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Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital

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In Search <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> key Factors for Ideal Research and Educati<strong>on</strong><br />

Projects<br />

Karen Smits, Ilse van den D<strong>on</strong>ker and Josephine Lappia<br />

Hogeschool Rotterdam, The Ne<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rlands<br />

K.Smits@hro.nl<br />

I.van.den.D<strong>on</strong>ker@hro.nl<br />

J.H.Lappia@hro.nl<br />

Abstract: This paper investigates key factors for ideal research and educati<strong>on</strong> projects in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>text <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

Rotterdam University <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Applied Sciences. The project can be seen as knowledge productive activities. The<br />

competitive importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> positive effects <strong>on</strong> knowledge processes such as knowledge creati<strong>on</strong>, knowledge<br />

exchange and pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development is emphasized by many Western countries. For research centres within<br />

Dutch universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences it became recently necessary to report <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se knowledge processes<br />

periodically to an external review committee. So it is important to investigate whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r research and pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors,<br />

who are familiar since 2002 within universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied science, indeed have a positive impact <strong>on</strong> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al<br />

development and curriculum innovati<strong>on</strong>. This is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most important reas<strong>on</strong> for funding by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al<br />

government. Although policy c<strong>on</strong>siders <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> main c<strong>on</strong>cepts pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development and curriculum innovati<strong>on</strong> to<br />

be interrelated, not many is written about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> research questi<strong>on</strong>s which key factors have an impact <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m and<br />

which c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s can ensure <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m. So a qualitative exploratory research approach is chosen. Using a method <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

inquiry by collecting narratives am<strong>on</strong>g sixteen lecturers involved in ideal research and educti<strong>on</strong> projects. The<br />

interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were analysed by means <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> open coding using <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

program Atlas ti. What was striking was that c<strong>on</strong>cepts were not unambiguous to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lecturers. Grounded in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir<br />

narratives three levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development and three levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> curriculum development appeared from<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> data. The correlati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> both c<strong>on</strong>cepts resulted in nine categories that perfectly fit <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sixteen narritives.<br />

Although <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interviewees was not large, and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore necessary to exercise care in drawing<br />

c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s, some interesting c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s can be drawn. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> experiment category interviewees do not appear<br />

to be able to exchange informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir experiment with o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs. As so<strong>on</strong> as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y did succeed in sharing<br />

informati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y stated that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y c<strong>on</strong>tributed to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r lecturers. The paper<br />

reveals several key factors that play a role in research that have an impact <strong>on</strong> educati<strong>on</strong> projects. Also important<br />

c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s are found that ensure knowledge processes to appear. The grounded model that was found gives an<br />

idea how <strong>Intellectual</strong> <strong>Capital</strong> and IC dynamics interacts for lectures involved in ideal research projects.<br />

Never<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less research centres do not yet appear to occupy <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> positi<strong>on</strong> in educati<strong>on</strong> which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y ought to have.<br />

Keywords: pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development, curriculum innovati<strong>on</strong>, universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences, appreciative<br />

inquiry, grounded <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ory, IC dynamics<br />

1. Importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> research for pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development and curriculum<br />

innovati<strong>on</strong><br />

In many Western countries, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> competitive importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> positive effects <strong>on</strong> knowledge processes,<br />

such as knowledge creati<strong>on</strong>, knowledge exchange and pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development, is emphasised.<br />

This is certainly <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> case when it is possible to show that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se knowledge processes <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a learning<br />

organisati<strong>on</strong> improve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> primary process and product. Within Dutch universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences,<br />

it has been necessary since 2009 to report periodically and publicly to an external review committee<br />

<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se knowledge processes, at least where this relates to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> activities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> research centres. It is<br />

obligatory to report annually <strong>on</strong> several central key figures, such as: <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors,<br />

lecturers involved in research and support staff; and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> FTE, expenditure <strong>on</strong> research and<br />

supplementary income which research centres acquire from sec<strong>on</strong>d and third-stream funding.<br />

Pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors and research centres are phenomena which have characterised <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied<br />

sciences since 2002 and have increased rapidly since <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n. The introducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

obligati<strong>on</strong> which universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences have to carry out applied research are c<strong>on</strong>sidered to<br />

be am<strong>on</strong>gst <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> successful innovati<strong>on</strong>s in educati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> recent decades.<br />

The impact <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> research and pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> educati<strong>on</strong> provided by universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences<br />

has been <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most important reas<strong>on</strong> for universities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied sciences to appoint pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essors and for<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Ministry <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Educati<strong>on</strong>, Culture and Science to provide funding for this. It was thought that research<br />

would raise educati<strong>on</strong> to a higher level and would equip students better as pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al practiti<strong>on</strong>ers<br />

at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> start <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir careers. It is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore a nati<strong>on</strong>al objective that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> research centres should make a<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to curriculum innovati<strong>on</strong> within educati<strong>on</strong> and to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

lecturers.<br />

410

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