http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1160 Sat, 25 May 2013 05:40:34 GMT 2013-05-25T05:40:34Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/4938 Title: Understanding the Gap between Business School and the Workplace Authors: Bijker, Monique Abstract: This dissertation investigates how well students in business administration are prepared for the requirements of the workplace from the perspective of employers, graduates, and students. Employers expect a high level of domain-specific knowledge, and a broad range of flexibly applied thinking skills. They assume that authentic tasks, which are put central in business curricula, will mediate these competencies. Graduates self-report gaps between the competencies they have acquired during business education programs, and the competencies that are required at the workplace, which negatively affect their labour market success one year and a half after graduation. They report deficiencies in domain-specific knowledge, logical reasoning, learning skills, cooperating productively, foreign languages and ICT skills. A comparison of authentic task performances of students from a competency-based, mixed, and traditional business education program- just before graduation - indicates that students from the competency-based program outperform students from the mixed and traditional programs on aspects of problem solving. However, the achieved level of problem solving is disappointing in all programs, and declines in the first one year and a half after graduation, whereas self-perceptions of competencies and self-directed learning increase in the same period. Description: Bijker, M. (2013). Understanding the Gap between Business School and the Workplace: Overconfidence, maximizing Benefits and the Curriculum. Doctoral Thesis. March, 22, 2013. Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open Universiteit in the Netherlands. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/4938 2013-04-24T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/4580 Title: Teaming up for learning Authors: Fransen, Jos Abstract: Collaborative learning is an often used pedagogical approach for achieving goals such as knowledge construction, product development and teamwork skills acquisition. In such cases, team effectiveness is conditional for both team performance and learning quality which in turn requires the learning-team to develop from a group of individual students into a functioning team. Since students often have little to say about team composition and learning task, and only collaborate for restricted periods of time on collaborative assignments, learning-teams in higher education are often not effective. To remedy this, we need to determine and understand the variables that influence learning-team effectiveness; the main goal of this research. Based on work-team effectiveness models, a conceptual framework was developed with key variables mediating learning-team effectiveness in either face-to-face or online settings within the perspective of learning-team evolution and maturation. Core aspects of the framework were validated for use in future experiments on influencing learning-team effectiveness. The developmental character of this framework was investigated in a number of case studies and cross-case analyses to explore the relations between learning-team characteristics, learning-team development, and the variables in the framework which were found to mediate learning-team effectiveness. Additionally, the perceived effects of tutor interventions on learning-team maturation and effectiveness were explored. The research resulted in a deeper understanding of learning-team development and maturation, more specifically the importance of developing task-related and team-related mental models as a prerequisite for team functioning, and offers guidelines for effectively organizing, supporting and assessing collaborative learning in higher education. Description: Fransen, J. (2012). Teaming up for learning: Team effectiveness in collaborative learning in higher education (Doctoral dissertation). November, 16, 2012, Open University in the Netherlands (CELSTEC), Heerlen, The Netherlands. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/4580 2012-12-13T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/3417 Title: Toward Self-Regulated Learning in Vocational Education: Difficulties and Opportunities Authors: Jossberger, Helen Abstract: In this dissertation, the focus is on learning in workplace simulations and the quest toward self-regulation in vocational education. The main aim was to gain understanding in the kind of difficulties and success factors students and teachers experience in workplace simulations, identify and explore self-regulated actions and to seek ways to support students’ self-regulated learning skills in the instructional design and feedback. One theoretical article and 4 empirical studies were conducted and are described in detail. Description: Jossberger, H. (2011). Toward Self-Regulated Learning in Vocational Education: Difficulties and Opportunities. Doctoral Thesis. June, 24, 2011, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open Universiteit in the Netherlands. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/3417 2011-06-24T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/3379 Title: Improving sustainable assessment skills in vocational education Authors: Fastré, Greet Abstract: In educational practice, assessment criteria are often formulated on a holistic level, not describing the desired performance students must be able to show. Above that, in schools for secondary vocational education students are often expected to select themselves the appropriate criteria for the learning tasks they are working on from a long list with all possibly relevant criteria. The question arises if students in senior vocational education, and especially novice students, are able to use these broadly formulated assessment criteria and to select the criteria that are applicable to particular learning tasks. This dissertation examines what kind of assessment criteria novice students in the domain of Nursing and Care need in order to develop sustainable assessment skills and to become competent professionals. Description: Fastré, G. (2011). Improving sustainable assessment skills in vocational education. Doctoral Thesis. March, 11, 2011, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University in the Netherlands. