engineering with long experience of using LMS. High expectations about LMS as a tool to facilitate flexible education, student centered methods and the creation of an effective learning environment is abundant in the literature. This study, however, shows that in most of the surveyed courses the available LMS is predominantly used to distribute documents to students. The authors argue that a more elaborate use of LMS and a transformation of pedagogical practices towards social constructivist, learner centered procedures should be treated as an integrated process of professional development.

In this paper the authors analyse the design and implementation of a course about learning management systems (LMS). The course was first given in Cuba and then in Guatemala and Peru, within the project USo+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación, Mejora de la pertinencia de la educación en las ingenierías de Latinoamérica financed by the European Union's ALFA III program. In the course only open educational resources (OER) were used and all course material was stored on USB drives together with the needed software. All programs were executable directly from the memory to meet any problems of limited access to the Internet. Problem based learning was used, with the course divided into two weeks of on campus lectures and workshops followed by distance learning for three months, altogether corresponding to ten weeks of full time studies. The authors propose the term LiveUSB Mediated Education (LUME) for a course package, with course material and software contained on the same USB drive. The participants' opinions about the course and their perceptions about LMS and OER were investigated in order to determine the extent to which the LUME method can facilitate cost-effective computer aided education, especially in developing countries.

In this paper the authors report on a course that was given in Cuba in 2010. The funding for the course came from the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The project was called US0+I; Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación and its aim was to facilitate the exchange of educational methodology and pedagogy between the partner countries that made up the US0+I consortium. Within this project the University of Borås was assigned the task of giving the above mentioned course about the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in Higher Education. This paper describes the design and implementation of the course, with emphasis on how it was adapted to meet the needs of lecturers in a developing country. It also analyzes the results of research data that was collected during the duration of the course. The main aim of the research was to more clearly define key questions and issues in the area of cross cultural use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as part of a larger action research project concerning ICT and cross cultural equity. The basic question that drives this research project is: What technical, social, economic and cultural differences affect the implementation of LMS in developed as compared to developing countries?

In this investigation a group of lecturers in engineering education in Cuba that took part in an introduction course about the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) gave their opinions about the future use of LMS. The answers show that the lecturers, even though they had little experience in handling a LMS, believed that they could benefit from the use of a LMS in the future and that they are prepared to use the programs as soon as they get proper training and the access to computers and internet is sufficient. It is pointed out that the possibility to improve efficiency, quality and availability of education by the use of a LMS depends on the system being fully implemented. In view of these findings the authors recommend that universities in developing countries take immediate steps to give lecturers training in the handling of LMS and encourage them to prepare for an extensive use of LMS as soon as the access to computers is sufficient.

A Learning Management System (LMS) can be analyzed by sorting the features into four groups; tools for distribution, tools for communication, tools for interaction and tools for course administration. This classification was used for the first time when the use of LMS at the School of Engineering, University of Borås, in the year 2004 and the academic year 2009-2010 was investigated. The results from this longitudinal investigation confirmed the suspicion that lecturers used the available LMS predominantly to distribute documents to students, and that the pattern of use did not change over time. In this article the authors asserts that this classification is necessary to convincingly demonstrate the pattern of use and to analyze the pedagogical application of an LMS. The classification system works regardless of what brand of LMS is used, and it allows the connection between educational procedures and features in the LMS to be analyzed. Today, platforms, similar to a LMS are used in industry and government to handle information, staff development and internal communication. The possibility to analyze the use of such platforms may have beneficial effects on society beyond and outside universities.

Abstract – This paper is a description of the design and implementation of a course within the project USo+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación financed by the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The course was an introduction to the handling of Learning Management Systems (LMS) first conducted at Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría, Facultad de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Havana, Cuba. The course was divided as two weeks of on-campus lectures and workshops followed by distance learning for three months, altogether corresponding to ten weeks of full time studies. Pedagogically and methodically the course was planned within the concept of Problem Based Learning (PBL). All course material was open educational resources freely available on the internet. The design of the course also had to consider the problems of limited access to computers and internet, both during the course and in the lecturers´ future practice. The solution was to have the LMS “Moodle” and other software executable from USB-memories and all course material available from the same USB-memory sticks. How this design can meet the given considerations is discussed.

