The teaching project HIS (Holistic International STEMs – Learning with case studies and real life industry experiences) is presented as part of the poster session. Experience shows that German (outgoing) and international (incoming) students have difficulties to communicate properly at the workplace in Germany as well as abroad due to language differences, especially in STEM terms. In addition, young professionals often do not have experience in working in international or virtual teams. All those challenges are current job requirements, not just in global companies. But: How to teach this in higher education? The classical formats of lectures or seminars are not suitable. Therefore, there is a need to develop and prove new teaching formats, within the curriculum as well as extracurricular. With focus on STEM subjects the presented project combines three current impacts on higher education: Internationalization, digitalization, and labor market orientation. The concept of the project is that STEM students from different countries will attend an international, virtual summer school (April to June 2016). They solve real-life job case studies together in small interdisciplinary teams. The participants are mentored by national and international industry partners and STEM professors. With such, the participants will improve language and communication skills, and apply and exchange their expertise as well as gain intercultural work experience. The concept was awarded by the “Stifterverband für die deutsche Wissenschaft” (Donors association for the promotion of humanities and sciences in Germany). The poster introduces the project and exemplary the three-dimensional assignments of one case study (occupational, lingual, and intercultural). At present, the project should be handled as a “project in progress”. Keywords: technology, teaching projects, STEM, internationalization, digitalization, labor market orientation, employability, job orientation, competencies, development of new curricula

This mixed methods study identifies perceived causes of and solutions to the attrition of special education teachers. Researchers have documented that special education teaching positions encounter higher attrition rates than their general education peers (Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Conroy in Olivarez & Arnold, 2006; Mitchell & Arnold, 2004; Otto & Arnold, 2005; Stempien & Loeb, 2002). More than 66 administrators and 200 special education teachers/Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs) employed in the Portland, Oregon metro area (Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties) completed a survey on special education teacher attrition and retention and identified what they believed are the causes of high special education teacher attrition rates and what interventions would increase rates of special education teacher retention. The results of the surveys from the two sub-groups were compared and contrasted and it was determined administrators and special education teachers share similar perceptions of the causes of high special education teacher attrition rates and similar perceptions of interventions to increase retention rates. The results were also analyzed to determine if administrators and special education teachers and TOSAs identify the same causes of special education teacher attrition and interventions to increase retention rates.

This research presents a qualitative inquiry of the perceptions of the adult education teachers about their working conditions in the Adult Basic Education and Training programme. A qualitative investigation method was conducted, and a semi-structured interview was employed to collect data. The data from open-ended questions was analysed using a thematic approach. Findings suggest that the condition of services for adult education teachers was not acceptable and the levels of job satisfaction among teachers in adult education was low. Some recommendations that arise from the study are that the dilapidated buildings belonging to adult education be revamped and teaching and learning resources be provided. It is also recommended that the employment conditions of adult education teachers be in line with those of mainstream education teachers. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)