In this empirical study, the one-day project Robot Love Design-a-thon was designed for an interdisciplinary group of preservice teachers (in arts, sciences, and primary education), and evaluated through observations and learner reports. An analysis of the observations and the learner reports showed that having to go through a complete design process in a single day worked well: it facilitated the exchange of ideas and critical discussions between students concerning the project’s socially engaged theme ‘Tenderness and Technology’. In addition, interdisciplinary collaboration emerged as an important learning outcome. All students found working in mixed teams a relevant and educational experience as they could profit from each other’s expertise.
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Professionals are increasingly expected to collaborate in interdisciplinary settings. Higher education institutes offer students opportunities to develop necessary skills, often in the context of project-led education. In such types of education, the role of the tutor is changing, from a focus on teacher-oriented teaching towards learner-oriented coaching, facilitating students’ knowledge construction. Hardly any research focuses on how teachers apply this new didactical approach and how it impacts student learning. In our research, we study how tutors in interdisciplinary engineering education take on the coaching role; how tutors and students value this coaching behavior as beneficial for student learning; and what support (new) tutors need to develop the coaching role.
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This paper is a case report of why and how CDIO became a shared framework for Community Service Engineering (CSE) education. CSE can be defined as the engineering of products, product-service combinations or services that fulfill well-being and health needs in the social domain, specifically for vulnerable groups in society. The vulnerable groups in society are growing, while fewer people work in health care. Finding technical, interdisciplinary solutions for their unmet needs is the territory of the Community Service Engineer. These unmet needs arise in local niche markets as well as in the global community, which makes it an interesting area for innovation and collaboration in an international setting. Therefore, five universities from Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Sweden decided to work together as hubs in local innovation networks to create international innovation power. The aim of the project is to develop education on undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. The partners are not aiming at a joined degree or diploma, but offer a shared short track blended course (3EC), which each partner can supplement with their own courses or projects (up to 30EC). The blended curriculum in CSE is based on design thinking principles. Resources are shared and collaboration between students and staff is organized at different levels. CDIO was chosen as the common framework and the syllabus 2.0 was used as a blueprint for the CSE learning goals in each university. CSE projects are characterized by an interdisciplinary, human centered approach leading to inter-faculty collaboration. At the university of Porto, EUR-ACE was already used as the engineering education framework, so a translation table was used to facilitate common development. Even though Thomas More and KU Leuven are no CDIO partner, their choice for design thinking as the leading method in the post-Masters pilot course insured a good fit with the CDIO syllabus. At this point University West is applying for CDIO and they are yet to discover what the adaptation means for their programs and their emerging CSE initiatives. CDIO proved to fit well to in the authentic open innovation network context in which engineering students actively do CSE projects. CDIO became the common language and means to continuously improve the quality of the CSE curriculum.
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Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an alarming rate, posing significant challenges for sustainability, yet it remains inadequately addressed in business management education. Current sustainability pedagogies in business schools are predominantly anthropocentric, overlooking the biodiversity and extinction crises. This study examines the limitations of these approaches, particularly their failure to incorporate ecocentric perspectives and interdisciplinary methods critical for a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity. To address this gap, this paper integrates intra-, inter-, and transdisciplinary perspectives, offering a framework that challenges traditional, siloed approaches to business education. This research aims to bridge the gap between business education and biodiversity. We use secondary-data-based case studies of organizations and institutions of higher learning that offer business/corporate or executive education. This paper demonstrates how an ecocentric curriculum can more comprehensively address biodiversity challenges in sustainability education by examining case studies and incorporating insights from fields including psychology, natural sciences, and social sciences. Key findings indicate that traditional business curricula lack the depth needed to tackle complex ecological issues, and integrating interdisciplinary approaches enhances students’ understanding of biodiversity’s role in sustainability. We conclude that reimagining Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within business schools through an ecocentric framework is essential. This shift transcends disciplinary boundaries and fosters ethical leadership capable of addressing the complexities of biodiversity loss, contributing to more holistic sustainability education.
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This paper describes a model for education in innovative engineering. The kernel of this model is, that students from different departments of the faculty of Applied Science and Technology are placed in industry for a period of eighteen months after two-and-a-half year of theoretical studies. During this period students work in multi-disciplinary projects on different themes. Students will grow to fully equal employees in industry. Therefore it is important that besides students, teachers and company employees will participate in the projects. Also the involvement of other level students (University and high school) is recommended. The most important characteristics of the model can be summarized in innovative, interdisciplinary and international orientation.
