Interactive virtual method applied in urban design education. Mixed Approach

La memòria d'aquesta tesi tracta sobre l'ús de la transformació digital en l'ensenyament i els processos de disseny urbà, a través de conceptes innovadors i metodologies pràctiques. L'objectiu és promoure l'ús de tecnologies digitals, en particular per avaluar la inclusió de la realitat virtual en diversos entorns d'ensenyament formals i informals del disseny urbà col·laboratiu, per tal de millorar, accelerar i augmentar el seu impacte social de forma positiva i millorar l'ensenyament universitària ajudant al fet que els estudiants consolidin amb major efectivitat les seves habilitats. Amb les característiques d’un sistema de realitat virtual, podem provar la nostra hipòtesi en funció de demostrar: (1) La implementació d'estratègies virtuals gamificades en el camp del disseny urbà generarà una millora i motivació en la participació ciutadana i dels estudiants, ja que l’entorn és més dinàmic, real i permet un disseny col·laboratiu àgil gràcies a les tecnologies visuals immersives, mentre avaluen críticament el resultat d'un disseny urbà i prenen decisions. (2) L'ús de sistemes virtuals interactius per a la comprensió de l'espai tridimensional millora en els estudiants i professionals la percepció de la comprensió de l'espai, generant major enteniment de les condicions d'ubicació, dimensions i relacions dels espais urbans, i defensar els arguments de projectes urbans i propostes urbanes definides interactivament que proven diverses estratègies d'acció. Per provar les nostres hipòtesis, fem servir un mètode quantitatiu i qualitatiu aplicat en diferents escenaris i als diferents perfils d'usuaris, estudiants, professionals i usuaris finals. Els resultats mostraran que és possible potenciar la transformació digital, millorar la motivació pública, la implicació i la satisfacció en els processos de presa de decisions urbanes, així com complementar l'adquisició de competències urbanes específiques necessàries per a la professió en estudiants d'Arquitectura.La memoria de esta tesis trata sobre el uso de la transformación digital en la enseñanza y los procesos de diseño urbano, a través de conceptos innovadores y metodologías prácticas. El objetivo es promover el uso de tecnologías digitales, en particular para evaluar la inclusión de la realidad virtual en diversos entornos de enseñanza formales e informales del diseño urbano colaborativo, con el fin de mejorarlo, acelerar y aumentar su impacto social positivo y mejorar la enseñanza universitaria ayudando a que los estudiantes consoliden con mayor efectividad sus habilidades. Con las características de un sistema de realidad virtual, podemos probar nuestra hipótesis en función de demostrar: (1) El uso de sistemas virtuales interactivos para la comprensión del espacio tridimensional mejora en los estudiantes y profesionales la percepción de la comprensión del espacio, generando mayor entendimiento de las condiciones de ubicación, dimensiones y relaciones de los espacios urbanos, y defender los argumentos de proyectos urbanos y propuestas urbanas definidas interactivamente que ensayan diversas estrategias de acción. (2) La implementación de estrategias virtuales gamificadas en el campo del diseño urbano generará una mejora y motivación en la participación ciudadana y en los estudiantes, ya que es un entorno de colaboración más dinámico, real y ágil gracias a las tecnologías visuales inmersivas, mientras evalúan críticamente el resultado de un diseño urbano y toman decisiones. Para probar nuestras hipótesis, utilizamos un método cuantitativo y cualitativo aplicado en diferentes escenarios y a diferentes perfiles de usuarios, estudiantes, profesionales y usuarios finales. Los resultados mostrarán que es posible potenciar la transformación digital, mejorar la motivación pública, la implicación y la satisfacción en los procesos de toma de decisiones urbanas, así como complementar la adquisición de competencias urbanas específicas necesarias para la profesión en estudiantes de Arquitectura.The memory of this thesis deals with the use of digital transformation in the teaching and processes of urban design, through innovative concepts and practical methodologies. The objective is to promote the use of digital technologies, in particular, to evaluate the inclusion of virtual reality in various formal and informal teaching environments of collaborative urban design, in order to improve it, speed up, and increase its positive social impact and improve university teaching by helping students consolidate their skills more effectively. With the characteristics of the VR system, we can test our hypothesis based on demonstrating: (1) The use of virtual-interactive systems for the understanding of three- dimensional space improve in students and professionals the perception of the comprehension of the space, generating a greater understanding of the location conditions, dimensions and relationships of urban spaces, and defend the arguments of urban projects and interactively defined urban proposals rehearsing various strategies of action. (2) The implementation of virtual gamified strategies in the field of urban design will generate improvement and motivation in citizen participation and students as it is a more dynamic, real and agile collaborative environment thanks to the immersive visual technologies as they critically evaluate the result of the urban design and make decisions. To validate our hypothesis, we use a quantitative and qualitative method applied in different scenarios and to a different profile of users, students, professionals and end users. The results will show that it is possible to empower digital transformation, to improve public motivation, implication, and satisfaction in urban decision-making processes as well as complementing the improvement of the perception of the comprehension of the space needed for the profession in Architecture students

