There is growing concern in Europe that some students are not well-equipped to start a Bachelor's or Master's programme, especially when the programme has a strong mathematical focus. In particular, attention is drawn to problems with mathematics in the transition from secondary to higher education. Higher education expects a certain level of…

The definition of "English language classroom" is changing. When students have the opportunity to learn content and language at the same time, disciplinary boundaries overlap. Teachers are rethinking how they design courses, plan lessons, assess students, and collaborate with colleagues to support student learning and facilitate their…

In "contextual learning theory" three types of contextual conditions (differentiation of learning procedures and materials, integrated ICT support, and improvement of development and learning progress) are related to four aspects of the learning process (diagnostic, instructional, managerial, and systemic aspects). The resulting…

Educational designers often develop a "powerful learning environment" that is subsequently implemented by teachers. Due to a lack of cooperation with teachers they may receive limited feedback on the quality of their design and the way it is implemented. This study focuses on teachers' perceptions of a Dutch innovative learning…

Discussion of the need for distance education programs for children of occupational travelers who don't regularly attend elementary school focuses on FLEX (Flexible Learning Environment Experiment) used in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands. Highlights include information and communication technology; and instructional design of a generic open…

Presents an overview of the teaching of plastics at various levels of technological education in the Netherlands focusing on mechanical engineering. Highlights the design process and discusses the Dutch perspective of the role of materials engineering in engineering curricula. (ML)

The Dutch government conducted a project to promote information and communication technology (ICT) use in education. To systematically gather data on ICT use in other countries, the government began a continuous survey of best practice ICT use in education via printed and electronic resources and site visits. The final report is available on the…

Making educational materials freely available on the web can be seen as a noble enterprise in itself but as a way to address the call for people to become lifelong learners. The world is rapidly changing, requiring us to continuously update our knowledge and skills. A problem with this approach to lifelong learning is that the free materials that…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are cross-national factors that account for students' computer know-how. The data used in the study were collected in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement study on computers in education. In 1992, data were collected in seven different countries about the…

This study explores educators' reflections on professional childcare practice in different national contexts. The data were collected by showing video clips of classroom activities in Japanese, Dutch and German pre-schools to experienced German and Dutch pre-school teachers. The clips were used to elicit their opinions on playing and learning in…

The need to make trainee teachers more prepared to coach collaborative learning effectively is increasing, as collaborative learning is becoming more important. One complication in this training process is that it is hard for the teacher trainer to hear and understand the students' utterances and those of the coaching trainee teacher. Besides, it…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate career change intention and its predictors among career change seekers interested in a career opportunity in the information technology (IT) industry. Design/methodology/approach: Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to predict career change intention in this group. In addition, we…

Describes the development and implementation of curriculum materials that discuss nuclear weapons and the evaluation of those materials by administrators, teachers, and students. Also discusses the place of the study of nuclear weapons in the curriculum and aims of the materials. Suggested student activities are included. (JM)

Describes plans in The Netherlands to simultaneously restructure schools and curriculum, integrate information technology with the new curriculum, and redefine teacher support and inservice training. The PIT School Project is discussed, including evaluation; teacher networking is examined as a means of ongoing professional development; and PIT…

In a global society and economy, education and training is essential to a nation's competitiveness and to the standard of living of its people. The need to open the doors of higher or further education beyond the relatively limited enrollments in elite and selective universities has spawned a movement to develop or expand institutions that are…