Source: Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Mechatronics Lab., Personal Photograph, 17 January 2011, The Netherlands.

Student: Anonymous Analyzing a visual image depicting expertise 6th of May 2013 Prof. Denise Comer Focus: You need to finish your work! Because I am working in the education management for almost three years recruiting students for different universities across Europe I thought it would be good to pick one of my own pictures I`ve taken two years ago, while I was traveling to the Netherlands in order to visit and find more about higher education institutions and how would these universities be suitable for our Romanian students. The picture was taken at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven, with a simple digital Nikon camera that I usually use whenever I travel for work or my own pleasure. At a first sight, we can identity a large room, with tables, chairs and computers. We can also spot a lot of wires, devices and other small details that could suggest that the room we`re in might be a technical/ engineering lab. We can observe 4 persons all of them boys, each of them focusing on their own activity. You can easily see the faces of the two of them, one is sitting

with the back on the camera and the last one is present in the picture by seeing part of his forehead and the right hand in the back of the computer. Analyzing the skin and hair colour we can say that the one with the back might be of different nationality, maybe Indian. The student with the back on the camera is paying attention to his screen on which we can identify a Microsoft Word document which could mean that he is writing his project, paper, or homework. Next to the student with the back, in the right of the picture there is another student with a big smile on his face. At a first glance you might say that he is engaged in a discussion with the others but given the fact that the other 3 students are paying attention to their own work, this could mean that the one laughing might have seen something or someone. Obviously he is having a break. Observing all these details and how they interact with each other we could conclude that we have a space favorable for studying, more exactly a technical laboratory within an university where students meet to write their final projects. Because of the Indian student we can also conclude that the studies might be in English and that the university offers an international environment to their future students. Different from all other international educational systems, the Dutch education is well known worldwide for its quality and for the big variety of study programs in English. The Netherlands is now the largest provider of English-taught study programmes in mainland Europe with more than 1,700 international study programmes available. Research has shown that international students choose the Netherlands because of the academic quality and the cosmopolitan atmosphere.[1] The picture is not one of the best but it was used to show prospective students the learning process within an European university: small groups of students, well equipped laboratories / learning spaces, teamwork or individual work and of course international environment. If we think at Coyle`s writing we could connect with his idea of deep practice given the fact that a student will always need to get involved in the educational process in order to succeed even if in some situations they might fail but somehow screwing up is making them better. [2] On the other hand, Colvin stated that in order to be great, to get the results you want and to achieve the expertise, you need to work hard, nobody is great without work [3]. This is also the case with these students who are working on their own projects in order to better excel in their chosen field. Through work they will gain experience and they will also see the results, the image suggesting more or less, this idea. However, is it really enough only to practice a lot and just to work hard in order to get the best results? In my opinion you also need something else. Maybe you need that something that makes you really good. Not necessarily the talent which according to Coyle is not born, it`s grown, but maybe the willpower. If you want to do something and you act in this respect, you will definitely have results. This also involves time, money, dedication and motivation. According to the image, the environment, the people and the objects in the picture can describe and also constitute the expertise in the Education management area, this picture and the other ones like it, being a good tool of marketing the universities on a given market with potential future students.

References: [1] Official website of NUFFIC (Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education) www.nuffic.nl, visited on 2nd of May 2013. [2] Coyle, Daniel (2009) The Talent Code: Greatness isn`t born, it`s grown. Here`s How, New York: Bantam Books, p. 13. [3] Colvin, Geoffrey (2006) What it takes to be great, Fortune Magazine, http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm, visited 2nd of May 2013.