Demand is a major potential source of innovation, yet the critical role of demand as a key driver of innovation has still to be recognised in government policy. This article discusses public procurement as one of the key elements of a demand-oriented innovation policy. The paper starts by signaling the new significance of public procurement for innovation policy strategies at the EU level and in a range of European countries. It then defines the concept of public procurement and embeds this concept within a taxonomy of innovation policies. The rationales and justifications of public procurement policies to spur innovation are discussed, followed by a consideration of the challenges and potential pitfalls as well as appropriate institutional arrangements and strategies, including some recent empirical examples of good practice. It concludes by confronting the public procurement approach with two of the most common objections to it and by considering future prospects. 相似文献
Although the inventions embodied in the Internet originated in a diverse set of industrial economies, the US was consistently the source of critical innovations and an early adopter of new applications. Why did other nations, including several that made important inventive contributions to the Internet, not play a larger role in its development, particularly in the creation of new business organizations, governance institutions, and applications? We argue that the role of the US “national innovation system” in the creation of the Internet echoes several key themes of US technological development before 1940. The presence of a large domestic market, a set of antitrust and regulatory policies that weakened the power of incumbent telecommunications firms, and a diverse private/public research community that was willing to work with both domestic and foreign inventions were important preconditions for US leadership in computer networking innovation. 相似文献
Computer‐based clinical simulations are a powerful teaching and learning tool because of their ability to expand healthcare students' clinical experience by providing practice‐based learning. Despite the benefits of traditional computer‐based clinical simulations, there are significant issues that arise when incorporating them into a flexible, co‐operative and collaborative learning environment. Unlike traditional technologies; immersive multi‐user virtual environments such as Second Life can incorporate comprehensive learning materials with effective learning strategies, allowing healthcare students to obtain a simulated clinical experience in an immersive social environment. The purpose of this research was to investigate how a simulation could be optimised in Second Life to encourage teamwork and collaborative problem solving based on the habits, experiences and perceptions of nursing students towards Second Life as a simulation platform. The research was conducted by placing groups of nursing students in separate locations and exposing them to a series of clinical simulation developed in Second Life. The simulation involved a series of problem‐based scenarios, which incorporated concepts of technical skills, patient interaction, teamwork and situational awareness. Using qualitative feedback from a series of evaluative case studies, the study determined good practices and issues involved with a virtual computer‐based clinical simulation. A common theme which emerged from this research, which is discussed in this paper, was the student's ability to work in an artificial social structure where they could actively co‐construct mental models of technical and interpersonal skills through experiencing human interaction in a computer‐based simulated environment. 相似文献
This study focuses on the integration of protocols into elementary school English teacher’s professional dialogue and discusses the influence of protocols on teacher’s teaching and learning. Based on the analysis of documents, observations, and interviews, this study concludes that the introduction of protocols to elementary school English teachers led them to discuss their classroom practice and gain professional learning in instructional strategies and student learning during the professional dialogue. However, English teacher’s lack of experience in using protocols led to interruptions during the professional dialogue. Suggestions for effective protocol-based professional dialogue are provided.
This study examined the quality of teacher–child interactions and exposure to mathematics instruction as predictors of 5th grade student’s mathematics achievement. The sample was a subset of the children involved in the NICHD–SECC longitudinal study (N = 657). Results indicate that, even after controlling for student demographic characteristics, more exposure to mathematics instruction was related to increased fifth grade mathematics achievement for both calculations and applied problems assessments, but there was no main effect for improved instructional quality. Findings also indicate that, in classrooms where lower instructional quality was observed, greater exposure to mathematics instruction predicted improved mathematics achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of differing aspects of mathematics instruction and the possible compensatory role of exposure to instruction in classrooms of lower quality. 相似文献