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/3379 2011-03-11T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2957 Title: On the role of self-assessment and task-selection in self-regulated learning Authors: Kostons, Danny Abstract: Effective self-regulated learning, in which students have to select their own learning tasks, is difficult for students. They need to be able to self-assess their own performance and subsequently select a new learning task based on that assessment. The research in this dissertation first investigates difficulties students have with accurately self-assessing their performance and selecting learning tasks appropriate to their learning needs. Students seem to have difficulties in monitoring their own performance, lack knowledge of criteria and standards to accurately assess their performance, and do not know which aspects of a task are important to consider when selecting a learning task. Second, this dissertation investigates the effectiveness of training students’ self-assessment and task-selection skills on the accuracy of these skills, as well as effects of such training on learning outcomes with self-regulated learning. Training, either through worked examples or instruction with practice, increased self-assessment and task-selection accuracy, and led to higher learning outcomes with self-regulated learning. Description: Kostons, D. (2010). On the role of self-assessment and task-selection in self-regulated learning. Doctoral Thesis. Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University of the Netherlands. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2957 2010-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2393 Title: Learning law. Expertise differences and the effect of instructional support Authors: Nievelstein, Fleurie Abstract: One of the main aims of law education in both the Civil (European-Continental) law and Common (Anglo-Saxon) law systems is to teach students to reason about cases. As reviewed in Chapter 1, students experience serious difficulties in learning to reason about cases, which seem to arise from the complexity of the domain, the way in which knowledge is acquired in complex domains, as well as the instructional approach widely used in law schools. This approach often consists of ‘learning by doing’, which means that students have to reason about lots of cases throughout their study by using information sources that professionals also use. The studies presented in Chapters 2 to 4 were designed to gain more insight in the kind of difficulties and the underlying causes that students with differing levels of expertise have when they learn to reason about cases in law school, as well as to investigate the requirements for effective instructional approaches that provide more support and might help to diminish or overcome the experienced difficulties. Description: Nievelstein, F. (2009). Learning law. Expertise differences and the effect of instructional support. Doctoral thesis. September, 18, 2009, Heerlen, Nederland: Open Universiteit. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2393 2009-09-18T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2392 Title: Individualised strategies for prior knowledge activation Authors: Wetzels, Sandra Abstract: This dissertation investigates how prior knowledge activation can be tailored to learners’ level of prior knowledge in order to increase the beneficial effects of prior knowledge activation on subsequent learning. A theoretical framework for prompting prior knowledge activation and reinforcing the activation process in the science domain is presented. This framework provides more insights in how pictures, animations, mobilisation, perspective taking, and retrieval-directed note taking can be used to support prior knowledge activation. Pictures and animations are assumed to be suitable prompts for activating prior knowledge in the science domain. In addition, mobilisation and perspective taking are considered suitable strategies for activating learners’ prior knowledge. Furthermore, retrieval-directed note taking (i.e., note taking during prior knowledge activation) is assumed to reinforce the activation process. Finally, it is argued that the strength of these prompting and reinforcing effects is influenced by learners’ level of prior domain knowledge. These assumptions are investigated in three studies. The results of these studies show that prior knowledge activation has beneficial effects on learning, especially if it is tailored to learners’ level of prior domain knowledge. Retrieval-directed note taking can reinforce the activation process but only for learners who have prior knowledge that can be externally represented but that has not yet developed into a coherent organised structure. Second, the strategy used to activate learners’ prior knowledge should also be aligned to how much learners already know about a certain domain. Bottom-up oriented strategies such as mobilisation are especially suitable for learners with lower levels of prior knowledge, whereas top-down oriented strategies such as perspective taking result in more effective prior knowledge activation for learners with higher levels of prior knowledge. Finally, representations used to prompt prior knowledge activation should also be tailored to learners’ prior knowledge, where verbal-only representations are most suitable at lower levels of prior knowledge, and animations and pictures are most suitable at higher levels of prior knowledge. Description: Wetzels, S. (2009). Individualised strategies for prior knowledge activation. Doctoral thesis. December, 18, 2009, Heerlen, Nederland: Open Universiteit Nederland. Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2392 2009-12-18T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2391 Title: United Brains for Complex Learning. A cognitive-load approach to collaborative learning efficiency Authors: Kirschner, Femke Description: Kirschner, F. C. (2009). United Brains for Complex Learning. A cognitive-load approach to collaborative learning efficiency. Doctoral Dissertation, Open Universiteit, The Netherlands. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/2391 2009-12-11T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1734 Title: Becoming a critical websearcher: Effects of instruction to foster transfer Authors: Walraven, Amber Description: Walraven, A. (2008). Becoming a critical websearcher Effects of instruction to foster transfer. Doctoral Dissertation, Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1734 2008-12-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1706 Title: Portfolio use in vocational education: Helping students to direct their learning Authors: Kicken, Wendy Description: Kicken, W. (2008). Portfolio use in vocational education: Helping students to direct their learning. Doctoral Dissertation, Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1706 2008-12-12T00:00:00Z