Gathering information, comparing points of view, and designing actions in and about problematic situations are no longer purely academic activities. Learning about complex state of affairs is becoming an increasingly widely-distributed necessity and practice, including within civil society. We propose to give first-hand information -- as…

Standardised tests help measure student's progress at school and can inform education policy about existing shortfalls. However, too much testing could lead to much pressure on students and teachers to learn and teach for a test, something that would take the joy out of the learning process. Many parents and educators are all too familiar with…

While computational biology and bioinformatics became an inherent part of most life science degrees, it remains challenging to encourage students to employ these diverse skills in a practical research context. In this education paper, we present a method to enable students to acquire hands-on skills by the data-driven study of complex biomolecular…

In this article, we focus on narrative practices in adult education in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), and reflect on a current project in a multicultural neighbourhood that is socially and economically marked by poverty and where turbulence and conflict are rife amongst local inhabitants. While adult education aims to energize the…

This paper reports findings with regard to learning conceptions and approaches to learning of Flemish and Chinese students. The Conceptions of Learning Inventory (COLI) and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) were administered to first-year university students from China (N = 362) and Flanders (N = 360). The 3-factor…

Provides a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of Interactive Working Groups (IWG). IWG is a process-oriented instruction developed at the Vrije University in Belgium. Analyzes such variables as prior knowledge test results, examination scores, and learning style characteristics. Results showed that IWG enhanced learning performance and…

The use of microcomputers and courseware for native language instruction is discussed. Five dimensions of instruction that are helpful in evaluating microcomputer use are examined: (1) student motivation; (2) educational objectives; (3) the appropriateness of the computer and related software as instructional tools; (4) the learning model…