Onderzoek & Ontwerpen (O&O) is een vak binnen het Nederlandse Technasiumonderwijs waarin leerlingen in teamverband werken aan realistische ontwerpvraagstukken uit de praktijk. Duurzaamheid speelt binnen deze projecten een steeds grotere rol (VO Raad, 2025), maar is voor veel leerlingen een vaag begrip dat zij moeilijk kunnen vertalen naar concrete ontwerpcriteria (Wals, 2018). Een cruciaal moment om duurzaamheid effectief te verankeren in het ontwerpproces is bij het opstellen van het PvE, waarin leerlingen vastleggen aan welke eisen en wensen hun ontwerp moet voldoen. Dit onderzoek richt zich op hoe brugklasleerlingen duurzaamheid interpreteren en hoe gerichte instructies vanuit de docent bijdragen aan hun begrip en de toepassing van duurzaamheid in het PvE.

Dit onderzoek bestaat uit twee fasen. In de eerste fase is met behulp van een schriftelijke vragenlijst onderzocht hoe leerlingen duurzaamheid interpreteren. Daaruit blijkt dat leerlingen vooral de ecologische aspecten (zoals materiaalgebruik en recycling) benadrukken, terwijl de sociale en economische dimensies nauwelijks worden genoemd. Hier is sprake van een concept map die nog in ontwikkeling is. In de tweede fase zijn PvE’s geanalyseerd die door leerlingen zijn opgesteld zonder voorafgaande instructie over duurzaamheid of het PvE-concept. Deze analyse toont aan dat de aandacht voor duurzaamheid beperkt en eenzijdig is, waarin vooral algemene formuleringen en containerbegrippen voorkomen. In het verlengde daarvan volgde een interventiestudie waarin twee klassen instructie kregen over duurzaamheid en het PvE, zij het in wisselende volgorde. De inhoud, spreiding en formulering van duurzaamheidseisen in opeenvolgende PvE-versies zijn geanalyseerd aan de hand van de Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) en de drie P’s (People, Planet, Profit).

De resultaten laten zien dat expliciete instructie over duurzaamheid voor het PvE leidt tot een toename in het aantal en de spreiding van duurzaamheidseisen in het PvE die gekoppeld kunnen worden aan de SDG’s. Ook laten de resultaten zien dat leerlingen van nature vooral focussen op de ecologische pijler Planet, maar wanneer er explicieter gevraagd wordt naar de andere twee, geven zij aan ook de sociale (People) en economische (Profit) dimensies belangrijk te vinden. Op basis van twee belangrijke inzichten uit dit onderzoek wordt aanbevolen om duurzaamheid structureler en explicieter in het Technasiumonderwijs te integreren alvorens aan het vormen van het PvE gestart wordt, onder andere via kaders zoals de SDG’s en het 3P-model.

Related dataset 4TU.ResearchData: https://doi.org/10.4121/f4c919cf-1b88-4f3f-b793-60dad3986ec5

Summary

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disabilities and second leading cause of death worldwide. Important discoveries therefor have the potential to save or aid large patient populations. However, valorising this research in a way that leads to this societal impact is not without its obstacles. A lack of resources, a lack of awareness from researchers and institutions, and differences between fundamental and clinical researchers are often mentioned in the literature as bottlenecks limiting the translational activity.

For this study, semi structured interviews were held with researchers from varying backgrounds in either fundamental, translational or clinical neuroscience. Transcripts were coded using iterative coding strategies and analysed for common themes. Based on this analysis, it seems expertise regarding effective translational research is not widely available, collaborators are difficult to find, and resources are sometimes only available for those with interdisciplinary collaborators. There seems to be an interest among researchers in a professional body focussing on translation embedded within the research institute. This body would have a role in helping find collaborators, increasing crosstalk and connections between clinical and fundamental researchers, as well as serving as a source of expertise regarding best translational practises.

These organisations, often called intermediaries, are characterised through three main roles: the knowledge broker, the network manager, and the system transitioner. Based on these three roles and available literature, different intermediary organisations are discussed through a novel framework that builds upon existing models from different fields. Two case studies are used to validate the framework and further explore trade offs and strategic choices made during the founding of the organisation or transitioning to a new strategy. Interviews with experts involved in these organisations were held and used to compare these two organisations based on the proposed framework. Based on their relationship to bridging and bonding social capital, autonomy, and knowledge aggregation, a first proposal is made regarding the best approach for this translational intermediary.

This intermediary tasked with optimizing the translational activity in the neuroscience field should be tasked with collecting and maintaining knowledge, be a centralised organisations with strong ties with different researchers in the network, and function autonomously from any existing institution.

Formative assessment has been shown to improve student engagement and learning outcomes across several subject domains in K-12 education. However, its effectiveness within the subject domain of digital tooling remains understudied. This research investigated the effect of computer assisted formative assessment on learning outcomes and behavioral student engagement, with the latter as a potential mediating variable, within the subject domain of digital tooling.

This research conducted a quasi-experiment with 122 second-grade students from a Havo/Vwo high school during a course on Google Spreadsheets. The experimental group had access to a button that let the computer instantly check their homework and provide feedback, while the control group did not. At the end of the course, students in the experimental group completed a questionnaire to share their experiences.

This research found no significant effects of the intervention on behavioral student engagement and learning outcomes, nor was a mediated relationship established. However, students did report several cognitive and metacognitive benefits. Namely: enhanced motivation, enhanced self-regulated learning, enhanced autonomy, feedback that helped them move forward and an improved understanding of the material. On the other hand, they reported some downsides. Namely: increased time consumption, a lack of added value and a lack of feedback quality.

Since this research did not find effects of computer assisted formative assessment similar to those observed in other subject areas, it raises the question of whether the subject domain of digital tooling interacts differently with this type of intervention. Further research with a greater sample size and statistical power is needed to explore this possibility. Future research could investigate which characteristics make this subject domain distinct, in which contexts within digital tooling this type of intervention is most effective and which benefits it should aim to provide.

In our digital society, having computer science skills is becoming imperative, yet there is a shortage of computer science professionals and teachers. This shortage is linked to the perception people have of computer science and computer science professionals. This research paper answers two questions through a mixed-method study: to what extent do 7th-grade students with dissimilar backgrounds differ in their perception of computer science?” and “which characteristics of an intervention influence students’ perception of computer science?” The first question is answered by the distribution of a survey for 7th-grade students and the second by letting a smaller group play a serious game and asking open-ended questions afterward. The quantitative results showed that students’ gender influences the perception of computer science. The qualitative results showed that the factors backstory, interaction, and easiness increased students’ interest in computer science but their intention to pursue a career in computer science remained unchanged.