Research of Elsbeth Spelt et al on interdisciplinary learning of student in higher science and engineering education has now been published in the European Journal of Engineering Education.

The research contends that students in the field of science and engineering need to work in interdisciplinary teams. As a consequence of this research is needed on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. In this study 615 student experiences were analysedusing the theory of Illeris who distinguishes three dimensions of learning: the cognitive, emotional, and social dimension. These  dimensions are very relevant in interdisciplinary work and learning, as understanding and accepting theories, concepts and strategies of ‘other’ disciplines implies a knowledge component, feelings about other views and interactions with professionals with different views and interests. Students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on these dimensions, thus showing that these are indeed important. For each learning dimension, students identified key learning experiences of interdisciplinary learning, such as understanding, frustration, and engaging with peers. The study showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions, which reflects the real difficulty of interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

Full reference:

Spelt, E., Luning, P.A., Boekel, T. van, & Mulder, M. (2017). A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 42(6), 761-774.

The publication can be downloaded from the page Publication List.

There has been an enormous growth in temporary agency workers, caused by the economic crisis since 2007. Who is responsible for providing opportunities for competence development of these workers? Workplaces of these workers give ample opportunities for workplace learning, but what about structural competence development? Is the temporary work agency responsible for this, the organization in which the worker is fulfilling an assignment, or the temporary worker him/herself? Find answers in the upcoming publication of Nienke Woldman et al, which is accepted for publication by Human Resource Development International.

Full reference: Woldman, N., R. Wesselink, P. Runhaar & M. Mulder (accepted). Supporting Temporary Agency Workers’ affective commitments: exploring the role of opportunities for competence development. Human Resource Development International.

As soon as the manuscript is published, more information will be given in this site.

The paper of Machiel Bouwmans et al on team-oriented HRD is accepted for publication in the journal Educational Management Administration & Leadership. When the paper is published we will give further information. For now, the reference is: Bouwmans, M., Runhaar, P., Wesselink, R., & Mulder, M. (Accepted December 5, 2017). Leadership ambidexterity: Key to stimulating team learning through team-oriented HRM? An explorative study among teacher teams in VET colleges. Educational Management Administration & Leadership.

Just back from the Launch Conference of the Journal of Vocational and Continuing Training, which was initiated by Professor Joy Papier, from the Institute of Post-School Studies of the Western Cape University, Cape Town, South Africa. I could only participate in the first day of the conference, but the speakers list was impressive, as is the intended list of members of the Editorial Board. The field of Vocational Education and Training research was missing an academic journal in the field from the African content, and because the scope of the journal will be pan-African, it will be a valuable asset for the field. Continue reading Impressions from Cape Town

Congratulations to Karen Evans, winner of the 2017 European Vocational Education and Training Research Award. Well deserved!

 

 

IQRA University in collaboration with the University of Education, Lahore is organizing an International Conference in the field of Education & Social Sciences. The conference will provide a platform for national and international academics and practitioners to present their research on innovative and current trends in the field of Education and Social Sciences. It is also an attempt to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners and bring them together to discuss the ideas for future. The focus of the conference is Building a Sustainable Future. Researchers are invited to submit their ideas in the form of extended abstracts (500 words) in the related fields. For further information: http://www.geistscience.com/conference18/international-conference-on-innovation-and-emerging-trends-in-education-social-sciences-2018/

Johan van den Beucken successfully defended his NCOI professional Master of Education (MEd) thesis yesterday. The theme of the thesis was handling diversity in an interculturally mixed elementary school using project education. Johan is a multi-school director and has a strong record in managing change. The main school has been leading for a longer period of time excels in many ways. Congratulations, and thanks to Dr. Joachim Wetterling, who was the assessor of the thesis. Continue reading Johan van den Beucken new NCOI Master of Education

Research of Machiel Bouwmans et al on distributed leadership in VET schools is accepted for publication in the journal Educational Management Administration & Leadership. The paper focuses on the interplay between formal leaders and team members. Once the paper is published it will be announced here.

Full reference: Bouwmans, M., Runhaar, P., Wesselink, R., & Mulder, M. (Accepted 10 November 2017). Towards distributed leadership in VET schools: the interplay between formal leaders and team members. Educational Management Administration & Leadership.

Research of Judith Gulikers et al on assessment innovation is published online. An action research was conducted with 34 teacher teams of 11 pre-Vocational Education and Training institutions, to implement a new (competence-based) assessment. The results, based on data from 76 teachers, 68 students, 24 teacher coaches and 3 researchers, show (as expected) that the new assessment implies changes in curriculum and teaching to align these with the competence-based education philosophy in action. Various challenges emerged from this research: how to increase teachers’ expectations of student performance, how to change student-teacher interaction patterns, how to develop teachers’ practical understanding of the competencies which are being taught, and how to observe and discuss student performance during assessments, all as a consequence of competence-based student assessment.

The full reference is: Gulikers, J.T.M., Runhaar, P. & Mulder, M. (2017): An assessment innovation as flywheel for changing teaching and learning, Journal of Vocational Education & Training, DOI: 10.1080/13636820.2017.1394353.

Download paper here: 2017 Gulikers et al – Assessment as flywheel – JVET

Not new, but I just read that in the United States’ Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 on page S. 250—4, Career and Technical Education is defined as including competency-based applied learning. For the worldwide discussion about the competence-based education philosophy, this is quite relevant. Competency-based applied learning in this Act does not refer to basis skills or laundry lists of functional knowledge, but to the acquisition of academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes and knowledge about the world of work, including entrepreneurship. That’s quite different from what critics of the competence-based education philosophy attribute to this concept.

The Act literally states:

‘The term ‘career and technical education’ means organized educational activities that—

(A) offer a sequence of courses that—

(i) provides individuals with coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions;

(ii) provides technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate

degree; and

(iii) may include prerequisite courses (other than a remedial course) that meet the requirements of this

subparagraph; and

(B) include competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of an industry, including entrepreneurship, of an individual.’

Source: 2006 Carl Perkins Act BILLS-109s250enr