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Workshop. Adopting PBL – Hybrid in resource constrained settings: Perspectives from Gulu University
No full textThe PBL-Hybrid project, a collaboration between Gulu University and Aalborg University under the Building Stronger Universities initiative, addresses the urgent need for flexible, student-centred education in fragile contexts. Inspired by the persona of Mr. Okot—a working professional facing long travel times to pursue higher education—the project responds to challenges intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic and the broader socio-economic realities of northern Uganda. The novelty of the project lies in the integration of problem-based learning (PBL), design thinking, and digital technologies to create hybrid learning models that support both academic and community transformation.Using the Student-Centred eLearning Implementation Methodology (S-C eLIM), the project follows five phases: Envisioning, Preparing, Piloting, Scaling, and Maturing. It has been piloted across three Master's programmes at Gulu University, engaging over 500 students. The methodology promotes sustainable change by empowering students and facilitators to become active agents in their learning environments. Design thinking fosters creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world problem solving, while technology enhances flexibility and accessibility.The results demonstrate significant shifts in teaching and learning practices. Facilitators and students now co-create learning experiences that link theory with practice, address community challenges, and build 21st-century skills. Despite limited material resources, the project showcases the power of human capacity when supported by innovative pedagogical frameworks.In conclusion, the PBL-Hybrid project exemplifies how higher education can adapt to post-pandemic realities by embracing inclusive, participatory, and technology-enhanced approaches. It offers a replicable model for universities in similar contexts, aiming to transform education into a tool for resilience, empowerment, and sustainable development.<br/
Creativity in Higher Education:Finding the Problem in Problem-Based Learning
Get PDFThis article explores problem-finding as a lens to highlight creativity in problem-based learning (PBL) in higher education. By discussing two empirical examples from two social science and humanities educational programs Aalborg University, Denmark, a Deweyan, experiential learning approach is put into play with socio-cultural and socio-material learning perspectives to explore how materials may support students’ critical-creative problem inquiry. The empirical analyses point to new insights towards creativity in PBL as requiring students to build a certain basis of critical judgement to find problems, i.e. competences to explore and question social and societal conventions, norms, and taken-for-granted worldviews, sometimes also independent of predefined objectives of their educational quests. The article points to potentials of integrating materials and metaphors in PBL-project and group work to explore problem-based learning and critical creativity as interconnected and in some respects each other’s prerequisites for PBL in higher education. This article explores problem-finding as a lens to highlight creativity in problem-based learning (PBL) in higher education. By discussing two empirical examples from two social science and humanities educational programs Aalborg University, Denmark, a Deweyan, experiential learning approach is put into play with socio-cultural and socio-material learning perspectives to explore how materials may support students’ critical-creative problem inquiry. The empirical analyses point to new insights towards creativity in PBL as requiring students to build a certain basis of critical judgement to find problems, i.e. competences to explore and question social and societal conventions, norms, and taken-for-granted worldviews, sometimes also independent of predefined objectives of their educational quests. The article points to potentials of integrating materials and metaphors in PBL-project and group work to explore problem-based learning and critical creativity as interconnected and in some respects each other’s prerequisites for PBL in higher education. <br/
Domestic Hot Water Production: Share of Energy Use in Residential Buildings for Different Countries in Europe
Get PDFThis report provides estimates of the share of the energy used for the production of domestic hot water (or sanitary hot water) in residential buildings in different countries in Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain).These estimates are based on national reports and studies on the total energy demand and the energy demand for domestic hot water in different types of residential buildings with various years of construction.This report illustrates the evolution of the share of energy demand for producing domestic hot water as a function of the building's year of construction. It emphasizes that the share of energy for the production of domestic hot water tends to increase over time as the thermal performance of building envelopes and space conditioning systems improves.These results underline the need to focus on hot water production systems to improve the energy efficiency of the entire residential building stock, and in particular, the newly built low-energy buildings
STORYMAKING FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE IN RURAL AREAS
No full textThe book introduces storymaking as a concept for enabling collaborative future-making in organizations. Storymaking is presented as having space and time to think collectively on the unfolding of life and how this life connects with other lives in the communities where people live and engage with one another. In being a way of life and a way of living intensely with the world, storymaking involves much more than communication. A true story entails embedding everyday lived experience in a deeper web of stories that give meaning and direction to life. In this book, we explore storymaking as a method for achieving sustainable and resilient organizational change in rural areas. We collaborate with organizations in Denmark, Sweden, and France, who have generously invited us to work together on sustainable and resilient change in their communities. Metaphorically, we speak of this collaboration as finding the “pearls” at the “end of the world.” We use these terms out of love and humility. In public discourse, rural areas have fallen into disrepute. Nonetheless, storymaking entails the belief that solutions are local. They lie at the bottom of experience, a shared one that resides in the layered memories of the sand dunes, the rocks, the oceans, the forests, the villages, towns, factories, workshops, shops, rural landscapes, animals, and people
The quest for the new CaLB:Potential of three thermostable polyester hydrolases for esterification reactions
