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The combination of work and study has been hailed as crucial to ensure that youth develop the skills required on the labour market so that transitions from school to work are shorter and smoother. This paper fills an important gap in availability of internationally-comparable data. Using the 2012 Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), it draws a comprehensive picture of work and study in 23 countries/regions. Crucially, it decomposes the total share of working students by the context in which they work (VET [vocational education and training], apprenticeships or private arrangements) and assesses the link between field of study and students' work. The paper also assesses how the skills of students are used in the workplace compared to other workers and identifies the socio-demographic factors and the labour market institutions that increase the likelihood of work and study. Finally, while it is not possible to examine the relationship between work and study and future labour market outcomes at the individual level, some aggregate correlations are unveiled.

The "Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education" were developed and adopted to support and encourage international cooperation and enhance the understanding of the importance of quality provision in cross-border higher education. The purposes of the "Guidelines" are to protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers (that is, degree and accreditation mills) as well as to encourage the development of quality cross-border higher education that meets human, social, economic and cultural needs. The "Guidelines" are not legally binding and member countries are expected to implement them as appropriate in their national context. Based on a survey about the main recommendations of the "Guidelines", this report monitors the extent to which Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and a few non-member countries comply with its recommendations. The Survey was sent out in June 2010 to all OECD countries. The main conclusion of the survey is that (responding) countries report a high level of compliance with the Guidelines recommendations. On average, responding OECD countries conform to 72% of the main recommendations made to governments, tertiary education institutions, and quality assurance and accreditation agencies. The level of compliance decreases to 67% when recommendations to student bodies are included, but the level of missing information, and thus uncertainty about actual compliance, increases significantly. Appended are: (1) Country Overview of Compliance Levels with the Guidelines for Different Stakeholders; (2) Country Overview of Compliance Levels with Six Key Objectives of the Guidelines; (3) Methodology; (4) Country Answers to the Survey; (5) Overview of National Contact Points; and (6) Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education. (Contains 2 tables, 12 figures and 1 footnote.)

This paper presents the first results of a project initiated in 2004 by the OECD in collaboration with Eurostat and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and aimed at developing a regular and internationally comparable production system of indicators on the careers and mobility of doctorate holders. A first data collection was launched in September 2005, from which the results for seven countries are presented here. These data shed light on the main demographic, educational, labour market and mobility patterns of doctoral graduates. They also mark some progress in the understanding of both the measurement issues and patterns of international mobility, notably by the use of qualitative indicators such as the intentions or reasons for mobility. The results show in particular that the share of doctorate holders in the population or labour force is two or three times larger in Germany and Switzerland than in Australia, Canada and the United States. In these five countries, women represent only one-quarter to one-third of doctorate holders. The United States has an older population of doctorate holders than the other countries analysed in the paper and this population is still aging, as is also the case in Canada. Unemployment rates of doctorate holders remain low, but are relatively higher in natural sciences and in engineering. There are important salary differences between men and women and across sectors, especially in the United States. In the United States, as well as in Portugal and Argentina, salary is one of the main reasons why doctoral graduates are dissatisfied with their employment situation. There is a high share of foreign doctorate holders in Switzerland and also a higher share of foreign-born doctorate holders in Canada and Australia than in the United States. Many foreigners, however, come to work to the United States having been trained for research abroad and this trend has grown stronger in recent years. On the other hand, very few doctorate holders from the United States are internationally mobile. Among mobile young Canadian citizens, three-quarters choose the United States as their next destination. (Data tables are annexed. Contains 4 footnotes, 13 figures, 1 chart and 35 tables.)

Knowledge of the environment has grown to such an extent that information technology (IT) is essential to make sense of the available data. An example of this is remote sensing by satellite. In recent years this field has grown in importance and remote sensing is used for a range of uses including the automatic survey of wheat yields in North America, the examination of the rain forests in South America, the observance of extension measures in Europe, and the examination of land use in Germany. This paper describes different aspects of remote sensing by satellite using relevant examples. Methods of using remote sensing in environmental education at the upper secondary level and the university level are outlined. Key principles, methods of using satellite data in class, modular structure, and future developments are discussed. Contains 11 references. (JRH)