Fostering Sustainable Creativity and Innovation in Islamic Creative Organizations

One of the prominent trends in modern creative organizations is involving organizational stakeholders in idea development, promoting cooperation, sharing knowledge, and fostering creative expression. Changes in the value writing process have become essential factors in creating innovation. This research aims to analyze how innovative organizations, such as publishers, utilize their ability to manage communication channels to foster stakeholder involvement in the value writing process collectively during innovation. Through a case study approach, this research involves 25 Islamic publishers of the Indonesian Publishers Association, utilizing websites and the social network Facebook as communication tools. The research findings indicate that idea and project development, networking, collaboration, knowledge sharing, opportunities for non-formal learning, discussion platform creation, and feedback are crucial factors driving stakeholder involvement in enhancing added value in the innovation proces

O contexto da investigação em inteligência artificial e gamificação para melhorar o envolvimento e a assiduidade dos estudantes no ensino superior

A significant concern that is widely discussed in the field of Higher Education is declining student participation. In several institutions, attendance is optional, allowing students to attend lectures at their convenience. This study proposes the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Gamification to improve student engagement and attendance rates. The initiative combines advanced technological strategies with conventional educational methodologies to enhance the lecture experience. The initiative is significant as formal lectures often witness dwindling student interest and frequent absenteeism, undermining the educational process and student's future career prospects. This combination has the potential to revolutionise Higher Education by providing a more interactive and engaging learning experience. While gamification has positively impacted learning in various contexts, integration with Artificial Intelligence is a game-changer, paving the way for a modernised educational experience. This innovative exploration of the AI-gamification blend sets the stage for future research and the implementation of updated academic strategies, ultimately addressing student engagement and attendance. This position paper presents the bases and foundations for understanding the problem of student attendance and engagement and the role of AI and gamification in Higher Education in alleviating it.Uma inquietação relevante e extensamente discutida no domínio do Ensino Superior é a diminuição da participação dos estudantes. Em diversas instituições, a assiduidade é facultativa, permitindo aos estudantes a frequência às aulas segundo a sua disponibilidade. Este estudo propõe a integração da Inteligência Artificial e da Gamification como meios para melhorar o envolvimento e as taxas de assiduidade dos estudantes. A iniciativa em causa articula estratégias tecnologicamente avançadas com metodologias educativas convencionais no intuito de enriquecer a experiência de ensino. Tal iniciativa assume importância dada à constante diminuição do interesse dos estudantes e a assiduidade irregular nas aulas formais, fatores que afetam negativamente o processo de ensino e as perspetivas de carreira dos estudantes. Esta combinação ostenta o potencial de revolucionar o Ensino Superior, proporcionando uma experiência de aprendizagem mais interativa e envolvente. Embora a Gamification já tenha impactado positivamente o processo de aprendizagem em diversos contextos, a sua integração com a Inteligência Artificial surge como um elemento transformador, abrindo caminho para uma experiência educacional modernizada. Esta investigação inovadora que combina a IA e Gamification prepara as bases para investigações futuras e a implementação de estratégias académicas aprimoradas, concentrando-se principalmente no envolvimento e na assiduidade dos estudantes. Este artigo de posicionamento apresenta as bases e os fundamentos necessários para a compreensão do problema da frequência e envolvimento dos estudantes no Ensino Superior, assim como o papel da IA e da Gamification na sua mitigação.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Technology behaviors in education innovation

