National Institute Of Education Research Articles

Design and Implementation Web-Based System for Course Files Management by using WEBML Methodology: A Higher Education Perspective (King Khalid University)

Online System course file management aims to keep a full archive of the course file as it can be used in educational institutions or colleges for the quality of the educational service and its development later, this system depends on the standards of quality of national and international educational institutions, also the proposed system allows to retain The course file can be tracked and the decision can be adopted by the quality unit. The role of the Quality Unit comes by reviewing the course file and ensuring that its contents are complete in accordance with the standards of quality of national and international educational institutions, and accordingly the course file is approved or returned due to incomplete file. This research was based on the WEBML methodology, which aims to develop web-based information systems, and has used many tools to implement this methodology, including UML, in order to build analysis and design schemes for the proposed system as well as design the interfaces of the proposed system.

ДЕРЖАВНО-ГРОМАДСЬКЕ УПРАВЛІННЯ ОСВІТОЮ ЗА ЧАСІВ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЇ РАДИ

The author of the study, based on the analysis of the literature, determines the peculiarities of the formation of the system of state and public management of education in the times of the Ukrainian Central Rada. The study analyzed archival materials and identified the importance of the first Ukrainian teacher congresses as bodies of public education management. The role of political, public and non-governmental organizations such as the School Education Society in this process has been identified. The author of the publication proves that in the times of the Central Rada in Ukraine the first state body of education management was formed – the General Secretariat of Education. The principle of decentralization of management was based on the work of this state organization. The main purpose of the activity of this leading organization was not the administration, but the uniting of efforts of all national cultural and educational institutions of the Ukrainian People's Republic in the field of educational development. Particular attention was paid to ensuring the functioning of the school and to establishing a system of training of pedagogical staff. The study found that, on the initiative of the leadership of the leadership of the General Secretariat of Education the basic principles of state and public administration were developed and implemented, namely: approval of the collegial structure of governing organizations at all levels of its realization, granting of the territorial and city self-government wide rights for opening and managing educational institutions, wide powers of pedagogical councils, granting educational institutions autonomy, etc. Key words: Ukrainian Central Rada, Ukrainianization, teacher congress, General Secretariat of Education

ПРАКТИКО-ОРІЄНТОВАНИЙ ПІДХІД ДО НАВЧАННЯ ОСНОВ ЗАХИСТУ ДАНИХ У РАМКАХ ІНФОРМАТИЧНОЇ ОСВІТИ

Виходячи з проведеного аналізу наукових та навчально-методичних джерел та вимог до здобувачів сучасної інформатичної освіти, в роботі встановлено актуальність впровадження практико-орієнтованого підходу до вивчення основ захисту даних та визначено необхідність розробки комплекту відповідних практичних завдань. Відповідно до мети, в роботі охарактеризовано розроблений комплект дидактичних завдань різних типів для реалізації практико-орієнтованого підходу до навчання основ захисту даних у рамках інформатичної освіти. Завдання усіх типів спрямовані на формування досвіду використання отриманих знань під час розв’язування реальних життєво-значущих проблем із захисту даних. Застосування розроблених завдань сприятиме одержанню молоддю стійких навичок застосування сучасних інструментів захисту даних, формуванню їхнього соціально-свідомого ставлення до реальних загроз інформаційній безпеці та коректної поведінки в разі виникнення небезпечних ситуацій.
 Відповідно до чинних навчальних програм для національних навчальних закладів, навчання за темами курсу інформатики, пов’язаними із зазначеними проблемами, має на меті формування в учнів системи відповідних знань і вмінь, та набуття певних навичок. Відповідно до цього охарактеризовано розроблену систему завдань для реалізації практико-орієнтованого підходу до навчання основ захисту даних. Встановлено актуальність впровадження практико-орієнтованого підходу до навчання основ захисту даних та визначено необхідність розробки комплекту відповідних практичних завдань. Виконання такої системи завдань для реалізації практико-орієнтованого підходу сприятиме одержанню молоддю стійких навичок застосування сучасних інструментів захисту даних.
 Навчання основ інформаційної безпеки та захисту даних посідає провідне місце в інформатичній освіті як середнього, так і вищого рівнів.

DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION AS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE INDIVIDUALS’ DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF THE SUBJECTS OF ITS ACTION

There are following prerequisites outlined in this article: worldwide democratization trend; complexity of structures of social systems; growing needs in human capital development; autonomy of national higher education institutions; civilizational problem of Ukraine in national elite. Conceptual problems on a road to real democracy in higher education institutions were actualized and analyzed. Determined and characterized three models of higher education institutions activities based on the level of democratization needs of their social environment as: negative, neutral and favorable.

THE ROLE OF THE «MIZRACHI» POLITICAL PARTY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH PRIVATE SCHOOLING IN INTERWAR POLAND

The activity of the Jewish party «Mizrachi» in the 20s and the 30s of the 20th century, aimed at developing private Jewish schooling with Hebrew as the medium of instruction, is analyzed. In interwar Poland, Jewish students were deprived of the opportunity to receive primary education in public schools in the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, as government officials only partially implemented the Little Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The development of Jewish schooling was also complicated by the Polonization policy, the cultural and linguistic heterogeneity of Poland's Jews. Polish-speaking «szabasówka», who implemented a nationwide program of educating Jewish students in the spirit of loyalty to the government, facilitated their assimilation. That part of the Jewish community, which perceived these schools as an assimilation factor, actively participated in expanding the network of private Jewish schools with Yiddish or Hebrew mediums of instruction. An important part in the development of such religious and national educational institutions took the Mizrachi party, whose program principles combined the Jewish religious tradition with activities aimed at forming a Jewish state in Palestine. The author examines the activities of the Jewish cultural and educational societies «Jabne» and «Micyjon tejce Tora», which were cared for by «Mizrachi». The societies took part in establishing preschools, primary and secondary schools, teachers' seminaries, evening courses, public universities, reading clubs, libraries, and more. Both Judaic and secular subjects were taught in these educational institutions. Paying due attention to the teaching of Hebrew, Jewish literature, and Jewish history in schools helped preserve Jewish students' national identity. Keywords «Mizrachi» political party, Poland, cultural and educational societies, religious and national schools, Hebrew, Yiddish.

Accounting development by Ukrainian diaspora in the first half of xx century and its application in the system of professional training in Eastern alicia: historical and genetic analysis

The generalized information about the activity of Ukrainian educational and scientific institutions in exile and their cooperation with the Ukrainian national cultural and educational institutions in the western Ukrainian lands in 20–50s of the XX century is given. The general educational panorama of studying economic and accounting disciplines in diasporic educational institutions and the use of their educational and methodological support of then existing processes of professional training of accounting staff in the system of East Galician cooperative schools and accounting practice is revealed. It is determined that the achievements in the field of accounting in educational and scientific institutions of the Ukrainian diaspora during the investigated period has played the role of a bridge that connects the educational processes of Eastern Galicia with European achievements in this field. It is defined that Ukrainian emigrational educational and research centers has made a significant contribution to the development of accounting education existing then in Western Ukraine. Due to their cooperation with cultural and educational societies and professional organizations of the Galician region in the field of economic education, the search for the conceptual apparatus and content of education was carried out both in accordance with European traditions and on the basis of national identity. The content-organizational orientation of the processes of studying theoretical and practical accounting and auditing by different specialties of the investigated educational institutions is analyzed. On the basis of historical – genetic analysis of the development of manuals materials for accounting and control of diaspora educational institutions, the comparability of the content of professional education with the need for accounting and control and audit information to manage the cooperation system of Eastern Galicia is determined. The subject-professional analysis of the application in the educational process of the investigated educational institutions of existing then European achievements in the subject field of knowledge with emphasis on the basic objects of accounting, which were decisive in calculating the performance of the enterprise based on changes in capital is carried out. On the basis of the carried out analytical estimation of the investigated accounting papers separate methodical – conceptual positions which can be used for the improvement of modern accounting and organization of internal control at the enterprises of small business are defined and substantiated.

