ERIC Number: ED275838
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1985
Pages: 81
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-86397-128-X
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Monitoring Technological Change.
Brinkworth, B. J.; Eckersall, K. E.
A project was conducted to design and pilot a scheme for monitoring trade/industry/commerce technological changes and reporting them to Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers and authorities. A matrix of information categories was used to facilitate the collection and storage of information relative to technological advancements in the building, furniture, and plastics industries. The monitoring involved extensive literature searches and exchanges between industry contact persons and specialist technical monitors. Items were selected from among the information gathered and were published in the form of an illustrated news bulletin entitled Tech Info. The bulletin was distributed to 430 trade and technician building studies teachers throughout Australia for evaluation. Although responses to the questionnaire accompanying the bulletin were encouraging, their number was insufficient to draw any firm conclusions. It was discovered, however, that (1) a central library is very important for a monitoring scheme, (2) there are numerous advantages associated with beginning with an across-trades information-gathering approach and then resorting information into narrower categories, (3) cluster categories could be even more useful given a national agreement on nomenclature, and (4) an editorial group is essential to monitoring and reporting and should include a monitoring coordinator. (Appendixes include the first issue of Tech Info, the questionnaires sent to TAFE teachers and authorities, an information matrix, schemes for monitoring technology and technological change and reporting to TAFE personnel, and a bibliography). (MN)
Descriptors: Building Trades, Bulletins, Data Collection, Foreign Countries, Furniture Industry, Information Dissemination, Labor Market, Material Development, Models, Pilot Projects, Plastics, Postsecondary Education, Secondary Education, Technological Advancement, Trade and Industrial Education, Trend Analysis
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Reports - Descriptive; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: TAFE National Centre for Research and Development, Payneham (Australia).
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A