Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate which critical success factors (CSFs) influence interaction on campuses as identified by the facility directors (FDs) of Dutch university campuses and to discuss how these compare with the literature. Design/methodology/approach: All 13 Dutch university campus FDs were interviewed (office and walking interview), focussing on CSFs relating to spaces and services that facilitate interaction. Open coding and thematic analysis resulted in empirically driven categories indicated by the respondents. Similarities and differences between the CSFs as previously identified in the literature are discussed. Findings: The following categories emerged: constraints, motivators, designing spaces, designing services, building community and creating coherence. The campus is seen as a system containing subsystems and is itself part of a wider system (environment), forming a layered structure. Constraints and motivators are part of the environment but cannot be separated from the other four categories, as they influence their applicability. Research limitations/implications: This study was limited to interviews with FDs and related staff. The richness of the findings shows that this was a relevant and efficient data collection strategy for the purpose of this study. Practical implications: By viewing the campus as an open system, this study puts the practical applicability of CSFs into perspective yet provides a clear overview of CSFs related to campus interaction that may be included in future campus design policies. Social implications: This (more) complete overview of CSFs identified in both literature and practice will help FDs, policymakers and campus designers to apply these CSFs in their campus designs. This improved campus design would increase the number of knowledge sharing interactions, contributing to innovation and valorisation. This could create a significant impact in all research fields, such as health, technology or well-being, benefitting society as a whole. Originality/value: This study provides a comprehensive overview and comparison of CSFs from both literature and practice, allowing more effective application of CSFs in campus design policies. A framework for future studies on CSFs for interaction on campuses is provided.
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Internationalization and global citizenship are increasingly becoming the emerging focus of higher education worldwide as universities seek to incorporate global learning in their policies, curricula and strategies. Global engagement, international collaborations, strategic alliances and operations are all on the increase with the aim of delivering future-proof graduates with a global mindset and inter-cultural competences. Additionally, it can be noted that hybridity in education is acutely present through the digitalisation of delivery modes as well as the introduction of new mobility formats, such as faculty-led study abroad programmes and transnational education at branch campuses. So not only do we see more activity, but also more delivery modes of international education. While both digital delivery and new mobility structures transcend traditional boundaries of space and locality, it is precisely this point that can pose serious challenges to the success of international education. Both involve a “relocation” of education; however, when the physical locality, where the students and lecturers are rooted in certain value and beliefs systems, is not considered, the risk is that the educational experience remains one-sided despite the multidimensional context of which it should be a part. Locality is the key to successful and meaningful internationalisation. After presenting the case that locality is of paramount importance, this chapter will outline the conceptual model of intercultureality, which allows education programs to foster and nurture intercultural competence development of students in their own unique landscape from the ground up. Using the metaphor of a landscape, intercultureality provides tools to create an intercultural reality by utilising the unique hybrid of the physical locality, the disciplinary context, the dynamics of the (virtual) classroom as well as the infrastructures in place. The underlying idea is that programmes and institutions can grow any kind of landscape that works for their context, building on the soil of their own previously defined intercultural competence goals. This soil will be enriched by means of five features: the formal curriculum, the pedagogy, the student experience, the informal curriculum, and the organisational and strategic frameworks. The model is further elaborated upon and illustrated with examples of practices of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS), where the authors work.
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Making buildings smarter will save energy and make energy systems more flexible to address grid congestion. This is done by adding smart functionalities (such as machine learning and AI) to existing building management systems and by making full use of building data. Applied research and innovation on smart buildings is urgently needed to evaluate the best smart solutions for buildings applicable to different types of buildings across different contexts, and to assess their costs and benefits. Research on smart buildings, therefore, plays a large role in European, national and regional R&I agenda’s on energy, climate and digitalisation. Amsterdam University of Amsterdam (AUAS) has a growing research group on building energy management and smart buildings, supporting the sustainable transition of its own campus and the Amsterdam region. However, to date, AUAS has not been able to engage in international research projects in this area. Recently, AUAS became a partner in an European University Alliance (U!REKA European University), U!REKA comprises of six universities of applied sciences across Europe with its mission focusing on climate neutral communities and cities. Several partners with U!REKA are also conducting research on smart buildings and smart campuses, but, like AUAS, still in relative isolation. U!REKA will provide the collaboration framework for future joint research to be kick-started by the proposed SIA pilot project. In this research project, AUAS will cooperate with the Technical University Eindhoven, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Helsinki) and Politecnico de Lisboa (Lisbon) as consortium partners. Supporting partners are Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm) and TVVL (Dutch knowledge platform and association of professionals in the installation sector). The research is based on smart building case studies on the campuses of the project partners.