РАЗВИТИЕ СИСТЕМЫ ЕВРОПЕЙСКОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ В СФЕРЕ СТАНДАРТИЗАЦИИ

Introduction. In connection with the recog-nized social and economic influence of standardization, expansion of global trade, regional integration, introduc-tion of information and communication technologies, standards become more and more important for gradu-ates of the technical universities, as well as for specialists from the area of management, economics, social sciences, international relations, entrepreneurship and innovation management. Purpose – to analyze development of the system of education in the field of standardization in the European Union in order to identify the areas of its modernization in Ukraine. Results. Previously education in the field of standardi-zation was understood as learning technical standards, the process of their development and influence, and was organized as short-term course of further education for engineers, specialized course for companies and general course for future engineers. Standardization is not yet a clearly defined well-established discipline in the context of theory or academics. There were many different ap-proaches and characteristics suggested by researchers in various disciplines, experts and practitioners from various countries and organizations. Later CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, having assessed the need of the European commu-nity, developed a policy, a master plan and standard study programs for education in the field of standardiza-tion. UNECE, having constant the importance of studying standardization, has developed a recommendation, in which it called the governments to include it in the pro-grams of educational institutions, as well as suggested its model program. To support these ideas ISO recommended the national standardization bodies to cooperate with higher education institutions, offering the forms and gen-eral action plan. The result was recognition of the fact that the development of competencies standardization of rele-vant specialists was one of the key interests of national standardization bodies and educational institutions. Therefore, ISO published two international standards “Competence of specialists in the field of standardization”. All these documents comprise the normative and organi-zation basis of education in the field of standardization. Originality. The conducted analysis allowed identify-ing that knowledge of standardization is a competitive advantage for graduates of engineering and non-technical study areas; standardization as a discipline must be included in their study plan at the level of bachelor’s and master’s degrees; to develop the general system of educa-tion in the field of standardization, coordinated coopera-tion of all interested parties is needed; the basis for for-mation of competencies necessary for a specialist in the field of standardization at enterprises and in standardiza-tion bodies must be international models of educational programs. Conclusion. Taking into account the European direc-tion of the development, introduction of the considered international recommendations is also needed in Ukraine. To do this, it is necessary to further analyze the system of education in the field of standardization in Ukraine, to highlight provisions requiring modernization, as well as to compose a concept for its development.

Інституційний вектор інтернаціоналізації національної системи вищої освіти Словацької Республіки: національні університети Словаччини та програми міжнародного співробітництва Європейського Союзу

Integration of the Ukrainian national higher education system into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has already been traditionally identified as one of the priorities of the Ukrainian national education policy determined by the XXI century. The priority character as well as the urgency of the task leave the contradiction between the public need for the Ukrainian higher education institutions to join the EHEA and insufficient scientific validity of the ways providing the solution of this task unresolved. There are also certain discrepancies between Ukrainian higher education officials' perceptions concerning the directions and scope of reforms, since a fierce competition at the international education market and the process of national higher education system internationalization might lead to the situation when particular aspects of the system at times contradict the requirements of modern social environment in which Ukrainian universities operate. The current state strategy, increased media attention, and public Q&A sessions on specific issues within the specified context indicate that the Ukrainian higher education system is gradually adapting to the current globalized conditions while diversifying management mechanisms by means of step-by-step implementation of the internationalization process. The Ukrainian context of internationalization of higher education under study is outlined through the prism of East European, where the end of the XXth – the beginning of the XXI century can be named as the period of transformations in socio-political life of the countries and as the period of convergence of national higher education systems. It has been emphasized that with the establishment of the EHEA in the context of the integration of European education systems, the internationalization is one of the priority directions for reforming national higher education systems; it promotes greater access to higher education for representatives of different countries; universalization of diverse knowledge; enhancement of international cooperation at national and institutional levels; enhancement of academic mobility; orientation of education to the realities of the globalized world of the XXI century which involves an active development of public-private partnerships in education, etc. It can be concluded that the analysis of the East European experience of national higher education internationalization aimed at further implementation of its elements into the structure of the Ukrainian higher education will facilitate the development of new ideas and approaches to training specialists and will create opportunities and mechanisms for quality improvement of the national higher education. The research states that the accession of the East European countries (such as the Slovak Republic) to the European Union (EU) has given them new opportunities to develop national higher education and has ensured theire active participation in the EU-funded international research and education programmes, the access to the EU funds for developing educational infrastructure and improving the education quality. As a result, national higher education institutions (HEIs) in Eastern Europe have experienced an influx of foreign students and have shown an increase in student and staff outcoming mobility. This situation, in turn, has created a competition in the field of international student recruitment and involvement of external funding into the fields of research and innovation. As the result of the research, the following perspective levels of the Ukrainian higher education system reforming have been identified – political, management-centred, organizational and institutional. Keywords: Higher Education System, Institution of Higher Education, Internationalization, Institutional Level of Internationalization, International Cooperation Programmes, Eastern Europe, Slovakia, European Union.