Change and improvement are two keywords embedded in innovation in general (OECD, 2005) and, in particular, in teaching and learning innovation (Miles, 1964). Based on those two keywords, educational innovation could be defined as “the application of one idea that produces a planned change in educational processes, services, or products, then leading to an improvement in learning goals”. The role of the computer in educational innovation is seen as a facilitating tool, as both educational innovation and computation address the same topic, i.e. “Knowledge”. The computer's capability to manage information makes it an ideal tool to potentiate different implementations in teaching and learning contexts. The several distinct ways teachers and students interact are oriented by teaching methods. This means the computer may be used to: improve existing methods for teacher-students interaction, e.g. traditional lectures; enable alternative methods that are difficult to apply under current conditions, e.g. personalized learning; create new methods, e.g. flipped teaching; or, in addition, analyse data generated from teacher-students interactions and help in the learning improvement decision-making process..

Knowledge, Technology Transfer and the Third Mission of Universities : A mixed method approach investigating innovation ecosystems, collaboration projects and technology transfer offices

Sammendrag Målet med med denne avhandlingen er å kunne gi mer og bedre innsikt i den kunnskap- og teknologioverføring som skjer i universiteter og andre offentlige forskningsinstitusjoner innenfor innovasjonsøkosystemer. Bakgrunnen for dette er at offentlig finansiering i forskning i stor grad er politisert, og at universitetene forventes i økende grad å tilbakeføre verdi fra forskning til samfunnet. Dette blir omtalt som det tredje samfunnsoppdraget i tillegg til de to andre, forskning og undervisning. Universiteter over hele verden har tilgang til et kunnskapsoverføringskontor (KTO) eller til et mer spesialisert teknologioverføringskontor (TTO) for å hjelpe dem med å utføre det tredje samfunnsoppdraget. Disse kontorene kan organiseres enten internt eller eksternt. Tradisjonelt har innovasjon og kommersialisering basert på forskning blitt sett på som en lineær prosess drevet av økonomisk vekst i samfunnet eller av økonomiske motivasjoner hos de enkelte forskere. Disse lineære prosessene gjenspeiles også i statlige finansieringsordninger samt i universitetenes strategier og støttefunksjoner. I det siste er det imidlertid påpekt i forskningslitteraturen at universitetenes tredje samfunnsoppdrag synes å være i en overgang fra en mer økonomisk begrunnet aktivitet til en aktivitet nærmere fundert i bærekraft og generelle forbedringer i samfunnet. Denne overgangen er delvis begrunnet med de mange globale utfordringene vi opplever i dag, som klimaendringer, en aldrende befolkning, epidemier og miljøtrusler. I avhandlingen er forholdet mellom kunnskap og teknologioverføring fra universiteter, industrifinansierte forskningsprosjekter, etablering av innovasjons- og kommersialiseringsprosjekter og involvering av TTO-aktører undersøkt. Videre er dette forholdet sett i lys av aktørenes rolle i innovasjonsøkosystemet. Forskningen har vært tverrfaglig og spenner over fagområdene innovasjonsstudier og økonomisk geografi. PhD kandidaten arbeider selv i en TTO og med oppgaver innenfor kunnskap og teknologioverføring. Et underkapittel i avhandlingen er derfor viet refleksjoner over hvordan dette kan påvirke forskningen i både positiv og kanskje også i mer negativ retning. Hovedfunnene i avhandlingen kan kort oppsummeres som følger: Universiteter, TTOer og eksterne samarbeidspartnere tilhører naturlig ulike typer økosystemer, henholdsvis innenfor innovasjon, kunnskap og ulike næringer eller verdikjeder. Disse økoystemene har ulike sett av verdier og logikker. Når aktører fra flere økosystemer samarbeider i prosjekter, må de krysse grensene til andre økosystemer enn sitt eget. Dette skaper både konflikt og læring. Med et søkelys på prosjekter innenfor det tredje samfunnsoppdraget til universiteter gir denne avhandlingen derfor en innsikt i både mekanismer for samarbeid, om hvordan kunnskap og teknologioverføring faktisk foregår mellom aktørene, samt at dynamikk mellom de ulike økosystemene utforskes i både tid og rom. Motivasjonen for å gå i gang med et innovasjons og kommersialisering prosjekt ser ut til å å være mer basert på et sosialt engasjement enn økonomiske motiver. Dette gjelder ikke bare for forskere, men er også uttrykt fra andre involverte aktører, som instituttledere, TTO ansatte samt eksterne samarbeidspartnere i prosjektene. Det er antatt at disse funnene på mange måter gjenspeiler den endringen man i dag generelt ser for det tredje samfunnsoppdraget, mot mer sosiale og bærekraftig aktiviteter, og dermed også en del av en tredje generasjons innovasjonspolitikk. Universiteter, sammen med andre forskningsorganisasjoner og statlige finansieringsinstitusjoner, synes imidlertid fortsatt å agere etter prinsippene i andre generasjons innovasjonspolitikk og muligens til og med fra første generasjon. Med andre ord, de vurderer fortsatt innovasjon og kommersialisering som lineære prosesser (første generasjons innovasjonspolitikk) og favoriserer økonomiske belønninger (andre generasjons innovasjonspolitikk). Dette medfører også at TTOene sine oppgaver ofte begrenses til det kommersielle med et motiv om mest mulig økonomisk gevinst. Spørsmålet reises om universitetets overgang mot en tredje generasjons innovasjonspolitikk ikke også bør gjenspeiles i en endring i roller og oppgaver til de tilhørende TTOene Oppgaven avsluttes med noen råd til beslutningstakere og de som arbeider innenfor feltet kunnskap og teknologioverføring. Råd gis først til dem som arbeider med policy om å påse at den prosessen som i dag pågår rundt organiseringen av kunnskaps- og teknologioverføringsprosesser