Conceptual understanding is important for professionals because a broad and deep synthesis of knowledge enables flexible and original thinking in complex problem solving. However, little is known about the appearance of conceptual understanding at the student level. This article therefore investigates the appearance of conceptual understanding in writing, since writing skills are a highly rated competency in both education and professional domains like international business. 44 students in their final year studying international business wrote literature reviews to illustrate how different levels (negligible, weak, moderate, strong and extraordinary) appeared for six components of conceptual understanding (global context, local context, business practices, practice instances, business concepts and business mechanisms). Two results are suggested. The first is that conceptual understanding in students’ writing is broad rather than deep, suggesting fragmented rather than integrated knowledge needed for conceptual understanding. The second is that different patterns of conceptual understanding emerge between and within students’ writing, both in the varying depths of conceptual understanding per component and in the different ways conceptual understanding manifests. Methodological issues and further research are discussed. Implications for education include suggestions for teachers to stimulate knowledge integration for conceptual understanding through the use of rubrics and iterative cycles.
Higher education providers need to deliver graduates with the conceptual understanding required for professional life. Conceptual understanding entails a synthesis of relevant facts, theories and practices that influence occupational performance. To help align curricula with individual student differences, this study investigates differences in international business undergraduates’ conceptual understanding with regard to study progress. Seventy-four international business students of a bachelor’s programme in the Netherlands participated. Students were presented with a complex business problem. They then wrote essays in which they explicated their conceptual understanding of the case. Using a rubric, six components of conceptual understanding were graded on a 5-point scale ranging from negligible to extraordinary. Results indicated three types of conceptual understanding: limited, developing and extensive. Their relationship with study progress was nonlinear, indicating that effects other than curriculum may account for differences between students. Suggestions are made to account for differences, and recommendations are made regarding curriculum development.
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This study aims to identify an adequate approach for revealing conceptual understanding in higher professional education. Revealing students’ conceptual understanding is an important step towards developing effective curricula, assessment and aligned teaching strategies to enhance conceptual understanding in higher education. Essays and concept maps were used to determine how students’ conceptual understanding of international business can be revealed adequately.
The HAS professorship Future Food Systems is performing applied research with students and external partners to transform our food system towards a more sustainable state. In this research it is not only a question of what is needed to achieve this, but also how and with whom. The governance of our food system needs rethinking to get the transformative momentum going in a democratic and constructive manner. Building on the professorship’s research agenda and involvement in the transdisciplinary NWA research project, the postdoc will explore collective ownership and inclusive participation as two key governance concepts for food system transformation. This will be done in a participatory manner, by learning from and with innovative bottom-up initiatives and practitioners from the field. By doing so, the postdoc will gain valuable practical insights that can aid to new approaches and (policy) interventions which foster a sustainable and just food system in the Netherlands and beyond. A strong connection between research and education is created via the active research involvement of students from different study programs, supervised by the postdoc (Dr. B. van Helvoirt). The acquired knowledge is embedded in education by the postdoc by incorporating it into HAS study program curricula and courses. In addition, it will contribute to the further professional development of qualitative research skills among HAS students and staff. Through scientific, policy and popular publications, participation in (inter)national conferences and meetings with experts and practitioners, the exposure and network of the postdoc and HAS in the field of food systems and governance will be expanded. This will allow for the setting up of a continuous research effort on this topic within the professorship via follow-up research with knowledge institutes, civic society groups and partners from the professional field.
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.
Als geen andere grondstof is metaal oneindig herbruikbaar. De Koninklijke Metaalunie heeft daarom de ambitie uitgesproken om samen met de ketenpartners - onderwijs- en kennisinstellingen, de ministeries van Infrastructuur en Milieu (IenM) en Economische Zaken (EZ) en ondernemers - onderzoek en projecten uit te voeren om de circulariteit van de metaalketen te verbeteren. De sector sluit daarbij aan bij het stimuleringsbeleid van de Rijksoverheid gericht op de overgang naar een 100 procent circulaire economie. De Metaalunie wil geen volger zijn, maar een actieve rol vervullen om circulariteit binnen de metaalsector te bevorderen. Kennis is er weliswaar voldoende maar vindt nog onvoldoende zijn weg naar de sector. Wanneer meer bedrijven in de metaalketens de potentie van de circulariteit zien, zal dit leiden tot nieuwe en verbeterde producten. De verwachting is dat door het in kaart brengen en benoemen van de meerwaarde/toegevoegde waarde, meer bedrijven de circulaire economie als uitgangspunt zullen nemen bij productontwikkeling. En dit creëert dan weer afzetmogelijkheden, verbetert de concurrentie-positie en draagt bij aan groei en werkgelegenheid. De Metaal Recycling Federatie (MRF) stelt zich het bevorderen van de milieuvriendelijke en economisch verantwoorde recycling van alle gebruikte metalen in Nederland ten doel. De MRF vertegenwoordigt 160 van de 400 ondernemingen die actief zijn op de recycling van ferro en non-ferro. De federatie vertegenwoordigt daarmee 85 procent van het totale verhandelde volume van de gehele branche in Nederland. De MRF constateert dat gebruikt metaal weliswaar voor meer dan 90 procent wordt gerecycled, maar is van mening dat verdere optimalisatie kan worden bereikt door de producten (nog) beter geschikt te maken voor hergebruik. Dat stelt bijzondere eisen aan het ontwerp van die producten: design-for-recycling. Met dit KIEM-project wil de MRF een beter inzicht krijgen in de problemen die recyclers ondervinden bij de demontage en vervolgens recycling van producten waarin metaal is verwerkt. Uiteraard wil de MRF vervolgens bezien hoe de knelpunten kunnen worden weg genomen. Twee MRF-leden, die zich bezig houden met resp. de verwerking van elektronica en restmaterialen en met het inzamelen van accu?s en non ferro materialen, hebben concreet aangegeven hun keten meer circulair in te richten. Zij hebben behoefte aan praktisch toepasbare kennis hoe dit te realiseren. Het project legt de focus op het inzicht krijgen in de mogelijkheden (het HOE) van de elektrische huishoudelijke apparaten en de accuketens om de circulariteit van de ketens verder te verbeteren. Het slaat daarmee een brug tussen beschikbare kennis en de toepassing daarvan, met als uiteindelijk doel dat meer bedrijven in de metaalsector de circulaire economie als uitgangspunt hanteren in hun business model. De praktijkvragen van de bedrijven zijn vervat in drie clusters: 1. De wijze waarop hoogwaardig hergebruik en recycling van huishoudelijke apparaten en accu?s (verder) kan worden verbeterd; 2. Onderzoek naar de praktijk van ontmanteling, scheiding en recycling van producten: - Welke keten- c.q. netwerksamenwerkingen zijn opportuun? - Welke knelpunten (techniek, communicatie, anders) moeten opgelost worden? - Welke internationale kennis en ervaring is opportuun? 3. Wat betekent dit voor de, overwegend MKB-, bedrijven in de metaalrecycling sector? Er wordt samengewerkt met Avans Hogeschool en partners in de elektrische huishoudelijke apparaten en accu-recycling ketens. De uitkomsten van het project zijn: - een beschrijving van de circulaire keten met de verbeteringen daarvan in elk van de twee gekozen ketens, t.w. huishoudelijke elektrische apparaten en accu?s; - een voorstel voor oplossingsrichtingen naar verschillende aspecten: ontwerpmethodes, verdienmodellen, juridische en samenwerkingsaspecten, en tenslotte - ?best practices? vanuit de twee ketens.
