During the last decade, the relationship between university and non-university higher education institutions has changed. As a contribution to the knowledge economy, non-university higher education institutions are expected to educate their students in research activities. Previously, teaching was the main responsibility of lecturers in non-university higher education, while research hardly played a role. This paper is about the belief of lecturers in non-university higher education in their own research ability (research self-efficacy). In a survey study conducted among Dutch lecturers (N = 790), the research self-efficacy has been measured. A structural equation model shows the effects of personal aspects, mastery experience and organisational context on the research self-efficacy of lecturers. Research self-efficacy is also modelled in relation to lecturers’ need to work on professional development in research skills. Results show that research self-efficacy is mostly affected by aspects of mastery experience, in which the context is similar to the given task. Implications are discussed.
In today’s era of content abundance, education has to deal with changed practices for the dissemination of knowledge. Many digital resources are available, and they have the potential to take the place of textbooks. ‘The role of the classic textbook as the key, immutable reference point for any class subject, is rapidly fading’, says Good (2016). Educational publishers like Pearson see a decline in textbook use (Sweney, 2017), and a study at a Dutch university of applied sciences (Leighton, 2015) indicates that lecturers in higher education move away from core textbooks towards a variety of materials, including powerpoint slides, websites, and videos. Baron & Zablot (2015) complement this, saying ‘teachers now have the possibility to create and modify resources’. This development carries the risk that the structure, continuity and coherence textbooks are supposed to provide (Littlejohn, 2011), disappear. One could argue that when structure and coherence disappear from learning materials, the quality of education is at risk. To make the most of (digital) materials that teachers select, they must be organized well (Deschaine & Sharma, 2015). In order to do that, lecturers will have to act as skilled curators when selecting and structuring learning materials. Central in the concept of curation is that it goes beyond selection: providing coherence and context is what sets out curation from mere selection (Bhaskar, 2016). Considered from the perspective of teaching, curating means selecting and structuring learning content for students, while also providing them with context and coherence. The notion of lecturers as curators has been discussed by Siemens (2008), who describes the changing roles of lecturers and identifies ‘curational educators’ as those who ‘acknowledge the autonomy of learners, yet understand the frustration of exploring unknown territories without a map’. So far, the literature mainly focusses on providing students with curational skills, since these are important 21st century and media literacy skills (e.g. Jenkins et al., 2009; Potter, 2012). Little empirical research has been done when it comes to curational roles of lecturers. This proposed poster provides a mixed-methods research design for a PhD study.
Blended learning is not a flash in the pan, it’s here to stay. At The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) the implementation of blended learning is not yet in an adult stage, but in a newly introduced educational framework (The Hague University of Applied Sciences, 2017) blended learning plays a vital role. The intention is for teams to come to a shared approach when it comes to blended learning. In his blog, Leonard Geluk, (Geluk, 2016) the Chairman of the Executive Board of the University notes that ‘the development is slow to get off the ground’ and ‘there is still work to be done before we can fully embed ICT in education.’ The toolkit of teachers has been supplemented with many digital tools in recent decades (Geluk, 2014), but what makes lecturers actually use these new possibilities? What causes them to pick up the toolkit or leave it? Jacobs (2013) indicates that people’s ability to exploit the benefits of technology, in particular digital technology, is not obvious and can be a big challenge, especially for teachers. The central question to this study is: What brings lecturers in motion around blended learning? In my opinion, gaining more understanding in the lecturers’ perspective is an important part of the ‘work’ that Leonard Geluk describes above. This is the main goal of this research.
Aeres University of Applied Sciences has placed internationalisation as a key driver in its overall strategy. By prioritising the internationalisation of education and educational consultancy the university has created solid opportunities for students, lecturers, and partners at regional, national, and international levels. Currently, more strategic development on internationalisation in applied research at Aeres is needed. There is an opportunity to utilise highly proficient researchers, state-of-the-art facilities, and an impressive national research portfolio, and for this, there is a need to develop international research agenda, a key priority for AeresResearch4EU. To address this need, Aeres University of Applied Sciences aims to strengthen its internationalisation efforts with its research activities, opening the door to many opportunities, and most importantly, creating an international research agenda spanning the university's three locations. The main objectives of AeresResearch4EU are to analyse the existing research strategy and professorships and develop them towards a global research agenda for the European Union. By focusing on international research projects, Aeres can further enhance its reputation as a leading institution for applied research in agriculture, food, environment, and green technologies. AeresResearch4EU aims to create new partnerships and collaborations with researchers and institutions across Europe, allowing Aeres to contribute to developing innovative and sustainable solutions to global challenges. With its strong commitment to internationalisation and its focus on applied research, Aeres University of Applied Sciences is poised to become an essential player in the European research landscape.
First Virtual Reality Museum for Migrant Women: creating engagement and innovative participatory design approaches through Virtual Reality Spaces.“Imagine a place filled with important stories that are hard to tell. A place that embodies the collective experience of immigrant women during their temporary stay”. In this project the first museum around immigrant women in Virtual Reality is created and tested. Working with the only migration centre for women in Monterrey, Lamentos Escuchados, project members (professional developers, lecturers, and interior design, animation, media and humanity students) collaborate with immigrant women and the centre officials to understand the migrant women stories, their notion of space/home and the way they inhabit the centre. This VR museum helps to connect immigrant women with the community while exploring more flexible ways to educate architects and interior designers about alternative ways of doing architecture through participatory design approaches.Partners:University of Monterey (UDEM)Lamentos Escuchados
The general objective of the project is to investigate how we could develop and maintain a network of lecturers from across all THE-ICE accredited institutes who could collaboratively teach online between different institutions, i.e., acting as international guest lecturers in the study programs of THE-ICE accredited institutes.
