Conceptualizing teamwork and group-work in architecture and related design disciplines

This paper reports on the early findings of an Australian Learning Teaching Council (ALTC/OLT) funded project – “Enhancing and Assessing Group and Team Learning in Architecture and Related Design Contexts.” This is a two-year project investigating good practice in Australian higher education for the teaching of teamwork in the design disciplines, with a focus on architecture. Drawing upon a review of the literature and discussions with teachers and practitioners, the paper considers how teamwork is conceived in the context of the design disciplines. The paper explores notions of team and group design activities in the literature, identifying the key elements and characteristics of effective teams and groups. While a great deal of research exists on effective teamwork in organizational, management and general education literature, this research found a clear gap in knowledge relating to teaching teamwork in architecture and related design contexts. Suggestions are made about the ways in which theories on effective teamwork in organisations might elucidate teaching and assessment of effectively functioning student design teams. The literature review prompted five key questions, outlined here, around the conceptualisation of teamwork in design education that were subsequently discussed with educators and practitioners, thus allowing the identification of issues, problems and solutions common to all fields of design

Development of a tool for evaluation of academic library spaces (TEALS) (0242)

The paper provides a brief description of the tool for evaluating the quality and utilisation of academic library spaces (TEALS). Supported by Deakin University Library, TEALS has been developed out of a research project in the School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus. The tool is intended to establish the setting for evaluation of physical spaces at different phases of development of new academic library spaces and refurbishment of existing ones as well as throughout the life of buildings. The methodological framework of the tool consists of four key elements; establishing Criteria of Quality (CoQ), determining Quality Indicators, evaluating library spaces against QIs and interpreting results for future improvements. The characteristics that distinguish TEALS from existing evaluation models include adopting an approach that focus on people (students, faculty and library staff), acting as a “reflective” and “empowering” tool and being user-friendly, quick and easy to use

Bad attitudes: why design students dislike teamwork

Positive experiences of teamwork in design contexts significantly improvestudents’ satisfaction with teaching and their attitudes towards futureteamwork. Thus, an understanding of the factors leading to negative andpositive team experiences can inform strategies to support effectiveteamwork. This paper examines design students’ perceptions and experiences of teamwork. Three sources of qualitative data were analysed: a pilot survey completed by 198 design students in four institutions; five focus groups with 23 students; and a national survey completed by 417 students from 18 Australian universities. Students were from a range of design disciplines, with the majority studying architecture. The findings provide insights into issues and challenges of learning how to design in teamwork contexts, in particular the importance of adopting strategies to promote individual accountability within a team and ensuring fair assessment that acknowledges levels of individual contributions. The paper concludes with recommendations for teachers

Organisation de l’espace scolaire et formation de l’identité chez les adolescents

Cet article se propose d’interroger le rapport entre l’organisation de l’espace scolaire et la formation de l’identité chez les adolescents. La littérature et des études empiriques permettent d’identifier trois principaux processus de formation de cette identité : la séparation ou l’individuation ; l’intégration sociale ou le lien relationnel ; le processus d’exploration lié au développement. L’article analyse le cas de quatre établissements scolaires australiens où les espaces d’apprentissage sont organisés de manière innovante. Cet examen permet de mettre en évidence les conséquences des choix d’organisation, ainsi que les difficultés qui en découlent. L’auteure dégage enfin cinq principes d’organisation spatiale susceptibles de favoriser le développement de l’identité chez les adolescents.This article examines the relationship between school design and adolescent identity formation. The literature and empirical studies identify three major processes involved in forming this identity: separation or individuation process; social integration or relational connectedness; developmental exploration. The article analyses the case of four Australian schools which represent an innovative approach to learning space design. This provides insights into these design-related implications and better understanding of issues and challenges associated with them. The author concludes with proposing five design principles which support adolescent identity development.Este artículo pretende cuestionar la relación entre la organización del espacio escolar y la formación de la identidad entre los adolescentes. La literatura y los estudios empíricos permiten identificar tres procesos principales de formación de esta identidad: la separación o individuación, la integración social o el vínculo relacional, el proceso de exploración ligado al desarrollo. El artículo analiza los casos de cuatro establecimientos escolares australianos en los espacios de aprendizaje se organizan de manera innovadora. Este estudio permite destacar las consecuencias de las decisiones organizativas así como las dificultades que se desprenden de las mismas. La autora extrae de esta encuesta cinco principios de organización espacial susceptibles de favorecer el desarrollo de la identidad entre los adolescentes

