Schools are e-safe, but cyberbullying is rife - Tue, 07 Feb 2012
A new survey has revealed that cyberbullying is a huge issue for today's school pupils. 91% of secondary school teachers and 52% of primary school teachers surveyed reported that pupils have experienced cyberbullying. Although most teachers (87%) were confident that pupils were safe from internet harm at school, only 58% felt that their pupils had the skills and knowledge to use the internet safely at home.
The survey of 1,300 teachers was commissioned by Vital, The Open University's Professional Development Programme for teachers, which is funded by the Department for Education. The survey analysed primary and secondary school teachers' attitudes towards internet safety and the use of social networking and smartphones, finding that teachers today face new challenges in managing pupils' use of these technologies.
80% of secondary school teachers feel there is a growing problem in schools with pupils' phones which allow access to the internet and social networking sites. The most common form of cyberbullying is via social networking sites, and most teachers feel that these sites should be banned during the school day.
Director of the Vital Programme, Dr Peter Twining said, “I have great sympathy for hard-pressed teachers, but collecting mobile phones in a cardboard box at the school gate is not the answer. The technology is not going away. Schools need to focus on helping pupils and teachers to get the best from smartphones and other technologies, whilst also developing responsible behaviours and learning patterns.”
Nearly all of the teachers surveyed said that their schools have an internet safety policy and although many use social networks themselves, this was an area where the fewest number of teachers felt confident in advising pupils. A quarter of primary and half of secondary teachers felt that staff had received inadequate e-safety training.
Dr Twining continued, “These findings imply that a significant number of teachers, particularly within the secondary phase of education, want or need more support in dealing with e-safety. Schools need to focus on appropriate staff development. It is a big challenge, but there are many benefits to engaging pupils with technology – and a wealth of resources available to help.”
Vital provides free events and resources via its website (www.vital.ac.uk), which includes subject and special interest portals helping teachers to explore ways of bringing technology into the classroom. There is a portal dedicated to e-safety which is one of the most popular amongst the 7,200 Vital users.
Economists call for radical and immediate reform of financial system - Thu, 02 Feb 2012
• New research uncovers key policy recommendations for financial reform to exit the crisis
• MPs told “Focus must be on finance for innovation, not innovation for finance”
London, 2nd February 2012 – The financial crisis has exposed a dysfunctional financial system that threatens European and global economic stability with potentially major social consequences. That's according to a new report released today by Finance, Innovation and Growth (FINNOV – www.finnov-fp7.eu), a three-year research project funded by the European Commission.*
FINNOV explored the link between the financial sector and real economy, analysing to what extent financial activities promote or impede industrial growth and innovation. The research found immediate financial reform is essential to end the crisis and drive economic growth, leading to a number of challenging policy recommendations, including:
• Venture capital is most effective when preceded by strategic investments by the state in early stage innovation;
• Successful state investments in innovation should deliver tangible returns to the public purse, not just debt;
• Blanket support for SMEs is misguided and should be better targeted to producing not more firms but better firms that create more jobs and better products;
• Share buy-backs should be subject to stronger governance control or banned outright;
• Indicators of performance, used by financial markets, should be rebalanced to reflect companies' investments in innovation, R&D and productivity;
FINNOV is an influential collaboration of Economics experts from seven top European Institutions, led by the Open University and its work has recently been cited in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Growth Strategy Paper. FINNOV concluded its activities yesterday in the House of Commons by presenting its policy recommendations to MPs including Rt Hon David Willetts, Secretary of State for Universities and Science and Ms Chi Onwurah, Shadow Minster for Innovation and Science.
Professor Mariana Mazzucato, FINNOV project lead and Professor in Science and Technology at the University of Sussex (Visiting Professor at the Open University) is an expert on the economics of growth and innovation. She said of the findings: “The crisis has exposed deep flaws in conventional economic thinking on which financial policies and regulations have been based. The changing links between risks and rewards have contributed to an increasing 'financialization' of the economy, and this has allowed parts of the financial services sector to extract value at the expense of industrial growth. This practice is undermining investment in productive activity and has already destabilised the economy. Innovation requires “patient capital” with greater distribution of rewards to contributors to the innovation process, aligned to the money, time and energy they risk making it a success.”
Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science said: “How the financial system supports investment is a key question for policy makers at the present time and a key concern of BIS. We welcome the contribution FINNOV is making to the discussion and debate.”
