Pursuit of Excellence in a Networked Society: Theoretical and Practical Approaches

Pursuit of Excellence in a Networked Society gives an overview of research and practice, describing and exploring efforts toward continuous improvement in programming to promote excellence. The talent development of students and teachers is a hot topic in today's knowledge-based society which increasingly demands innovative, reflective, and globally-aware citizens. Educational programmes especially designed to prepare academically motivated students for their future role now wrap around the globe. Therefore, in order to support continuous growth and opportunities for challenging our advanced learners, we have opened up new ways for sharing knowledge and to encourage the building up of partnerships and conversations between researchers and teachers. The Research Centre for Talent Development in Higher Education and Society, headed by Marca Wolfensberger and based at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, organised the first international conference "Evoking Excellence in Higher Education and Beyond". As Joseph Renzulli says in the foreword, this conference brought together scholars and educators from around the world to share their work in promoting high-level learning experiences. Presenters discussed their research and practical efforts in honours programmes, gifted programmes, and other contexts aimed at evoking excellence. This book offers a selection of the work of those presenting at this conference. Across six chapters, the following topics are discussed: teaching strategies, culture of excellence, students' perspectives, professional excellence, ethics and intercultural perspectives, and giftedness across educational sectors. The book offers readers a comprehensive view of the field of excellence in education as well as an overview for readers interested in setting-up initiatives to foster excellence among their own students and employees.