Annual Report 2008, Göteborg
The VETNET programme at ECER’ 08 was attended by ca. 120 participants. This year the VETNET network reached the 11 years’ milestone as an active network of the EERA. The electronic proceedings for the VETNET programme at ECER’08 available on the VETNET page (<link http: www.vet-research.net>www.vet-research.net ).
The web page covers all the sessions including abstracts and other VETNET-related information (joint sessions, social event, about the organisation of VETNET and other information).
At the same time VETNET has produced proceedings of the earlier years’ papers; also at the VETNET as well as on the page of WIFO.
The VETNET programme consisted of 30 sessions including
- 88 individual papers,
- 7 symposia,
- 2 research workshops,
- 1 cross-network round table (with the network on teacher education research),
- 2 VETNET plenary sessions
- and the VETNET General Assembly.
As a VET researcher from the host country Sweden, Per Erik Ellström from Linköping University gave an opening speech "Knowledge Creation through Interactive Research: A Partnership Approach". The speech was commented by an invited discussant, Bernd Hofmaier from Halmstad University. The speech provided insights into the interactive research activities and in particular on relations between university and industry.
The VETNET Forum session focused on the topic of the publication of VETNET journals; this session was organised by Martin Mulder as a joint event for the VET researchers and journals with interest in VET and workplace learning.
The VETNET Board meeting was organised as a public meeting that was open for all participants of the VETNET programme . The meeting discussed the implementation of the VETNET programme at ECER’08 and the preparation for the ECER’09 in Vienna as well as the recent upgrade of the VETNET website (<link http: www.vet-research.net>www.vet-research.net).
In this context the Board notified the members that term of the current board comes to an end at ECER'09. The issue of supporting PhD students across Europe was discussed in the meeting. Also, the VETNET network is looking for an active role in the joint EERA initiative to develop “European Educational Research Quality Indicators (EERQI)”.