Learning by Design (LBD) is a project-based inquiry approach for interdisciplinary teaching that uses design contexts to learn skills and conceptual knowledge. Research around the year 2000 showed that LBD students achieved high skill performances but disappointing conceptual learning gains. A series of exploratory studies, previous to the study in this paper, indicated how to enhance concept learning. Small-scale tested modifications, based on explicit teaching and scaffolding, were promising and revealed improved conceptual learning gains. The pretest-posttest design study discussed in this paper confirms this improvement quantitatively by comparing the conceptual learning gains for students exposed to the modified approach (n = 110) and traditional approach (n = 77). Further modifications, which resulted in a remodified approach tested with 127 students, show a further improvement through reduced fragmentation of the task and addressed science. Overall, the remodified approach (FITS model: Focus - Investigation - Technological design - Synergy) enriches technology education by stimulating an empirical and conceptual way of creating design solutions.
DOCUMENT
Het hbo kampt met gering studiesucces van studenten in termen van studievoortgang, uitval en gepercipieerde competentie. Welke maatregelen kan het hbo nemen? Deze bijdrage, gebaseerd op het proefschrift ‘One size fits all?’, gaat over leerpsychologische factoren en interactionalistische factoren waaruit studiesucces in het eerste jaar hbo kan worden verklaard. Het proefschrift laat zien hoe vele variabelen samenhangen met studiesucces. Met behulp van lineair structurele modellen doet de auteur voorzichtige uitspraken over de effecten die factoren op elkaar en op studiesucces (uitval, studievoortgang en gepercipieerde competentie) hebben. Van de leerpsychologische factoren hadden zelfvertrouwen en motivatie-aspecten (intrinsieke motivatie en procrastinatie) de sterkste samenhang met studiesucces. Vanuit interactionalistisch perspectief was intentie om te blijven de meest cruciale factor. De samenhangen met studiesucces van andere factoren uit beide benaderingen waren gering (diepgaand leren) of fluctueerden sterk per model en per groep (zelfregulatie, self-efficacy; sociale en academische integratie tevredenheid met actief leren en academische kennis en vaardigheden, contacturen, zelfstudie). Vele factoren spelen een rol, die bovendien naar achtergrondkenmerken (geslacht, vooropleiding, etniciteit, discipline) verschillend met elkaar samenhangen. Ook hebben verschillende factoren niet dezelfde, maar eerder tegenstrijdige effecten op concurrerende leeruitkomsten, zoals het behalen van credits en het verwerven van competentie. Het resultaat is niet een kookboek met pasklare recepten voor het oplossen van het rendementsprobleem. Voor de onderwijspraktijk (instellingen, opleidingen, docenten) zijn dat belangrijke inzichten waarmee meer gedaan kan worden. Meer onderzoek blijft gewenst naar de interactie tussen factoren uit verschillende verklaringsmodellen en -theorieën naar de effecten van rendementsmaatregelen.
DOCUMENT
With employer branding (EB), businesses aim to align their organizational norms with the norms of their current and prospective employees, and they explicitly communicate about the firm’s norms. Communication, however, carries different meanings depending on the context in which one operates. Also, the organizational norms may vary depending on the context, i.e., industry, different countries, and geographical context in which a firm operates. As such, the process of EB may be context-dependent, too. This study explores if and how EB is applied differently in different country and industry contexts. The analysis draws on a quantitative content analysis of 226 job vacancies targeted at highly educated graduates and professionals in IT, energy, and healthcare from the North of the Netherlands and comparable regions from Germany and Bulgaria. Our findings show that EB, as manifested in core values and distinctive characteristics, is not widely adopted in the vacancies we included in our analysis. When adopted, different values are emphasized depending on the context. General information and job-specific information are most frequent among all industries and countries. EB is a multidimensional concept with different dimensions used according to the context. The study’s main implication is that companies need to be mindful of the context in which an EB strategy is used. A one-size-fits-all approach in EB is likely not the most effective. This is particularly relevant for multinationals that adopt a worldwide organizational brand.
