Comparison between bridging students and traditional first-year students in engineering technology

To stimulate a flexible lifelong learning system students can enter university via lateral entry. Unlike traditional first-year students, lateral entrance students are not well-studied. Therefore this study focuses on comparing first-year students with a specific group of lateral entrants, namely bridging students at the Faculty of Engineering Technology, KU Leuven. Using Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome model resulted in (1) Input variables, namely prior education and initial learning and study strategies, (2) Environmental influence, measured with a questionnaire focussing on perceived transition to university, and (3) Outcome variables, namely dropout and academic achievement. Analyses resulted in similarities for the outcome variables, but differences in terms of secondary education. Regarding the input (LASSI) and environmental questionnaires, for only two of the 13 scales a moderate effect was found (perceived preparedness and test strategies). Consequently, research findings of first-year engineering students can be compared, taking into account their specific differences, to the context of bridging students.     

Attitudes of secondary school students towards doing research and design activities

Research and design activities are often employed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education. This study aims to examine students’ attitudes towards doing research and design activities in secondary school, among two groups of students: (1) students that take the quite recently introduced Dutch subject O&O (research & design), in which students perform authentic research and design projects related to STEM disciplines; and (2) students that do not take O&O. The subject O&O is only taught at a limited number of certified, so called ‘Technasium’, schools. A questionnaire, developed by the authors, was completed by 1625 students from Grades 8 and 11. Unlike previous studies on student attitudes, which usually use abstract concepts like ‘science’ or ‘technology’, the questionnaire used in this study contains active verbs to characterise research and design activities. The results showed that, in general, students who took the subject O&O had more positive attitudes towards doing research and design activities than regular students. Both student groups appeared to find doing design activities more enjoyable than doing research activities. The results of this study provide useful information for teachers as well as teacher educators about the existing attitudes of students, for example their preference for design projects over research projects.     

Measurement of active drag during crawl arm stroke swimming

In order to measure active drag during front crawl swimming a system has been designed, built and tested. A tube (23 m long) with grips is fixed under the water surface and the swimmer crawls on this. At one end of the tube, a force transducer is attached to the wall of the swimming pool. It measures the momentary effective propulsive forces of the hands. During the measurements the subjects' legs are fixed together and supported by a buoy. After filtering and digitizing the electrical force signal, the mean propulsive force over one lane at constant speeds (ranging from about 1 to 2 m s-1) was calculated. The regression equation of the force on the speed turned out to be almost quadratic. At a mean speed of 1.55 m s-1 the mean force was 66.3 N. The accuracy of this force measured on one subject at different days was 4.1 N. The observed force, which is equal to the mean drag force, fits remarkably well with passive drag force values as well as with values calculated for propulsive forces during actual swimming reported in the literature. The use of the system does not interfere to any large extent with normal front crawl swimming; this conclusion is based on results of observations of film by skilled swim coaches. It was concluded that the system provides a good method of studying active drag and its relation to anthropometric variables and swimming technique.     

从“规律”的证实到意义的解释:教育学的语义转向

教育学自从成为一门独立的学科以来 ,一直以证实教育领域中的“客观规律”为己任 ,以便使其成为一门所谓的“科学教育学”。然而 ,教育学的科学化追求却是以牺牲其内在的意义、价值与逻辑、依据为代价的 ,通过机械地移植自然科学的方法、标准而进行的 ,从而造成教育学知识属性的扭曲。这是今日教育学危机四伏的根本原因。因而 ,拯救教育学的命运 ,我们必须重新认识教育学的知识属性及其科学化标准 ,并使教育学从对外在的、僵化的“客观规律”的证实转向内在的意义、价值及逻辑、依据的解释     

知识管理与企业流程管理的融合

从信息管理系统与企业流程重组入手,分析知识管理与企业流程管理之间关系;引入协同概念,阐述协同概念分别与知识管理以及企业流程管理的关系。     

试论图书情报学创新教育

图书情报学创新教育是２１世纪知识经济社会对图书情报学教育的客观要求,同时也是图书情报学教育主动回应知识经济挑战在教育理念上的变革。图书情报学创新教育要求教育创新,即在教育理念、教育内容、教学方法与手段、教育评价体系、教师素质要求等方面创新。