Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
Not a member yet
6616 research outputs found
Sort by
Integrating Problem-Based Learning and Design Thinking for Sustainability: A Practical Approach to Teaching Real-World Problem Solving in Undergraduate Education
Get PDFThis practice paper presents the development, implementation and evaluation of a course, Design Thinking for Sustainability, a university core course for first-year students from undergraduate programs in Technology, Business administration, Computer applications and Design. As a greenfield private university in India, we integrated Design Thinking into the core curriculum to enhance problem-solving abilities. The course addressed real-world, ill-defined challenges through the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), equipping students with practical, creative problem-solving skills. Offered as a 21-day pre-semester credit course, it fostered interdisciplinary collaboration on sustainability-driven challenges.
Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach, students worked in teams, applying the five stages of Design Thinking—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—to develop innovative, sustainable solutions. The design thinking process encouraged iteration, collective work, and optional participation. With this first version of the course, the focus of evaluation was to explore the challenges faced by faculty members and students, which allow for revision during the next iteration of the course.
The findings bring out various challenges perceived by our students and faculty members, and various strategies to overcome them. The challenges stated were psychological readiness for open ended problem-solving, struggle to identify and define real world problems, lacked access to stakeholders and sustainability related data. However, collaborative teamwork, prototyping and stakeholder feedback helped them to overcome the challenges and come up with feasible and workable solutions to the problems thereby developing problem solving skills. Faculty stated that they did not know design thinking whereas they learned it while during the course. Secondly, they had to put significant effort in designing, teaching and assessing in a way to promote active learning. They were agile during the course and did minor adjustments to the course during the course delivery. Overall, this paper provides practical insights for educators who will be seeking to integrate PBL and Design Thinking into their curricula, particularly with inclusion of sustainability-driven innovation and active learning
Experiences of the transition from a Traditional to an Integrative Project-based Curriculum
Get PDFIn 2012, the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences made a major revision of its undergraduate curricula, through the implementation of the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP). The academic year, 2023/2024, saw the IEP celebrate 10 years of new student intake into the reformed degree programmes which aimed to enhance the skills and societal awareness of graduates through a series of project-based learning experiences, integrated with a curriculum of instruction. Over these 10 years, it has evolved - through conscious action to improve but sometimes through unintended consequences of institutional initiatives or local developments. This paper documents the reflections of two leading members of the development team and shares experiences of implementing and maintaining a major curriculum reform focused on a student- centred, active and experiential approach to learning and teaching in a large, research-intensive university. It leverages a survey of alumni to highlight achievements, challenges and perceptions of this approach as seen by both staff and students. It considers the relationship between pedagogical ideologies and the practicalities of change within existing structures and the challenges of legacy within the institution. It aims to provide insight and support to those leading and managing programme-wide curriculum change. 
Collaborative Opportunity: Growing a Community around Integrated Engineering
Get PDFIntegrated Engineering is emerging across the world. One commonality among programs is a desire to innovate in ways not seen as possible within traditional engineering disciplines. The inclusive pedagogical approaches seen in integrated engineering programs offer promise for truly transforming engineering education. These student-centered approaches align with caring pedagogies and provide sustainable infrastructure for supporting diverse student experiences. Innovation in engineering education can be challenging to implement and can be challenging to sustain. Community support can make a positive difference. Building on a series of community conversations at multiple international conferences as well as an international symposium in London during the summer of 2024, this paper will be used to spark a conversation about innovations related to integrated engineering. The goal is to include new voices to extend the existing community, build a stronger network, and provide an opportunity to reflect and plan implementation steps for enacting holistic approaches to engineering education. 
The Concept of Global Transformation Labs
Get PDFGlobal Transformation Labs (GTLs) are intended to be arenas, where students, teachers, researchers and various societal partners come together to explore and experiment with new collaborative ways of addressing global challenges and contribute to green and just transitions. The GTLs are thought to be spaces for mutual learning and reflection and places where participants can engage as change-makers, taking initiative, testing ideas and developing innovative approaches to complex societal challenges. The aim is to enhance the global perspectives of all participants, strengthen their understanding of human, societal, and planetary predicaments and opportunities, build their capabilities to navigate, act and contribute both creatively and responsibly in a changing world, and to drive transformation.
This white paper presents a generative vision and an initial conceptual framework as a basis for further exploration through critical and creative conversations and co-development by interested partners. 