Ms Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Innovation and Science commented: “The relationship between innovation, finance and public policy is one of the key questions of our time. Governments who get that relationship right can use it to build a sustainable economy. Governments who get it wrong will pay a high price.”
The research has identified trends and practices within financial markets that are damaging the UK's growth prospects. Out of this a comprehensive set of policy recommendations has been developed
FOR FULL RELEASE, INCLUDING THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTACT THE PRESS OFFICE FOR A PDF VERSION OF THE RELEASE
The Open University appoints new Dean - Tue, 31 Jan 2012
The Open University has appointed Professor Rebecca Taylor as Dean of its Business School and Law School.
Professor Taylor was previously Associate Dean at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University and has extensive experience within the business education sector. She has a PhD in Economics and has directed several HEFCE-funded projects related to the development and dissemination of online teaching and learning resources for Economics and the wider Social Sciences. Professor Taylor is also an Associate Director of the Economics Network at the University of Bristol and has worked with the Economic and Social Research Council and the Higher Education Academy on addressing the identified skills deficit in quantitative methods across the Social Sciences.
The Open University Business School is one of the world's leading business schools, recognised for the high quality of its programmes and teaching which are supported by cutting edge management and legal research.
Professor Taylor, Dean of The Open University Business School and Law School, said: “I feel very privileged to have joined the University and to be part of such an innovative team, dedicated to inspiring students worldwide to achieve their career ambitions. Since starting in the role, I have been impressed by the School's study method of practice-based, action learning that ensures what you learn today, you can put into practice tomorrow. This is especially evident in our newly-updated MBA programme, which is equipping students with the skills and experience to contribute straightaway to the success of their employers.
“I look forward to building on the School's strong record of success, welcoming new students, forging new relationships with business and working more closely with our loyal and enthusiastic alumni.”
The Open University Business School is one of the 56 elite triple-accredited business schools worldwide (December 2011).The MBA was rated 4th in the UK and 9th in the world by The Economist (2010) and has resulted in 22,300 successful MBAs.
Editor's Notes
The Open University Business School is a world leader in modern flexible learning and the pioneer of teaching methods that enable people to change their life goals, studying at times and in places convenient to them.
The Open University Business School is one of a select group of schools worldwide accredited by the three leading international accrediting bodies – AACSB, AMBA, EFMD/ EQUIS. It is the only triple-accredited business school that specialises in flexible learning and is home to 22,300 successful MBAs. Its MBA programme offers residential schools and face-to-face and collaborative learning options.
The MBA programme was rated 4th in the UK and 9th in the world by The Economist in 2010 and was ranked 5th in the executive education, training and development category by Superbrands in 2011.
The Open University Business School is also home to the Open University Law School offering amongst its programmes an LLB (Hons) – a qualifying law degree in England and Wales- in collaboration with The College of Law and a masters degree in law (LLM).
It is also one of the top three UK universities for student satisfaction.
Security vs privacy: OU receives £450k to investigate - Tue, 31 Jan 2012
Privacy and security have always had a controversial relationship. On one hand security requires the collection of information about citizens, but on the other, it can be seen as infringement of their privacy. Dr Kirstie Ball, Reader in Surveillance and Organisation at The Open University, has received funding totalling £450k to investigate whether people view surveillance and the collection of information as acceptable in return for enhanced security - commonly positioned as a trade-off.
Kirstie said: “Surveillance has many positive uses, including law enforcement and investigating criminal activity, but it can also affect human rights and civil libertarian issues. Public perception and technology change over time, so surveillance techniques need to be reviewed to ensure they are still relevant and not infringing on people's lives.”
Kirstie will be involved in two European Commission Framework 7 projects commencing in February 2012. The first, Surveillance, Privacy and Security: A large scale participatory assessment of criteria and factors determining acceptability and acceptance of security technologies in Europe, will re-examine the relationship between security and privacy. This relationship, both at state and citizen levels, has informed policymakers, legislative developments and best practice guidelines concerning security developments across the EU. Current security policy, however, needs to be reviewed in light of new research questioning the validity of the security-privacy trade-off, suggesting it may have over-simplified the impact and acceptability of current security solutions.
The second European project, Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies will use public attitudes towards surveillance to identify its impact on everyday life and gauge trust in political institutions. The focus will be on the effects of surveillance in combatting crime and terrorism, and how it affects citizens in open and democratic societies.
