This article analyzes the development, commercialization and demise of the Smaky school computer in French-speaking, Western Switzerland between 1973 and 1997. By examining archival material, I consider the connections between this locally assembled and used school computer, and the globally embedded economic developments during the period of…

Synthesizing academic literature into new knowledge through writing is a core skill that doctoral students engaged in research must learn. However, developing efficacy in synthesis skills as an academic writer is a culturally and cognitively demanding process that occurs over many years, requires abstraction, and draws upon critical reading…

This article analyses the developments in computer education in French-speaking Western Switzerland in the 1980s and 1990s. It investigates how computer education changed with the arrival of microcomputers, who the agents of these changes were, and with what sociopolitical and economic developments these pedagogical changes interacted. By…

School leaders, second only to classroom teachers, are catalysts for student success (Leithwood et al. 2006; Bush 2018). However, many school leaders around the world have not been professionally prepared for this role, making them ill-equipped to address both the daily and the strategic dilemmas they face (Bush 2018; Magno 2013) which range from…

Poor literacy skills can result in exclusion and reduce people's capacity to participate in political, social, cultural and economic life. This is important for migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who seek to live and work in a dignified, safe and fair environment and to be engaged members of their new communities. The…

This paper examines the use of Virtual Reality (VR) at Swiss secondary schools. Despite many years of research, no well-founded data are available on the effects of the technology on children's learning success. It is assumed that VR is compatible with the learning theory of constructivism through the possibility of immersion, interaction, 3D…

This book employs a critical discourse ethnographic approach to map the production of social meaning in digital media in education, drawing on insights from Switzerland to unpack the disconnects that arise in thinking postdigitally and ways forward for rethinking socio-cultural approaches. Grounded in Foucault-influenced, linguistically-oriented…

Due to its impact on society, the design of new drugs has the potential to interest a wide audience, and provides a rare opportunity to introduce several concepts in chemistry and biochemistry. Drug design can be seen as a multiobjective cyclic optimization process. Indeed, it is important to develop the understanding not only that a drug is…

Becoming a professional worker involves a wide range of cognitive, social, and cultural processes that have received extensive attention over the past decades amongst various disciplines. It is also not external to language use and communication. Novices in any occupation have to learn technical terms and are expected to master specific discourse…

This document is organized in three volumes and aims to cater to the diverse needs of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-related institutions. From their unique perspectives, the document explores and examines the three I's process: the timely and accurate identification of new qualifications and competencies (NQCs), their…

This Eurydice report sheds light on two different but complementary perspectives of digital education: the development of digital competences relevant to learners and teachers on the one hand, and the pedagogical use of technologies to support, improve and transform learning and teaching on the other. The report covers different areas of digital…

Education in the 21st century is diverse not only in content and discipline but also in format and delivery. Today's students have access to a broad range of information, knowledge, ideas, and opinions well beyond their classroom. Never before have learners been able to interact so closely with instructors, mentors, subject-matter experts, and…

Proponents and opponents of euthanasia have argued passionately about whether it should be legalized. In Australia in the mid-1990s, following the world's first legal euthanasia deaths, Dr. Philip Nitschke initiated a different approach: a search for do-it-yourself technological means of dying with dignity. The Australian government has opposed…

Nanotechnology is having an increasing impact on university curricula in electrical engineering and in physics. Major influencers affecting developments in university programmes related to nanoelectronics are discussed and a model for university programme development is described. The model takes into account that nanotechnology affects not only…

A microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) laboratory course (MEMSlab) in the Mechanical and Process Engineering Department at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), is presented. The course has been taught for four years and has been attended primarily by Master's students from mechanical and electrical engineering; since fall…