The traditional way of educating nature management students, in which students are trained to solve relatively simple and technical problems, is no longer sufficient. Societies are changing towards a network society, which makes nature management more complex. This asks for new competences and new learning strategies in nature management education. Therefore, VHL University of Applied Sciences started two pilots in 2012. The goal of these pilots was to create a network of lecturers and students, nature conservationists and local stakeholders to create sustainable and innovative nature management strategies withina local context. Network learning was the leading learning strategy in both these pilots. In this paper we use these pilots for an evaluation of network learning as an educational principle for higher education. The pilot will be assessed on criteria based on three perspectives: 1) the changing society, 2) educational theories and 3) a theory on learning networks. The paper results in recommendations for further use of network learning as an educational principle in general.
MULTIFILE
The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences has applied the Multi Actor Multi Criteria Analysis (MAMCA) in their educational and research programmes in various ways. The chapter is based on the experiences within the Faculty of Technology, which has adopted the MAMCA in the minor Urban Logistics. The minor is a 20-week programme that students from different disciplines can choose and for which they obtain 30 ECTS. As part of the minor Urban Logistics, students attend the MAMCA workshop. The workshop was developed in 2015 and has been held every six months since then. This chapter describes how the MAMCA has been applied in three cases: (1) for students; (2) for students and professionals; and (3) by students themselves. The use of the MAMCA is in line with the goals for practical-oriented research as it helps to make education more responsive, improves the quality of graduates and enhances innovation in professional practice.
De module Leren en Professioneel Handelen is onderdeel van de opleiding Master Educational Needs van het Seminarium voor Orthopedagogiek. Bij aanvang van deze module krijgen de studenten feedback op hun leerkrachtvaardigheden op basis van observatie van hun lesgedrag met het ICALT-observatie instrument. In de loop van de moduleperiode verdiepen de studenten zich in de beschikbare kennis over effectief leergedrag en worden zij in de gelegenheid gesteld om de leerkrachtvaardigheden te oefenen die nog verbetering behoeven. Uit een tweede observatie, aan het eind van de module, blijkt dat gemiddeld alle studenten er in slagen hun lesgedrag betekenisvol te verbeteren. Dit geldt voor zowel studenten met veel en weinig beroepservaring, als voor studenten die werkzaam zijn op verschillende schoolsoorten. We concluderen op basis van deze bevindingen, dat de bij het Seminarium voor Orthopedagogiek gehanteerde werkwijze uiterst effectief is.
The Netherlands is facing great challenges to achieve (inter)national climate mitigation objectives in limited time, budget and space. Drastic innovative measures such as floating solar parks are high on political agendas and are entering our water systems . The clear advantages of floating solar (multifunctional use of space) led to a fast deployment of renewable energy sources without extensive research to adequately evaluate the impacts on our environment. Acquisition of research data with holistic monitoring methods are urgently needed in order to prevent disinvestments. In this proposal ten SMEs with different expertise and technologies are joining efforts with researchers and four public parties (and 12 indirectly involved) to answer the research question “Which monitoring technologies and intelligent data interpretation techniques are required to be able to conduct comprehensive, efficient and cost-effective monitoring of the impacts of floating solar panels in their surroundings?" The outputs after a two-year project will play a significant and indispensable role in making Green Energy Resources Greener. Specific output includes a detailed inventory of existing projects, monitoring method for collection/analysis of datasets (parameters/footage on climate, water quality, ecology) on the effects of floating solar panels on the environment using heterogeneous unmanned robots, workshops with public & private partners and stakeholders, scientific and technical papers and update of national guidelines for optimizing the relationship between solar panels and the surrounding environment. Project results have a global interest and the consortium partners aim at upscaling for the international market. This project will enrich the involved partners with their practical knowledge, and SMEs will be equipped with the new technologies to be at the forefront and benefit from the increasing floating solar market opportunities. This project will also make a significant contribution to various educational curricula in universities of applied sciences.
Within TIND, Christian Roth studies the training of interactive narrative designers with the goal of developing teaching methods and learning tools for artists and designers to enable the creation of more effective artefacts. Interactive Narrative Design (IND) is a complex and challenging interdisciplinary field introducing new affordances in technique and user-experience. This requires practice-based research for further development of the educational format, demonstrating its potential while identifying and overcoming common learners’ challenges. This project aims to develop a framework for the design and evaluation of meaningful interactive narrative experiences that effectively stimulate a variety of cognitive and emotional responses such as reflection, insight, understanding, and potential behavior change. It provides tools, methods and activities to enable aspiring or practicing narrative designers through an interdisciplinary approach, including game design, immersive theatre, behavioral and cognitive psychology, and the learning sciences. HKU education means to prepare students for success in the creative industries and IND plays an important role for current and future jobs in education, arts and entertainment. IND has the potential to create an emotional impact and spark transformative change by offering agency, defined as the ability to influence narrative progression and outcomes in a meaningful way. This enables interactors to feel the weight of their own choices and their consequences, to explore different perspectives, and to more thoroughly understand complex multi-stakeholder issues, which could have significant impact on the success of emerging artistic, and learning applications. The research project is directly embedded in the curriculum of the HKU school Games & Interaction with annual educational offerings such as the Minor Interactive Narrative Design (MIND) and HKU wide broad seminars. Course evaluation and literature research will be used to create new and adjusted training for different HKU schools and the industry. Outcomes will be shared via an interactive website and events.
