Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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Assessing Mentorship of Undergraduate Students at the University of Johannesburg: A Case-study
Full text linkThe Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has used mentoring to support students at the institution. In 2024, these initiatives were centralised and expanded to an integrated mentorship programme across the Faculty. All first-year students in the Faculty are allocated mentors drawn from volunteer senior students who wish to give back to their student community. The study explores the experiences of mentees and mentors in the programme to identify expected and experienced value. Furthermore, it explores and identifies challenges encountered and opportunities for further developing and refining the programme. A survey was conducted, inviting all the mentees and mentors who participated in the mentor programme during 2024. The survey was designed to elicit experiences on the programme from the perspective of the mentees and the mentors. This study presents the findings from the survey and provides insights that could be used to design mentorship programmes in similar contexts. The study also highlights the challenges experienced when implementing a Faculty-wide programme
The First Year Experience: Engineering for Social Change
Full text linkThe first-year transition period is a crucial phase in a student’s university experience as it can significantly impact their academic performance and future career prospects. However, research indicates that approximately 30% of first-year students drop out due to academic expectations and newfound independence. In response to this concern, a Faculty of Engineering at a South African University of Technology has implemented a tailored First-Year Experience (FYE) programme to support students. This reflective paper examines a tailored First-Year Experience (FYE) programme implemented to support students' transition into university. The FYE programme is informed by Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC).
Based on reflections from the four core team members and their unique perspectives from the various roles they bring with them to the FYE programme, the paper seeks to offer an in-depth practice based account and insights into the learning environment of the first-year student by reflecting on the programme's development and impact using the four phases of the ELC framework. The 'Concrete Experience' phase discusses the experimentation with technological platforms and software tools to facilitate the programme, highlighting insights, challenges, and student engagement. In the 'Reflective Observation' phase, student involvement is analysed, emphasising the importance of fostering student ownership of the programme. The 'Abstract Conceptualisation’ phase identifies areas for programme improvement, including addressing social concerns specific to the university and it proposes developing a credit-bearing compulsory subject called "Engineering for Social Change." The ‘Active Experimentation’ phase provides insights into best practices for supporting first-year students' successful transition and engagement in engineering education. 
What can plan data tell about planning in Denmark?
No full textDet danske digitale plandatasystem er blevet etableret som en væsentlig ressource for alle, der arbejder med planlægning. De danske plandata giver indsigt i planlægningen fra de seneste 17 år (og delvis længere tilbage), men en systematisk evaluering af planlægningen baseret på disse data er sjældent gjort.
Perspektiver fra den nationale database kan udgøre en komplementær metode til casestudier for at identificere generelle tendenser i planlægningen, såsom planområdets arealforbrug i forskellige geografier, anvendelser, vi planlægger for, eller temaer, der bliver fremhævet. Udviklingen over tid kan muligvis give indsigt i levetiden af planerne. Artiklen diskuterer analysemulighederne på baggrund af konkrete eksempler.The Danish digital planning register, plandata.dk, has emerged as an important resource for anyone involved in planning. Danish plan data offer insights into planning over the past 17 years and even further back. However, systematic evaluation of planning using this data is seldom conducted. The analysis of nationwide plan data can complement case studies on planning and offer perspectives on planning trends, such as the objectives of our planning efforts, the methods employed, and the overarching themes shaping our plans. Additionally, it can shed light on the effectiveness of our plans. This paper explores analysis possibilities in light of specific examples
Reviving Bedlinen: User Expectations, Use-Life, and Repair Practices in Australia
Full text linkThis paper considers the relationship between user expectations of domestic bedlinen, product use-life and repair engagement within an Australian context. Bedlinen, in this instance, includes flat and fitted sheets, pillowcases, and quilt covers - also known as duvet covers, or in Australia, doona covers. There is limited data on this specific textile product within sustainability and circularity research. This paper discusses findings from the survey, Bedlinen and Sustainability (2023), which includes questions focused upon attitudes and behaviour regarding bedlinen purchase, use, care, repair, reuse and disposal. Key findings are identified and are discussed as factors that directly impact the use-life of bedlinen. These include laundering choices, emotional durability, change of mattress sizes, expectations of comfort, maintaining original condition, and repair challenges
The ReMake Cafes as a source of well-being: Being, doing and interacting as motivations to participate
Full text linkDesign for Traceability (DfT): How to enhance transparency and accountability by designing products and materials with features that allow their entire lifecycle to be tracked and documented?
