Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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Faculty Attitudes and Response to Online Learning in Transnational Higher Education in Qatar: A Promising Future
Get PDFThis paper presents preliminary results from a doctoral thesis investigating faculty attitudes, preparedness, and response to adopting technology-enhanced learning during the 2020-2021 pandemic. The current events that affected teaching and learning worldwide necessitated a re-evaluation of the traditional higher education system and imposed an immediate adjustment to teaching approaches. Using a survey and semi-structured interviews with faculty members teaching at transnational higher education institutions in the state of Qatar, this paper presents the recent pedagogical shift experienced during the pandemic. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the impacts of this shift on student learning from faculty perspective and discusses the implications of this shift on networked learning research and practice. Findings suggest that faculty found online teaching more difficult than previously perceived which encouraged them to be creative and innovative in their teaching approaches. However, there does not seem to be an agreement as to whether online learning is the future of higher education as some faculty still see more value in face-to-face teaching. Furthermore, student assessment is an issue for some faculty. Overall, faculty members seem to appreciate the online teaching experience as it allowed them to try new teaching approaches, use new technologies, and integrate new assessment techniques that they would not consider in their pre-pandemic classes
Symposium 3: Investigating the background – taking a Merleau-Pontian phenomenological approach to Networked Learning
No full textThis paper is a theoretical paper on phenomenological methodology. My point of departure is Merleau-Ponty’s concept of figure-background in perception and his view of the role which the body has in establishing figure-background in each specific situation. I argue that Merleau-Ponty’s approach differs from other phenomenological approaches because of this focus: his highlighting of the background as essential for understanding what appears as figure to consciousness (the object of experience). His focus on the background has methodological implications for how to investigate a phenomenon (perform phenomenological analyses). A key Merleau-Pontian methodological strategy is to focus on breakdown situations, that is, situations where ordinary practical activity breaks down, because the breakdowns can provide indications about that which is taken for granted in the usual well-performed practical activity. I illustrate what Merleau-Pontian phenomenological analysis within Networked Learning could be with two examples. One is from synchronous online learning situations: the figure of eye contact via a webcam. The other one concerns contemporary renderings of the networked learners in the figure of hybrid networked learning situations of students today. For both examples, I tease out what relevant backgrounds are and how a focus on those backgrounds highlights other aspects in networked learning than the ones other phenomenological analyses focus on
How to Become the Instructive Fool: Supervising Planning Students at a PBL University
Get PDFThis paper explores how the concept of “the facilitator as a fool” can be used as a guiding principle for supervising students at universities adhering to problem-based learning pedagogies. With the example of students enrolled at spatial planning studies, the paper argues that students should learn how to face uncertainty and take matters into their own hands. For this purpose, the paper proposes that supervisors act as “fools” in their conversations with students, mimicking a reflective practice. The paper reflects on how this concept fares when applied to a real-life situation of supervising planning students at both Bachelor's and Master’s levels at Aalborg University in Denmark. In the end, the paper concludes that the applied concept can work to a certain degree, but it also requires a supervisor who is familiar with the theoretical and methodological “landscape” that students need to navigate in, and through, to become professional and reflective practitioners
Energy Transition Readiness: A Practical Guide
Get PDFThis paper addresses the challenge of assessing Energy Transition Readiness levels in businesses. It identifies gaps in existing literature concerning energy transitions and readiness levels. To tackle this, the paper employs organizational learning theory as its foundational model and introduces a new taxonomy of key energy readiness indicators. This taxonomy offers a practical guide for business professionals to implement targeted interventions effectively. Additionally, it enables benchmarking and comparison of sector and industry actors. In summary, the integration of organizational learning theory expands the discourse on strategically managing global challenges
PTX Project Implementation in Denmark: Takeaways and Insights
No full textThis paper investigates the project implementation of e-fuel production in Denmark to compare two projects and execute interviews with project employees, experts within the e-fuel field and authorities both local and national. A SWOT analysis of the interview outcomes was conducted as well as an internal and external factor evaluation. The analyses highlight the internal and external project factors that impact the implementation of these projects in Denmark. The analysis showed that collaboration and engagement of stakeholders, citizens and authorities to a large extent can mitigate hindrances and drive the projects forward in development. Large interest in these projects from all sides of the project implementation and development is a part of this. A threat to the implementation is the uncertain and rigid regulatory framework that involves permitting processes and conditions such as tax reductions. This threat can to a large extent be aided by the collaboration with stakeholders. The framework is not fit to the novelty of these cases which poses new requirements to the framework. Market readiness and offtake agreements pose obstacles for the projects, which are both external and internal conditions of the projects. The topic of the amount of renewable electricity in the grid is discussed among the interviewees and shows a discrepancy on whether or not this is an issue for the projects. However, it seems to be an issue only for projects that are expected to be in commission before 2028 where the electricity in the grid is not generated by renewable energy only
Crowdfunding of Climate Mitigation Measures in Agriculture: Developing a Sustainable Business Model Concept
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this article is to develop a sustainable business model (SBM) concept for local crowdfunding of climate measures in agriculture. Many climate measures entail significant capital costs preventing farmers from their adoption, and existing finance schemes have experienced limited success. Crowdfunding can be a novel financing tool for farmers to implement climate measures in agriculture.
Design/Methodology/Approach: We apply the adapted SBM canvas framework and argue that the framework presents a suitable tool for identifying and validating business models for a local crowdfunding program.
Findings: By applying the adapted SBM canvas tool and through an extensive mixed method approach, the study identifies 6 relevant design principles for SBM development and relates them to different dimensions in the SBM canvas.