i Norge, bedre reflekterer den tredje generasjonspolitikken. Som en følge av dette bør kunnskaps- og teknologioverføring betraktes mer som et samfunnsoppdrag enn som en ren økonomisk aktivitet og dermed også reflekteres i finansieringsordningene til TTOene. Det må også da vurderes å utrede om ikke rollen og oppgavene til TTOene bør være mer i tråd med de bredere definerte KTOene. Den spesielle kompetansen TTOer har på immaterielle rettigheter og forretningsmodellering for innovative forskningsideer, må imidlertid opprettholdes og videreutvikles. Til slutt i avhandlingen uttrykkes et håp om at (norske) TTOer både kan omfavne og utnytte de endringer og muligheter som nå synes å komme og ikke holde seg til "business as usual".Abstract The overall research objective of this thesis is to provide insights into the field of knowledge and technology transfer in relation to public research organisations in innovation ecosystems Public funding and investments in research impact have become highly politicised, and universities are increasingly expected to provide value from their research activities to society through a third mission in addition to research and education. Universities worldwide have set up or have access to a knowledge transfer office (KTO) or to a more specialised technology transfer office (TTO) to help them to execute their third mission activities. These offices can be organised either internally or externally. Traditionally, innovation and commercialisation based on research has been viewed as a linear process that is driven by economic growth in society, as well as by the monetary-related motivations of individual researchers. This is also reflected in governmental funding instruments and university supportive structures for third mission activities. However, recent, the literature has revealed that the third mission of universities is now in transition from a monetary-driven policy structure towards a more socially engaged and sustainability-driven mission. This transition is partly driven by the many global challenges we are facing today, such as climate change, an aging population, and diseases and environmental threats. In this thesis the relationship between knowledge and technology transfer from universities, industry-funded research projects, the establishment of innovation and commercialisation projects, and the involvement of TTO actors have been at the core of the research. The research has been interdisciplinary, spanning the fields of innovation studies and economic geography. One section is devoted to describing the authors position as a professional within the field of knowledge and technology transfer including reflections upon how this might have influenced the research. The main findings from the research for this thesis can be briefly summarised as follows: Universities, TTOs, and external collaborative partners are embedded in different types of ecosystems with different logics of actions, like innovation, knowledge, and business ecosystems. When collaborating through third mission activities, the actors span the boundaries of these ecosystems. This crossing creates both conflict and learning. Through the focus on third mission links, this thesis gives valuable insights into the mechanisms for collaboration, knowledge and technology transfer as well as dynamics among the various ecosystems in both time and space. The nature of and motivations for third mission activities seem to reflect social engagement more than economic rewards. This is the case not only for researchers but also for other involved actors, such as department leaders and TTO executives, as well as external collaborative partners. It is argued that these findings in many ways reflect the transition of third mission activities from more monetary-driven and commercial-oriented second-generation innovation policy actions towards more diverse and mission-oriented third-generation innovation policy actions. When supporting innovation and commercialisation activities based on research, universities seem, along with other research organisations and government funding institutions, still left behind in the second generation of innovation policy and possibly even in the first generation. In other words, they are still considering innovation and commercialisation as linear processes and are favouring economic rewards. They are also considering the role of TTOs as taking part of commercial activities alone. The third mission of universities are, however, in a transition towards the third generation of innovation policy. The question remains as to whether this should correspondingly be reflected in a change in the roles and missions of TTOs. The thesis ends with some offers of advice to policymakers and practitioners within the field of knowledge and technology transfer. Some advice towards Norwegian policymakers is given to push the process of transitioning research-based knowledge and technology transfer processes to reflect the third innovation generation policy in a better way. Following this, knowledge and technology transfer should be considered more as a social mission than as an economic activity and consequently, the mission should be reflected in the funding schemes of TTOs. Finally, consideration should be given to initiating a shift in the perception of the roles and tasks for the TTOs in Norway towards the more broadly defined KTOs. The special competencies TTOs have on intellectual property rights and business model development for innovative research ideas, must however be maintained and further developed. Finally, a hope is expressed that (Norwegian) TTOs can embrace and exploit the coming opportunities and will not stick to ‘business as usual’.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Sustainable Solution For Plastic Waste Management And Education Campaigns To Mitigate Plastic Consumption And Foster Behavior Change

