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two items below
Tanning by a distance
New terms such as on line and blended learning are becoming increasingly used and with time at a premium in business not all companies are willing to send staff to Northampton for long periods. A physical presence is of importance in order to work in the tannery and learn the practical side of things and the interaction with colleagues is also invaluable, especially if perfecting English is also a target.
At Northampton we have been experimenting this year with lecture capture – recording the sound and the slides being shown on the screen. This means that studentship can listen again to bits they did not fully understand and use the recordings for revision. More interestingly in the future these can be sent out as part of a prepacked distance learning package supported by skype tutorials and online discussions and questions and answers. This guest blog by an expert in the area gives some more background.
A blog post that discusses educational reform, the current state of learning, and where it seems to all be headed into the future.
Written by Estelle Schumann who is a well known writer in the area this guest piece considers the basic implications for educators for students and colleges alike. Ignore the prices which have no relation to anything we do at Northampton. Also teaching leather requires access to the tannery and practical work but increasingly these are able to be done in the student’s own company tannery or other local facility. So expect to see courses with tannery workshops in Northampton, or Northampton staff travelling to facilities overseas. The same course with multiple modes of delivery will become the new normality.
The Economics of Online Schooling
Students, and universities, the world over are working to refine education: day by day, the increase of technology available to both the student and educator is changing the face of an education as we know it. Now, a prospective student, with the proper care taken, can attain nearly any bachelor’s degree they’d like from the comfort of their own home, at their own pace. More than just that, the economic benefits of an online school abounds; it’s much cheaper, for instance, to furnish a virtual classroom than it is to furnish an actual room for students.
A growing problem is the possibility of getting a degree from a university that isn’t accredited: in effect, the degree piece of paper that is both worthless and extremely expensive. With that in mind, students should be wary and seek out the proper documentation before they take any sort of online classes; then with that done, any student can see the advantages of online classes. Distance learners can easily work from wherever they like, without going to a physical classroom. Unencumbered by a formal meeting place, students fit their school into their life, instead of the other way around.
A University Perspective
From the perspective of the educator, there are just as many advantages to online schooling as there are for students. Chief among them is cost. Even though the class will cost the student anywhere from seven to nine hundred dollars, the cost to the university will be much less than normal. This is because, with an online course, the overhead of running the course is much, much lower. With a normal class, you need a classroom, facilities to meet, and a given professor can only work with one group of students at a time. Whereas with online classes, the professor can work with several groups at once online, without the need for a physical meeting place.
This makes economic sense to the school: you can educate more students with the same number of professors. The extra income is reinvested back into the school’s research facilities, earning new accreditations, and expanding the existing course catalog. With an expanded course catalog, the institution in question will become a more attractive place for students, beginning the cycle anew.
The Modern Student
The subgroup of students who benefit most from the proliferation of online education is the non-traditional student; someone older, perhaps with a career already begun, can benefit greatly from the portability and the self-paced nature of modern online education. This same group, however, is also the most liable to be scammed by what are known as ‘degree mills’. A degree mill, in simple terms, is an institution that charges massive amounts of tuition fees to students without offering accreditation in return. These mills rely on the income from student loans, guaranteed by the U.S. government, to function; without students to fleece, they’ll wither and die off. It follows then, that any prospective students, no matter how advanced they are in their careers, will do well to research the institution of their choosing. Without accreditation, any degree earned is patently worthless.
With that in mind, though, online education is an incredibly powerful tool. Anyone, anywhere, has access to top quality research and professors from the best universities. The classroom fits in a backpack, and goes with you wherever you go; the hours are when you want them to be, allowing you to work when you need to, and better yourself in the interim. That, then, is the true advantage of online education: empowering the student, allowing them more choice in their lives, and treating them as adults, not children.
Estelle Shumann
estelle.shumann@gmail.com (as of 2022 it is not clear where she can still be contacted. The subject hasnoived forward a great deal but we did not create much conversation in the Northampton community with this item)
For more resources see the Education Debate http://www.onlineschools.org/education-debate/ (not working as of 1/2/2022 although the organisation still exists
Together, some of these have been referenced by the likes of the New York Times, PBS, and Mashable, among others.