VALIDACIÓN EMPÍRICA DE LA TEORÍA MULTICÉNTRICA DEL ORIGEN Y DIVERSIDAD DEL MAÍZ EN MÉXICO

Mesoamerica is considered as the center of origin and diversity of maize (Zea mays L.). The multicentric theory on the origin and diversity of maize defines five centers of origin-domestication, from which four macro regions or primary centers of diversification of this cereal were conformed, from which the different races and the concentration of diversity emerged. A center of genetic diversity is defined as the geographical area where there is morphological, genetic diversity, or both, for a certain species, characterized by harboring populations of wild relatives and constituting a genetic reserve. The objective of this study was to empirically validate the geographic regions of Mexico that conform to the definition of a center of genetic diversity for maize. Spatial analysis was used to examine the diversity and distribution of 24,126 accessions of native maize and 1,106 records of wild relatives (Teosinte: 692 and Tripsacum: 414) collected during the period 1926 2014, available at germplasm banks and herbaria of national and international agricultural research and education institutions located in Mexico and, through the use of geographic information systems and modeling. In accordance with the criteria and definitions considered in the multicentric theory on maize origin and diversity, 19 geographic regions were empirically defined and validated to be considered as centers of genetic diversity of maize native to Mexico.

Попередники соціальної педології (Х. А. Екеблад)

The article deals with the works of predecessors of the author’s methodology, which is used to solve the problem under consideration. Since the theoretical heritage of N. Ya. Grot and to a large extent of G. I. Chelpanov has already been sufficiently researched, the article focuses on the works of H. A. Ekeblad. The fundamental work of this teacher and psychologist is carefully considered. It defines mental activity as the fundamental category of human working practice. The findings of H. A. Ekeblad can be used today to train prospective Pro-Ukrainian, democratically oriented representatives of the elite. The related psychological component of consciousness is also examined in the paper. Thesocial component is indirectly associated with the human speech. It was H. A. Ekeblad, who used the analysis of the structure of mental activity and indicated that speech development goes hand in hand with the formation of a psychological profile of the graduate of the elite national educational institution. The theoretical underpinning makes it possible to train a representative of new Ukrainian elite at a modernized classicaluniversity.

ACADEMIC MOBILITY PROVISION: ACHIEVEMENTS AND NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION SPACE

An analysis of the Bologna Process documents and the legal framework to ensure academic mobility to academic staff and students in Ukraine shows that understanding of the need for further implementation of the below listed: the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) has been achieved at the level of European and national higher education systems; national qualifications frameworks to be compatible with the EHEA Qualifications Framework (2005); the transcript of academic record as well as European and national higher education quality assurance systems. Significant achievements now include: expanding the international academic and student community; appearance of new perspectives of human resources development; improving career chances of graduates; adaptation of educational programs that are not offered by national higher education institutions; harmonization of national and international education quality assurance processes; practical success in creating an open, attractive and competitive EHEA. According to the Paris Communiqué (2018), the priorities in 2018-2020 for evaluating the quality of cooperation in the EHEA, in particular for ensuring academic mobility, are to implement: 1) a three-tier system compatible with the EHEA qualifications framework and the first and second ECTS cycles; 2) adherence to the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications; 3) ensuring the quality of education in accordance with the standards and guidelines of the EHEA.

