Experiential Learning for Sustainability in Supply Chain Management Education

This work is about sustainability-related learning experiences for the discipline of supply chain management (SCM) in Higher Education. It arises from the need to motivate students with relevant and interesting activities to improve their learning performance. Higher Education must respond to dynamic demands to keep impactful topics for students, organizations, and society over time. This work addresses the relevance of contemporary challenges in real-world SCM situations concerning Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also provides an actionable framework integrating experiential learning ideas, the ADDIE model for instructional design, the Triple Bottom Line for sustainability, the continuous improvement cycle, and the SDGs into an SCM model. In a case study, the article illustrates the use of this framework for instructional design in a learning experience from an undergraduate course in an Industrial and Systems Engineering program. The application describes the impact of food ecosystems on cities and communities during the COVID-19 crisis. The results suggest positive attainment levels in students’ learning outcomes and highly favorable opinions regarding learning relevance, interest, motivation, and the recommendation of the course. Therefore, this work contributes to SCM education by including sustainability-related challenges and disciplinary topics in novel instructional designs that will actively prepare future professionals and decision-makers

A study of the motivation and demotivation of teachers in primary schools at the beginning of the 21st century

This study, carried out by a practising primary school headteacher, is an investigation into the factors that motivate and demotivate teachers in Primary Schools at the beginning of the 21" Century, and the extent to which these factors are affected by ethnographic and demographic characteristics. Despite the focus of the Department for Education and Skills in recent decades on raising standards, the literature review reveals the above sphere of research to be under-represented, particularly in England. The study used a mixed methodological approach, making use of strategies from the qualitative and quantitative paradigms in both data collection, and the subsequent analysis and presentation of the findings. The range of methodology and an initial pilot helped to ensure validity and reliability of the information gathered. The study focused on a representative sample of six schools and data was collected using questionnaires, field diaries and interviews over a period of six months. The sample was deliberately small to facilitate a detailed investigation: as research does not have to be large scale to be of value (Langveld, 1965). Although scope for generalisation is limited, it is anticipated that the findings will be of interest and of practical relevance, to other professionals working in this field: the relatability of a case study, being more important, than its generality (Bassey, 1984). The data collected has been categorised, coded and presented in a range of matrices. Mathematical tests of correlation and significance have then been applied as necessary. The conclusion of the study is that the principal sources of motivation for teachers are, children being well motivated, interested or well behaved, and the experience of a sense of achievement that comes from a completed or enjoyable task. Conversely the principal sources of demotivation are the long hours and heavy workload associated with the role, and children behaving badly or showing a lack of interest in their work. Demographically and ethnographically there are differences between the schools and their staff in terms of both motivation and demotivation but no patterns emerged that were overwhelmingly significant. The study ends with a consideration of its limitations and the implications of the findings. The sources of motivation and demotivation vary from school to school, and from individual to individual, and although there are many decisions over which a school has no control, much can be done at a local level within the school, to manage teacher motivation. The leaders of schools need to address the sources of motivation and demotivation separately in order to minimise their negative impact and to maximise the positive. On a wider scale however, it is clear that the government needs to provide strong support for the leaders of schools in managing behaviour on school premises, and that schools need to be given the resources to support teachers in enabling them to fulfil their roles effectively

Evaluation of the Caring Dads Cymru Programme. Final report

The aim of the evaluation, which spanned two years of the Programme, was to establish the effectiveness of the programme in changing men’s abusive attitudes and behaviours thus preventing them from doing harm to children and children’s mothers

A Critical Literature Synthesis of Low-Income Oral Health Disparities in the United States and Interventions for Improved Access to Care

Over a decade ago the United States Surgeon General released a report about oral health in America which highlighted the disparities that exist between high and low-income populations. The current rates of untreated dental disease in low-income adults and children remain higher in low-income populations. This literature review examines low-income oral health disparities in the United States and the interventions that have been completed to increase access to dental treatment. An unequal distribution of dental providers and high costs for treatments contribute to the access issues that low-income individuals experience. This paper examines interventions at the individual, community, and policy levels. Innovations such as making changes in the dental workforce and expanding the role of mid-level dental providers are discussed. Evidence from the literature suggests that changes in government sponsored insurance policies have had the greatest impact on access to dental treatment. Behavioral interventions have been successful at changing oral health behaviors but further research needs to be done on how to best change the behavior of seeking dental treatment. Increasing the role of primary care providers was identified as an interdisciplinary collaboration to increase access for children. The untreated dental disease of low-income populations is a significant public health problem and further research needs to be done to determine the most effective innovations and interventions to increase access to care