LINK
The general problem addressed by this dissertation is the low academic success of students—measured in terms of study progress, dropout, and perceived competence (Braxton et al., 2000; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; Entwistle & Peterson, 2004; Terenzini & Pascarella, 2005; Tinto, 1993)—in universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. Study progress refers to the number of credits attained by students at the end of their first year, after the deadline for exams, re-sits, and assignments. Dropout occurs when a student does not continue the same programme in a following year. On a programme level, dropout is the percentage of students in a cohort that leaves during or at the end of the first year and does not continue in the following year (cf. Berger & Lyon, 2005; NVAO, 2012). Students who switch within or between institutions are not regarded dropouts on the institutional or system level, but current designs of accreditation programmes only account for dropouts and study progress on the programme level.
DOCUMENT
Het huidige bevoegdhedenstelsel staat onder druk. De Onderwijsraad pleit voor een nieuw stelsel en de minister van OCW heeft een commissie ingesteld die de voorstellen van de raad verder moet uitwerken. De Onderwijsraad ziet ‘pedagogisch-didactische bekwaamheid’ als gedeelde kern van het lerarenberoep. Daartegenover bepleiten wij een rijkere kijk op het leraarschap, waarin leraren niet alleen pedagogisch-didactische vakmensen zijn, maar ook een voorbeeldrol vervullen als vertegenwoordiger van een wetenschapsgebied of een beroepsgroep zoals die in de wereld buiten de school functioneert.
DOCUMENT
The performance of neural electrodes in physiological fluid, especially in chronic use, is critical for the success of functional electrical stimulation devices. Tips of the Utah electrode arrays (UEAs) were coated with sputtered iridium oxide film (SIROF) and activated iridium oxide film (AIROF) to study the degradation during charge injection consistent with functional electrical stimulation (FES). The arrays were subjected to continuous biphasic, cathodal first, charge balanced (with equal cathodal and anodal pulse widths) current pulses for 7 h (>1 million pulses) at a frequency of 50 Hz. The amplitude and width of the current pulses were varied to determine the damage threshold of the coatings. Degradation was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The injected charge and charge density per phase were found to play synergistic role in damaging the electrodes. The damage threshold for SIROF coated electrode tips of the UEA was between 60 nC with a charge density of 1.9 mC/cm2 per phase and 80 nC with a charge density of 1.0 mC/cm2 per phase. While for AIROF coated electrode tips, the threshold was between 40 nC with a charge density of 0.9 mC/cm2 per phase and 50 nC with a charge density of 0.5 mC/cm2 per phase. Compared to AIROF, SIROF showed higher damage threshold and therefore is highly recommended to be used as a stimulation material.
DOCUMENT
The problem of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) made from non-renewable resources polluting the environment encouraged the creation of a circular face mask. The main factors that influence the design of a face mask that protects the user from COVID-19 were investigated. According to the findings, these are filtration, fit performance, and comfortability. Therefore, the two following goals were set for this project, to design a face mask (1) produced in the Netherlands using 50% local circular materials and 50% recyclable materials and (2) that perfectly fits men's and women’s faces
DOCUMENT
This paper presents the results of an experimental field study, in which the effects were studied of personalized travel feedback on car owners’ car habits, awareness of the environmental impact of their travel choices, and the intention to switch modes. For a period of six weeks, 349 car owners living in Amsterdam used a smart mobility app that automatically registered all their travel movements. Participants in the experiment group received information about travel distance, time, and CO2 emission. Results show that the feedback did not influence self-reported car habits, intention, and awareness, suggesting that personalized feedback may not be a one-size-fits-all solution to change travel habits.
DOCUMENT
SMEs within the rural Dutch municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug (UHG) are becoming increasingly aware of the need for sustainable ‘green’ business. Their sense of sustainability is strongly defined by the ‘green’ environment in which they live and work. They were seeking an entrepreneurial approach to sustainability that is reflective of the area and fits their ecosystem. This approach was to be aimed at innovation and branding. We assumed that the role and function of a location-based brand differs from that of product or corporate brands because it has more complexity. Taking place-branding theory as our starting point, we set out to construe a brand that is a) based on local identity and b) has the power to motivate and mobilize SME entrepreneurs to form cooperative sustainable networks. This paper presents our analysis for a brand framework and demonstrates how it has been applied to imbue sustainable ‘green’ impact.
DOCUMENT