Get PDFThe potential of three thermophilic enzymes from the α,β-hydrolases superfamily, that have recently been described for polyester hydrolysis, was investigated for polyester synthesis, esterification and transesterification reactions. The hydrolases (LCC, leaf-branch compost cutinase; its variant LCCICCG, Thb from Thermoanaerobacterales bacterium) were recombinantly expressed, purified and immobilized onto polypropylene beads. A design of experiments (DoE) assisted study was performed to investigate their synthetic potential to produce short flavor esters by analyzing their thermostability and selectivity towards alcohols and acids with different chain lengths. The factors considered in the DoE (i.e., temperature, alcohol chain length, acid chain length and reaction time) were optimized using MODDE® software to generate a predictive model defining the optimal synthetic conditions for the three enzymes. In each experiment, the monitored response was the acid conversion rate, quantified with GC-FID analysis. For synthesis, the temperature optima of LCC, LCCICCG and Thb were 60 °C, 55 °C, and 80 °C, respectively, corresponding to the maximum percentage of monomers conversion for long-chain alcohols and acids as substrates. Polymerization of dimethyl adipate and 1,8-octanediol as building blocks was carried out to confirm the applicability of the obtained model for the synthesis of larger macromolecules via polycondensation reactions. The proposed approach highlights the innovative application of these novel thermophilic enzymes, traditionally associated with hydrolytic functions, as effective biocatalysts in synthetic processes, enabling the production of a well-known class of polyesters through an alternative and sustainable enzymatic route. Conversion of monomers, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, was ∼90 % for all enzymes while the average molecular weights (Mn) of the polyesters, analyzed by gel permeation chromatography, were between 3600 Da, for LCC and its variant LCCICCG, and 3800 Da for Thb
Afrocentric Extended Reality Technology Design to Infuse Indigenous Knowledge into African STEM Education
No full textThe workshop brings together leading scholars to explore critical intersections of technology, culture, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education. Digital technologies have a significant role to play in preserving cultural heritage. While digital technologies have impacted many aspects of our daily lives, in the way we interact with each other and experience the world, “cultural digitization” is a term that is gaining traction. Archive digitization of cultural artefacts in Western museums is not new; however, the use of technology in conserving African Indigenous knowledge (IK) is relatively unexplored. Advanced technologies such as virtual- and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence hold much promise in ensuring that cultural knowledge and skills are transmitted from one generation to the next. This workshop will be a platform for participants to unpack the opportunities in infusing indigenous knowledge into African STEM education from the perspective of Afrocentric Extended Reality (XR) technology design
Sekularisering som fænomen og sekulariseringsdilemmaer i skolen
No full textFaget Livsoplysning tematiserer dannelses- og værdispørgsmål knyttet til skolens pædagogiske praksis. I bogen af samme navn tilbydes et indblik i skolens grundlag og et sprog til at forstå dens virke og aktuelle udfordringer. Udgivelsen er bygget op omkring indholdsområderne i faget: • kristendomskundskab, religion og kultur • idehistorie og etik • demokrati og medborgerskab • autoritet, dømmekraft og retorik Arbejdet med de nævnte områder skal forberede den studerende til at kunne træde ind i gerningen som lærer med et reflekteret blik på egen læreridentitet og på spørgsmål om værdier, identitet, magt og autoritet. I bredere forstand dækker Livsoplysning over en bestræbelse på at kaste lys over den menneskelige tilværelse
Necasa Ii:A Practical Algorithm Integrating Skincare in the Management of Adult Female Acne in the Nordic European Countries
No full textBackground: Adult female acne presents challenges, including increased prevalence, distinct clinical manifestations, heightened skin sensitivity, treatment-related intolerance, and reduced treatment adherence. Integrating skincare into acne management is essential, particularly in Nordic European countries, where environmental factors influence skin physiology. The Nordic European Countries Acne Skincare Algorithm (NECASA) II algorithm serves as an evidence-based practical tool for clinicians in this region to select appropriate skincare based on individual patients' needs to optimize acne care for adult females. Methods: Dermatologists from six Nordic European countries met to develop the NECASA II algorithm, which builds on the NECASA I framework. The advisors conducted a structured literature review and, combined with their clinical experience, established best Penalties Apply practice recommendations for integrating skincare into adult female acne treatment regimens. Results: The NECASA II algorithm recommends integrating skincare into adult female acne management based on acne severity, subtype, and patient characteristics. The panel concluded that all acne regimens should incorporate a physiologic pH cleanser, an emollient with humectants and lipids, and SPF 50+ sunscreen. Skincare monotherapy is recommended for mild acne, adjunctive skincare for moderate-to-severe acne, and maintenance skincare to prevent relapse following treatment. Conclusions: Personalized skincare regimens, combined with prescription and nonprescription treatments, can mitigate adverse effects, improve treatment tolerance and adherence, and enhance overall outcomes.</p
Cell-Free DNA Hypermethylation in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis
Get PDFCell-free DNA (cfDNA) promoter hypermethylation shows promise as a blood-based biomarker for pancreatic cancer, and similar alterations may occur in acute pancreatitis (AP). This study investigated the cfDNA hypermethylation profile of AP patients over time, compared with healthy controls, and its association with AP severity markers. A prospective longitudinal study including hospitalized AP patients and healthy controls was conducted. Methylation-specific PCR of a 23-gene panel was performed on plasma collected at inclusion (T0), 6 weeks (T6W), 6 months (T6M), and 7-8 years (T8Y). Associations between gene hypermethylation and clinical markers of AP severity-CRP, leukocyte count, creatinine, hospital stay, and complications-were evaluated. AP patients had a significantly higher mean number of hypermethylated genes at T0 (7.4, 95% CI: 6.8-8.0) compared with the controls (3.3, 95% CI: 2.8-3.8; p < 0.01). The mean number decreased over time to 3.2 (95% CI: 2.4-4.1) at T8Y. Total hypermethylation was positively associated with CRP (ρ = 0.39; p = 0.0018), leukocytes (ρ = 0.35; p = 0.0052), and hospital stay (ρ = 0.27; p = 0.0375). AP patients exhibited significantly higher cfDNA hypermethylation at disease onset, which normalized over time. Total hypermethylation showed positive associations with several markers of AP severity.</p