MODEL PENINGKATAN KOMPETENSI SUMBER DAYA MANUSIA PEKERJA PARIWISATA DI KOTA MATARAM

Tourism Indonesia is ranked 7th in the world for best tourism tourism visit in 2019, the Government's commitment to make tourism as a choir in development accelerates the increase of Indonesia's competitiveness up 8 points from the top 50 to 42 Lombok as a priority tourist destination begins to improve in the development of facilities and tourism infrastructure including its human resources. The city of Mataram as a buffer for special economic zones has the highest number of units and hotel rooms among districts and cities in West Nusa Tenggara has the second highest number of workers after West Lombok regency with 1,993 hotel rooms with 363 workers and no workers foreign, so Education is very important in improving the quality of human resources (HR). The development of tourism facilities and infrastructure needs to be balanced with the need for professional and competent human resources in the field of tourism, especially in the field of hotel and restaurant accommodation. It will be a problem if the human resources employed do not attempt to identify, map competency levels, gaps, and penta helic models for developing HR competencies for tourism workers in the hotel and restaurant sector in the city of Mataram. The purpose of this study is 1). To identify tourism workers in the hotel sector and 2). To analyze the level of competency of tourism workers in the hotel and restaurant sector, 3). To analyze the gap between human resources and the competencies of tourism workers in the hotel and restaurant sector. 4). To build a penta helic model of HR competencies for tourism workers in the hotel and restaurant sector in the city of Mataram. The research method used is quantitative and qualitative research methods with purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques used by data collection through observation, interviews, surveys, and expert justification, with descriptive analysis techniques. The results obtained in this study were identified competency indicators referring to the SKKNI based on the Determination of Indonesian National Work Competency Standards in the Tourism Sector in the Hotel and Restaurant Sectors. In the area of work receiving and processing reservations, reception, room preparation, providing accommodation services, providing restaurant services, and Cook food services. Tourism competency profile of tourism workers as a whole has not obtained a perfect score of 5, meaning that the real competence of employees is still below the expected competence. Mapping the gap of tourism workers is carried out through the vocational education institution (LPK) capacity building strategy, and the HR competency improvement strategy through the LPK so that the involvement of the government, employers, academics, and media in the penta helic model is very effective as a reference in the development of tourism HR. The conclusion of this research is the obligation of the company to provide training (on the job and off the job training), set national competency standards, educational and training institutions each have a role, and refer to the penta helic model in the development of Tourism HR

Improvement of the Quality of the Educational Process in the Multi-Level Higher Education System

The article is dedicated to the substantiation of approaches to the improvement of the quality of the educational process in the multi-level higher education system. It has been established that the time has come for the state-public management of the quality of higher education. It has been proved that to keep the high quality of higher education, public authorities need to draw for the accreditation of educational programs independent assessment institutions and to assure the quality of higher education, as well as to ensure the cooperation of national and international higher education institutions. It has been determined that when performing an external assessment of higher education and public professional accreditation independent bodies’ approaches and principles should be much wider than those used for state accreditation.

THE IDEOLOGIZATION OF CULTURE AS THE BASIS OF ITS DEFORMATION IN TOTALITARIAN SOCIETIES

In a strategic dimension, the task of the Soviet government was to reduce the influence of national culture and replace it with ideological postulates, which ensured the consolidation of peoples, but the illusionary consolidation, which was fundamentally false. The blurring of the national foundations of the life of ethnic groups became the basis for the destruction of culture, and then the destruction of man, people, nation. One of the effective tools of such a policy of the Soviet government during the entire period of the existence of a totalitarian state was the deprivation of national cultures and educational institutions of the opportunity to develop on the basis of national-linguistic ground, which is a phenomenological and semantic source for the development of any culture.