Este capítulo foi desenvolvido para argumentar, de uma forma geral, os desafios enfrentados pelos docentes universitários quando pretendem ou a eles é requisitada a adaptação de suas disciplinas para a educação a distância ou semipresencial. No decorrer do texto, contudo, não são examinados somente os obstáculos, mas também apresentadas formas de superá-los. Sistematicamente, os desafios são caracterizados no relato das experiências que um dos autores deste capítulo vivenciou durante 14 anos no trabalho acadêmico e na participação em diferentes projetos, período em que as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação - TIC assumiram um papel importante na educação e em outras áreas. Para representação do processo vivenciado, foram selecionados projetos, nos quais se utilizaram recursos como a Internet, intranets, CD, DVD, produções multimídia (textos, imagens, áudio, vídeo e outros) e técnicas e ferramentas próprias de e-learning.

This research paper is about one aspect of the current internationalization, or Europeanization, of higher education of today. It addresses in particular linguistic issues in relation to or as an aspect of internationalization/Europeanization and how they are discursively constructed. Recent developments in Swedish higher education language policy texts are used as an example. Even though the ongoing mapping shows small signs of linguistic plurality, the dominant position of English is not challenged.

Higher education change is an important area of investigation in Sweden today. It is the largest government sector and its transformation is therefore societally important. This research paper is about one aspect of the changing characteristics of internationalising, or Europeanizing, higher education of today. It addresses in particular the question of language(s) in relation to, or as an aspect of, internationalisation. One of the key dimensions of change is in relation to the importance of international exchange and communication. The increased emphasis on English as an academic lingua franca in higher education practices, policies and quality assessment is significant, and this dominant position needs to be addressed. By close up research on linguistic issues in policy processes on internationalisation, taking Sweden as an example, this present study aims at drawing attention to language issues as part of academic practices. Recent developments in Swedish higher education language policy are used as an example. The webpages of 27 Swedish universities and approved language policies of these universities (all in all twelve) have been investigated, theoretically and methodologically framed within a critical tradition and CDA. Mapping of language plurality and an initial analysis on content and discursive construals, show that language diversity and awareness exists to some extent; that inclusive language practices are to be found; that attempts to problematize linguistic traditions are made; that implications on academic work in some areas can be described as immense, e.g. on language competences in relation to teaching and that the dominant position of English is unchallenged.

Under läsåret 2006-2007 har förändringarna i högskoleförordningen (SFS 2006:1053) och Bolognaprocessens inverkan på högre utbildning varit högaktuell på högskolor och universitet runt om i landet. Bakgrunden till förändringarna som trädde i kraft 070101 i högskoleförordningen finns i stor utsträckning i den så kallade Bolognaprocessen, en deklaration mellan 45 länder i Europa som främst syftar till att stärka Europa som en utbildningskontinent, öka anställningsbarhet och främja rörlighet för studenter och anställda. Till de operativa målen hör bland annat att dela in utbildningen i tre nivåer (grund-, avancerad och forskarnivå) och göra nya examensbeskrivningar. Dessutom har ett nytt poängsystem införts där 60 högskolepoäng motsvarar ett års studier, tidigare 1p motsvarar idag alltså 1,5 hp. Ett nytt 7-gradigt betygssystem införs vid flera lärosäten (ECTS) och diskuteras även inom HB. De studenter som i samband med kursstart begär att få betygssättas i detta system har rätt till det. Det som kan anses vara den största och kanske viktigaste förändringen är att man övergår från ett lärar- och kurscentrerat till ett studentcentrerat och målfokuserat synsätt i och med att studentens lärandemål (learning outcomes/förväntade studieresultat) ska uttryckas i alla kurs- och utbildningsplaner. Detta har inneburit att alla kurs- och utbildningsplaner har skrivits (eller ska skrivas) om. Det innebär också, för en del, ett nytt ”tänk”. Framförallt innebär det att lärare måste synliggöra sitt ”tänk” kring målen med kursinnehåll och undervisning, studentens lärande är i fokus.

Lärares kollektiva kompetensutveckling genom olika former av handledning ökar i den svenska skolan. Kollektiv kompetensutveckling beskrivs i nationell och internationell forskning ofta som en entydigt positiv praktik för att utveckla yrkesskicklighet. I följande artikel problematiseras denna föreställning genom en analys av en kollegial grupphandledning. Syftet är att synliggöra hur lärare konstruerar diskurser om lärar(o)skicklighet i samband med grupphandledning. Resultatet visar en motstridig bild av vad lärarskicklighet kan tänkas vara. Lärarna disciplinerade varandra i relation till lärarskicklighet genom de undervisningsråd som exemplifierades under handledningen. Subjektskonstruktionen av enskilda lärare, som skapades under den kollegiala handledningen, kan tyckas stigmatiserande. Likväl genererades också utrymme för förhandlingar och nya subjektspositioner. Kulturellt-diskursiva, social-politiska och materiellt-ekonomiska arrangemang på skolan bidrog till att främja den specifika och disciplinerande kompetensutvecklingspraktiken.