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From Hide to High Street
The Textile Institute does some great work and it is now clear holds some superbly interesting meetings. It is really good news for all alumni and current students that we are developing a closer relationship with them. This is going to be demonstrated on October 24th when they hold a joint conference at the University of Northampton. The details and application to attend is to be found on the web site: http://www.textileinstitute.org/EventsPage.asp#HidetoHigh
In addition below are the details of the day and the talks currently scheduled. It should be fascinating, and well worth attending. Not just for what will be discussed but because of those you will meet, and the long term links into the leather and textile industry you will gain.
From Hide to High Street – Leather Innovation
24 October 2012 0930 – 17.00
AM – Key Note Speaker
“Adapting to a Global Market Environment”
Reg Hankey, CEO, Pittards
“Talking Leather”
Rachel Garwood, Director, Institute for Creative Leather Technologies
“Is My Leather Safe & Legal?”
Speaker to be confirmed
“Fashionation”
Speaker from STAHL
PM – Key Note Speaker
“From Farm to Footwear”
Guy West, Director, Jeffrey West & Co
“Design through to Retail”
David Thurston, Director, Get Style London
“Evolution of a Company Brand & Leather”
Speaker to be confirmed
“Branding in the Leather Industry: the role of ingredient branding”
Professor Mike Redwood, Visiting Professor, University of Northampton
Plus Tannery Tours!
Venue: Sunley Conference Centre, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK
Thinking about the links between leather and textiles moves one’s thoughts to a wide variety of natural materials such as wool and linen. Understanding the terminology of the various aspects of the environment has become very complex. Issue, mostly incorrectly reported, around chromium have lead tanners to make some dreadfully improper claims for chrome free leather. Examples of greenwashing abound.
Rohantime Green Glossary
Rohan has published a guide related to this and it can be found at:
http://rohantime.com/17533/green-glossary-of-outdoor-gear/ (While Rohan is still going strong by 2022 this link does not appear to work)
I have included a few entries below to give a flavour for you to read.
Alpaca
Alpaca wool is very enduring. Insecticides are not injected into the Alpaca sheep fleece. The animal is very hardy. Most Alpaca products are imported at the moment.
Bamboo
A natural fibre from the bamboo plant. Bamboo has natural, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Bamboo fabric can absorb up to four times more moisture than cotton. It is because of this it has attracted interest amongst outdoor garment manufacturers. Bamboo viscose is a fibre which has been reconstituted from the original bamboo fibre and therefore small amounts of original bamboo fibre remain.
Cradle-to-cradle, C2C or Cradle 2 Cradle
The phrase “cradle to cradle” itself was coined by Walter R. Stahel in the 1970s. Stahel has emphasized the importance of the economic, ecologic and social advantages of the loop economy, which is increasingly referred to as circular economy. A play on the “Cradle to Grave” phrase, implying that the C2C model is sustainable and considerate of life in general. The Cradle to Cradle model can be viewed as a framework that considers systems as a whole or holistically. C2C Designers consider end of life in their design so that no chemical elements go to landfill but are all properly reused not just recycled. Only organic material goes to landfill.
Greenwash
Greenwashing is a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company’s policies or products (such as goods or services) are environmentally friendly.
Greenwashing may be described as “spin”
Hemp
For centuries the hemp fibre has been used for paper, rope and cloth. Hemp fibre is extremely durable and makes great clothing (Levi jeans originally made with hemp). Because of its strength it is again being used by some outdoor clothing manufacturers but to date it is being blended with other fibres.
There is no entry for leather; perhaps logical as it is a very minor part of the Rohan range and for many years they had none whatsoever. Yet if you were going to add an entry for leather what would you put? We have lots of clever marketing phraseology, we are all very proud of our material. We know it is sustainable and a valuable bi-product. Yet in “green glossary” how would we have it defined?
Answers please to mike@mikeredwood.com