Online Research: an efficient pretext to educate engineers to inform themselves[1]

At the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, future engineers and young workers are now being regularly trained in documentary and scientific research techniques. This training is original in the sense that it is mainly based on the practical notions of online research as a pretext for acquiring a more general cognitive view of problem-solving: knowing how to define a problem, specifying the problem's environment, defining the potential areas of resource for solving a problem, etc. In other words, online research is an approach to training engineers to be receptive to: system analysis, value analysis, creativity techniques, problem-solving, critical analysis. Training in online information research using this approach, becomes a synthesising educational activity. It reveals a lack in basic training and is at the same time connected to computer assisted teaching (CAT).     

Communication and helping behavior: The effects of information,reinforcement, and sex on helping responses

While the phenomenon of helping behavior is usually preceded by some kind of communicative interaction, the communicative interaction has not been studied as extensively as other factors. In this study, information and reinforcement were varied, along with requester and receiver sex. In a field study, individuals were selected randomly from the telephone directory and were asked to help the caller by placing another telephone call (to a confederate). Of all the possible interactions, only the receiver‐sex‐information‐helping, and the helping‐caller sex‐receiver sex were significant. In general, the effects of information were much stronger than those of reinforcement, and male receivers tended to help female callers more than male callers, while females helped indiscriminately. The results are discussed from the point of view of exchange theories.     

The future for industrial engineers: education and research opportunities

EU graduation and the recruitment of industrial engineers (IEs) have been investigated. An increasing demand is observed for graduates in almost all industrial engineering (IE) subjects. The labour market in the EU is evolving towards the service sector even if manufacturing still represents a significant share of both IE employment and gross domestic product. On average, IE in the EU is still within the framework of the ‘market-driven’ paradigm, which contrasts with the knowledge society aims pursued by the ‘Bologna process’. R&D resources and human capital are identified as major success factors to overcome current limits for IE development in the EU. With reference to both factors, a comparison between the EU, Japan and the US is provided. In the EU, the attractiveness of universities and the social dimension are recognized as major forces attracting human capital. Patent maps outline current and future IE research and education fields of interests. Finally, EU higher education opportunities are briefly described.     

The school‐based health center as a resource for prevention and health promotion

The importance of school‐based health centers (SBHCs) in overall prevention and health promotion programming is growing as they become increasingly common in schools. SBHCs can improve access to comprehensive physical and mental health services for children and families, and make a significant contribution to universal prevention efforts in schools. Partnering with school‐based health centers in the overall prevention and health promotion programming provides an opportunity for school psychologists to broaden their impact on the entire school population. This article describes the role and primary functions of SBHCs and how these centers can provide important prevention and health promotion services for children and adolescents. Research regarding SBHCs' primary prevention outcomes is also reviewed with the goal of providing school psychologists the necessary background to work collaboratively with SBHCs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Grant writing for childbirth educators: lessons learned from the resource center for young parents-to-be

Obtaining funding to support community-based childbirth education programs can be a challenge for childbirth educators who may have little grant-writing experience. This article was written by two nurse educators/nurse-midwives who have been involved for over 10 years with a grant-funded parenting and childbirth education program for pregnant teens. It reviews the background of the Resource Center for Young Parents-To-Be, suggests grant-funding sources, and explains the building of partnerships in the community. The basic steps involved in the grant-writing process are presented as well as the importance of follow-up evaluations and reports. Grant-writing skills and the ability to forge partnerships with other community organizations can be important tools for childbirth educators and health-care professionals.     

University policies under varying market conditions: The training of electrical engineers

This paper analyzes the problem faced by a university in optimizing the quality and quantity of engineers in the face of fluctuating enrollment. This problem is embedded within an equilibrium model that considers the dynamic rational occupation choice of high school graduates and the effect of the students and the university decision on the current and future demand and supply of engineers. The explicit considerations lead to an estimable model that is capable of providing economic forecasts of the demand and supply of electrical engineers under various economic conditions. The model is estimated using aggregate data from Israel. The estimated parameters are consistent with the economic theory and fit the sample well. In particular, the model is capable of estimating the observed cyclical movements in the number of graduating electrical engineers in Israel. Finally, we provide several predictions on the equilibrium number of electrical engineers towards the end of the century.     

湖南省电化教育馆 湖南省基础教育资源中心二○一○年工作要点

2010年．全省现代教育技术工作的指导思想是：在省教育厅党组领导下,以邓小平理论和“三个代表”重要思想为指导．深入学习实践科学发展观．认真贯彻落实教育强省会议精神。围绕省教育厅和地方各级教育行政部门的中心工作,务实求真,开拓创新,大力加强基础教育资源建设,探索共建共享新机制,     

The European Project Semester at ISEP: the challenge of educating global engineers

Current engineering education challenges require approaches that promote scientific, technical, design and complementary skills while fostering autonomy, innovation and responsibility. The European Project Semester (EPS) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme (30 European Credit Transfer Units (ECTU)) for engineering students from diverse scientific backgrounds and nationalities that intends to address these goals. The students, organised in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, are challenged to solve real multidisciplinary problems during one semester. The EPS package, although on project development (20 ECTU), includes a series of complementary seminars aimed at fostering soft, project-related and engineering transversal skills (10 ECTU). Hence, the students enrolled in this programme improve their transversal skills and learn, together and with the team of supervisors, subjects distinct from their core training. This paper presents the structure, implementation and results of the EPS@ISEP that was created in 2011 to apply the best engineering practices and promote internationalisation and engineering education innovation at ISEP.     

The challenge of collaboration: Organizational structure and professional identity

In 2003, California State University, Northridge, undertook the challenge of becoming a learning‐centered institution. This is the story of campuswide cultural change as a continual process.     

In practice: The business of doing good: A creative collaboration

Matt Matsuda and David Williams report on a successful collaboration between academic and student services that resulted in a Rutgers University Byrne Seminar on social entrepreneurship.