Various kinds of mentoring processes to enhance teachers’ collective learning and professional development have become popular. Collective learning and collective practice development within professions may be approached as an integral part of ‘professional learning communities’. Research emphasizes that learning communities cannot be commanded into existence and it requires voluntary participation. It is implicit that the participating teachers are open-minded and willing to share their teaching experiences. Yet in this article the situation is different. The article draws on a three-year-long case study in a Swedish secondary school involving one teacher team ‘forced’ to participate in peer group mentoring. The project aimed at developing teaching team facilitation using a nine-step model of peer group mentoring (PGM). Framed by Michel Foucault’s notion of power, the analysis shows that the disciplining practice of PGM generated new and complex processes. These processes can be described as disciplining, democratizing and developing for both the individual and the teacher team.

This thesis takes its departure from the on-going debate about teachers´(collective) ‘continuing professional development’ (CPD). Teachers’ CPD through an imposed nine-step model of peer group mentoring (PGM) is focused on. The study draws on data from a two and a half yearlong interactive project that took place in a teacher team in a Swedish school. The general aim of the thesis is to study a practice of professional development in a teacher team involving peer group mentoring and to find out how and what kind of teachers’ expertise that is constructed. Furthermore, the aim is to examine how the PGM-practice was constrained and enabled and what kind of CPD was made possible. The theoretical and methodological framework is mainly based on practice theory. Practices and practitioners are seen as mutually interrelated. Practice architectures (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008) are used to uncover the relations between the PGM-practice and its historical, material-economic, social-political and cultural-discursive conditions. Furthermore, Foucault’s notion of power was adopted as an analytical tool to examine how power came into play during the mentoring sessions and how the teachers’ discursively constructed a ‘good teacher’ and teachers’ expertise. The methodological approach is action research. A main finding of the thesis is that professional and personnel development may be imposed through peer group mentoring. Furthermore, democratic processes increased during the PGMmeetings and seemed to have an impact on classroom practice and the practice of parent-teacher meetings. The results show how the PGM–practice and its outcomes are deeply interconnected to global and local historical, material-economic, social-political and cultural-discursive arrangements which constrained and enabled it. When economic cut downs (i.e. materialeconomic arrangements) began to take effect in the local school, along with a neo-liberal discourse (i.e. cultural-discursive arrangements), democratic processes were challenged and threatened. The focus in the PGM discussions shifted from the teachers’ perceived need for pedagogical knowledge development to talk about students as costs. The constrained nine-step model disciplined some individuals more than others. The teachers disciplined each other through e.g. confessions, corrections and differentiations. Inconsistent discourses about good teaching and teachers’ know-how were constructed and the teachers positioned themselves and each other as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ teachers. The interactive research approach partly enabled the PGM-practice but at the same time effected the teachers’ positioning of each other. The interactive research approach disciplined both the teachers and the researcher. Anyhow, power relations became fluent and mutual among the participants. A collegial approach and the ability to carry out reflexive cooperation were both fostered by the model and articulated in the PGM-practice as important teacher skills.

This paper takes its departure from an interactive study conducted in a Swedish secondary school during 2008-2011. The aim is to study the practice of teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) in a teacher team involving peer group mentoring (PGM) to find out how and what kind of teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and expertise that is constructed. And to examine how the PGM-practice was constrained and enabled and what kind of CPD was made possible. The theoretical framework is based on practice theory. Practice architectures are used to uncover the relations between the PGM-practice and its historical, material-economic, social-political and cultural-discursive conditions. The methodological approach is action research. A main finding is that professional and personnel development may be imposed through PGM. Democratic process increased during the PGM-meetings and seemed to have an impact on classroom practice and the practice of parent-teacher meetings as well. Furthermore, the PGM-practice and its outcomes are deeply interconnected to global and local historical, material-economic, social-political and cultural-discursive arrangements which constrained and enabled it. When economic cut downs began to take effect in the local school, along with a neo-liberal discourse, democratic processes were challenged and threatened. The focus in the PGM-discussions shifted from the teachers’ perceived need for pedagogical knowledge development to talk about students as costs. A collegial approach and the ability to carry out reflexive cooperation were both fostered by the model and articulated in the PGM-practice as important teacher skills.