Peer reviewed research paper SEFI Engineering Education congress 2018 Within higher engineering education, students have to learn to close knowledge gaps that arise in professional assignments, such as capstone projects. These knowledge gaps can be closed through simple inquiry, but can also require more rigorous research. Since professionals work under tight constraints, they face constant trade-offs between quality, risk and efficiency to find answers that are acceptable. This means engineers use pragmatic research tactics that aim for the highest chance to find answers that fit sufficiently to close knowledge gaps in order to solve the problem with optimal use of time and resources. The problem is that research and problem-solving literature richly supplies solid strategies suitable to plan the research in projects as a whole, but hardly supplies flexible tactics to search for information within a project. This paper reports pragmatic tactics that starting bachelor engineering professionals use to acquire sufficiently good answers to questions that arise in the context of their assignments. For this, we conducted semi-structured interviews among computer science engineers with three to five years of work experience. The study reveals three pragmatic tactics: concentric, iterative and probe-response. The ambition level of the project determines when questions are sufficiently answered, and we distinguish tree sufficiency levels: check for viable answer, boost critical demand and change the game. The aim of this research is to add a view that makes pragmatic research choices for novice engineers more open to discussion and realistic.
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This conference paper deals with various organizations and pilot initiatives regarding the theme of sustainability.
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Happiness and (mis)fortune are very individual matters of different origins: mental and material. They can not be (directly) traced back to each other. Prosperity can always turn into adversity and vice versa. This does not alter the fact that someone who has made courage or cheerfulness her second nature, has a different attitude to life than someone who, for example, has made lability into second nature. So if we can not opt for fame and fortune, we can choose to develop our second nature, and it is precisely those choices (plural) that make us who we are!
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Within the Netherlands, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in foreign language teaching can be considered a sibling of 'Language Oriented Content Teaching' (LOCT), a pedagogy in mainstream classes with second language learners of Dutch, where Dutch is used as language of instruction. This article characterizes two decades of research on LOCT through Dutch in multilingual schools and discusses its relevance for CLIL development.
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Art is a mirror of society. Thanks to our communication technology, which has made possible globalization and associated scaling-up, a few giants have emerged, leaving everyone else unintentionally ... dwarfs. In our world, the ordinary is sometimes ridiculously magnified. In Maurizio Cattelan 's famous ductaped banana, art does what I think it should do: touch emotions, encourage reflection and discussion. But here too the first outrage has increased enormously and the reflection that follows - the second thought - has seldom or not been heard.
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Students, researchers, professors and company representatives gathered to share progress and ideas at the second half-year symposium of HiPerGreen at the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk. HiPerGreen is a Raak MKB subsidised research project aiming to bring value to horticultural growers. Cock Heemskerk, head of the HiPerGreen project and lector Robotica at InHolland University of Applied Sciences, welcomed everyone and gave an overall status update. Then Lucien, Fesselet project manager at HiPerGreen, talked about the minimal viable product (MVP) to make automated detection of fusarium in Phalaenopsis (a type of orchid) possible. Three consortium partners were invited to explain what they do for HiPerGreen and what their motives for participation are: Igno Breukers (DB2-Vision, start-up of a new type of multispectral camera for Precision Agriculture), Tim Brander (head grower at Hazeu Orchids) and Tom Kearny-Mitchel (plant biology advisor at Applied Drone Innovations). Next several students summarised their team’s work, findings and failures to the audience. During the live demo Lucien unveiled one of the team’s newly-built technologies: live stream thermal images of plants. The sympoium was concluded with a brainstorm session and drink.
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In this paper, we examine the process of designing robot-performed iconic hand gestures in the context of a long-term study into second language tutoring with children of approximately 5 years old. We explore four factors that may relate to their efficacy in supporting second language tutoring: the age of participating children; differences between gestures for various semantic categories, e.g. measurement words, such as small, versus counting words, such as five; the quality (comprehensibility) of the robot’s gestures; and spontaneous reenactment or imitation of the gestures. Age was found to relate to children’s learning outcomes, with older children benefiting more from the robot’s iconic gestures than younger children, particularly for measurement words. We found no conclusive evidence that the quality of the gestures or spontaneous reenactment of said gestures related to learning outcomes. We further propose several improvements to the process of designing and implementing a robot’s iconic gesture repertoire.
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One of the core elements of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a survey of adult skills. The survey measures adults’ proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. Furthermore, the survey gathers data on how adults use their skills at home, at work and in the wider community. The second cycle of PIAAC will take place in 2021 and 2022. Preparations have started by the Numeracy Expert Group in reviewing the numeracy framework used in the first cycle and designing items which will be used to measure the numerate capabilities and numerate behavior of adults.
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Athletes who wish to resume high-level activities after an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are often advised to undergo surgical reconstruction. Nevertheless, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) does not equate to normal function of the knee or reduced risk of subsequent injuries. In fact, recent evidence has shown that only around half of post-ACLR patients can expect to return to competitive level of sports. A rising concern is the high rate of second ACL injuries, particularly in young athletes, with up to 20% of those returning to sport in the first year from surgery experiencing a second ACL rupture. Aside from the increased risk of second injury, patients after ACLR have an increased risk of developing early onset of osteoarthritis. Given the recent findings, it is imperative that rehabilitation after ACLR is scrutinized so the second injury preventative strategies can be optimized. Unfortunately, current ACLR rehabilitation programs may not be optimally effective in addressing deficits related to the initial injury and the subsequent surgical intervention. Motor learning to (re-)acquire motor skills and neuroplastic capacities are not sufficiently incorporated during traditional rehabilitation, attesting to the high re-injury rates. The purpose of this article is to present novel clinically integrated motor learning principles to support neuroplasticity that can improve patient functional performance and reduce the risk of second ACL injury. The following key concepts to enhance rehabilitation and prepare the patient for re-integration to sports after an ACL injury that is as safe as possible are presented: (1) external focus of attention, (2) implicit learning, (3) differential learning, (4) self-controlled learning and contextual interference. The novel motor learning principles presented in this manuscript may optimize future rehabilitation programs to reduce second ACL injury risk and early development of osteoarthritis by targeting changes in neural networks.
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