Introduction Innovation is crucial for companies who have to react to constantly changing markets. Several national and European research institutes stress the importance of developing innovation for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). This was a trigger to design a minor on strategic innovation …

This chapter explores the current discussions and policies towards social exclusion and cohesion in Europe. In a first section will briefly be identified how the wording in the social work discourse changed from originally the thinking in terms of poverty to the ideas of social cohesion nowadays. The …

Collaborative learning in a culturally diverse secondary vocational education. By K. Tielman (Fontys), P. den Brok (ESoE), S. Bolhuis (Fontys) and R. van de Sande (Fontys) This contribution discusses a descriptive study on the experiences of students and teachers in secondary vocational education regarding …

In todays society, the quantity of information available to learners is so vast that new strategies of information processing and exchange must be continually developed and improved. E-Collaborative Knowledge Construction: Learning from Computer-Supported and Virtual Environments explores the construction …

In this introductory paper we will successively describe: 1.The difficulties of innovation in the field of education. 2.The role of the education professionals. 3.Two different perspectives on innovation; an ‘external’ approach and an ‘internal’ approach. 4.Why education needs the internal approach and …

This book brings together the opening addresses of the first four professors of the Centre of Applied Labour Market Research and Innovation at Hanze University Groningen, the Netherlands. The Centre started in 2008.

Expectations are high with regards to smart home technology. In particular, smart home technology is expected to support or enable independent living by older adults. This raises the question: can smart home technology contribute to independent living, according to older adults themselves? This chapter …

Background As the level of government closest to citizens and the real economy, local and regional authorities have an important role in tackling the severe impact of the current economic crisis. The double pressures of decreasing public revenue and increasing demand for services, however, call for more …

In this chapter, we explore a case inwhich a problembased learning (PBL) course at Maastricht University is responsively evaluated. Within responsive evaluation, the value of an educational practice or educational regime is dependent on the multiple, sometimes conflicting, perspectives of stakeholders …