The challenge of funding a high quality higher education system, ensuring it has the capacity to help meet the increasing demand for high level skills in our economy and the aspirations of our students, has been an ongoing concern for successive Australian governments over many years. This paper reviews the findings and recommendations of significant reviews of Australia's higher education funding system from the 1988 Dawkins white paper through to the 2014 "Review of the Demand Driven Funding System." It summarises the challenges identified and responses proposed across that period as well as some recent international literature about higher education reform. What is clear from the survey of major reviews from 1988 to the present is the similarity of issues that were of concern to governments of the day. Successive governments have sought to build and fund a higher education system to meet the need for high level skills and innovative research for the Australian economy. The challenge for all governments has been how to enable greater numbers of students to access the benefits higher education offers--in terms of employment, earnings, social and cultural opportunities--while ensuring the system remains fair, high quality and affordable for both individuals and taxpayers. The number of domestic higher education students has more than doubled since 1989, reaching just over a million in 2014. International students comprised another 350,000 students in 2014. As student numbers have grown, they have come from more diverse social, economic and academic backgrounds. The number of providers and their diversity has also grown, with around 20 new public universities since the late 1980s and the emergence of significant numbers of non-university providers. The proportion of the Australian working age population with a bachelor degree or higher qualification has tripled since 1989 to just over 25 per cent. Direct Australian Government funding for teaching, learning and research has grown both in absolute and real terms, rising from $3.2 billion in 1989 to $15.4 billion in 2014, more than doubling when adjusted for inflation. Australia is not unique in facing this growth and higher education systems around the world are increasingly moving from elite to mass systems, and beyond to universal systems.

This paper discusses the problems faced by teachers of business German, the possible goals of business German courses, and the design of an effective textbook to integrate business content and language skills. Special reference is made to the two-semester business German course offered by the University of Southern California (USC). The major goal of the USC course is to convey the basic background about the business world in German-speaking countries to students, focusing on culture and the presentation of specific contextualized content with immediate applicability in the target culture. The textbook designed for the course is, except for footnotes, entirely in German, and features chapters organized around topics. The chapter contents facilitate an interactive, communication-orientated approach by means of authentic text materials and coordinated activities. The vocabulary presented in the texts is cross-referenced with an encyclopedic listing of business terms in German. (MDM)

Based on literature and research on discussion and on educational techniques to improve discussion moderators behaviors, a training program was developed for pre- and in-service teacher educators, business and industry executives and university professors (23 to 28 hours, three and a half days). This program was tested for its effectiveness with both low inference as well as high inference observation tools in four studies. Results from these studies show that this minimal training achieved significant improvements on low inference measures of effective discussion and general communicative competence, leading to the identification and validation of effective discussion techniques for teacher training and other settings. Evaluation of the training program in the four and in additional 22 studies was very favorable. (Contains 6 figures and 10 tables.)

This study evaluates the extent to which the escalation of the labor demand, the transformation of work culture, and the diversification of the professional characteristics of the World Wide Web profession have attracted women to enter in to this new branch of information technology (IT) occupations. The study focuses on Web designers at the University of Freiburg (Germany). Specific objects are: (1) to identify the demographic and organizational profile of the participants in the Web environment in the sample university; (2) to assess the situation of men and women in the working practices (Web development, database management, graphic designing, server support, coding and programming, creation and maintenance of Web pages, content development, etc.) and working environment (computer center, administration, library, and academic departments/faculties); and (3) to explore whether there exists gender differences in educational attainment, skill equipment, and acquaintance with technological infrastructure (multimedia workstations, hardware, and software). Findings related to the Web designers are presented in the following areas: demographic profile; organizational profile; occupational profile; knowledge/subject base; task profile; skill profile in the areas of creativity, management, and technical work; gender difference in the perceived and actual application of skills; and acquaintance with the IT infrastructure. (Contains 13 references.) (MES)

The Teacher Education Study in Mathematics or TEDS-M is a study conducted under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The lead research center for the study is the International Study Center at Michigan State University (ISC/MSU). The ISC/MSU worked from 2006 to 2011 with the International Study Center at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the National Research Coordinators (NRCs) in 17 countries to produce this study. TEDS-M received funding from IEA, the United States of America National Science Foundation, and the collaborating countries. TEDS-M focused on how teachers are prepared to teach mathematics in primary and lower-secondary school, and studied the variation in the nature and impact of teacher education programs within and across countries. TEDS-M is the first cross-national study to provide data on the knowledge that future primary and lower-secondary school teachers have acquired in their mathematics teacher education. The key research questions for the study focused on the relationships between teacher education policies, institutional practices, and future teacher mathematics and pedagogy knowledge. Individual chapters contain figure, tables, footnotes and references. [For related reports, see "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 1: International Version of the TEDS-M Questionnaires" (ED542382), "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 2: National Adaptations of the TEDS-M Questionnaires" (ED542381), "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 3: Variables Derived from the Educator and Future Teacher Data" (ED542385), and "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: TEDS-M Released Mathematics and Mathematics Pedagogy Knowledge Assessment Items" (ED542384).] [This paper was edited with Maria Teresa Tatto. Contributors include Alena Becker, Ralph Carstens, Jean Dumais, Sabine Meinck, Plamen Mirazchiyski.]

