Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: AIKATERINI BALAPANIDOU Author-Name-First: AIKATERINI Author-Name-Last: BALAPANIDOU Author-Email: dimkon@arch.auth.gr Author-Workplace-Name: UNIVERSITY OF MACEDONIA Title: The challenging role of public libraries as providers of lifelong learning opportunities for personal and social skills development Abstract: Public libraries have been for centuries an integral part of the society offering free places and equal access to resources for leisure and educational purposes. They support both organised and self-conducted learning in all education forms, i.e. formal, non-formal and informal learning for all age groups. However, the global technological developments have changed the demands for easier access to knowledge and the new socio-economic conditions affected informational, educational and training needs throughout life. Nowadays, they have to find ways to overcome the challenges of the competitive environment, which will enable them to redefine themselves as a vital part of the knowledge society connected to the emerging community needs by becoming more active in lifelong learning. This paper presents an overview of public libraries? role as providers of lifelong learning opportunities. The review is focused on the value-added services provision, including information literacy and other educational programs and activities for personal and social skills development. Additionally, provides some brief information on Greek public libraries and their role in lifelong learning over the last decades.*The fulfilment of the paper was co-funded through the Hellenic State Scholarships Foundation (???) from funds coming from the European Social Fund and the Educational Program ?Education and Life Long Learning? (NSRF, 2007 ? 2013).** This paper is a revised version of the paper entitled ?Lifelong learning opportunities and challenges for public libraries?, presented at the 15th International Academic Conference in Rome, 14-17 April 2015. Classification-JEL: Keywords: public libraries, library services, lifelong learning, lifelong education, skills development, information literacy, social inclusion, Greek libraries Journal: International Journal of Teaching and Education Pages: 1-16 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Year: 2015 Month: June File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-158 File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-158?download=1 Handle: RePEc:sek:jijote:v:3:y:2015:i:2:p:1-16 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ülle Säälik Author-Name-First: Ülle Author-Name-Last: Säälik Author-Email: ulle.saalik@ut.ee Author-Workplace-Name: University of Tartu Title: Reading performance, learning strategies, gender and school language as related issues ? PISA 2009 findings in Finland and Estonia. Abstract: Reading is considered an important skill not only for academic success, but also for active participation in society. International student literacy assessments report gender differences in reading performance in favour of girls. These reports also show that students from schools with a minority or majority language tend to perform differently: in PISA 2009 in well-performing Finland, the Swedish-speaking schools performed at a lower level compared to the Finnish-speaking schools; in Estonia, the Estonian-speaking schools outperformed the Russian-speaking schools, despite the tests having been translated into each language. How students learn is closely related to their results. In literacy, the more advanced thinking and learning skills known as metacognition enhance the results. Metacognitive awareness can be developed through instruction in the classroom, and this has also resulted in significant improvements for students with rather low learning abilities. As it is teachers? and schools? opportunity to help their students by teaching these skills, their awareness of useful strategies could presumably be dependent on the school. So far only the PISA 2009 study has included student awareness of different learning strategies; therefore, the data here enable us to analyse how learning strategies relate to reading, gender or school language. In the current paper, the issues of reading proficiency, learning strategies, gender and school language are considered jointly. Alongside the theoretical background, results from several analyses of PISA 2009 are discussed to show how student awareness and choice of different learning strategies could explain the variation in reading results in boys and girls at student and school levels, and predict their reading test results. The two-level modelling analysis was used as a research method, since it allows us to draw reasonable statistical inferences for regression-type analyses under a hierarchical data structure, and where the factor of individuals being influenced by the group they belong to is explicitly taken into account.Acknowledgements:This research was supported by European Social Fund's Doctoral Studies and Internationalization Programme DoRa, which is carried out by Foundation Archimedes, project 1.2.0401.09-0070. Classification-JEL: I29, C55 Keywords: reading, learning strategies, gender, school language, multilevel modelling Journal: International Journal of Teaching and Education Pages: 17-30 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Year: 2015 Month: June File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-117 File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-117?download=2 Handle: RePEc:sek:jijote:v:3:y:2015:i:2:p:17-30 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Hermann Sinz Author-Name-First: Hermann Author-Name-Last: Sinz Author-Email: hermann.sinz@mci.edu Author-Workplace-Name: MCI Management Center Innsbruck Author-Name: Johanna Kostenzer Author-Name-First: Johanna Author-Name-Last: Kostenzer Author-Email: johanna.kostenzer@mci.edu Author-Workplace-Name: MCI