The issue of plastic waste has become a significant environmental concern in contemporary times. Given the escalating rates of plastic production and consumption worldwide, an urgent need is to implement effective strategies to manage plastic waste. This article aims to investigate sustainable strategies for managing plastic waste through an analysis of existing research and exemplary approaches in the domain. This research assesses diverse methodologies, such as recycling, waste minimization, biodegradable substitutes, and policy interventions, and appraises their efficacy, obstacles, and prospects for enduring sustainability. The results of this research emphasize the significance of inclusive and cohesive approaches that engage various actors in addressing plastic pollution and attaining a more environmentally sound tomorrow

Micro and macro dynamics of open innovation with quadruple-Helix

This paper explores how sustainability can be achieved through open innovation in the current 4th industrial revolution. Through a literature and practice review, we identify micro- and macro-dynamics of open innovation in addition to the dynamic roles of industry, government, university, and society. In particular, the industry continuously adopts open platforms to create and maintain ecosystem innovation. The government's role has changed from regulation control toward facilitation. Universities have become proactively engaged in multiple areas, from technology transfer to knowledge co-creation. Societies and customers have started to form new concepts, R&D, and commercialization, resulting in a shared economy. Based on the analysis, we propose a conceptual framework to understand open innovation micro- and macro-dynamics with a quadruple-helix model for social, environmental, economic, cultural, policy, and knowledge sustainability. Furthermore, this provides an overview of the special issue, Sustainability of Economy, Society, and Environment in the 4th Industrial Revolution, which aims to respond to the 4th industrial revolution in terms of open innovation and cyber-physics from manufacturing to the service industry.1

Development of a Social Gamified Platform for e-Learning

The way in which nowadays education is evolving, makes it possible to associate it with MOOCs courses and gamification techniques to improve learning outcomes of students. To this end, this paper shows the development of an educational e-learning platform built upon the Elgg social framework, where a set of gamification elements were added: Points, achievements, leaderboards and rewards. For the future, effectiveness validations will be carried out with students as well as further developments with other types of gamification elements