A third project, The New Transparency, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, investigates the role of technology companies in promoting surveillance internationally. The team will look at factors contributing to the general expansion of surveillance as a technology of governance and the social consequences for both institutions and ordinary people.
Editor's Notes
1. Surveillance, Privacy and Security: A large scale participatory assessment of criteria and factors determining acceptability and acceptance of security technologies in Europe involves a team of academics from The Open University Business School, including Professor Sally Dibb, Dr Fahri Karakas and PhD student Sara Degli Esposti. Overall, the project involves 11 different partners across Europe and is being led by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
2. Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies is being led by the Institute for the Sociology of Law and Criminology, based in Austria
3. The New Transparency project is based at Queens University in Canada
OU/BBC documentary highlights the challenges facing social workers - Mon, 23 Jan 2012
The complexities behind the work of child protection social workers will be observed in a three-part documentary which has been co-produced by The Open University in partnership with BBC.
The BBC TWO three-part documentary, Protecting Our Children, follows social workers from Bristol City Council and highlights the life-changing decisions they make on a daily basis for the city's children.
It documents a social worker's job and the complex decisions they have to make, focusing on social work's most critical dilemma; when it is right to remove a child and when it is safe for them to be reunited. Social work involves a careful balancing act and often involves social workers putting themselves in vulnerable positions to risk assess a child's household.
The documentary was filmed over 18 months and is about a number of children who are on the frontline of child protection in Bristol.
Open University Senior Social Work Lecturer Dr Lucy Rai and Social Work Lecturer Dr Barry Cooper worked with the BBC to provide expert input into the development of the documentary.
Dr Lucy Rai said: “Protecting our Children witnesses moments of truly inspiring hope as well as chilling stabs of a very cold reality. It very difficult to motivate change, but it is even harder to sustain it both for social workers and for the parents who are striving, against momentous odds, to 'do the right thing' for their children. One of the huge challenges for social workers is deciding what constitutes the 'right thing'; the eternal debate over whether a child is better off with their birth parents or removed.”
Dr Cooper said: “The programme provides a unique insight into five very different examples of child protection social work.
“These stories of real life social work practice dilemmas are profoundly affecting and they make for compelling and frequently uncomfortable viewing.”
The documentary shows how social workers have to manage a heavy caseload, are often put in difficult and highlights their emotional battles with helping parents and families in order to secure the best outcome for the child/children. The programme also focuses on the needs of vulnerable children and the various challenges involved with child protection work; highlighting how many children are found to be at risk as a result of neglect or because of physical or sexual abuse.
Dr Cooper added: “Whatever resistances from adult parents and carers that social workers have to confront, their primary professional responsibility is to the child. It is this that must drive the decision making.
“There are important values in social work about working in partnership with people and empowering them to make positive changes to their lives. Sometimes this can be done but, as these programmes demonstrate, it is not always achieved. Whatever the attitudes and reactions of adults, it is the needs of the child that has to be the main factor in driving all judgements and decisions about whether parents can maintain parental responsibility for their children.”
The series will be broadcast weekly on BBC TWO, starting on Monday 30 January 2012.
As part of its broadcast partnership with the BBC, The Open University has developed a range of free educational resources on social work which accompany the programme. For further information about child protection, free educational resources on social work and the range of social work courses provided by The Open University, visit: www.open.edu/openlearn/startyourday
ENDS
Notes to editors
Programme Credits
Protecting Our Children was made in partnership with BBC.
Executive Producer for the BBC is Julian Mercer.
The Open University academic consultants for the series are Dr Barry Cooper, Lecturer, Social Work, and Dr Lucy Rai, Senior Lecturer, Social Work.
Social work at The Open University
The Open University is the largest provider of part-time work-based social work training in the UK. The OU's curriculum is developed by leading academics and professionals who are actively engaged in social work, ensuring that teaching reflects current priorities. The University is also a pioneer in working collaboratively with service-users, whose voices are heard throughout the OU's learning materials – challenging and enriching the contributions of practitioners and policy makers alike.
The Open University's social work education ranges from short introductory modules through to a work-based honours degree in social work and a top-up degree to enable Social Workers with a DipSW to achieve an honours degree.
For more information on the OU's social work courses, go to: www.open.ac.uk/health-and-social-care/main/study-us/social-work
Photo credit and copyright: Sacha Mirzoeff
