The MUPPLE competence continuum

The idea of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) seems to polarise the educational sphere into supporters and opponents. Both groups relate their enthusiasm or criticism to underlying competences motivated by or needed for building up, running, and maintaining a PLE. Within the following article, results of a qualitative study with multiple cases will be presented to shed light onto which competence and which of its building blocks are involved in running a (mash-up) PLE. Data about the involved skills, abilities, habits, attitudes and knowledge will be presented in a raster of the five dimensions 'plan', 'reflect', 'monitor', 'act', and 'interact' against the three stages 'start', 'trigger', and 'outcome'. The findings indicate that there is a continuum ranging from the ones needed right ahead to the ones ultimately sought

A New Player for Tackling Inequalities? Framing the Social Value and Impact of the Maker Movement

The Maker Movement has raised great expectations towards its potential for tackling social inequalities by mediating technology-related skills to everybody. Are maker spaces new players for social inclusion in digital societies? How can this potential impact be framed? While scientific discourse has so far identified broad value and impact dimensions of the Maker Movement, this article adds empirical insight into the potential for tackling social inequalities. The study is based on 39 interviews with makers and managers of maker initiatives and ten self-reporting surveys filled in by maker initiative managers throughout Europe, which have been analyzed qualitatively. We found four main domains in which makers address social inclusion: First, by mediating skills and competences not only in the field of digital technologies but in the broader sense of empowering people to “make” solutions for encountered problems. Second, we found that makers actively strive to provide democratized access to digital fabrication and the knowledge on how to use them. Third and fourth, we found different ambitions articulated by makers to change society and social practices towards a society providing better opportunities for individuals. As an entry point for further research and actions, we derived a maker typology that reflects the diverse and various types of relationships to be found in the maker community. This typology could be used for exploring further collaborations between social actors and the Maker Movement. We conclude with an outlook on potential trajectories of the Maker Movement and specify which could influence the inclusion of marginalized persons

6α-Acetoxy­gedunin

The title compound [systematic name: (1S,3aS,4aR,4bS,5S,6R,6aR,10aR,10bR,12aS)-5,6-bis­(acet­yloxy)-1-(3-fur­yl)-1,5,6,6a,7,10a,10b,11,12,12a-deca­hydro-4b,7,7,10a,12a-penta­methyl­oxireno[c]phenanthro[1,2-d]pyran-3,8(3aH,4bH)-dione], C30H36O9, is a limonoid-type triterpene isolated from Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A. Juss.) Benth. (Meliaceae) from Queensland, northern Australia. It contains the gedunin core of four trans-fused six-membered rings with an oxirane ring annelated to the fourth ring. A terminal 3-furyl unity and two acet­oxy groups in a mutual cis-disposition supplement the mol­ecule. A comparison between the gedunin cores of the title compound, the parent compound gedunin, and three further gedunin derivatives revealed considerable variations in their conformation stemming from the conformational lability of the first screw-boat ring and the third twist-boat ring. A sensitive measure for the third ring is one C—C—C—C torsion angle, which is 14.2 (2)° in the title compound, but varies in other cases from ca 20 to ca −40°. In the crystalline state, 6α-acetoxy­gedunin shows ten comparatively weak C—H⋯O inter­actions, with H⋯O distances in the range of 2.33–2.69 Å

The social lab as a method for experimental engagement in participatory research

How does the Social Lab methodology support participatory research? This paper provides an evidence-based analysis of experiences of 19 implemented Social Labs applying experiential learning cycles on the question of how to induce Responsible Research and Innovation in the Horizon2020 research funding scheme of the European Commission and beyond. It looks at the potentials of Social Labs to allow participation in research and innovation addressing societal challenges and contrasts empirical results with the theoretical conceptualisation of a scientific Social Lab methodology. It discusses drivers and barriers of engagement, and provides evidence for the impacts of experimental engagement on participation in the context of the labs, substantiated by concrete examples from some of these labs