Addressing Wicked Problems Through Empathy-enhanced Design-based Team Learning: Illustrating Implicit and Explicit Approach
Get PDFThis practice paper aims at contributing to the conversation about caring pedagogies and sustainable engineering education by focusing on empathy, ‘the ability to understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations’. Based on our experiences as engineering educators in Europe and North America, we offer examples of how design-based learning can be enhanced through the purposeful integration of empathy nurturing activities at every stage of the team project work. More specifically, we describe an approach in which empathy is an explicit focus of learning activities and an approach in which empathy is a more implicit learning outcome that is embedded within broader transversal learning goals. The design projects we offer as illustrations center on ‘wicked problems’ that affect various stakeholders beyond technical experts. By encouraging a decentralized, multi-perspective approach, wicked problems can enhance a caring pedagogy in project-based learning. By integrating empathy with technical expertise, be it explicitly or in more implicit ways, we highlight the crucial role of emotional intelligence, ethical decision- making, and interpersonal skills in engineering practice—an approach that cultivates responsibility and equips individuals to tackle real-world challenges with compassion and ethical insight. 
Estimating the potential of residential heat pumps to reduce surplus electricity using the flexible demand tool in EnergyPLAN
Get PDFEnergy system flexibility is necessary to accommodate the expansion of variable renewable electricity. The EnergyPLAN tool is useful for simulating energy systems with high shares of variable renewable energy sources by representing supply and demand side technologies and verifying the balance of the system with an hourly resolution. This paper proposes a methodology to investigate the potential and availability of the flexible electricity demand of residential (individual) heat pumps providing heating, cooling, and domestic hot water to reduce surplus (excess) generation. The methodology was applied to a theoretical scenario of the Hungarian electricity system as a case study. The theoretical flexible demand resulted in an average monthly reduction of 30% in surplus power. At its peak in February, the reduction reached nearly 50% of the surplus power. However, during the most critical period (May), it dropped to just 7% due to the limited availability of flexible demand. Given the significant variation and the fact that the surplus was not eliminated in any month, the value of flexible demand under the conditions of the case study may be limited. The key practical takeaway from this paper is the methodology for representing the availability of flexible demand from residential heat pumps, which is applicable to country-level EnergyPLAN models
Analytic Proof-Theory for Prior’s System Q: First Steps
Get PDFArthur Prior introduced the three-valued modal logic called the Q system. A few axiom systems for the Q system can be found in the literature, but no analytic proof-theory in the form of tableau-, sequent- or natural deduction systems. In the present paper we demonstrate how to turn a formal semantics for the Q system into a tableau system, whereby we provide a proof system that is suitable for actual reasoning
Upcycling from ‘One-of-a-Kind’ to Industry Scale: Leveraging Strategies to Prolong the Life of Industrial Waste Materials
Get PDFIndustrial production generates waste in the form of scrapped, returned, or otherwise discarded materials, many of which are downcycled into lower-quality outputs. Upcycling offers a sustainable alternative by transforming waste into higher-value products while maintaining material integrity and leveraging more than just its basic composition. This study examines how product designers upcycle industrial scraps at an industrial scale. Through analysis of ten Danish field experiments with materials such as wood, concrete, leather, and fabric, we identified five leveraging strategies that distinguish the design processes of successful market entries from those that did not. These strategies are: (1) Linking the material to a portfolio to explore gaps and product line-up extensions, (2) Utilizing the material by leveraging locally available processing capabilities, (3) Shaping a by-product by adjusting ongoing production operations, (4) Leveraging the existing brand image, and (5) Leveraging 'Un-qualification as a Quality. The findings propose a framework for integrating upcycling into industrial contexts by strategically aligning products with company goals, resources, brand identity, and market position, to increase the likelihood of scaling upcycling from one-of-a-kind efforts to continued industrial practice
The limitations of product longevity: Are longer product lifetimes really better for the environment?
Get PDFHygiene practices in everyday Life: Exploring the adoption and environmental implications of disposable gloves
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of disposable products, notably face masks and disposable gloves. While these items serve as a protective barriers against health hazards, they also pose significant environmental risks due to their resource-intensive production and waste generation. This study explores the adoption of disposable gloves beyond healthcare, probing their use and significance in the daily lives of Norwegian consumers. Employing social practice theory, the research investigates the underlying reasons and ways Norwegian consumers incorporate disposable gloves into various practices, and how more sustainable alternatives could be promoted. The methods encompass mobile ethnography and focus groups with Norwegian consumers. The findings demonstrate that disposable gloves are used to reduce health risk and enhance hygiene in daily life conveniently, consequently increasing waste. Alternative methods for increasing hygiene, such as reusable and longer lasting products or hand washing, are perceived as less hygienic and less convenient. Conclusively, the study sheds light on the complexities of changing material-practice entanglements and offers insights for developing more sustainable hand hygiene practices