In this paper, I first discuss in some detail the current use of Learning Objects and show it to be wanting. Although their use, in principle, may offer much flexibility in creating content, in practice it will not, particularly since it does not support sufficient pedagogical flexibility. Then I offer an alternative view which, in my view, is indeed capable of fulfilling all the needs of customised learning, both the need for custom content and the need for custom pedagogies. I conclude by addressing some possible criticisms of my line of reasoning. This Chapter is a remake of Necessary Conditions for the Flexible Reuse of Educational Content.
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From a circular standpoint it is interesting to reuse as much as possible construction and demolition waste (CDW) into new building projects. In most cases CDW will not be directly reusable and will need to be processed and stored first. In order to turn this into a successful business case CDW will need to be reused on a large scale. In this paper we present the concept of a centralized and coordinated location in the City of Utrecht where construction and demolition waste is collected, sorted, worked, stored for reuse, or shipped elsewhere for further processing in renewed materials. This has expected advantages for the amount of material reuse, financial advantages for firms and clients, generating employability in the logistics and processing of materials, optimizing the transport and distribution of materials through the city, and thus the reduction of emissions and congestion. In the paper we explore the local facility of a Circular Hub, and the potential effects on circular reuse, and other effects within the City of Utrecht.
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Reduction of virgin materials use by the construction industry has high priority and can be achieved by reusing structural and non-structural building components from existing buildings. The high value reuse of building components has not been adopted yet on a large scale because of several reasons, one of them being poor building information management. Therefore, this paper investigates the role of building information modeling (BIM) for that purpose. Based on a review of literature, a preliminary decision making framework is proposed that will be elaborated in the nearby future. The literature review revealed that the use of BIM in combination with other digital technologies looks promising, but that additional research is needed into the governance related aspects of BIM. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, London.
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This PD project aims to gather new knowledge through artistic and participatory design research within neighbourhoods for possible ways of addressing and understanding the avoidance and numbness caused by feelings of vulnerability, discomfort and pain associated with eco-anxiety and chronic fear of environmental doom. The project will include artistic production and suitable forms of fieldwork. The objectives of the PD are to find answers to the practice problem of society which call for art that sensitises, makes aware and helps initiate behavioural change around the consequences of climate change. Rather than visualize future sea levels directly, it will seek to engage with climate change in a metaphorical and poetic way. Neither a doom nor an overly techno-optimistic scenario seem useful to understand the complexity of flood risk management or the dangers of flooding. By challenging both perspectives with artistic means, this research hopes to counter eco-anxiety and create a sense of open thought and susceptibility to new ideas, feelings and chains of thought. Animation and humour, are possible ingredients. The objective is to find and create multiple Dutch water stories, not just one. To achieve this, it is necessary to develop new methods for selecting and repurposing existing impactful stories and strong images. Citizens and students will be included to do so via fieldwork. In addition, archival materials will be used. Archives serve as a repository for memory recollection and reuse, selecting material from the audiovisual archive of the Institute of Sound & Vision will be a crucial part of the creative work which will include two films and accompanying music.
Many SMEs face the challenge of making their products more sustainable and circular. But what does this mean in concrete terms for their products? Should they use less or different materials? Should they design products for easier disassembly or enable reuse of parts? How can they reduce energy consumption during the use phase? Should they integrate smart technology to collect data that supports circularity? These are difficult but crucial questions for SMEs, and answering them requires a structured approach. In this research, we aim to develop a digital toolbox that guides SMEs in making practical and informed decisions about circular product development. The toolbox makes use of the Rapid Learning Cycle (RLC) methodology, which provides a structured framework for specifying design opportunities, defining key decisions and identifying knowledge gaps. The toolbox will be developed in close collaboration with three companies, each of which has identified specific circular challenges and development directions. The research will start with exploring the development challenges of the three companies with respect to circular product development. These challenges forms the input for the next step in we select and develop supportive, digital, tools which will enhance the RLC-methodology to be used in circular product development. We will test the developed tools in an educational setting at the HAN, with students, before using and validating the toolbox in industry settings. After this, we will make the toolbox available for more companies and education at the HAN. By equipping SMEs with digital, tools to be used in circular product development, this project will help them overcome barriers to circular product development. The project directly contributes to the Smart Industry theme, which focuses on digitalization and sustainable innovation in industrial production.
Within the framework of resource efficiency it is important to recycle and reusematerials, replace fossil fuel based products with bio-based alternatives and avoidthe use of toxic substances. New applications are being sought for locally grownbiomass. In the area of Groningen buildings need reinforcement to guarantee safetyfor its users, due to man-induced earthquakes. Plans are to combine the workneeded for reinforcement with the improvement of energy performance of thesebuildings. The idea is to use bio-based building materials, preferably grown andprocessed in the region.In this study it is investigated whether it is feasible to use Typha (a swap plant) as abasis for a bio-based insulation product. In order to start the activities necessary tofurther develop this idea into a commercial product and start a dedicated company,a number of important questions have to be answered in terms of feasibility. Thisstudy therefore aims at mapping economic, organisational and technical issues andassociated risks and possibilities. On the basis of these results a developmenttrajectory can be started to set up a dedicated supply chain with the appropriatepartners, research projects can be designed to develop the missing knowledge andthe required funding can be acquired.
