DOCUMENT
In the digital age, information problem solving (IPS) competence is essential for professionals to use online information effectively. Despite its importance, starting professionals often struggle with processing and presenting information, which are critical phases during authentic IPS tasks. Therefore, higher education institutions are tasked with preparing students to navigate these complex phases of IPS after graduation. However, most previous studies have focused on the “search” and “select” phases of simple, short-duration IPS tasks, which do not reflect the complex information challenges faced in professional settings. To address this gap, this study aimed to identify and categorize the strategies higher education students currently use to process and present information for a semester-long authentic professional task. A thematic analysis of cued retrospective reporting sessions was conducted with 24 senior students while they created a website for professional practice. Students demonstrated 49 IPS strategies, which were categorized into twelve IPS activities across three generic activity phases: “process,” “synthesize,” and “create.” Within these phases, three patterns of co-occurring strategies were observed: reproductive, arranging, and elaborative. Based on these findings, existing IPS process models were empirically refined. The observed variation in strategies highlights the importance of building on students’ strengths when teaching IPS. Teaching them to adapt the strategies to various authentic task contexts could help enhance students’ IPS competence and strategic flexibility in real-world settings. Future research should explore the applicability of the updated IPS model across different authentic task contexts to refine instructional approaches further.
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Developing students’ information problem solving (IPS) competence in higher education is imperative. However, existing theoretical frameworks describe IPS learning outcomes without guiding effective learning environment design. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized empirical evidence to formulate design principles for developing IPS competence. A systematic search across seven academic databases yielded 69 peer-reviewed articles from 2000–2023 with controlled pretest-posttest designs targeting (under)graduate students. Analysis of these studies yielded seven design principles: learning task, instruction, modeling, practice, learning activities, support, and feedback, with meta-analyses validating key relationships. The IPS educational design principles (IPS-EDP) model summarizes how these principles address learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment strategies. While our review covered all IPS components, empirical evidence predominantly addressed information search and selection,
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“Empowering learners to create a sustainable future” This is the mission of Centre of Expertise Mission-Zero at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). The postdoc candidate will expand the existing knowledge on biomimicry, which she teaches and researches, as a strategy to fulfil the mission of Mission-Zero. We know when tackling a design challenge, teams have difficulties sifting through the mass of information they encounter. The candidate aims to recognize the value of systematic biomimicry, leading the way towards the ecosystems services we need tomorrow (Pedersen Zari, 2017). Globally, biomimicry demonstrates strategies contributing to solving global challenges such as Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and human interferences, rethinking how climate and circular challenges are approached. Examples like Eastgate building (Pearce, 2016) have demonstrated successes in the field. While biomimicry offers guidelines and methodology, there is insufficient research on complex problem solving that systems-thinking requires. Our research question: Which factors are needed to help (novice) professionals initiate systems-thinking methods as part of their strategy? A solution should enable them to approach challenges in a systems-thinking manner just like nature does, to regenerate and resume projects. Our focus lies with challenges in two industries with many unsustainable practices and where a sizeable impact is possible: the built environment (Circularity Gap, 2021) and fashion (Joung, 2014). Mission Zero has identified a high demand for Biomimicry in these industries. This critical approach: 1) studies existing biomimetic tools, testing and defining gaps; 2) identifies needs of educators and professionals during and after an inter-disciplinary minor at The Hague University; and, 3) translates findings into shareable best practices through publications of results. Findings will be implemented into tangible engaging tools for educational and professional settings. Knowledge will be inclusive and disseminated to large audiences by focusing on communication through social media and intervention conferences.
The demand for mobile agents in industrial environments to perform various tasks is growing tremendously in recent years. However, changing environments, security considerations and robustness against failure are major persistent challenges autonomous agents have to face when operating alongside other mobile agents. Currently, such problems remain largely unsolved. Collaborative multi-platform Cyber- Physical-Systems (CPSs) in which different agents flexibly contribute with their relative equipment and capabilities forming a symbiotic network solving multiple objectives simultaneously are highly desirable. Our proposed SMART-AGENTS platform will enable flexibility and modularity providing multi-objective solutions, demonstrated in two industrial domains: logistics (cycle-counting in warehouses) and agriculture (pest and disease identification in greenhouses). Aerial vehicles are limited in their computational power due to weight limitations but offer large mobility to provide access to otherwise unreachable places and an “eagle eye” to inform about terrain, obstacles by taking pictures and videos. Specialized autonomous agents carrying optical sensors will enable disease classification and product recognition improving green- and warehouse productivity. Newly developed micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor arrays will create 3D flow-based images of surroundings even in dark and hazy conditions contributing to the multi-sensor system, including cameras, wireless signatures and magnetic field information shared among the symbiotic fleet. Integration of mobile systems, such as smart phones, which are not explicitly controlled, will provide valuable information about human as well as equipment movement in the environment by generating data from relative positioning sensors, such as wireless and magnetic signatures. Newly developed algorithms will enable robust autonomous navigation and control of the fleet in dynamic environments incorporating the multi-sensor data generated by the variety of mobile actors. The proposed SMART-AGENTS platform will use real-time 5G communication and edge computing providing new organizational structures to cope with scalability and integration of multiple devices/agents. It will enable a symbiosis of the complementary CPSs using a combination of equipment yielding efficiency and versatility of operation.
