Herontwerp moet leiden tot een breder en meer gevarieerd ict-aanbod, waarin niet meer alleen monodisciplinaire opleidingen zitten, maar ook opleidingen met elementen van andere disciplines erin, nieuwe, aantrekkelijke afstudeervarianten of geheel nieuwe opleidingen. Zo zijn er opleidingen ontstaan op het snijvlak van ict en een andere discipline zoals gezondheidszorg, kunst en communicatie. Dergelijke snijvlakopleidingen blijken aantrekkelijk voor een grotere groep meisjes en jongens. Een voorbeeld is de opleiding Communicatie en Multimedia Design (CMD), die zich bevindt op het snijvlak van ict, communicatie en design. De CMD-opleidingen trekken vanaf de start in 2001 een hoger percentage vrouwelijke studenten dan vele andere hbo ict-opleidingen. Ook jongens die anders niet voor een ict-opleiding gekozen zouden hebben, kiezen voor CMD. Ondanks de positieve geluiden laten de instroomcijfers zien dat zowel voor de CMD-opleidingen als voor HT het lastig is om meer dan 20% meisjes te werven. Nader onderzoek is nodig om te achterhalen hoe dit percentage verhoogd kan worden. Desondanks blijft de instroom van CMD hoger dan van de traditionele ict-opleidingen. Dat is reden genoeg om deze ict-variant nader te beschouwen. Dit document beschrijft achtereenvolgens de ontwikkelingen op de arbeidsmarkt en in het (hoger) onderwijs die de ict-variant CMD positioneren en rechtvaardigen. Hierna volgt een praktijkvoorbeeld van de ontwikkeling van een dergelijke snijvlakopleiding: de opleiding ICT Media Design bij Fontys Hogescholen in Eindhoven. Deze casus kan als voorbeeld dienen voor andere hogescholen die overwegen een ict-snijvlakopleiding te ontwerpen en in te voeren.
Background: Low-educated patients are disadvantaged in using questionnaires within the health care setting because most health-related questionnaires do not take the educational background of patients into account. The Dutch Talking Touch Screen Questionnaire (DTTSQ) was developed in an attempt to meet the needs of low-educated patients by using plain language and adding communication technology to an existing paper-based questionnaire. For physical therapists to use the DTTSQ as part of their intake procedure, it needs to generate accurate information from all of their patients, independent of educational level. Objective: The aim of this study was to get a first impression of the information that is generated by the DTTSQ. To achieve this goal, response processes of physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education were analyzed. Methods: The qualitative Three-Step Test-Interview method was used to collect observational data on actual response behavior of 24 physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education. The interviews included both think-aloud and retrospective probing techniques. Results: Of the 24 respondents, 20 encountered one or more problems during their response process. The use of plain language and information and communication technology (ICT) appeared to have a positive effect on the comprehensibility of the DTTSQ. However, it also had some negative effects on the interpretation, retrieval, judgment, and response selection within the response processes of the participants in this study. No educational group in this research population stood out from the rest in the kind or number of problems that arose. All respondents recognized themselves in the outcomes of the questionnaire. Conclusions: The use of plain language and ICT within the DTTSQ had both positive and negative effects on the response processes of its target population. The results of this study emphasize the importance of earlier recommendations to accompany any adaption of any questionnaire to a new mode of delivery by demonstrating the difference and equivalence between the two different modes and to scientifically evaluate the applicability of the newly developed mode of the questionnaire in its intended setting. This is especially important in a digital era in which the use of plain language within health care is increasingly being advocated.
LINK
This paper examines how the learning environment in primary education can be enhanced by stimulating the use of innovative ICT applications. In particular, this discussion focuses on mind tools as a means of leveraging ICT for the development of cognitive skills. The stimulating effect of mind tools on the thinking skills and thinking attitudes of students is examined. The various types of mind tools and a number of specific examples are closely examined. We consider how mind tools can contribute to the establishment of an ICT-rich learning environment within the domain of technology education in primary schools. We illustrate two specific applications of such mind tools and discuss how these contribute to the development of thinking skills.
