Teacher competence development – a European perspective

This chapter provides an European perspectives on teacher competence development

Community-based mentoring and innovating through Web 2.0

The rise of social software, often termed Web 2.0, has resulted in heightened awareness of the opportunities for creative and innovative approaches to learning that are afforded by network technologies. Social software platforms and social networking technologies have become part of the learning landscape both for those who learn formally within institutions, and for those who learn informally via emergent web-based learning communities. As collaborative online learning becomes a reality, new skills in communication and collaboration are required in order to use new technologies effectively, develop real digital literacy and other 21st century skills

BPM Adoption at Bilfinger

Big size corporate companies that opt for Business ProcessManagement (BPM) adoption invest a lot in BPM initiatives with theprimary focus on the identification and standardization of best practicesin the different phases of the BPM lifecycle. The business processes de-signed are usually seen as the standard way of executing the processesand tend not be adapted to specific customers' need or changing condi-tions. Furthermore, the acceptance of a paradigm shift by the end usersis an added challenge. This case introduces a success story on BPMadoption in complex environments where different organizational unitswith different needs are involved. The projects executed in different unitsrespond to specific customers’ requirements, which affects the set of pro-cesses to be designed and executed within them. We developed a novelapproach inspired by the Cynefin framework and used it to define processarchitectures and the respective business process models for a subset ofthe units. To ensure the applicability and acceptance of the new paradigmwe followed a number of well-known methodologies and practices (e.g.SCRUM and gamification). As a result, we managed to move from thetraditional function orientation to BPM orientation taking into consid-eration the flexibility needs, and we received very positive feedback fromour end users

Requirements for optimal learning environment for an online project risk management game

Several authors have questioned the effectiveness of using lecture-based teaching to provide students with enough confidence to apply project risk management. Gaming was proposed as a solution. However, despite widespread use of games in teaching project management, it is still not clear what conditions provide optimal learning through games. Another shortcoming with the existing games is oversimplification.  This paper addresses these shortcomings and proposes a game design that captures real-life challenges associated with applying the project risk management process; a design that prompts an appreciation for project complexity as well as providing students with the opportunity to experience the consequences of ignoring or following the risk management process. The paper also identifies and elaborates on the requirements for optimum learning, and distinguishes between two types of requirements: 1) learning requirements, and 2) qualitative requirements.  Learning requirements identify the learning outcomes of the game. These requirements were identified through structured and semi-structured interviews with senior project managers from several management-consulting firms. The challenges and the corresponding tactics that are adopted in practice in order to manage project risks were thus identified and ranked. These results are also presented in light of supporting literature. The challenges and associated tactics were mapped into a set of eight requirements representing the learning outcomes of the game. These requirements were then mapped to the design using four instructional methods: a briefing lecture, a team-based assignment, an online computer simulation, and a debriefing lecture. All these methods were linked by a real-life project case and executed in a gaming context to improve engagement.  Qualitative requirements represent important conditions that must be present for optimal learning. These were identified through structured interviews with continuing education students taking a master's degree in project management. This empirical study resulted in four qualitative requirements that must be considered in the game design: 1) ownership, 2) relevance, 3) feedback, and 4) adaptation.  The paper also presents the evaluation results of the game design. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the game's ability to capture the two sets of requirements identified above.   &nbsp

Elementary Educators Resource Guide To Herpetology In Minnesota Bridging The Gap Between The Classroom And Nature Center Experience

The author of this project promotes elementary environmental education through hands-on herpetology games, activities, and additional resources. Engaging environmental education activities aim to improve student attitudes and perceptions of native reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna). The content of the literature review describes how changing and improving student attitudes and perceptions of herpetofauna can foster understanding and development of empathy towards animals. Empathy towards animals can be generalized to human-directed empathy. The values of educating with live animals are described in detail. Inquiry, experiential, and hands-on teaching strategies to environmental education are implemented in the materials. Offering curriculum in which students interact with live animals provides opportunities for memorable learning experiences. The author creates an elementary educator resource guide to herpetology in Minnesota bridging the gap between the classroom and nature center experience. The project artifact is a resource guide which includes reasons to teach herpetology, vocabulary terms, ethics and etiquette of handling wild and captive herpetofauna, recommended animal handling techniques relative to multiple families of herpetofauna, six herpetology-themed games, five herpetology-themed activities, a list of recommended citizen science opportunities, a list of resources to contact for live animal presentations and outreach, and additional resources to help build or supplement herpetology curriculu

Improving resilience management for critical infrastructures\u2014strategies and practices across air traffic management and healthcare

Recent natural and man-made disasters highlight that a more resilient approach to preparing for and dealing with such events is needed. To address this challenge, the main objective of the research and innovation H2020 project DARWIN is the development of European resilience management guidelines for Critical Infrastructures (CI). Based on a systematic literature survey with a world-wide scope and prioritization of resilience concepts, the guidelines have been developed taking into account everyday operations, contingency plans, training, etc. This paper describes insights gained from the adaptation of these guidelines in the domains of Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Healthcare (HC). A collaborative and iterative process has been defined involving relevant experts and practitioners. To ensure transnational, cross-sector applicability and uptake, a Community of Crisis and Resilience Practitioners (DARWIN DCoP) has been involved. The preliminary results indicate that a big step has been taken in moving from the resilience theory to practice. organization in the creation, assessment or improvement of its own reference guidelines, procedures and practices

Exigencies for engaging undergraduates in rhetorical problem solving : insights from engineering managers and A3 report analyses

Undergraduate education has a historical tradition of preparing students to meet the problem-solving challenges they will encounter in work, civic, and personal contexts. This thesis research was conducted to study the role of rhetoric in engineering problem solving and decision making and to pose pedagogical strategies for preparing undergraduate students for workplace problem solving. Exploratory interviews with engineering managers as well as the heuristic analyses of engineering A3 project planning reports suggest that Aristotelian rhetorical principles are critical to the engineer\u27s success: Engineers must ascertain the rhetorical situation surrounding engineering problems; apply and adapt invention heuristics to conduct inquiry; draw from their investigation to find innovative solutions; and influence decision making by navigating workplace decision-making systems and audiences using rhetorically constructed discourse. To prepare undergraduates for workplace problem solving, university educators are challenged to help undergraduates understand the exigence and realize the kairotic potential inherent in rhetorical problem solving. This thesis offers pedagogical strategies that focus on mentoring learning communities in problem-posing experiences that are situated in many disciplinary, work, and civic contexts. Undergraduates build a flexible rhetorical technê for problem solving as they navigate the nuances of relevant problem-solving systems through the lens of rhetorical practice

Digitally enabled health service for the integrated management of hypertension: A participatory user-centred design process

This article describes a user-centred approach taken by a group of five procurers to set specifications for the procurement of value-based research and development services for IT-sup-ported integrated hypertension management. The approach considered the unmet needs of patients and health systems of the involved regions. The procurers established a framework for requirements and a solution design consisting of nine building blocks, divided into three domains: service delivery, devices and integration, and health care organisation. The approach included the development of questionnaires, capturing patients’ and professionals’ views on possible system functionalities, and a template collecting information about the organisation of healthcare, professionals involved and existing IT systems at the procurers’ premises. A total of 28 patients diagnosed with hypertension and 26 professionals were interviewed. The interviewees identified 98 functional requirements, grouped in the nine building blocks. A total of nine use cases and their corresponding process models were defined by the procurers’ working group. As result, a digitally enabled integrated approach to hypertension has been designed to allow citizens to learn how to prevent the development of hypertension and lead a healthy lifestyle, and to receive comprehensive, individualised treatment in close collaboration with healthcare professionals