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Over the past decade, the maker movement and in its slipstream maker education have attained worldwide popularity among educators, politicians, and the media. Makers’ enthusiasm for creative design and construction, using old and new tools has proven contagious, and is worth exploration and critical reflection by the community of engineering and technology education (ETE). This chapter describes what has been said about “making” by philosophers and educators; what maker education is, and what is new and not so new about it; why it has gained momentum; what the evidence is about its effectiveness and its possible weaknesses; and how mainstream technology education may benefit from maker education. This chapter concludes with ideas for a research agenda.
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Background: Delirium is a geriatric syndrome that presents in 1 out of 5 hospitalized older patients. It is also common in the community, in hospices, and in nursing homes. Delirium prevalence varies according to clinical setting, with rates of under 5% in minor elective surgery but up to 80% in intensive care unit patients. Delirium has severe adverse consequences, but despite this and its high prevalence, it remains undetected in the majority of cases. Optimal delirium care requires an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional diagnostic and therapeutic approach involving doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. However, there are still important gaps in the knowledge and management of this syndrome. Main body: The objective of this paper is to promote the interdisciplinary approach in the prevention and management of delirium as endorsed by a delirium society (European Delirium Association, EDA), a geriatrics society (European Geriatric Medicine Society, EuGMS), a nursing society (European Academy of Nursing Science, EANS), an occupational therapy society (Council of Occupational Therapists for European Countries, COTEC), and a physiotherapy society (International Association of Physical Therapists working with Older People of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, IPTOP/WCPT). Short conclusion: In this paper we have strongly promoted and supported interdisciplinary collaboration underlying the necessity of increasing communication among scientific societies. We have also provided suggestions on how to fill the current gaps via improvements in undergraduate and postgraduate delirium education among European Countries.
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Objective: To explore predictors of dropout of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain from an interdisciplinary chronic pain management programme, and to develop and validate a multivariable prediction model, based on the Extended Common- Sense Model of Self-Regulation (E-CSM). Methods: In this prospective cohort study consecutive patients with chronic pain were recruited and followed up (July 2013 to May 2015). Possible associations between predictors and dropout were explored by univariate logistic regression analyses. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression analyses were executed to determine the model that best predicted dropout. Results: Of 188 patients who initiated treatment, 35 (19%) were classified as dropouts. The mean age of the dropout group was 47.9 years (standard deviation 9.9). Based on the univariate logistic regression analyses 7 predictors of the 18 potential predictors for dropout were eligible for entry into the multiple logistic regression analyses. Finally, only pain catastrophizing was identified as a significant predictor. Conclusion: Patients with chronic pain who catastrophize were more prone to dropout from this chronic pain management programme. However, due to the exploratory nature of this study no firm conclusions can be drawn about the predictive value of the E-CSM of Self-Regulation for dropout.
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Globalization, accelerating technological advancements and the increasing unpredictability and demanding nature of clients have a major impact on the context in which companies operate. Companies are compelled to create a stream of innovations, both technological and organizational, in order to adapt to the continuously changing environment. In addition companies will more and more innovate in collaboration with clients, competitors and research institutes, ever more in an international context. Looking at the Netherlands though, the innovative capacity is lagging behind. One of the underlying problems is the lack of technical background and research experience in company management. Another is the low availability of higher educated personnel with a scientific or technical background, thereby creating a vicious circle. A well-prepared engineering workforce is necessary that is able to collaborate in interdependent relationships and that can manage multiple innovation projects. It demands a T-shaped engineer that has in-depth knowledge of one discipline and a broad knowledge base in adjacent areas or in general business or entrepreneurial fields. Nevertheless, this profile will not be created by regular education. Interaction with the work field-with entrepreneurs, researchers and experts-and between students will enable the necessary learning experiences. One of the programmes that the University of Applied Science, School of Technology, has created to accommodate this, is 'The Innovation Lab'. In this highly interactive environment engineering students with various backgrounds (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, product design and entrepreneurship) work together in interdisciplinary project teams on current innovation ideas and assignments of real companies. The Innovation Lab will serve as an example in this presentation on how the University of Applied Science, School of Technology, is preparing students for a future in innovative organizations. With a T-shaped profile young engineers are better prepared to act successfully in an open innovation environment and can bring technology back in company management. Moreover, this versatility will make technology and design education more attractive for scholars that are faced with a choice for technology education.
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A description of our experiences with a model for education in innovative, interdisciplinary and international engineering. (Students from different (technical) disciplines in Higher Education are placed in industry for a period of eighteen months after completing two-and-a-half year of theoretical studies). They work in multi-disciplinary projects on different themes, in order to grow to fully equal employees in industry. Besides students, teachers and company employees participate in the projects. The involvement of other level students, both from University and from Vocational Education, is recommended. The experiments in practice give confidence in the succesful implementation of this model.
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