This supplement contains all adaptations made by countries to the international version of the TEDS-M questionnaires under careful supervision of and approval by the TEDS-M International Study Center at Michigan State University. This information provides users of the TEDS-M International Database with a guide to evaluate the availability of internationally comparable data for use in secondary analyses. The adaptations to questionnaires are presented in four sections: Section 1: Institutional Program Questionnaire; Section 2: Educator Questionnaire; Section 3: Future Teacher Questionnaire (Parts A, B, and D); and Section 4: Adaptations to questions about education levels (ISCED classification). Each section contains adaptations specific to individual education systems followed by general or common cultural adaptations and variables. The listed adaptations include questions that countries were required to adapt, questions that were not administered, and questions that countries modified to suit their national context. [For the main report, "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database," see ED542383. For related reports, see "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 1: International Version of the TEDS-M Questionnaires" (ED542382), "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 3: Variables Derived from the Educator and Future Teacher Data" (ED542385), and "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: TEDS-M Released Mathematics and Mathematics Pedagogy Knowledge Assessment Items" (ED542384).] [This paper was edited with Maria Teresa Tatto.]

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a successful formula when it comes to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education? In this report, the authors challenge the nation's approach to STEM education and argue that reforms are urgently needed to better match the talents of students, the needs of employers, and its goals. (Contains 19 tables, 42 figures, and 623 endnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by the Intel Corporation. For "Refueling the U.S. Innovation Economy: Fresh Approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education. Executive Summary," see ED521736.]

Current trends in engineering education must accommodate the fast development of the global industrial marketplace. The well-known inertia against change in institutions of higher education will not fit for the foreseeable future. The career paths of our engineering graduates have changed and will change further, when industry moves to global playing, communications and information technology push the economy and the change from a manufacturing based economy to a more service-oriented economy is developing. The development of better international interfaces among the evermore distinct national education systems is of an increasing importance for a modern society. In Germany a number of technical universities financially supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD) have started new programs to attract more foreign students and graduates especially in technical fields. This paper gives a survey of the current situation from the perspective of the German Assembly of Electrical Engineering Departments (Deutscher Fakultatentag fur Elektrotechnik - DFTE) and describes the actions taken by one member, the Dresden University of Technology. (Author)

Appropriate format, content, and presentation of personal resumes and job application letters in German are discussed. For the resume, this includes notes on inclusion of pertinent personal data, educational background, military service, work experience, internships or continuing education, and other job-related skills. For the letter of application, the discussion addresses overall format and presentation and details the proper form of necessary components: personal mailing address; the company's address; date; salutation; opening statement; text; closure; and enclosures. Advice is offered on appropriate language style and on information that should not be included. A schematic example of letter format, formats for addresses and resume entries, and lists of useful phrases and terminology are appended. (MSE)

The paper discusses rationales for simulation gaming and describes "Spiegeldorf," a socio-historical game which simulates socioeconomic conditions in early 1930 Germany and Nazi party tactics used to gain mass support. Objectives are to identify characteristic Nazi tactics and points of political ideology, describe German social classes and their fears and frustrations, analyze ways Nazism appealed to many Germans, and increase student interest in the subject and enjoyment in playing the game. Each student plays the role of a Nazi party organizer, whose goal is to convert as many people as possible. Play proceeds through choosing one of five tactics and receiving outcome cards and conversion points. With the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, each student adds up the number of converts and ascertains the final outcome. Time allotment is 90 minutes. Materials include a game board, information sheets, conversion checklists, outcome, event, and influence cards, and a debriefing guide. Discussion analyzes the cause-and-effect relationships affecting the payoff through exploration of student feelings, explanation of strategies, and examination of concepts and principles. Evaluation criteria were historical accuracy, positive student attitudes, and an increase in student knowledge. Use of subject authorities ensured accuracy, while attitudes and knowledge were measured through observation, a questionnaire, and a posttest. Sample game materials and questionnaire results are appended. (CK)