2017-01-24
Linking Higher Education and Practical Knowledge
Written by Herrie Schalekamp and Gail Jennings, and based on work by the VREF African Center of Excellence for Studies in Public and Non-Motorised Transport (ACET), University of Cape Town, this research brief discusses the University of Cape Town’s work amongst adult learners who have extensive experience of public transport operations but little exposure to higher education.
The research brief targets transportation professionals, urban policymakers and officials interested in building capacity among public and paratransit operators, as well as academics, practitioners and students who are interested in exploring meaningful, engaged and activism-oriented scholarship, and finding a way to deliver university training to an audience that has little formal higher education.
Link to the brief: Linking Higher Education and Practical Knowledge
(pdf, 664.9 kB)
Authors: Herrie Schalekamp and Gail Jennings, ACET, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Key messages:
- Trusted relationships with paratransit operators, and partnerships with government, are key to engaged scholarship.
- A university, with little vested interest in transport reform outcomes, is well positioned to develop such relationships.
- Where adults already have expert knowledge and experience, the primary mode of interaction should be critical discussion.
- The learning experience needs to be continuously co-designed with students, and students'practical needs re-assessed.
The VREF invites PhD students and early stage researchers to apply for a Study Visit Grant to be supported with up to SEK 30 000.
The invitation is open until 181031.
Blog! Blog! Blog!
This Meeting of the Minds' blog monthly releases interviews of global transportation researchers from the VREF's Future Urban Transport Program Network.
This CityFix series, produced by the WRI (World Ressources Institute) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and supported by the VREF, discusses walking and cycling in cities with a special focus on low- and middle-income countries.
Each year the Håkan Frisinger Foundation for Transportation Research awards a scholarship to a prominent researcher.
About VREF
The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) inspires, initiates and supports research and educational activities through the Future Urban Transport Programme - How to deal with the complexity of urban transport (FUT).
Our Vision: Sustainable transport for equitable access in urban areas
