How to improve students’ experience in blending learning? Evidence from the perceptions of students in a Postgraduate Master’s Degree

[EN] This paper examines the perceptions of a group of students of a Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Cosmetics Industry at the Universitat de València, delivered with a blended learning modality, in relation to their experience in face-to-face learning and differentiating between those with or without a previous background in a remote online learning environment, with the added purpose of identifying strategies to enhance that experience, while offering further evidence for scholars, educators and institutions in this field. To this end, a survey with open questions devised ad hoc leaning on our literature review was submitted to a group of 114 students of the Master’s Degree in the period 2017-2020. Students were enquired about the pros and cons of their blended learning experience in relation to the traditional face-to-face learning, and which modality they would choose next time if both were offered, only considering the achievement, experience and satisfaction, regardless of the price. 77 students of our initial sample participated in the questionnaire, 38 of them without previous experience in blended or distance learning. The results show a certain predilection for face-to-face learning, especially in the group of newbies in blended or distance learning. They highlight how they miss a closer interaction with their peers and professors and the difficulties to assimilate certain content, while appraising the flexibility, autonomy, and the self-pace of the blended learning modality. Correspondingly, students with experience in remote online education settings generally show a better predisposal and find fewer disadvantages in blended learning. This suggests that the factor of experience and adaptation to new tools and methods improves student perception and confidence and shapes their preferences, with a foreseeable growing acceptance of blended learning in the future. Finally, the outcome allows us to define a series of strategies to improve the achievement, experience, and satisfaction of students in this learning context.Garcia-Ortega, B.; Galan-Cubillo, J. (2021). How to improve students’ experience in blending learning? Evidence from the perceptions of students in a Postgraduate Master’s Degree. WPOM-Working Papers on Operations Management. 12(2):1-15. https://doi.org/10.4995/wpom.15677OJS115122Al-Khanjari, Z. A. S. (2018). Applying online learning in software engineering education. In Computer Systems and Software Engineering: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 217-231). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3923-0.ch010Angeli, C., Valanides, N., & Bonk, C. J. (2003). 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Sufficient consumption as a missing link toward sustainability: The case of fast fashion

The fashion industry has been driven by limitless consumption-led growth spearheaded by companies in the fast fashion segment, with a dominant business model based on massive accelerated demand, production, consumption, and disposal. Despite companies’ efforts to decouple the pursuit of growth from its negative impacts, a more sufficiency-driven approach seems imperative to curb consumerism and contribute more effectively to sustainability. This study draws on the literature to build a three-pillar framework of potential strategies to enable fashion companies to foster sufficient consumption and reduce dependence on the sale of new items, with benefits expected for both consumers and companies. Subsequently, it uses multiple case study to examine qualitatively the annual reports issued during 2013–2014 and 2020–2021 by a sample of ten top companies in this segment. The goal is to assess whether these companies are embracing such strategies, what (if any) evolution occurs between these two periods, whether the 2030 Agenda with its SDG12 ‘Responsible consumption and production’ plays a mediating role in their adoption, and what is the logic behind such evolution. The results show that, although such adoption is gaining momentum, companies tend first to embrace strategies with less impact on their traditional modus operandi. Further, the laxity of SDG12 enables companies to profess commitment even when not addressing any of the strategies to foster sufficient consumption. This study aims to give actors critical awareness of this issue and provide practical guidance for managers to adopt and combine these strategies decisively to fully embrace the principles of circular economy and a more holistic approach to sustainability. It also advises companies to avoid the risk of ‘anti-consumerist washing’—a newly identified variant of greenwashing—and proposes to study a ‘hierarchical pyramid of business strategies to rationalize consumptionMinistry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain PDI2021.124396NB.I00European Regional Development Fund (European Union)CRUE-Universitat Politecnica de Valenci

El profesor asociado en la universidad española desde un enfoque autoetnográfico

[EN] The figure of the part-time assistant professor has been gaining presence in Spanish uni-versities since its inception in the 1980s, especially since 2010 with the economic crisis and the reduction in the replacement rate of university professors. Despite the growing rele-vance within the university faculty, the controversy that the use of this figure has generated, and the problems faced by this group of professors in their performance, there is a shortage of publications focused on questioning its role, how this figure is used and how its perfor-mance can be smoothed and favored. To contribute in this direction, and with the purpose of encouraging better management of this figure from the perspective of human resources and the quality of the service offered, this article addresses the use and improvement of the benefits of the part-time assistant professor in the Spanish university from a collaborative autoethnographic approach. In this sense, a series of aspects are identified and proposed to improve the framework and conditions in which part-time assistant professors carry out their activity, as well as their competences and attributions, in order to promote reflection and debate among teachers, scholars, government bodies and other actors with the ability to influence their performance according to the goals for which this figure was actually conceived, which ultimately would result in greater self-realization and personal satisfac-tion of these professors, and contribute to educational excellence, as well as a better quali-ty of service and superior competitiveness of universities.[ES] La figura del profesor asociado ha ido ganando presencia en las universidades españolas desde su creación en los años 80, especialmente desde el año 2010 con la crisis económica y la reducción de la tasa de reposición del profesorado universitario. Pese a la creciente relevancia dentro del cuerpo docente universitario, la controversia que ha venido suscitando el uso de esta figura, y los problemas que afronta este profesorado en su ejercicio, existe una escasez de publicaciones enfocadas a cuestionarse su papel, cómo se utiliza esta figura y cómo se puede facilitar y favorecer su desempeño. Para contribuir en esta dirección, y con el propósito de incentivar una mejor gestión de esta figura desde la perspectiva de recursos humanos y de la calidad el servicio que ofrece, en este artículo se aborda desde un enfoque autoetnográfico colaborativo el uso y mejora de las prestaciones del profesor asociado en la universidad española. Como resultado, se identifican y proponen una serie de aspectos a considerar para mejorar el marco y las condiciones en las que el profesorado asociado desarrolla su actividad, así como sus competencias y atribuciones, con el objeto de promover la reflexión y el debate entre los académicos, profesorado, órganos de gobierno y otros actores con capacidad de influir sobre su desempeño de acuerdo con los fines para los que realmente se concibió esta figura, lo que en última instancia redundaría en una mayor autorrealización y satisfacción personal de estos docentes y contribuiría a la excelencia educativa, así como a una mejor calidad de servicio y mayor competitividad de las universidades.Garcia-Ortega, B.; Galan-Cubillo, J.; Marin-Garcia, JA. (2023). The part-time assistant professor in the Spanish university from an autoethnographic approach. WPOM-Working Papers on Operations Management. 14(1):62-75. https://doi.org/10.4995/wpom.18031627514