Involving the students: outcomes and experiences from the participation of the board of European students of technology in the thematic network E4

In order to keep on developing the European dimension of engineering education, the European Commission decided to launch the thematic network Enhancing Engineering Education in Europe (E4) to continue the work done in the previous thematic network, Higher European Engineering Education (H3E). As in H3E, the input of students was considered to be important and valuable, and thus needed also in this new thematic network. As contacts had already been made with the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST) that had participated in H3E, and the cooperation had proved to be fruitful and reliable, BEST was chosen as the channel to get student presence inside the Thematic Network.

It is an understatement to say that students as a whole are an important stakeholder in education, since it is in fact the students that are the actual recipients of education. After all, what would be the point of education without students? The question seems absurd, yet it is very often the case that students are not even consulted when changes are considered and implemented. That students should take part in the shaping of education needs to be recognized as something as self-evident as students taking part in education itself.

The views of the students can indeed in several cases be more original and innovative than those of professors or other academics, and of course take better into account the students' own needs. Professors and academics have, or at least should have, more knowledge and experience than students, but at the same time we must all realize that the environment around us changes, sometimes very fast, and what was good at one time sometimes does not work anymore. Students are young and still fresh with ideas, without yet having been fixed into a particular way of thinking, thus being able to come up with new ideas for improvement, in this case for engineering education. Thus it is not only natural that students should be involved in educational changes because of their position as its recipients, but also because they constitute a source of innovation and freshness in its own right, something that should not be overlooked.

The participation of students in the thematic network E4, via BEST, has allowed engineering students from around Europe to participate in the development of engineering education and their views to be made public to those who decide on how they are educated.     

Welche schulischen Merkmale beeinflussen die Unterrichtsqualität? Sekundäranalysen auf Grundlage von Schulinspektionsdaten

The present study examines the assumption of positive correlations between certain characteristics of school organization (goals, organization and human resources) and teaching quality. Therefore, inspection data from the Brandenburg school inspection are examined. These data are suitable due to the wide coverage of school and teaching characteristics and the fact that data from approximate all public schools is available. The results confirm positive correlations between school characteristics and teaching quality at the school level in the range of small to medium effects. Moreover, with an increase in school characteristics, the variation of teaching quality within a school decreases (small effects). The study provides evidence on potentials and limitations of inspection data for school quality research and the optimization of current inspection instruments.     

Professional identity among student teachers of physical education: the role of physicality

In this study, we investigate the role of physicality in the professional identities of physical education (PE) student teachers. Twenty PE student teachers participated in semi-structured interviews during their final teaching practice. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis and typologies. The results showed substantial diversity in the student teachers’ conceptions of physicality and the ways these conceptions were embedded in their developing professional identities. The results also brought to light criticism directed at traditional notions of the body and physicality in PE and PE teacher education (PETE). We suggest that conceptions of the body and physicality represent a central element of PE teachers’ professional identity. The results also indicate a relationship between conceptions of physicality and pedagogies implemented in the future. Time and place for student teachers to discuss body-related matters should be provided in PETE.     

Nationalisation, Localisation and Globalisation in Finnish Higher Education

This article analyses and discusses the interplay between the social processes of nationalisation, localisation and globalisation in a single European nation state. The view of nationalisation put forward draws on a national case study based on historical and sociological research findings. The second part of the article presents a case study of the nature of globalisation and localisation in an average Finnish university. The article shows that nationalisation of Finnish higher education has created a cultural understanding of higher education institutions important for competition with other nations. As for localisation, on the one hand higher education institutions support their local communities and provinces to gain social and economic benefits. On the other hand, local communities and provinces support their higher education institutions in the hope of benefiting from them. The case studies also suggest that economic globalisation creates new dynamics within higher education institutions both through strategic alliances between higher education and commercial enterprises and through the emergence of alternative new funding sources for research.     

Accreditation,the Bologna Process and National Reactions: Accreditation as Concept and Action

This article examines accreditation as a component of the Bologna Process quality policy. The focus is on an analysis of the concept of accreditation in policy documents from four countries (Finland, the Netherlands, France and Sweden). The article focuses on the following questions: (i) how does accreditation appear, as a concept and as action, in national reports, produced for the purposes of the Ministerial meetings?; and (ii) how is accreditation presented, as a concept and as action, in the national context and for national actors?     

The Development of Study Orientations and Study Success in Students of Pharmacy

In research literature, two study orientations have been identified: meaning orientation and reproducing orientation. Few studies have examined how study orientations and conceptions of knowledge (epistemologies) interrelate. Further, longitudinal studies of the development of orientations and of conceptions of knowledge in relation to academic achievement are scarce. The study set out:(i) to examine the relationship between study orientations and conceptions of knowledge; (ii) to investigate how these kinds of beliefs change during short, career-aimed studies of natural science; (iii) to explore how study orientations and changes in them are related to study success. The sample consisted of 66 undergraduate students of pharmacy studying at a Finnish university. Participants filled in a questionnaire regarding study orientations and conceptions of knowledge at the beginning of their studies and after 3 years of study. Results showed a relationship between reproducing orientation and dualist conceptions of knowledge. Reproducing orientation and dualism diminished during undergraduate natural science studies. Further, students' reproducing orientation after the last study year was negatively related to their study success. In addition, a favourable development was detected in the group of above-average achievers, who maintained their initial level of meaning orientation while diminishing their level of reproducing orientation. Implications for instruction are discussed.     

Promoting teaching,learning and informed decision-making through the lenses of international large-scale assessment: looking beyond numbers

Public discussion on the quality of education in different corners of the world very much relies on the data provided by the international large-scale assessment (ILSA) studies. While aware of different methodological keystones and technicalities embedded in these, the idea behind this special issue is to contribute to the understanding of how students solve ILSA items and the kinds of literacy skills they rely on. A shared element of reported studies is that they seek to document and analyse test-taking as a concrete practice using different theoretical and methodological perspectives. We find such scrutiny to be important and significant at this point in time as it offers some new lenses through which ILSA items could be inspected and further discussed.     

Engagement in learning: a comparison between Asian and European international university students

Drawing on research on both engagement in learning and approaches to learning, we examine the associations between international students’ approaches to learning, factors in the teaching/learning environment and self-assessed academic outcomes. A total of 307 students responded to our survey. Their experience of the purposefulness of their course assignments and the relevance of their studies was related to students having a deep approach to learning and being organised in their studies. Moreover, students applying a deep approach to learning and being organised in studying seemed to perceive their study success more positively. Furthermore, the better students’ perception of how well their courses were organised and aligned with other studies, the lower their stress level was. The Asian students in our study exhibited a slightly more surface approach to learning, and were more organised in their studies than the European students, but the differences were very small.     

Pharmacy Mentors' Views of Practical Training

Practical knowledge and skills are necessary components of expertise. Practical training in higher education has been shown to foster students' learning and understanding of theoretical backgrounds. The attitude and skill of mentors play a central role in enhancing the quality of students' practical learning. The aims of this study were to explore mentors' experiences of the practice period and mentoring process, and to develop practical performances to improve the practice period that s included in theoretical pharmaceutical studies in Finland. A total of 48 pharmacy mentors were interviewed during the practice period of the pharmacy curriculum. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the mentors considered the practice period an essential part of pharmacy studies, which fostered student learning and benefited the community pharmacy. Mentoring activities, mentoring processes and assessment of students varied in the pharmacies. The results showed that it is necessary to pay more attention to the aims and the content of the practice period. More cooperation is needed between the University and pharmacies. There is also a clear need to pay attention to reflective action in order to foster the quality of practical learning.