Introduction: Writing Readiness Inventory Tool In Context (WRITIC) is an activity-based assessment tool to evaluate which kindergarten children are at risk of developing handwriting difficulties. WRITIC-assessment is valid, reliable, feasible, predictive, and norm-referenced. Broad international interest in translating WRITIC-assessment exists.Objectives: Making WRITIC available to professionals internationally to enable participation in handwriting at school. Methods: Composing translation teams with universities in different countries, back- and forth translation, cross-cultural assessment adaptation, carrying out feasibility and validation studies, starting courses for training the professionals.Results: Translation teams have been started in different countries resulting in an English, Portuguese and Slovenian translation, validation studies in Flanders, UK, Portugal and Slovenia and translation projects in Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A Figshare environment was developed to safely store, exchange the data and to support international research. An international digital platform has been constructed to sell e-manuals, share e-learning and support people worldwide.Conclusion: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation in different languages and the international digital platform made WRITIC-assessment accessible to children’s therapists around the world with the same results: enabling school participation of all children in contributing to inclusive education.
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Introduction: Writing Readiness Inventory Tool In Context (WRITIC) is a context-based assessment tool to evaluate which kindergarten children are at risk of developing handwriting difficulties. WRITIC-assessment is valid, reliable, feasible, predictive, and norm-referenced tool. Objectives: Building a network to enable professionals internationally using WRITIC-assessment in kindergarten. Methods: Build contacts internationally, compose translation teams within different universities, train translation teams, support back- and forth translation and cross-cultural assessment adaptation, carry out feasibility and validation studies, publish WRITIC-manuals in different languages, provide train-the-trainer courses, support organization of courses for professionals in different countries. Results: Different international projects started resulting in an English, Portuguese, German and Slovenian translation; validation studies in Flanders, UK, Portugal and Slovenia; translation projects in Greece and Bulgaria and contacts build in France, Spain, Japan, Indonesia, South Africa and Australia. A Figshare environment was developed to safely store and exchange data and to support international research. A digital platform was constructed to share information, sell manuals, and provide assessment requirements. Conclusion: The growing international network and the resulting projects make it possible to support future-proofing school-based occupational therapy worldwide. WRITIC-assessment helps to enable participation in handwriting for all children and contributes to inclusive education.
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Client: Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Funder: RAAK (Regional Attention and Action for Knowledge circulation) The RAAK scheme is managed by the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Early 2013 the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport started work on the RAAK-MKB project ‘Carbon management for tour operators’ (CARMATOP). Besides NHTV, eleven Dutch SME tour operators, ANVR, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Climate Neutral Group and ECEAT initially joined this 2-year project. The consortium was later extended with IT-partner iBuildings and five more tour operators. The project goal of CARMATOP was to develop and test new knowledge about the measurement of tour package carbon footprints and translate this into a simple application which allows tour operators to integrate carbon management into their daily operations. By doing this Dutch tour operators are international frontrunners.Why address the carbon footprint of tour packages?Global tourism contribution to man-made CO2 emissions is around 5%, and all scenarios point towards rapid growth of tourism emissions, whereas a reverse development is required in order to prevent climate change exceeding ‘acceptable’ boundaries. Tour packages have a high long-haul and aviation content, and the increase of this type of travel is a major factor in tourism emission growth. Dutch tour operators recognise their responsibility, and feel the need to engage in carbon management.What is Carbon management?Carbon management is the strategic management of emissions in one’s business. This is becoming more important for businesses, also in tourism, because of several economical, societal and political developments. For tour operators some of the most important factors asking for action are increasing energy costs, international aviation policy, pressure from society to become greener, increasing demand for green trips, and the wish to obtain a green image and become a frontrunner among consumers and colleagues in doing so.NetworkProject management was in the hands of the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport (CSTT) of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. CSTT has 10 years’ experience in measuring tourism emissions and developing strategies to mitigate emissions, and enjoys an international reputation in this field. The ICT Associate Professorship of HZ University of Applied Sciences has longstanding expertise in linking varying databases of different organisations. Its key role in CARMATOP was to create the semantic wiki for the carbon calculator, which links touroperator input with all necessary databases on carbon emissions. Web developer ibuildings created the Graphical User Interface; the front end of the semantic wiki. ANVR, the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour operators, represents 180 tour operators and 1500 retail agencies in the Netherlands, and requires all its members to meet a minimum of sustainable practices through a number of criteria. ANVR’s role was in dissemination, networking and ensuring CARMATOP products will last. Climate Neutral Group’s experience with sustainable entrepreneurship and knowledge about carbon footprint (mitigation), and ECEAT’s broad sustainable tourism network, provided further essential inputs for CARMATOP. Finally, most of the eleven tour operators are sustainable tourism frontrunners in the Netherlands, and are the driving forces behind this project.
Events:Project meetings & trainings with the COMMITTED partners•Kick-off meeting at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, 5 April 2022•Partner meeting & training at Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Wurzburg, 12- 14 Dec. 2022•Partner meeting & training at Moravian College Olomouc, 31 May – 2 June 2023•Partner meeting at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Kouvola, 18 Sept. 2023•Final partner meeting at Budapest Business University, Budapest, 18 March 2024Trainings for university staff and SMEs:•Deemed export compliance pilot training for university staff,1 Feb. 2024, IBS Hanze. •Deemed export compliance pilot training for SMEs, 12 Feb. 2024, IBS Hanze.Conference presentations:Project pitch at Conference of the Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship, Hanze, May 21, 2024Workshops:Deemed export workshop at the annual Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) consortium day on June 27, 2024The proposed project will help companies, policy makers and university researchers and students involved in international projects for which export compliance is applicable, recognize the risks related to the dissemination/use of data, R&D results and other products of international cooperation. Such items regulated by export control regimes require preparedness and understanding what is necessary to comply with the rules, in order to prevent infringement, which can have profound negative consequences for all parties involved. EU calls for tailored guidance to address those distinct challenges (2021/821 Regulation) and the proposed project is inline with this need.
DOK4CT (in Dutch: Digitale Onderwijsmiddelen en Kennisontsluiting for Control Towers)In this project the practical applied knowledge, derived from innovative projects within the “Topsector logistiek”, is made accessible by Breda University and Deltago. This online Control Tower Course is specifically meant for logistic professionals and students in logistic orientated education. The project was made accesible and supported by the NWO, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. The scope of this project is limited to the area of Cross Chain Control Centers (4C) / Control Towers. The educational valorisation will be executed by the development of digital materials. These are used for student education as well as dissemination towards professionals in the logistics sector. Hereby, the interaction between students and professionals is an important additional benefit under the name of “social learning”. For example the interviews that Marcel Wouterse (Deltago and lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences) has created with key partners in the logistics sector were recorded and edited by students. By the use of digital educational tools and serious games, the benefits of Control Towers are now visible for students and professionals. The next phase is to introduce the gained knowledge in future organisations in order to support the Netherlands in the top of the logistics sector.Project goalThe goal of this project is to improve the exploitation of fundamental- and applied knowledge in the expertise area of Cross Chain Control Centers (4C) and Control Towers (CT).The tasks are divided in five subprojects:1. Preparations to transfer existing materials in digital learning tools;2. Shape digital education material (Webinars, online platform, knowledge clips and e-learnings)3. Develop and/or use several serious games (Convoy game / Synchromania)4. Promotion of the course to specified target groups (professionals / international students)5. Project managementExcising knowledge regarding Cross Chain Control Centers and Control Towers is used in this project. New knowledge will not be generated. The project focus lies on the disclosure of acquired knowledge by digital learning tools.
