Experiencing centers of expertise : an explorative study on the experiences of students at centers of expertise at Dutch Universities of Applied Science

From the understanding that science and practical experience cannot work without each other, among other things, the Universities of Applied Science (UAS) have increasingly paid attention to practice-oriented research as one of their spearheads. In 2001 an important step was taken in this respect with the development of lectorates, these are positions that, among other things, intended to close the gap between scientific knowledge and the work field by engaging in practice-oriented research. At a later stage, around 2010, Centers of Expertise (CoE) were established. These CoE have multiple goals, also aiming to further strengthen the research orientation of UAS, among which providing students research-based education. From this perspective one can see the CoE as a new learning environment for students. As the students are an important element within the CoE, this thesis will focus on them. Concretely, it will focus on the elements of the ARCS Model of Motivational Design of Keller and based on this model I investigate whether the students perceive the CoE as a motivating learning environment.