Practical Implications: The study develops a proven business model concept that can be implemented by practitioners and farmers to facilitate the adoption of climate change mitigation measures, overall contributing to the transition to a low emission society.
Originality/Value: This study demonstrates the existing limitations of the adapted SBM canvas and suggests how it can be improved by integrating external structural constraints that can be a barrier to business model development. Moreover, we contribute to the SBM literature by being the first to connect Design Science with crowdfunding and the adapted SBM canvas
Central to the planning of Denmark's areas is Denmark's Area Information
No full textDanmarks Miljøportal lancerer en helt ny og forbedret version af Danmarks Arealinformation. Danmarks Arealinformation samler de vigtigste data om Danmarks arealanvendelse. Platformen er med 100.000 brugere blevet det centrale værktøj for de mange faggrupper, der arbejder med arealanvendelsen i landet. Bredden i brugerskaren og det stigende antal planer for Danmarks begrænsede areal betød, at platformen trængte til en opgradering for fortsat at opfylde behovene hos brugerne af løsningen. Med den nye version af Danmarks Arealinformation har vi skabt en mere brugervenlig platform med markant flere datasæt samtidig med, at brugernes individuelle behov prioriteres. Lettilgængelige data om arealanvendelsen er centralt i det store beslutningsarbejde, Danmark ser ind i i forhold til at planlægge fremtidens arealanvendelse. Ifølge blandt andre Concito er planlægning af arealanvendelsen et centralt element i Danmarks mål for den grønne omstilling.Danmarks Miljøportal launches a completely new and improved version of Danmarks Arealinformation (Denmark's Land Information) that collects the most important data on Denmark's land use. With 100,000 users, the platform has become the central tool for the many professional groups that work with land use in the country. The width of the user base and the increasing number of plans for Denmark's limited area meant that the platform needed an upgrade to continue to meet the needs of the users of the solution. With the new version of Denmark's Area Information, we have created a more user-friendly platform with significantly more data sets, while prioritizing the users' individual needs. Easily accessible data on land use is central to the major decision-making work that Denmark faces in relation to planning future land use. According to Concito, among others, land use planning is a central element in Denmark's goals for the green transition
Interview with Ian Miles Gerson
No full textIn February, the artist, Ian Miles Gerson, was kind enough to grant me an interview at their studio in Houston, Texas. Their colorful, woven wearable art hangs from the ceiling and the walls. Their worktables are covered with materials that Ian has rescued from bayous in Texas and Louisiana to use in their work. We chatted as their playful dog, Ozu, vied for attention. In our conversation that is transcribed below, Ian shared their insights about their work, queerness, and other concepts important to somaesthetics
Investigating Ecocinema through the Video Essay: Videographic Scholarship as an Environmental Media Studies Pedagogy
Get PDFHow can the video essay be deployed as a critical tool to analyse ecocinema and its relevance to the current environmental crisis? The Video Essay for Ecocinema course, held in the 2023 spring semester at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, introduced videographic techniques to investigate the topic of ecocinema and critically analyse ecological imaginaries. A heterogeneous bibliography of texts, films and video essays related to ecocinema presented key thematic concepts, including: visualizations of ecological scale(s); the role of affect in producing environmental consciousness; materialising intangible infrastructures and hidden “grey energies”; and the digital footprint of film and media industries. These concepts in turn served as the basis for a distinct series of videographic exercises that prepared students for their final videographic project. The results demonstrate the profound value of the video essay as a pedagogical practice that can provide students with the tools to address such a challenging and multifaceted topic as the global environmental crisis
Timescapes when everything happens all at once: Educator temporalities in an unequal crisis
Get PDFThis paper focuses on aspects of time and educators’ timescapes during the Covid-19 pandemic. It contributes to a larger discussion about changing discourses and practices of temporality both during and after a crisis, especially those enabled by technology and neoliberal contexts. Situated within the unequal and diverse South African landscape where the pandemic overturned traditional educational timescapes, the paper explores the experiences of educators from different education settings - rural, urban, school, higher education and provincial education departments and considers three interrelated questions: What did educators' timescapes look like during the crisis of the pandemic? What was the role of technology in changing educators’ timescapes? How were educational inequities manifest in the timescapes which emerged? To analyse the educators’ experiences of time, teaching with technology and networked learning during the pandemic, the paper draws on Adam’s (1998, 2004, 2021) theorisation of time. Adam argues that time is relational and composed of irreducible elements that are not always easily visible. Experiences of how time is represented or visualised include temporality, tempo and timing, as well as the past, present and future. None of the elements of time operate in isolation; they mutually implicate one another highlighting the ways in which we perceive and interpret time in our lives and the world around us. The paper discussion highlights the use of technology and networked learning linked to pedagogical changed routines and organisation that made educators readily available to their students when face-to-face interaction was not possible. While this was beneficial to students (and parents), this resulted in a blurring or conflation of educators’ work and personal lives. Educators describe experiencing time and space as scrambled, compressed and/or porous, having to negotiate new rhythms and patterns of work that require reorganising and managing their lives differently. In addition, educators reported experiencing an intensification of time and work during this period, as they struggled with the pace and tempo of teaching and learning in varied education contexts. In conclusion, the paper suggests that the unique historical circumstances of the pandemic created particular conditions for online learning with some of the technologies rapidly inserted into the education system during this period remaining uncritically in place, further highlighting the need for ongoing research in areas of time, technology and networked learning, especially in diverse and varied educational settings