Service-learning and the development of student teachers in Singapore

ABSTRACT Service-learning has been gaining traction in Singapore, with many educational institutions integrating it into their curriculum. In the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Group Endeavours in Service-Learning (GESL) is an experiential learning opportunity for all student teachers (STs) to collaborate with the community to address local needs. GESL endeavours to build character, and develop positive values and social-emotional competencies. Hence the purpose of this study is to explore how GESL enhances pre-service teacher education in relation to teacher training. Eleven GESL groups were selected, with 12 members from each group randomly recruited to participate in the focus group interviews. A total of 15 focus group interviews were held. The interview data was transcribed, coded and presented in themes by using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Overall, there seemed to be a greater level of self-awareness and understanding of the community needs. Participants reported getting to know themselves better, in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and how they can contribute to the community. There was also enhancement of collaboration, communication and people-management skills. These findings suggest that GESL may be an effective channel to imbue attributes that NIE has identified as important for teaching professionals.

Малоизученные страницы истории Корейского (Дальневосточного интернационального) педагогического института во Владивостоке (1931–1937 гг.)

Based on the unpublished archives, the author identifies the new chapters of the Korean (Far Eastern International until 1933) Teacher’s Training Institute in Vladivostok, the first national higher educational institution to train teaching staff for the Chinese (1931–1933) and Korean (1931–1937) secondary schools in the Soviet Far East. To develop the previous research (Malyavina, LS 2016, ‘Korean (International) Teacher’s Training Institute in Vladivostok: from Creation till Eviction (1931–1937)’, Nauchnyy Dialog, no. 3 (51), pp. 195-208, in Russian), the information about the teaching staff of the institute is given, the names and destinies of individuals are specified, which is of a novelty. In the context of the 1930s foreign policy and the political si-tuation in the USSR, the present study reveals the reasons for the repressive policy towards teachers and students of the Institute before their deportation (1937). The research presents new data on the resettlement of the Institute in Kazakhstan (Kzyl-Orda) considered within the framework of the state campaign for the forced eviction of the Korean population from the Far East region to prevent the penetration of the Japanese espionage into the USSR.

The impact of work-related values and work control on the career satisfaction of female freelancers

Using the job demands-resources theory incorporating a job-crafting perspective to develop a set of hypotheses, this study contributes to the self-employment and freelancing literature by examining whether female freelancers use their agency to mobilize their personal resources (i.e. work-related values) to craft their work resources (i.e. work–control indicators: work autonomy and time-spatial flexibility) to achieve more career satisfaction. Our structural partial least squares model (N = 203) shows that the work-related value ‘intrinsically rewarding work’ prompts two motivational processes that affect career satisfaction: one running directly to ‘career satisfaction’ and one through ‘work autonomy’. Although the value ‘work–life balance’ is positively associated with greater ‘time-spatial flexibility’, this does not affect career satisfaction. Moreover, we find negative associations between the value ‘financial security’, on the one hand, and the two work resources, on the other hand. Hence, the value financial security is negatively related to work autonomy towards career satisfaction. We conclude that female freelancers’ multiple, oftentimes blended values compete with one another, implying that achieving meaningful work, work–life balance and financial independence simultaneously is difficult in female freelancers’ careers. We discuss the study’s implications for future research and advocate labour–market stakeholders (e.g. freelancers, freelancers’ networks, career coaches, temporary work agencies, unions, local and national governments, educational institutions and public and private organizations) to partner in developing value-based career strategies and policies that account for less linear career paths in increasingly flexible and individualized markets and truly support (female) workers developing portfolios that better match with their multiple work-related values on a long-term basis.

