87 research outputs found
Flipping the classroom:an effective approach to deal with diversity at higher education
Even though the flipped classroom is an increasingly popular method in education, a literature search shows a gap in research on this method in higher education. This article describes an experiment with two central questions: (1) How do students and lecturers assess the effectiveness of the FC method? And (2) What are crucial design elements? To be able to answer these questions we designed an experiment within a large-size, interdisciplinary, course. For three years we carefully monitored and evaluated the course. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data. Our findings show a positive contribution of the FC approach to the learning experience of students. We also found that a strong link between theory and practice is essential in the course design; combined with active learning we were able to involve students and stimulate them to reach a deeper level of understanding. Moreover, we believe that the FC approach offers opportunities to have a large interdisciplinary group, with different learning needs, work together on higher attainment levels
Expert and non-expert at the same time: knowledge integration processes and dynamics in interdisciplinary teamwork
Contemporary sustainability issues require the integration of diverse knowledge to study and address them holistically. How interdisciplinary knowledge integration arises in teamwork is, however, poorly understood. For instance, studies often focus on either individual or team processes, rather than studying their interplay and thereby contributing to understanding knowledge integration in an integral manner. Therefore, in this study we aimed to understand how knowledge integration processes are shaped by interactions in interdisciplinary teamwork. We present insights from an ethnographic case study of interdisciplinary teamwork among eight master's students. In this student team, we observed two dynamics that impeded knowledge integration: (1) conformative dynamic manifested as avoiding and ignoring differences, and (2) performative dynamic as avoiding and ignoring not-knowing. Based on earlier work, we expected that contributing one's own and engaging with each other's knowledge would ensure knowledge integration. However, the dynamics exposed that it did not only depend on whether knowledge was contributed and engaged with, but also which knowledge was exchanged and manipulated in the teamwork. We coin the concept 'relative expertise', which emphasizes that interdisciplinary teamwork requires that collaborators act simultaneously as expert-in relation to their own contributory expertise-and non-expert-in relation to others' contributory expertise. The dynamics hampered acting as a relative expert, and we saw that this was shaped by an interplay of students' individual epistemic competencies, shared assumptions about teamwork, and social context. The insights may help recognize dynamics and underlying factors that impair knowledge integration, and thereby inform targeted interventions to facilitate knowledge integration
Becoming productive 21st century citizens: A systematic review uncovering design principles for integrating community service learning into higher education courses
Background: To prepare students to become productive 21st century citizens, universities have to be more engaged with society.
Shifting towards community service learning (CSL) enables students to participate in, and reflect on, services that both benefit
the public and also contribute to their own learning. There has been
considerable research conducted on the improved student competencies, both academic and personal, resulting from CSL. There is,
however, no consensus on how to integrate CSL into courses
successfully, owing to the diverse contextual factors that influence
implementation.
Purpose: By means of conducting a review, this study aimed to
establish general design principles to help guide course coordinators in implementing CSL in their academic courses.
Design and methods: A systematic review was conducted of articles describing the implementation of CSL in academic courses
within various disciplines. Implementation elements and principles
were extracted from the articles and inductively grouped together,
thereby identifying various design principles.
Findings: Our analysis of the literature highlighted three steps that,
according to the literature, are important in the implementation of
CSL: (1) aligning course objectives and format; (2) establishing
a relationship with the community partner; and (3) defining
a reflection and evaluation strategy. We found that the nature of
the design principles and specific approaches underlying these
implementation steps should depend on the studentsâ capabilities,
which include their pre-CSL experiences.
Conclusion: The implementation steps and underlying design principles uncovered by this review may help guide and support course
coordinators in their efforts to integrate CSL in their academic courses.
The diverse range of design principles makes it possible to acknowledge studentsâ pre-CSL experiences and, thus, construct appropriate
scaffolding, which i
PLoS One
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221789.]
