In our theoretical and conceptual article, we propose that the application of Niklas Luhmann's sociological systems theory as a difference-theoretical approach to the opening of science unveils an openness paradox. We describe and discuss the general concept of open science as currently proposed by UNESCO and posit that only by accepting the…

Living in a Delta, amidst water, land and air, means living and engaging with complex concerns. To address these concerns the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab (RASL) has developed an education- and research program for Higher Education in which the (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-) sciences and the arts are combined to engage with with all of the scales,…

Many geoscience education initiatives now involve cross-departmental or multi-institutional programs. However, the geoscientists who lead such programs typically have little experience or training in program design, leadership, or evaluation. In this commentary, we make the case that geoscientists taking on these ambitious leadership roles can…

This book, prepared in the context of the "UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)", also known as "Rio+20", contains the papers submitted to the "World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2012)", which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 5 and 6 June 2012. It pursues the following main aims: to document and…

Describes a systems analysis procedure for organizing an electronics unit for a second-year physics course. (MLH)

Presents mathematical models appropriate to describing and analyzing competitive interactions in an ecological system. (MA)

Discusses the use of the System Dynamics technique in simulating a chemical reaction for kinetic analysis. Also discusses the use of simulation modelling in biology, ecology, and the social sciences, where experimentation may be impractical or impossible. (MLH)

Process synthesis is the specification of chemical and physical operations and the selection and interconnection of equipment to implement these operations to effect desired chemical processing transformations. Optimization and evolutionary and systematic generation process synthesis approaches are described. (Author/SK)

Addresses the problem of the failure of students to see a physiological system in an integrated way. Programmable calculators armed with a printer are suggested as useful teaching devices that avoid the expense and the unavailability of computers for modelling in teaching physiology. (Author/SA)

The result of an 11-week study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the American Society of Engineering Education is presented. This study was the ninth in a series of programs whose purposes were: (1) to introduce engineering school faculty members to system design and to a particular approach of teaching system design,…

Discusses the present state of engineering education in Europe and attempts to compare the different educational systems. Gives views on how to develop engineering education in Europe and how to organize collaboration between universities and their centers of excellence. Discusses the role of the European Society for Engineering Education. (CW)

Discusses a graduate-level course in mariculture to help students synthesize what they have learned in traditional courses and apply that higher-level understanding in a systematic and explicit way in evaluating complex issues. (Author/CCM)

Five randomly selected experimental groups of twenty-four general college chemistry students participated in this study. Four of the five groups received a version of the systems approach treatment, which consisted of group orientation, individualized learning, small group seminars and unit tests. The fifth group was administered the traditional…

Encourages use of case studies to introduce "real-life" engineering assignments, suggesting that they should be given in a natural order as a series. Describes three such assignments being used at the University of the West Indies. Description, analysis, and design of an existing engineering system is included. (JM)

With this volume, the American Society for Engineering Education begins a series of monographs for advancing education. Although the work deals particularly with engineering education, it is intended that techniques and innovations mentioned will be applicable to all fields of education. In this volume, components of an individualized instruction…