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Democratising the knowledge commons: The shared goals of open and community-engaged scholarship
Get PDFCommunity-engaged scholarship is at a transitional moment, seeking to effect cultural change in academic and research institutions, which will expand the concept of scholarship to encompass the methodologies and definitions of scholarship embodied in community-university research and engagement. Open scholarship is similarly employed in transforming scholarship to broaden its scope, influence and impact beyond traditional modes of academic practice. Written from the perspective of practitioners of open access publishing, this article explores the development and current state of the open movement and considers intersections and opportunities for collaboration with community-engaged scholarship. 
Legislating community engagement at the Australian local government level
Get PDFCommunity engagement has assumed a more salient role in the operations of Australia’s local governments. A vast number of legislative instruments and reporting requirements are imposed upon local governments by the states and the Northern Territory across Australia’s seven local government jurisdictions. Consequently, a set of identifiable practices is solidifying as a core element of local government practice and state–local relations. However, while practices have recently proliferated, it is easy to forget that they are relatively new. This article examines the legislative frameworks of Australian local government systems by chronologically mapping the development of legislation and other reporting requirements. It is argued that community engagement now occupies a central place in local government, and that the jurisdictions use four different types of approaches, often simultaneously, which can fruitfully be described as ‘prescriptive’, ‘aspirational’, ‘empowering’ and ‘hedging’. The discussion draws comparative observations and identifies key issues and challenges for the future of community engagement.
KeywordsCommunity engagement; Australia; local government; public participation; legislatio
Educating for Change
Get PDFThe United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework was adopted by every member state of the United Nations in 2015, and, albeit not legally binding, it is arguably one of the greatest steps of humanity to address the identified problems of our time, covering a wide range of topics such as environmental protection, equal opportunities, education, eradication of diseases, famine, poverty, slavery and child labour. Both in terms of its comprehensive scope and its worldwide support, this framework arguably represents one of the most significant international frameworks in human history.
Using education related examples from a charity project that is concerned with the development of a local health care system in the African rain forest in Cameroon, this paper illustrates how projects can and should implement key aspects of the SDGs framework pre-emptively within their scope, i.e. at the local level, prior to and in support of the full, legally binding implementation of the framework at the national level. This not only helps to make our world a better place, but also very concretely to reduce project risks, create funding opportunities and make the project’s deliverables more sustainable.
The ‘Mahola Project’ (‘Mahola’ means ‘Aid’ in the local Bassa language) was founded in 2013 – following an exploration trip to Cameroon in order to assess the real needs of the population in the deprived area around the village Siliyegue – as a response to meet these needs. The main objective of the project is the development and deployment of a sustainable, integrated, local health care system that is fully aligned with the SDGs and brings about dramatic improvements for the quality of life of the people living there; far beyond ‘just’ providing health care and work opportunities. Education is at the core of the necessary efforts to successfully deliver this system, changing minds and hearts
Building An Information Resilient Society: An Organic Approach
No full textFake news, disinformation and propaganda (FDP) present an important threat to modern democratic societies and has critical an impact on the quality of public life. This article presents an organic approach to understanding of FDP. The approach builds up on the various similarities with virology where FDP is compared to a hostile virus which is spread in a certain environment and may penetrate into the human body. Based on the three pillars involving creation, spread and penetration the authors deliver in total 28 policy measures which will contribute to an information resilient society: a society which is aware of the manipulative or hostile content of information and which is encouraged by working with high quality information within the FDP hostile environment
Development of intuition in a new currency, the Euro: The Slovak experience
Get PDFAdaptation to an unfamiliar currency is required regularly of international travellers – and also of citizens of countries changing their currency, such as the 19 (to date) Eurozone members. We report on the currency adaptation process in the Slovak Republic during 2008-2011. We analyse its effects on citizens’ development of price intuition in the euro. Our study draws on Hofmann et al.’s (2007) work, which proposed four different strategies for coping, ranging from direct numerical conversion to developing intuition. We conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys using structured questionnaires in realistic Slovak settings. We describe European and Slovak institutions’ supports for the public, such as dual display of prices, and readily available conversion tables. We found that, whereas the numerical conversion strategy was used most frequently by respondents in the first year, within two years they were already developing intuition in the new currency, especially for frequently bought products. We also investigated the ‘Euro Illusion’, the extent to which Slovak citizens, in their evaluation of prices, may have been influenced to make decisions based on nominal values, whereby prices in euros seemed smaller than those in Slovak crowns. We summarise suggestions for promoting learning in situations of currency change, and briefly discuss the features of the Slovak process as a ‘numerate environment’.
KeywordsPrice intuition; numeracy; learning; intuition strategy; marker value strategy; anchor strategy; numerical conversion strategy
Rural crime and law
Get PDFThis paper discusses the nature and extent of rural crime and suggested solutions to rural crime; providing the author’s opinion on mandatory sentencing, increased penalties, certainty of detection, and reduction of the profit motive. Particularly, the article discusses the issues of stock theft, abalone poaching, firearms offences, traffic offences, logging protest cases, pastures protection – legal principles, proposed solutions, practical issues. The article also touches on changes in law enforcement, technology and the administration of justice, as well as police interviews with suspects, DNA, video surveillance, domestic violence issues and women in courts.
The paper concludes with a description of the experiences of a magistrate who lived and worked in rural NSW, discussing issues that arise as a result of inevitable relationships with accused and others in the town
Service-learning in the Philippines: The University of Santo Thomas’ National Service Training Program
Get PDFService-learning in the educational sector has shown increased impact on student lifelong learning and institutional commitment to the community over the past decade. Universities in the Philippines provide various service-learning programs for their partner communities, to address students’ understanding of real-life community needs. However, there has been little study on students’ service-learning in geriatric institutions. This article first discusses higher education in the Philippines, noting the impact of the National Service Training Program on institutions’ programs. It then describes how one university, the University of Santo Tomas, has responded to this policy framework with the development of community programs that also meet its goals for social transformation. One particular program is examined – a service-learning program involving college students and a geriatric institution in Manila. Early qualitative feedback provides an understanding of college students’ perceptions of the elderly and the service-learning implemented by the university. It also offers a strong foundation for continuing to improve the current service-learning program. From this study an 8-loop model has been developed for future evaluations of the service-learning program in this geriatric institution.
Keywordsservice-learning, elderly, geriatric institution, Philippines higher educatio
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