Energy Policy Instruments and Technical Change in the Residential Building Sector

Energy performance policy in the building sector - such as is described by EU Directive known as EPBD - has the aim of reducing energy consumption in buildings. Given the importance of the development of innovations in energy technology, and a transition to a sustainable energy supply system, it is necessary that policy instruments for energy conservation in the building sector stimulate the development and diffusion of innovations. This publication contributes to knowledge about the content of energy performance policy and concludes that the effect of energy performance policy in encouraging innovation is limited. The study of the innovation system of the Dutch construction industry identifies how the project-based nature of the construction industry is an obstacle to ‘learning-rich’ collaboration between the various stakeholders. The study contributes to the discussion about the impact of government policy for energy conservation in the building sector, in the context of climate change policy

Formative and Summative Automated Assessment with Multiple-Choice Question Banks

Digital automated assessment is a valuable and time-efficient tool for educators to provide immediate and objective feedback to learners. Automated assessment, however, puts high demands on the quality of the questions, alignment with the intended learning outcomes, and the quality of the feedback provided to the learners. We here describe the development and use of a large number (N > 180) of question banks with multiple items (N ≥ 20) that are aligned to the intended learning outcomes of an undergraduate general chemistry course. Even though the development of a large number of high-quality question banks is a formidable task, they allow for flexible and easy-to-implement solutions for formative and summative assessment once developed. We here discuss three applications of the question banks: formative assessment in large online classes, practice tests that provide formative assessment outside classes, and summative assessment through a digital exam. We highlight the importance of aligning the question banks with intended learning outcomes, providing additional feedback to the learners and of quality assurance of the question banks, and show how the combined use of the question banks supports student self-regulated learning. We hope that the present work can inspire others to discover the various applications of question banks for formative and summative assessment

Online freelancing and impact sourcing: Examining the inclusive development potential of online service work in the Philippines

Online freelancing and impact sourcing have in recent years emerged as new models for offshore service delivery. Both have the potential of spreading the gains of online service work. Based on empirical research in the Philippines, this article examines how both models integrate outlying areas and more marginalized workers in international networks of online service delivery. The different models of information and communication technologies (ICT)-enabled service delivery were observed to rely on the same pool of labor, thereby limiting the broader distribution of its gains. The article concludes that ICT4D research can benefit from an inclusive development lens when examining the beneficiaries and users of new (information) technologies and their longer-term prospects for income generation

Prevent, Redesign, Adopt or Ignore: Improving Healthcare Using Knowledge of Workarounds

The complex and variable nature of healthcare work makes alignment of health information systems to healthcare processes a challenge, causing the emergence of workarounds. We developed three artifacts to use knowledge of workarounds to address this misalignment and enable the improvement of work systems. (1) The Workaround Snapshot, in which the necessary social and technical information about a workaround is captured, such as motivation, impact on the work system, and possible actions that can be taken. (2) The Workaround Action Impact Matrix, which illustrates the possible decisions that can be made. (3) The Workaround Snapshot Approach, a socio-technical approach that uses the previous artifacts to enable continuous improvement. Following the principles of design science, the artifacts are demonstrated and evaluated through a case study at a Dutch hospital, where we identified and examined twelve workarounds. The approach has proven to enable the organization to make well-informed decisions on actions to be taken, which at times result in direct improvement of the work system. We contribute to existing research in moving past the identification and categorization of workarounds, towards utilizing explicit knowledge of workarounds to improve the work system

Invisible, scattered, difficult to contact: union challenges and strategies to engage contract workers in developing countries

This report is the result of a study of how trade unions can respond to the challenges of dealing with an increasingly flexible and fragmented labour force. A literature study, a survey and open interviews in four countries were carried out to identify how CNV partner unions can support workers who fall outside of their traditional scope. The number of contract workers in many partner countries has increased rapidly over the past five years and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. This report argues that contract workers are the prime group of informal workers who need to be targeted by trade unions. A widespread use of contract labour affects union strength and undermines the ability of (regular) workers to negotiate with their employer. New strategies should be developed to incorporate contract workers within existing union structures and cater to their specific needs. The most immediate problems facing contract workers are related to income and benefits. These issues can be addressed by enhancing the workers’ level of organisation. Established trade unions can provide guidance, training and other forms of support to enhance their capacity to develop organizational structures, management and leadership. Cooperation and partnerships with other civil society organizations are necessary in order to cater for their multiple needs