Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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Book of Abstracts from the Urban Europe Research Alliance (UERA) Conference 2025
Get PDFThe Urban Europe Research Alliance (UERA) organises its annual conference to address systemic and urgent issues in urban research, bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to advance knowledge and collaboration. Each year, the conference provides a platform to explore critical questions at the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and social justice, while also contributing to education and capacity-building in these fields.
In 2025, the conference took place in Rome at the National Research Council of Italy under the theme Sustainable and Climate-Neutral Cities for Inclusive and Equitable Urban Futures. It highlights the urgency of addressing today’s polycrisis while recognising the planetary dimension of urbanisation.
The 2025 UERA Conference featured 45 abstracts and full paper presentations, organised across five thematic sections, which structure this Book of Abstracts.
The complete proceedings are currently under preparation and will be published by Springer in 2026. The DOI for the Springer publication will be shared on this page once it is available. This proceedings employed a double-blind peer-review process.
Exploring Teachers' Professional Growth Through Reflective Practice in School Settings
Get PDFTeacher professional growth is a reflective and contextual process shaped by both personal and institutional factors. This study aim investigates how reflective practice within school settings fosters professional development, focusing on teachers’ experiences in a Lithuanian general education school implementing a unique personal professional development (PPD) framework. Sixteen teachers participated in semi-structured phenomenographic interviews to explore their reflective experiences. Analysis using phenomenographic methodology revealed three interrelated categories of professional growth: (A) changes driven by individual reflection, (B) collegial collaboration aligning personal and institutional goals, and (C) development enabled by the school’s organisational framework. These categories form a recursive structure within the PPD framework, where each one supports and enhances the others. This study emphasises Category A – reflection-driven growth – as a foundational method for learning from one’s own and others’ experiences. Teachers who engaged in continuous, systematic reflection – linking theory and practice – demonstrated improved self-awareness, enhanced pedagogical practice, and a stronger professional identity. Key elements contributing to growth include personal attitudes, student-focused teaching, and emotional engagement in teacher-student interactions. The findings highlight the significance of structured reflective practice as a catalyst for sustained teacher development in school contexts
RPL in Teacher Education: A Science Teacher Education Example from the USA
Get PDFFor effective preparation to teach science, practice-based learning experiences are of paramount importance. However, practice alone is not sufficient for developing effective teaching attributes. Reflection on the practice is equally important to develop the desired attributes. Effective teaching requires far more than learning a few specific skills or techniques. A reflective mindset involving evaluation of the practice is essential for understanding and improving on various elements of effective teaching. Thus, learning experiences in teacher education must “marry” practice to reflection in order to produce competent teachers. In the context of science teaching, the fundamental question becomes, what are the key elements of effective science teaching and how can they best be taught to pre-service teachers (PSTs)? The author has attemped to address these questions by “marrying” practice and reflection in secondary science teacher preparation across three universities over 26 years in the USA. This ”marrying” was done at three levels: Specific assignment-based, full course-based, and an entire program-based reflection on practice. This paper focuses only on the results of a course-based reflection on practice in one science teacher education program. The research question being explored and addressed is: To what extent do the reflective, practice-based course level experiences lead to a shift in PSTs’ mindset regarding key elements of effective science instruction?
Qualitative analysis of PSTs’ responses to an open-ended question, given as a pre- and post-course assessment, was conducted. The results indicate that the 5E Model of the Learning Cycle Approach to science instruction enabled pre-service teachers to shift their mindset regarding key elements of effective science instruction
Effectiveness of Immersive VR for Reflective Learning in Architectural Technology and Construction Management Education
Get PDFThis study investigates the practice of reflective learning in construction management education by exploring the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) technologies. Traditional educational approaches often struggle to provide students with immersive and practical experiences that replicate real-world construction scenarios. VR offers an innovative solution by enabling experiential learning in a risk-free environment, supporting the development of critical skills such as decision-making, safety management, and project execution. The research employs a Design-Based Research methodology to design and evaluate interventions that integrate VR into educational frameworks. These interventions are guided by the Reflective Practice-Based Learning (RPL) principle: “Teaching and learning activities are organized as exploration.” The study uses qualitative analysis to examine how VR can enhance students’ reflection, deepen understanding, and support knowledge transfer and skill development in building design. The findings provide insights into how VR can facilitate meaningful engagement with complex building designs and contribute to the near and far transfer in learning. The immersive VR in education demonstrates significant potential for transforming traditional educational methods. The study’s practical implications lie in providing new educational designs that combine technological tools with reflective, practice-oriented learning approaches
Investigating Student Engagement in Emerging Technology Career Pathways
Get PDFThis study asks the question: How do rural undergraduate engineering students perceive emerging technologies (ET) in relation to their educational and career goals? Conducting semi-structured interviews and using in vivo coding, results are grouped into three themes: defining emerging technology, choosing ET pathways in a sociocultural context, and academic and industry preparation. The findings highlight the complexity of aligning engineering education with evolving industry needs, especially as technologies like generative AI, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology reshape the workforce. Students are drawn to ET for career aspirations, societal impact, or ethical and philosophical exploration, yet schools often lack opportunities to cultivate these interests. Out-of-school experiences, such as internships, play a key role in skill development. The study suggests that framing ET careers as a means to address societal challenges, rather than focusing solely on skill acquisition, could better align engineering programs with student aspirations. This research emphasizes the need to consider sociocultural factors when designing ET pathways and calls for a broader integration of ethical considerations into engineering curricula. Ultimately, this work challenges traditional engineering education models and advocates for more flexible, forward- thinking approaches to preparing students for an ever-changing technological landscape. 