Full text linkAs global industries confront mounting complexity, regulatory mandates, and urgent sustainability targets, end‑to‑end transparency has become nonnegotiable. Design for Traceability (DfT) delivers a transformative blueprint—encoding traceability into the very DNA of products and materials. By harnessing Smart Identification Technologies (SIT)— including Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), QR codes, IoT sensors, and blockchain—DfT establishes immutable “digital DNA,” realized through interoperable Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and Material Passports (MPs). These passports grant real‑time visibility, secure authentication, and frictionless data exchange, catalyzing circular resource loops while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.The DfT framework is anchored by five interdependent pillars: Lifecycle‑Centric Design: Embeds traceability at inception via modular architecture, durable materials, and design-for-disassembly, extending product life and simplifying end-of-life recovery. Digital Traceability Infrastructure: Constructs a secure, interoperable data ecosystem by integrating SIT and distributed ledger technology, enabling continuous monitoring, analytics, and decision support through DPP and MP integration. Circular Business Models: Transitions from one‑time sales to service‑based offerings, remanufacturing, and R‑strategies (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), unlocking new revenue streams and preserving asset value. Stakeholder Collaboration: Builds shared platforms and decentralized governance to unite manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and recyclers in transparent data‑sharing networks, strengthening trust and supply‑chain resilience. Regulatory Alignment: Integrates traceability into corporate strategy to anticipate stringent sustainability mandates, leveraging digital audits and transparent reporting for streamlined compliance. By interweaving these pillars, DfT empowers organizations to mitigate supply‑chain risks, optimize resource utilization, and accelerate the shift toward a resilient, transparent circular economy. This holistic framework equips policymakers, industry leaders, and designers with actionable strategies to embed sustainability, accountability, and innovation at every stage of the product lifecycle
Navigating Trends and Ecological Sustainability Needs in Germany and Europe's ICT Industry
Full text linkThe Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry significantly impacts the environment across various life cycle stages, including material sourcing, energy use, and waste. To mitigate these effects, the German Ministry for Education and Research established the Competence Center Green ICT @ FMD, focusing on applied research to reduce the environmental footprint of ICT technologies. This paper identifies five emerging areas within the microelectronics sector that are key for ecological sustainability and the economic future in Germany and Europe to address the negative environmental impact of the rapidly growing demand of ICT: (i) Circularity in microelectronics, (ii) Green data centers, (iii) Green power electronics, (iv) Green quantum technologies, and (v) Green procurement and supply chains. These areas were identified through a systematic approach involving surveys, expert interviews, roadmap analysis, literature review, and market research. Criteria such as geographical relevance, time-related relevance and leverage were used to assess the feasibility of each area. Circularity in microelectronics addresses resource efficiency and product lifetime extension, while green data centers focus on hardware, software, and infrastructure optimization to reduce environmental impact. Green power electronics aims to enhance energy efficiency in critical sectors like electromobility and data centers. Green quantum technologies explore innovative applications in sensors and chemical processes, and green supply chains emphasize reducing CO2 emissions throughout value chains
Designing products that facilitate easy and intuitive repair, an implementation in product design education
Full text linkWhen considering circular economy, reuse, refurbish and repair of products is key in many circular business models. Both efficient and intuitive disassembly and assembly are crucial facilitators for these strategies, impacting feasibility, cost and economic viability. Thus, product designers and product design educations should focus on how to design products for easy and intuitive disassembly and reassembly to facilitate repairability. The focus from design educations on these specific processes is however very limited. This paper elaborates on the outcomes of a project-based learning course for design engineering students. The students redesigned an electric device (power tool or household appliance) with special attention to design for repairability strategies. Necessary frameworks and tools were offered to first analyze the disassembly and assembly process of the product and secondly redesign for repair. Unlike many other methods that are about assessing assembly and disassembly processes in terms of the time needed to perform them, here special attention was paid to the interactions, both cognitive and physical, during repair. This premise aligns better with the context of end-user repair where time is less relevant but where interactions need to be easier and more intuitive. Through case studies, it was investigated whether this focus generated valuable results and was feasible to implement. The paper is especially relevant for those concerned with circular product design, the assembly and disassembly of products linked to circular strategies such as repair and the integration within design engineering curricula
Convenience as a Key Driver in Extending the Cumulative Lifespan of Furniture
Full text linkIn response to environmental challenges and overconsumption, design strategies focusing on product longevity have emerged. While product longevity is partly determined by physical durability, it is also heavily influenced by the consumer. Therefore, understanding consumer attitudes toward product lifespans is essential for gaining insights into longevity. Specifically, this study investigates how consumers’ valuation of furniture impacts its lifespan.
The findings are based on data from semi-structured interviews and a survey provided by AAU Design Lab, analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. The study introduces two terms to further specify the understanding of product lifespan: individual ownership lifespan and cumulative lifespan.
The study found that emotional attachment is not necessarily essential for achieving prolonged cumulative lifespan of furniture, challenging existing strategies like design for attachment and emotional durability. While these strategies influence individual ownership lifespan, the findings in this paper suggest that convenience is the key driver in extending the cumulative lifespan of furniture by enabling its reuse through accessible disposal methods and platforms. Accordingly, putting a stronger focus on the systems and contexts in which products exist could play an important role in extending their lifetime.
As this is a preliminary study with limited data, these findings should be considered an interesting starting point for further investigation.