As most Universities around the world the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences conduct surveys (student evaluation monitor: STEM) among their students to evaluate the different courses and their teachers. At the Department of Media, Information and Communication the response by students tend to decline in the course of the year. In 2011-2012 with a limited enrolment of 900 first year students, 70% responded to the first survey conducted after the first exams in October and dropped to 26% in the last survey at the end of the first year (July 2012). In 2012-2013 (with the same amount of students) the response was respectively 75% and 30%. This might be due to several factors, such as the length of the questionnaire, the way the survey is spread (via e-mail to the students University account), the time of spreading the surveys (after the courses and exams) or simple due to lack of interest. Another problem of the surveys is found in the quest to limit the length of the questionnaires. Hereby, some relevant aspects to apprehend the success of students (or the return of the department) and the quality of the courses and teachers aren’t measured, such as: coherence between the courses, the students opinion about the form of education and exams, the connection between the evaluation and the exam results or other influential factors of student’s success. Given these difficulties and the fact that insight in all of the above mentioned aspects are crucial for both students and teachers and not in the least for the management, a new approach for evaluating is needed. An evaluating system that can uncover crucial information, for example to pinpoint the characteristics of dropout or long-term students in order to limit these, and/or improve the education/course. This paper will describe a pilot study wherein a first step towards a new way of evaluating is taken by separating the course- and teacher evaluation from the rest of the surveys by using an app/QR or website. Furthermore, the literature about in- or outside class surveys and student success will serve as a theoretical base for the discussion this pilot and is part of a broader PhD research.
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Background: Differences in professional practice might hinder initiation of student participation during international placements, and thereby limit workplace learning. This study explores how healthcare students overcome differences in professional practice during initiation of international placements. Methods: Twelve first-year physiotherapy students recorded individual audio diaries during the first month of international clinical placement. Recordings were transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed following a template analysis approach. Team discussions focused on thematic interpretation of results. Results: Students described tackling differences in professional practice via ongoing negotiations of practice between them, local professionals, and peers. Three themes were identified as the focus of students’ orientation and adjustment efforts: professional practice, educational context, and individual approaches to learning. Healthcare students’ initiation during international placements involved a cyclical process of orientation and adjustment, supported by active participation, professional dialogue, and self-regulated learning strategies.Conclusions: Initiation of student participation during international placements can be supported by establishing a continuous dialogue between student and healthcare professionals. This dialogue helps align mutual expectations regarding scope of practice, and increase understanding of professional and educational practices. Better understanding, in turn, creates trust and favors meaningful students’ contribution to practice and patient care.
Sustainability transitions are not hindered by technological barriers but above all by the lack of well-qualified people. Educating the next generation of engineers and product designers is therefore more important than ever. However, a traditional widely used model of instruction and evaluation is not sufficient to prepare this next generation for the demands of society. It is appropriate that curricula should be adapted. If necessary, in a disruptive way. The question was how to develop an education module in which students are agents in their learning. In which students decide what and how they will learn, and in which they can prepare for a role in society that is in shock. To propel them in a new direction a disruptive education innovation has been designed and tested. This new method turns the traditional education model upside down. Students and lecturers are transformed in equal partners in aninnovation consultancy firm with a passion for engineering, product design, and with a focus on sustainability transition. Students explore their emotionally intrinsic values that enables them to accomplish great things, to experience meaning in their lives and work, and leads to a significant learning experience.Purpose of this paper is to give individuals and organisations involved in higher education insight into a new method of education based on new values such as student agency, equal partnership, partnership learning communities, significant learning experience, and the strong belief students have the capacity and the willingness to positively influence their own lives and environment
We propose to do an experimental study in which we will use 360 video and still photo simulations that portray varying levels of crowding. Simulations will be presented to 25 student participants and 25 older adult participants (65+; a lucrative tourist segment) in an experimental setting while signals of their emotional responses are recorded from their brain (EEG) and body (skin conductivity and heart rate) at our Experience Measurement Lab. A questionnaire will measure their intent to recommend and their willingness to pay for the ‘experiences’ (simulations) they have viewed. Analyses will determine optimal levels of crowding for the quality of the tourist experience, but also for income at the destination, accounting for the fact that a more crowded destination features more potential sources of income (visitors), but each a (possibly) different level of willingness to pay, including potential implications for local tourist taxes. Models will also account for possibly different processes in the two different age groups. Furthermore, modelling word-of-mouth/mouse marketing based on intent to recommend will also make it possible to predict how crowding affects demand long-term. Partner: KU Leuven.
