University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Fachhhochschule Nordwestschweiz)

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The University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) is one of the leading and innovative polytechnic universities in Switzerland with a national and international orientation. It trains engineers in all sectors as well as personnel for kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools.

The Centre for Didactics of Natural Sciences and Technics (ZNTD) currently cooperates with approximately 40 foreign universities. It is the largest of its kind in Switzerland and has been cooperating strongly with University of Duisburg-Essen on the focus of “natural scientific classes” for 10 years, which is embedded in their profile line called “empiric educational research”.

The FHNW sets a priority on natural scientific and engineering education by introducing the multidisciplinary programme “EduNaT” which will run from 2015 until 2017, making it an important partner for CETE. The FHNW will be represented by Prof. Dr. Peter Labudde, head of the centre for didactics of natural sciences and engineering education.

Prof. Dr. habil. Peter Labudde

Institute for Educational Research and Development

Prof. Dr. Labudde

Prof. Dr. Peter Labudde has been functioning as the head of the Centre for Natural Scientific and Engineering Didactics since 2008. He also holds a research professorship and his international anchorage shows in numerous guest professorships (e.g. INRP Institut national de recherche pédagogique, natural sciences, Lyon). His expert activities also prove his competence - he represented Switzerland in the OECD committee PISA natural sciences. His research focus shall support CETE in its initial construction and also focus on topics that are of high relevance to the competence centre (e.g. teaching and studying processes in natural scientific subjects, gender research, international comparative studies, competency models and educational standards as well as the evaluation of teaching material). Already existing cooperations include the joint project NWU with the University of Duisburg-Essen as well as joint publications with FoKoTec and guest lectures and the cooperative work for the Association of German Engineers (VDI).

Dr. Stefan Kruse

Head of the Section for Technology Education of ZNTD

Ph.D. Stefan Kruse is the head of the department of Technology Education at the Centre for Didactics of Natural Sciences and Technics (ZNTD) since 2015. After finishing the studies of Technology Education, Mathematics, Physics and IT he worked for 15 years at the University of Schwäbisch Gmünd educating teachers. He graduated in pedagogy in the section "New media" settled in Technology Education.
His many-sided work in the field of Technology Education has been introducing him to various lectureships in different institutions till today (e.g. the University of Ulm, the University for Technology in Aalen, High school Schwäbisch Gmünd).

Many different finished research projects in the section of STEM/ Science and Technology for clients like Ravensburger, Festo didactic and Siemens and editing numerous medias of technological education are an evidence for the wideness of his task area. He also is the editor and head of division of the Genius-Teaching materials of Daimler´s knowledge community, which is the largest national teacher training initiative in Germany.

Besides building up and networking of Technology Education in Switzerland he takes part in many projects, in which the focus of Technology Education lies in the field of STEM. The emphasis in his current researches like digital transformation, energy technology and sustainable education, certificate seminars (CAS) for Technology Education in secondary school or the factors of success for universal Technology Education are supporting CETE in its development.