Emotion Norms in Engineering Education: More Diverse than Expected
Get PDFEngineering education has long been described as characterized by cultural norms that value rationality over emotions. Norms that devalue emotions are problematic because they can hinder engagement with value-laden issues, such as ethics and sustainability, and they may disproportionately impact students from minoritized populations. While previous research has shown that these norms exist in specific contexts, we lack knowledge on how widespread and dominant they are across contexts. We address this gap by describing a systematic and critical review of the literature on emotion norms in engineering education, asking: (1) What is the extent of the existing literature about emotion norms in engineering education? (2) What is known about emotion norms in engineering education?
Based on a Scopus search and systematic screening process, we identified 18 publications describing empirical studies on emotion norms in engineering education. Here, we describe preliminary results from our abductive analysis of seven papers. The reviewed publications do not describe one coherent emotion norm across all engineering education. Rather, emotion norms appear to be highly context- and community-specific. This finding supports previous research stating that some social groups are more adversely impacted by emotion norms than others. However, identifying variations in emotion norms can also open possibilities for change
Sustainable Energy Planning and Management – SDEWES 2024 Special Issue on transition from coal and modelling approaches
Get PDFThis 45th volume of the International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management includes papers from the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environmental Systems (SDEWES) conference series held in 2024. A focus area of this special issue is conversion of coal-reliant energy systems in Columbia, Indonesia and Poland. Another focus area is on modelling approaches and the inclusion of decision makers and stakeholders in the process
Quantitative Analysis and Carbon Reduction Strategies Based on Spatiotemporal Electricity Carbon Emission Factors
Get PDFDifferent temporal and spatial dimensions of carbon accounting can yield varying carbon emission results. Fine-grained time- and region-specific carbon emission factor accounting for a target power grid can improve both accuracy and interpretability. This paper used a central China power grid as a case study to examine the calculation methods for carbon emission factors across different temporal and spatial dimensions. It focused on the differences in carbon accounting at substation, administrative, and voltage levels across various time periods. First, the paper summarized the development trends in power grid carbon emission factor calculations, highlighting the importance of regional division and time-based accounting. Second, a multidimensional carbon emission factor calculation method was proposed based on the coupling mechanism between power generation and carbon emissions, emphasizing the close relationship between carbon emissions and electricity under different generation structures and energy usage patterns. Finally, through quantitative analysis, the paper examined carbon emission variations across different temporal and spatial ranges and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of various partitioning strategies from the perspectives of power generation companies, electricity consumers, and the government. The study provides valuable insights for further research and standardization of carbon emission factors in power grids
Co-Creating Energy Models in Africa: Stakeholder Perspectives from Morocco, Mozambique, and Mali
Get PDFStakeholder engagement, data collection, and more importantly, the analysis of the collected data and their implementation are critical components for an effective energy system modelling. The energy modelling needs to also address local specificizes as in this case focused on African continent these needs to include specific energy challenges, such as inadequate access to electricity, unreliable energy supply coupled with a heavy reliance on traditional biomass. Stakeholder views on the energy modelling process within the three African regions with specific case studies in Morocco, Mozambique and the Niger river basin in Mali are investigated. To effectively capture the diverse and multifaceted viewpoints of stakeholders, a mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys with interviews and focus group discussions. The stakeholders included through Quadruple helix approach are representing academia & research institutions, civil society, policy makers and investors in the mentioned countries. The objectives of the research were to understand energy needs and priorities in different countries, assess current practices when it comes to energy modelling, facilitate collaboration between different stakeholders, and gather insights for development of energy models
Using the Delphi Method to Understand Convergent and Divergent Perspectives of PBL Experts and Engineering Faculty in Aerospace Engineering
Get PDFProblem based learning (PBL), though recognized as beneficial to student development, faces implementation challenges in engineering education. We conducted a Delphi study with PBL and (aerospace) engineering domain experts to understand challenges around learning outcomes, problem design, facilitation, and assessment. The context for the study was an introductory aerospace engineering course, transitioning from a traditional lecture to a PBL format. We found consensus among both expert groups as it relates to ideas about learning outcomes. However, with respect to problem design and facilitation, we observed a slower and more contentious convergence, with some ideas failing to reach consensus. From this, four salient issues emerged as potential barriers to PBL implementation that supports students in important aspects of their professional development: problem framing, making relevant connections to society, a deficit view of students, and discomfort with facilitation. Implications related to these issues are discussed, with consideration given to complications stemming from the isolated, individual-course implementations of PBL commonly found in practice