The increase in the number and complexity of crime activities in our nation together with shortage in human resources in the safety and security domain is putting extra pressure on emergency responders. The emergency responders are constantly confronted with sophisticated situations that urgently require professional, safe, and rapid handling to contain and conclude the situation to minimize the danger to public and the emergency responders. Recently, Dutch emergency responders have started to experiment with various types of robots to improve the responsiveness and the effectiveness of their responses. One of these robots is the Boston Dynamic’s Spot Robot Dog, which is primarily appealing for its ability to move in difficult terrains. The deployment of the robot in real emergencies is at its infancy. The main challenge that the robot dog operators are facing is the high workload. It requires the full attention to operate the robot itself. As such, the professional acts entirely as a robot operator rather than a domain expert that critically examines and addresses the main safety problems at hand. Therefore, there is an urgent request from these emergency response professionals to develop and integrate key technologies that enable the robot dog to operate more autonomously. In this project, we explore on how to increase the autonomy level of the robot dog in order to reduce the workload of the operator, and eventually help the operator remain domain expert. Therefore, we will explore the ability of the robot to autonomously 3D-map unknown confined areas. The results of this project will lead to new practical knowledge and a follow-up project that will focus on further developing the technologies that increase the autonomy of the robot for eventual deployment in operational environments. This project will also have direct contribution to education through involvement of students and lecturers.
Postdoc research project Transformation through Interactive Narrative DesignMedia psychologist dr. Christian Roth's postdoc project Transformation through Interactive Narrative Design (TIND) is part of the Professorship Performative Creative Processes, the school Games & Interaction, and the Expertisecentrum Onderzoek, Innovatie en Internationalisering (OOI). Here, Christian interweaves education and practice-oriented research. He studies the artistic, pedagogical and academic perspectives regarding the power of transformation through applied Interactive Narrative Design (IND).Within the two-year postdoc research project TIND, Christian studies the training of interactive narrative designers with the goal of developing teaching methods and learning tools for artists and designers, such as game and interaction designers, to enable them to create more effective artefacts.Why interactive narrative design?IND offers agency, defined as the ability to influence narrative progression and outcomes in a meaningful way. As such, it carries the potential to create and emotional impact and spark transformative change. This enables interactors to explore different points of view and to feel the weight of their own choices and consequences. This, in turn, allows for a more thorough understanding of complex multi-stakeholder issues, which could have a significant impact on the success of emerging artistic, and learning applications.The TIND project will enable designers through an interdisciplinary approach, including applied game design, immersive theatre, behavioral and cognitive psychology, and the learning sciences.A good example for offering different perspectives on a complex topic is the narrative simulation Mission Zhobia: Winning the Peace, which is used for the training of peacekeepers. Or the news game, I am Mosul, which aims to raise awareness around the effects of war by bringing it close to home: choose your Dutch city and make choices on how to survive if the war was there. And the interactive story Adventures with Anxiety offers a new understanding by letting interactors play anxiety embodied within a wolf. IND is a complex and challenging interdisciplinary field in which design knowledge from other media can often not be directly transferred. As a new medium, it introduces new affordances in technique and user experience. This requires practice-based research for further development of the educational format, demonstrating its potential while identifying and overcoming common learners’ challenges. This project aims to develop a framework for the design and evaluation of meaningful interactive narrative experiences that effectively stimulate a variety of cognitive and emotional responses such as reflection, insight, understanding, and potential behavior change. It provides tools, methods and activities to enable aspiring or practicing narrative designers through an interdisciplinary approach, including game design, immersive theatre, behavioral and cognitive psychology, and the learning sciences.HKU education means to prepare students for success in the creative industries and IND plays an important role for current and future jobs in education, arts and entertainment. IND has the potential to create an emotional impact and spark transformative change by offering agency, defined as the ability to influence narrative progression and outcomes in a meaningful way. This enables interactors to feel the weight of their own choices and their consequences, to explore different perspectives, and to more thoroughly understand complex multi-stakeholder issues, which could have significant impact on the success of emerging artistic, and learning applications.The planned output is a collection of design tools and methods for interdisciplinary workshops and courses, which can be integrated into different curricula at the HKU, thereby enhancing existing programs while enabling the refinement of training methods. Once completed, this postdoc project delivers a training method with multiple applications designed to harness the power of interactive storytelling for transformative personal and societal impact.ColloborationsThe research project is directly embedded in the curriculum of the HKU schoolGames & Interaction with annual educational offerings such as the Minor Interactive Narrative Design (MIND) and HKU wide broad seminars. Course evaluation and literature research will be used to create new and adjusted training for different HKU schools and the industry.More informationAre you interested to learn more about the postdoc research project Transformation through Interactive Narrative Design? Get in touch with Christian Roth: christian.roth@hku.nl