Transdisciplinary learning trajectories: developing action and attitude in interplay
Addressing complex societal challenges requires professionals capable of integrating multiple perspectives on problems and possible solutions. This requires crossing disciplinary boundaries and boundaries between science and society. Transdisciplinary approaches respond to this demand by deliberately integrating knowledge of different disciplinary specialists and societal actors for a joint framing and co-creation of new options for addressing societal challenges. There is, however, limited understanding of which assets transdisciplinary work requires and how students can be trained in these. We studied transdisciplinary learning in the context of a novel course in which students engaged in multi-actor agenda-setting and facilitated multi-actor dialog sessions at a community event. We found that with the support of teachers and a detailed script, and by acquiring knowledge and skills through theoretical learning and exercises, students were able to facilitate safe and structured multi-stakeholder dialog sessions. Shifts towards a more transdisciplinary attitude were sparked by eye-opening experiences in transdisciplinary encounters if students processed these critically and openly. Based on our findings we propose âTransdisciplinary Learning Trajectoriesâ which conceptualizes transdisciplinary learning as developing the ability to engage in transdisciplinary action and developing towards a transdisciplinary attitude. Based on our findings, we argue for a combination of experiential and instruction approaches that support learning in both dimensions, simultaneously and in interplay
Epistemic stability and epistemic adaptability: interdisciplinary knowledge integration competencies for complex sustainability issues
Global sustainability challenges transcend disciplines and, therefore, demand interdisciplinary approaches that are characterized by cross-disciplinary collaboration and integration across disciplines. In accordance with this need for interdisciplinary approaches, sustainability professionals have been reported to require interdisciplinary competencies. Although the necessity of interdisciplinary competencies is generally agreed upon, and there has been extensive research to understand competencies for interdisciplinarity, there is still no comprehensive understanding of how individual competencies shape the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Therefore, based on empirical research and literature review, we propose a novel framework to understand competencies for interdisciplinarity. The empirical data were collected through written reflection and interviews with 19 students in the context of an interdisciplinary masterâs course. We describe four typical behavioursânaĂŻve, assertive, accommodating, and integrative. Based on these behavioural typologies, we define two sets of competencies that collaborators require to engage in interdisciplinary knowledge integration: Epistemic Stability (ES) and Epistemic Adaptability (EA). ES competencies are the competencies to contribute oneâs own academic knowledge, such as theoretical and methodological grounding in oneâs own field and confidence, and EA competencies are the competencies to engage with academic knowledge contributed by others, such as curiosity, openness and communicative skills. Our findings show that interdisciplinary knowledge integration requires ES and EA competencies. Our framework for interdisciplinary competencies offers insights for revising and designing more interventions to prepare (future) professionals for interdisciplinary work on sustainability issues, providing insights on criteria for assessment, management, and training
Epistemic stability and epistemic adaptability:interdisciplinary knowledge integration competencies for complex sustainability issues
Global sustainability challenges transcend disciplines and, therefore, demand interdisciplinary approaches that are characterized by cross-disciplinary collaboration and integration across disciplines. In accordance with this need for interdisciplinary approaches, sustainability professionals have been reported to require interdisciplinary competencies. Although the necessity of interdisciplinary competencies is generally agreed upon, and there has been extensive research to understand competencies for interdisciplinarity, there is still no comprehensive understanding of how individual competencies shape the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Therefore, based on empirical research and literature review, we propose a novel framework to understand competencies for interdisciplinarity. The empirical data were collected through written reflection and interviews with 19 students in the context of an interdisciplinary masterâs course. We describe four typical behavioursânaĂŻve, assertive, accommodating, and integrative. Based on these behavioural typologies, we define two sets of competencies that collaborators require to engage in interdisciplinary knowledge integration: Epistemic Stability (ES) and Epistemic Adaptability (EA). ES competencies are the competencies to contribute oneâs own academic knowledge, such as theoretical and methodological grounding in oneâs own field and confidence, and EA competencies are the competencies to engage with academic knowledge contributed by others, such as curiosity, openness and communicative skills. Our findings show that interdisciplinary knowledge integration requires ES and EA competencies. Our framework for interdisciplinary competencies offers insights for revising and designing more interventions to prepare (future) professionals for interdisciplinary work on sustainability issues, providing insights on criteria for assessment, management, and training
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It has been widely argued that trust plays a key role in building entrepreneurial networks and entrepreneurial success. Despite this interest, there are still very few longitudinal empirical studies on trust building. This study shows how nascent entrepreneurs develop trust and entrepreneurial networks in poor rural Bangladeshi environments, and how they use both for entrepreneurial transactions. Data were obtained through longitudinal monitoring, questionnaires and interviews over a two year period. Using the framework of Lewicki et al. (1998) that considers trust and distrust to be separate, co-existing dimensions, this study shows how sustainable entrepreneurial relations, requiring interpersonal trust, can evolve in an initially distrusting environment - and explains why this process follows a particular sequence of events. We found that an external trust broker played a crucial role in trust building. Four domains of trust that play a role in entrepreneurial relations were identified, with thresholds in each domain that need to be reached for progress to the next
Designing paperâbased records to improve the quality of nursing documentation in hospitals: A scoping review
Background
Inpatient nursing documentation facilitates multiâdisciplinary team care and tracking of patient progress. In both highâ and lowâ and middleâincome settings, it is largely paperâbased and may be used as a template for electronic medical records. However, there is limited evidence on how they have been developed.
Objective
To synthesise evidence on how paperâbased nursing records have been developed and implemented in inpatient settings to support documentation of nursing care.
Design
A scoping review guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported using PRISMAâScR guidelines.
Eligibility criteria
We included studies that described the process of designing paperâbased inpatient records and excluded those focussing on electronic records. Included studies were published in English up to October 2019.
Sources of evidence
PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane supplemented by freeâtext searches on Google Scholar and snowballing the reference sections of included papers.
Results
12 studies met the eligibility criteria. We extracted data on study characteristics, the development process and outcomes related to documentation of inpatient care. Studies reviewed followed a process of problem identification, literature review, chart (re)design, piloting, implementation and evaluation but varied in their execution of each step. All studies except one reported a positive change in inpatient documentation or the adoption of charts amid various challenges.
Conclusions
The approaches used seemed to work for each of the studies but could be strengthened by following a systematic process. Humanâcentred Design provides a clear process that prioritises the healthcare professional's needs and their context to deliver a usable product. Problems with the chart could be addressed during the design phase rather than during implementation, thereby promoting chart ownership and uptake since users are involved throughout the design. This will translate to better documentation of inpatient care thus facilitating better patient tracking, improved team communication and better patient outcomes.
Relevance to clinical practice
Paperâbased charts should be designed in a systematic and clear process that considers patient's and healthcare professional's needs contributing to improved uptake of charts and therefore better documentation.</p
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