Introduction

During a private visit of senior lecturer Willem Blok of NHL University in The Nether-lands in October 2008 to the School of Community and Liberal Studies of Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, the idea was born of making a joint educational module for students in Ontario and The Netherlands, working together in mixed groups and communicating by the advanced means of-fered by Internet these days.
After formal approval of the initiative at both sides of the Ocean, Sheridan’s Abigail Salole (lecturer) and NHL’s Willem Blok (co ordinating lecturer) started to develop the Joint Module. On the very moment you read this, we succeeded in developing the module. It will be carried out in the period April, May and June 2010 as an embedded pilot in the social work programmes of both our institutions.

In this Joint Dutch-Canadian Educational Module (JDCM) students of two countries work together in mixed working groups carrying out a joint assignment in each of their countries, resulting in joint products.
They communicate in English with help of Internet. The extra bilateral dimension of the Joint Module confronts students with comparable subjects and problems in differ-ent (national) contexts. This confrontation “helps” to put into perspective that what seems to be obvious and is taken for granted in the own environment. It helps to de-velop contextual consciousness and international awareness. All these are important abilities for social work, the (international) profession where students at both sides of the Atlantic are educated for.
 

Contents
Both Canada and The Netherland have a well developed social infrastructure, with a variety of services and institutions, steered by social policy. We decided to involve these elements in this Joint Module by formulating a joint basic research-and-advice task, to be focused by students on a specific social group of their choice in compara-ble local communities in Ontario and The Netherlands. The results are showed in a joint report and a slide show or video film, including similarities and differences be-tween the two countries, and what can be learned from it. Summaries of the reports and the audio-visual impressions will be published on a special website of the Joint Module.