Evaluation of University of Queensland Library Spaces: three case studies at St Lucia Campus

Introduction: The paper reports on an evaluation study of spaces in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHL), Biological Sciences (BSL) and Walter Harrison Law (WHLL) Libraries of the University of Queensland (UQ). The study was part of an evaluation of the quality and patterns of use of spaces in UQ libraries, which aimed to propose recommendations for future improvements and decision-making. This paper presents a study of areas of weakness in existing SSHL spaces, and impacts of the refurbishment of spaces at BSL and WHLL on students’ experiences. The findings evidence a link between students’ learning experiences and the quality of library spaces.Methods: An online survey, “Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Library Physical Spaces”, was designed to collect data from students. The survey questions addressed seven topics: (1) overall satisfaction with spaces in the UQ Libraries; (2) welcoming nature of the library entry; (3) lighting; (4) acoustics; (5) furniture; (6) wayfinding; and (7) preferences for different space types in the library.Results: 1505 students completed the surveys, with 1098 responses recorded to open-ended questions on why students visited the libraries and the physical characteristics of the spaces that influenced their experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data elucidated key design challenges and considerations. In particular, the data suggested that the provision of individual quiet study spaces remains an important role of academic libraries, with Studying Alone identified as the most important reason for student visits.Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of individual study spaces and propose a number of recommendations in relation to physical space design and management.Relevance: Academic libraries face the challenge to keep pace with change in relation to students’ demographics, pedagogy and technology. In doing so, it is important to have an understanding of the evolving patterns of students’ learning behaviours, space uses and preferences through ongoing evaluation of library spaces

TEALS (Tool for Evaluation of Academic Library Spaces) project : evaluating physical library spaces

The aim of TEALS project was to establish a setting for evaluation of academic library spaces. The outcomes of such evaluation were anticipated to provide insights into the impacts of library spaces on students’ learning experiences, faculty’s teaching and research and lead to identifying the area of weakness and strength, developing improvement plans and defining specific goals and means for project decision-makers

Risk factors of metastasis in women with breast cancer in Isfahan, Iran

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women and its metastasis plays an important role in mortality, treatment failures and complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of metastatic breast cancer. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, breast cancer patients in Isfahan, Iran were followed up for ten years. The existence of metastasis was considered as the dependent variable while independent variables included age at diagnosis, hormone receptor status, family history, number of lymph nodes dissected in surgery and involved ones, number of pregnancies, age at first pregnancy and menarche, menstrual status, histopathology and tumor size. All data was collected from patients' profiles and analyzed using logistic regression in SPSS16. Findings: A total of 685 patients with breast cancer were studied during 1999-2009. While 91.4 of cases had no metastasis, distant metastasis was found in 8.6 of subjects. Sites of metastasis according to prevalence were lung (4.7), bone (2.6), other organs (1.1), and liver (0.3). Number of involved lymph nodes (P = 0.043) and number of pregnancies (P = 0.022) had significant relationships with metastasis. Conclusion: We concluded that less pregnancies and more involved lymph nodes indicate a high probability of metastasis occurrence. Therefore, survival improvement might be possible with early diagnosis of breast cancer, using prophylactic treatments, and identifying metastatic cases by diagnostic tests

Protective effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in rats exposed to lead

Background: Some medicinal plants with their antioxidant properties have protective effects on sperm parameters and neutralize the harmful effects of lead exposure. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effects of Melissa on sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in adult rats exposed to lead. Methods: This animal experimental study was conducted on 45 male Wistar rats weighing 180 ± 20 g, which were allocated randomly into five groups (n=9): distilled water gavages (control) (0.5 ml); intraperitoneal distilled water (i.p. control) (0.5 ml); Melissa (100 mg/kg/bw); lead acetate (10 mg/kg/bw); and lead acetate (10 mg/kg/bw) plus Melissa (100 mg/kg/bw). After a 30-day treatment, the animals were sacrificed. Sperm parameters (count, motility, morphology, and chromatins assay) and weighing of the epididymis and testis were performed. Results: The results showed that in the lead acetate plus Melissa group, epididymis weight (0.37gr vs. 0.32gr), testis weight (1.40 vs. 1.28g), sperm motility (4.44% vs. 33.2 %(and viable sperm (90 vs. 50) were higher than the lead group. However, testicular weight, normal morphology, and DNA percentage showed insignificant differences among the study groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate the protective effects of Melissa officinalis on some sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in rats exposed to lead