Management Center Innsbruck Author-Name: Siegfried Walch Author-Name-First: Siegfried Author-Name-Last: Walch Author-Email: siegfried.walch@mci.edu Author-Workplace-Name: MCI Management Center Innsbruck Title: Future health care managers and the need for an international and interprofessional learning experience ? the case of a summer school on cross-border health care Abstract: Internationalisation and interprofessional cooperation are central to health care in the 21st century. For health care managers, policy analysts and academic researchers, knowledge of multiple relevant disciplines and an international view and network are key to understanding and solving the challenges that health care systems and health care services are facing. One of the primary challenges for health care managers in both private and public organizations will be the adaption to a continuously changing environment driven by technological development, demographic transitions and legal evolution. A recent development in this context has been the EU directive on the application of patients? rights in cross-border health care, which had to be implemented by all member states by October 2013, and allows individuals to receive treatment in other member states if they also have the right to this treatment in their home country. This increase in the mobility of patients and services also requires health care managers to be equipped with specialized knowledge and technical skills in order to address the international dimension (e.g. legal and financial issues) and to enable high quality of work by considering the diverse cultural and professional backgrounds of staff members.In order to explain how future health care managers can be prepared for this interprofessional and intercultural work environment, the article focuses on two main aspects. First, it sheds light on the core competencies required and explains how those skills can be acquired and further developed. Second, based on the example of an international summer school on cross border health care this article illustrates how interprofessional and intercultural learning can be promoted in the course of a two-week intensive program. The summer school which took place in 2013 and 2014 was jointly organized by four European universities (University of Bologna, University of Oslo, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Management Center Innsbruck). The concept will be outlined in detail to give insight to a practical example on how to promote intercultural and interprofessional learning among an international group of health care management students. Classification-JEL: I10, I23, M10 Keywords: health care management education, cross border health care, European patient mobility, intercultural learning, team development, leadership skills, interprofessional education, Internationalization Journal: International Journal of Teaching and Education Pages: 31-49 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Year: 2015 Month: June File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-127 File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-127?download=3 Handle: RePEc:sek:jijote:v:3:y:2015:i:2:p:31-49 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Shawyun Teay Author-Name-First: Shawyun Author-Name-Last: Teay Author-Email: jerry182122@yahoo.com Author-Workplace-Name: King Saud University Title: Model of Integrated Academic Performance and Accountability System for HEI Abstract: While accountability has been discussed and designed for implementation for schools systems in the West, what would responsibility and accountability mean for a Higher Education Institute (HEI) has been elusive. Basically, key literature in accountability connects assessment, teaching and learning, student and teacher systems, testing systems leading to improvements, innovations and renewals in the whole organizational capacity and capabilities system. These basically are the 4 sanctified mission tenets of any HEI of teaching, learning, research and societal responsibility. A key question facing most HEI would be the fundamental principles and mechanics in developing, ensuring and measuring these accountabilities that affects the students and society. The immediacy is the internal policies, processes, pragmatics and practices of the creation and delivery of ?education value? that is the faculty and staff using the educational processes responsibly and accountably way towards the students? accomplishment and achievements and societal development. Instead of focusing on the outcome of the accountability from external measures, this paper will focus on the internal practices and mechanisms that need to be established to ensure and support to internal responsibility and accountability of the HEI and its academic personnel. This paper aims at proposing a working model for this internal integrated Academic Performance and Accountability System (APAS) for a HEI. Six key internal indices are established in the key areas to course evaluations index, teaching and learning assessment learning outcome index of student, quality contributions index, research index, administrative work index, societal responsibility index. All these culminate in the Academic Performance and Accountability Index (APAI) of a scorecard of the faculty performance and accountability from the inherent internal processes that affect the final student external outcome performance. Classification-JEL: I21 Keywords: Academic accountability, higher education, balanced scorecard approach, academic performance and evaluation Journal: International Journal of Teaching and Education Pages: 50-72 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Year: 2015 Month: June File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-112 File-URL: https://iises.net/international-journal-of-teaching-education/publication-detail-112?download=4 Handle: RePEc:sek:jijote:v:3:y:2015:i:2:p:50-72