Sustainable eLearning in a Changing Landscape: A Scoping Study (SeLScope)

The report begins by exploring the concept of sustainable e-learning - defining it and establishing its characteristics in the context of Higher Education. To ensure a sound and systematic process, the review is informed by a five-phase methodological framework for scoping reviews by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Examples and perspectives on the concept of sustainable e-learning are summarised and key factors impacting on sustainability are abstracted. highlights potential gaps and suggests directions for further research on the topic

THE DESIGN OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING ILL-STRUCTURED SOFTWARE PROJECTS

Current planning and control procedures for large-scale software projects are not sufficiently equipped to deal with changing or imprecise requirements, resource breakdowns, unexpected delays, etc. We propose a solution for managing change in projects, based on a semantic model of the software design and development processes. At the heart of this technique is the formation of islands of project knowledge in a way that facilitates dealing with most design and plan revisions locally. A protocol for interactive change management is presented that advocates need-based formation of coalitions between islands as a means for graceful degradation in the place of strict hierarchical control. The results of initial empirical investigations of the usability of the approach and plans for its continuing evaluation are also reported.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Mineral Resources: Stocks, Flows, and Prospects

This chapter focuses on metals as they provide the clearest example of the challenges and opportunities that mineral resources present to society, in terms of both primary production and recycling. Basic concepts, information requirements and sources of consumer and industrial resource demand are described as well as the destabilizing effects of volatile resource prices and supply chain disruptions. Challenges facing extraction of in-ground resources and production of secondary resources are discussed and scenarios for the future considered. The results of the scenarios indicate that particularly energy and, as well, water and land requirements could become increasingly constraining factors for metal production. Key research questions are posed and modeling and data priorities discussed, with an emphasis on areas that require novel concepts and analytic tools to help lessen negative environmental impacts associated with minerals. The challenge of sustainability requires collaboration of practitioners and analysts with a multidisciplinary understanding of a broad set of issues, including economics, engineering, geology, ecology, and mathematical modeling, to name a few, as well as policy formulation and implementation.

A Framework for Evaluating Learning Progressions on Features Related to Their Intended Uses

In recent years, learning progressions (LPs) have captured the interest of educators and policy makers. There have been numerous efforts to develop LPs aligned to college and career readiness standards, to unpack these standards, and to provide more clarity on the pathways students follow to reach them. There is great variation, however, in the structure, content, and features of LPs, and these have implications for the LP’s most appropriate use. The purpose of this research was to devise a framework to understand and evaluate key features of an LP, including its structure, content, usability, and validity evidence. We maintain that educators and other stakeholders should understand these key features so they can evaluate whether an LP is appropriate for an intended use