OPEN_NEXT – Deliverable 5.1: Open source sociotechnical design components

Main area of this deliverable is the identification and description of socio-technical design areas. To do so, this deliverable includes responses of six paired interviews and findings are presented under four headings: social, technical and business perspectives as well as the involvement of citizens. Each section of findings is summarised with key points, which can serve as orientation when planning makerspace-company collaboration. A notable concern was the lack of easily accessible business models around open source (OS), where Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) and maker communities could benefit in fair ways, sharing risks and benefits of open source hardware (OSH) related product development. Based on the insights and a literature review a phase model is introduced. The aim of this model is to support the collaboration between SMEs and makerspaces during the product development process of OS product-service-systems (PSS) by classifying the readiness level of the developed solutions. It also aims to provide a basis for comparison within the pilot study, to identify patterns, to work out heuristics and to provide recommendations and support for the development process.Der Schwerpunkt dieses Ergebnisbeitrags liegt auf der Identifizierung und Beschreibung von soziotechnischen Gestaltungsbereichen. Zu diesem Zweck enthält dieses Arbeitsergebnis die Auswertung von sechs paarweisen Interviews. Die Ergebnisse werden in vier Abschnitten dargestellt: soziale, technische und geschäftliche Perspektiven sowie die Einbindung von Bürgern. Jeder Abschnitt wird mit Kernpunkten zusammengefasst, die bei der Planung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Makerspaces und Unternehmen als Orientierung dienen können. Ein wesentliches Problem war der Mangel an leicht zugänglichen Geschäftsmodellen rund um Open Source (OS), von denen kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) und Maker-Communities auf faire Weise profitieren könnten, indem sie Risiken und Vorteile der Produktentwicklung im Zusammenhang mit Open Source Hardware (OSH) teilen. Basierend auf den Erkenntnissen und einer Literaturübersicht wird ein Phasenmodell vorgestellt. Das Ziel dieses Modells ist es, die Zusammenarbeit zwischen KMU und Maker-Communities während des Produktentwicklungsprozesses von OS Produkt-Service-Systemen (PSS) zu unterstützen, indem es den Reifegrad der entwickelten Lösungen klassifiziert. Außerdem soll es eine Basis für Vergleiche innerhalb der Pilotstudie bieten, Muster identifizieren, Heuristiken erarbeiten und Empfehlungen und Unterstützung für den Entwicklungsprozess liefern.EC/H2020/869984/EU/Company-Community Collaboration for Open Source Development of products and services/OPEN_NEX

Professional Learning in Europe and beyond Structures for sustainable TEL-Research

Abstract. This paper outlines how the Network of Excellence in professional learning (PROLEARN) influences European and world-wide research in the area of technology enhanced professional learning. Two new European projects, iCamp and Prolix serve as excellent examples of the impact of PROLEARN. The establishment of the professional learning cluster (PRO-LC) that bases on PROLEARN and its results further proves the urgency for a European wide organization in the area of research in technology enhanced professional learning. Network of Excellence in Professional Learning – PROLEARN While eLearning is increasingly influencing university and workplace education in Europe, several critical issues still have to be solved in order to achieve the full potential of technology enhanced learning in many of these learning scenarios. The EU/IST FP6 PROLEARN Network of Excellence in Technology Enhanced Learnin

OPEN_NEXT – Deliverable 5.2: First release of prototyping improvement logic (PIL)

As places of intersection between society and technology with great experience in community management and co-development practices, makerspaces can have a huge impact on open source (product) development projects (OSD) in the context of company-community collaboration (C3). As a source of an open source mind-set and as prototyping facilities, they can decrease the distance between the design process and communities of concern, e.g. by actively engaging them in the ideation and decision-making activities. In order to train makerspaces to become OSD labs that are able to initiate, support and manage OSD projects with SMEs, a suitable qualification strategy is needed. This is summed up as a methodology for OSD sprints, the so-called ‘prototyping improvement logic’ (PIL), which guides especially makerspaces through a standardised learning process. The first release of the PIL contains the basics to provide a common understanding of the OSD context as well as a conceptual model incl. a gender & diversity plan. Furthermore, an engagement plan is introduced as basis for the makerspace's service pitch for winning new SMEs.Als Schnittstellen zwischen Gesellschaft und Technologie können Makerspaces mit ihren Erfahrung in Community-Management und Co-Development-Praktiken einen großen Einfluss auf Open source (Produkt-) Entwicklungsprojekte im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Unternehmen und Community haben. Als Quelle einer Open source-Mentalität und als Prototyping-Einrichtungen können sie die Distanz zwischen dem Designprozess und den Communities of Concern verringern, indem sie diese z.B. aktiv in die Ideenfindung und Entscheidungsfindung einbinden. Um Makerspaces zu Open source Entwicklungseinrichtungen auszubilden, die in der Lage sind, Open source Entwicklungsprojekte mit KMUs zu initiieren, zu unterstützen und zu managen, ist eine geeignete Qualifizierungsstrategie erforderlich. Diese wird in einer Methodik für Entwicklungs-Sprints, der sogenannten "Prototyping Improvement Logic" (PIL), zusammengefasst, die insbesondere Makerspaces durch einen standardisierten Lernprozess führt. Die erste Version der PIL enthält die Grundlagen, um ein gemeinsames Verständnis des Open source (Produkt-) Entwicklungs-Kontextes zu schaffen, sowie ein konzeptionelles Modell inkl. eines Gender & Diversity-Plans. Darüber hinaus wird ein Engagement-Plan als Grundlage für den Service-Pitch des Makerspaces zur Gewinnung neuer KMU vorgestellt.EC/H2020/869984/EU/Company-Community Collaboration for Open Source Development of products and services/OPEN_NEX

NanOpinion D1.2 – Best practice report: Monitoring public opinion on Nanotechnology in Europe

Best practice repor