Challenges for First Time GIS User among Student Teachers

Abstract. National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore is a national teacher education institute with a mission to excel in teacher education and educational research. It is where student teachers in Singapore are trained. Its program consists of undergraduate, higher degrees and professional learning. Geography as a discipline is offered under the Humanities and Social Studies Education (HSSE) an academic group at NIE.An Introduction to GIS course has been offered to second-year pre-service undergraduate and the higher degree level in-service Geography student teachers (STs) at HSSE/NIE. There are a total of 14 STs (eight pre-service and six in-service) aged between 19 and 32 years old. Pre-service STs will become a primary school, secondary school or junior college teachers once they graduate from the undergraduate program from NIE. In-service STs are currently teachers at the above-mentioned education institutions. They are returning to NIE for the higher degree program. They all had no prior experience with GIS. Key GIS theories and techniques including data models, map projection and GPS, spatial join, geo-processing, geo-referencing and digitizing were introduced to them throughout the course.Assignments were given to students to work individually as part of the assessment components. Assignments asked them to create thematic maps showing spatial and temporal distribution of the world’s total fertility rates (TFR), issues in Economic Geography and Education related issues by applying GIS theories and techniques learned during the lectures. Upon submitting each assignment, STs were asked to indicate the challenges encountered while completing the assignments and suggestions to solve their problems.The major set challenge for STs was downloading, cleaning, joining table and understanding the attribute tables. STs, especially those who had limited prior experience working with the dataset, found the above-mentioned tasks to be problematic and confusing all together. Those STs had a hard time applying those steps when they need to do the assignment, which required starting the process from scratch.In order to avoid under or over-representation, almost all STs expressed major challenges when it comes to choosing color and number of classes for choropleth maps. STs further emphasized that it required them to know beyond GIS skills in order to make thematic maps meaningfully. For instance, in order to showcase TFR, one needs to understand that TFR of 2.1 is the replacement rate, TFR of 1.5 or below is considered low or in danger in terms of population growth. Therefore, one needs to take those factors into consideration when choosing the cutoff points and the total number of classes.To overcome those challenges, a series of suggestions were provided by STs. For instance, more practices and more exercises of the same nature, pair or group work instead of individual work, allocate more time for each assignment, both instruction manual and video tutorials are needed.This exercise pedagogically provides both STs and me, the instructor, a fresh perspective when it comes to teaching GIS to students. As an instructor, I need to strike the balance between concepts and practices. Furthermore, I need to take student’s profiles and prior knowledge into account when planning my lectures in order to leave no one behind. Understanding both concepts and practices of GIS in crucial for STs because they will be teaching GIS upon completing the course. Integration of GIS into primary school, secondary school and junior college will be part of Singapore’s smart nation initiative.

Refugees in the German higher education system: implications and recommendations for policy change

ABSTRACTThe refugee influx in the European context has challenged national systems and individual higher education institutions to develop and iterate solutions for prospective and, increasingly, enrolled university students. In the German setting, enormous federal investment has supported a robust response, though one which in several aspects lacks cohesion. This paper discusses possible implications of refugee student enrolment in German universities, and offers recommendations for policy initiatives in the same context. Key proposals include: revisiting the numerus clausus admissions system; expanding the existing student services model; emphasizing an early focus on subject-specific language proficiency (Fachsprache); emergency funds for small student expenses; the development of internships for refugee students; and support for student and staff collaboration and information sharing at both the state and federal levels.

The Development of the Health and Social Care Sector in the Regions of the Czech Republic in Comparison with other EU Countries

In this paper, the quantitative status of employees in the Health and Social Care sector in the Czech Republic is assessed, and the future development of the sector is predicted both for the Czech Republic as a whole, and for individual regions according to the NUTS3 classification. At present, labor market prognoses are created using the ROA-CERGE model, which includes the main professions in the Health and Social Care sector. This article expands the predictions by adding the regional level and using extrapolation of time series, and it identifies the regions important for the given sector and the labor force. The position of the Czech Republic with regard to selected professions in comparison with other countries of the European Union, i.e., its qualitative status, is also assessed in the paper. The following professions are assessed: general nurses and midwives (both with and without a specialization), physicians, and professional assistants. Healthcare workers do not manifest geographical mobility between regions and work primarily in the region where they live. Since the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU, staff working in key professions have been able to work under comparable conditions in any of the member states. The workforce flow depends, among other things, on its qualitative representation in the given country. To find groups of European countries with similar characteristics of quantitative coverage in selected professions in the Health and Social Care sector, cluster analysis is used to identify homogeneous clusters of countries, as of 2016. Secondary data was obtained from the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) and the Information System (ISA+) of the National Institute of Education (NIE).