In honours programmes, teachers face the task of designing courses in which students feel challenged and learn from accomplishing demanding assignments. The aim of this study was to investigate students’ and teachers’ perceptions of challenge and learning in an honours programme. From 2016 to 2019, students and teachers rated the learning activities during the programme and explained their ratings. The results showed that in the first two years, teachers estimated challenge and learning significantly higher than the students did. However, both students and teachers viewed the tasks as the factor with the strongest impact on challenge and learning. In the first year, students also identified group dynamics as challenging and a source for learning. Enhancing task complexity and supporting group dynamics are the main factors to adjust the level of challenge in an honours programme. Monitoring students’ and teachers’ perceptions can help to adapt the programme to improve students’ learning.
MULTIFILE
This magazine presents the highlights of the applied research project “Inclusive and climate-smart business models in Ethiopian and Kenyan dairy valuechains (CSDEK)”. The CSDEK applied research project was conducted in six case study areas, three in Ethiopia and three in Kenya. At the time of publishing this magazine, research was still ongoing in some of the study areas. The projectteam and researchers hope to contribute to creating awareness of climatesmartdairy practices and development of the dairy sector in Ethiopia and Kenya. In two of the study areas, collaboration between VHL and dairy stakeholders will continue, preferably through local networks in a Living Lab approach.
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Purpose - This paper aims to establish the profile of an excellent facility manager in The Netherlands.Design/methodology/approach − As part of a large-scale study on profiles of excellent professionals, a study was carried out to find the key characteristics of an excellent facility manager. Three panel sessions were held in different regions of The Netherlands. Sixteen facility management (FM) professionals with various work experiences participated in the conversations, led by a non-FM moderator. All material was recorded, transcribed, and labelled independently by three assessors. The concept profile that was derived from these analyses was administered in a survey twice to FM experts following a Delphi method.Findings – Outcomes suggest a combination of the following five characteristics defines an excellent facility manager: he or she (1) possesses communication skills; (2) acts results-oriented; (3) is entrepreneurial; (4) is sensitive to the needs of the organisation; (5) demonstrates personal leadership.Paper_Profile Excellent Facility ManagerAll characteristics were consistent with the nine FM Bachelor competencies of the Dutch standard (LOOFD). However, regarding the fifth domain (personal leadership), the observed profile of an excellent FM professional seems more challenging than the Dutch Bachelor standard.Practical implications − The observed profile can be used to further strengthen the Dutch (Honours) Bachelor Programmes in FM. Exploring international (dis)similarities, possibly leading to an international profile of an excellent facility manager, is a future ambition.Originality/Value − This study describes the systematic design of a research-based profile of an excellent FM professional from a practice point of view.
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Nationwide and across the globe, the quality, affordability, and accessibility of home-based healthcare are under pressure. This issue stems from two main factors: the rapidly growing ageing population and the concurrent scarcity of healthcare professionals. Older people aspire to live independently in their homes for as long as possible. Additionally, governments worldwide have embraced policies promoting “ageing in place,” reallocating resources from institutions to homes and prioritising home-based services to honour the desire of older people to continue living at home while simultaneously addressing the rising costs associated with traditional institutional care.Considering the vital role of district nursing care and the fact that the population of older people in need of assistance at home is growing, it becomes clear that district nursing care plays a crucial role in primary care. The aim of this thesis is twofold: 1) to strengthen the evidence base for district nursing care; and 2) to explore the use of outcomes for learning and improving in district nursing care. The first part of this thesis examines the current delivery of district nursing care and explores its challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen the evidence base and get a better understanding of district nursing care. Alongside the goal of strengthening the evidence for district nursing care, the second part of this thesis explores the use of patient outcomes for learning and improving district nursing care. It focuses on nurse-sensitive patient outcomes relevant to district nursing care, their current measurement in practice, and what is needed to use outcomes for learning and improving district nursing practice.
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Research Questions1) How do honours students behave when collaborating with regular students?2) Which factors affect whether honours students dare to stand out?
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Within a short period of time, the Netherlands transformed itself from a relatively tolerant country to a nation that called for cultural assimilation, tough measures and neo-patriotism. The discursive genre of 'new realism' played a crucial role in this retreat from multiculturalism, and that had a dual effect for immigrant women. Whereas formerly they were virtually ignored by both the integration and the emancipation policy, since the triumph of new realism they are in the centre of both policy lines and there is now more policy attention for their needs and interests. Yet in the public debate the culture card is drawn frequently and immigrant women are portrayed as either victims or accomplices of their oppressive cultures. Policy makers and practitioners in the field, however, succeeded in avoiding cultural stereotyping by developing cultural-sensitive measures, while naming them in culture-blind terms.
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Paper presentation at the European Council of High Ability, Vienna, Austria. 2-5 March 2016.
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This article is a reflection on the MACESS programme and its place in a changing education environment in Europe.
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