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Knowledge Foundations, Issue 9 - September 2024
Get PDFKnowledge Foundations publication (formally the UCEM e-library e-bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research and resources relating to the educational sector and the built environment
Digital progression in Scotland's colleges
Get PDFThis report has been commissioned to
present examples of good practice from
Scotland’s colleges with a view to outlining the
opportunities and constraints to
mainstreaming innovative digital learning
practice within the sector.
Through the presentation of case studies, this
report will also outline types of staffing and
resource colleges are investing in to develop
their digital delivery, at both institutional and
subject level before concluding with the
identification of key areas for development in
the short and medium term
Critical Success Factors in Large-Scale Agile Software Development
Get PDFThis study delves into the burgeoning trend of deploying agile software development (ASD) on large-scale
software projects, aiming to establish critical success factors (CSFs) to tackle associated implementation challenges.
Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and a comparative analysis of the two organisations'
experiences, this research identifies challenges and mitigation strategies for large-scale ASD implementation. The findings elucidate typical implementation phases and challenges encountered, demonstrating correlations between
challenges and the implementation process. Ultimately, this study fills a gap in the academic literature by addressing
challenges in large-scale ASD implementation, offering real-world insights and comparisons with existing literature
to provide valuable recommendations
Knowledge Foundations, Issue 5 - May 2024
Get PDFKnowledge Foundations publication (formally the UCEM e-library e-bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research and resources relating to the educational sector and the built environment
Generative AI and PhD supervision: A covert third wheel or a seat at the table?
Get PDFThe advent and adoption of GenAI tools has pedagogical implications for Researcher/Supervisor dynamics both within Construction Management and in the wider academic context. Unless both parties understand these implications, GenAI tools have the potential to disrupt the traditional balance of power and trust between Researcher and Supervisor, potentially impacting both the rigour of PhD training and research outcomes. Rather than exploring the technical competence and reach of GenAI tools, this scoping study explores Researcher/Supervisor relationships pre-and post-GenAI and sets out avenues for further research. Informed by structuration theory, and using reflective ethnography and semi-structured interviews, the research maps shifts in agency and structure and identifies several important issues. Findings highlight that fear and suspicion surrounding the use of GenAI confer undue agency on the technology, which further conceals its use. Opportunities to develop critical analytical skills are missed and this can threaten the integrity of research outputs. The study concludes that GenAI tools should be more than a covert “third wheel” in the relationship. Instead, the technology could be openly incorporated into supervision frameworks in a transparent, integrated approach
Knowledge Foundations, Issue 8 - August 2024
Get PDFKnowledge Foundations publication (formally the UCEM e-library e-bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research and resources relating to the educational sector and the built environment
“Zero Tolerance” Approach –How do Professional Behaviour and Ethical Standards Align with Wider Societal Commitments to Tackling Climate Change?
No full textSustainable Gender Equality: A Comparative Perspective on STEM Education and Employment in Jordan
Get PDFGender equality is a concept that is synonymous with debates towards economic and societal advancement, as manifested through the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 5. This study sets out to identify the key indicators driving gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and employment in Jordan. This area is both critical and timely in light of emerging challenges facing technological advancement, progressive economies, and wider societal inclusion strategies within the professional environment. This study predominantly employs a quantitative methodology, utilising a survey to evaluate and rank a comprehensive set of indicators/challenges associated with gender equality in the published literature. Feedback is gathered from both male and female participants. The findings of this study reveal certain categories and indicators that are highly ranked compared with others, with practical aspects such as workplace conditions and professional treatment, societal norms and gender stereotypes, and professional perceptions and underlying gender bias being more predominant in Jordan. This study also revealed differing challenges facing gender equality in employment compared with the ones faced in education. This finding resonates with the historical trajectory of academic progress in STEM fields in Jordan, and its divergence emphasises the need for a nuanced exploration to advance gender equality in STEM effectively
Examining the Challenges for Circular Economy Implementation in Construction and Demolition Waste Management: A Comprehensive Review Using Systematic Methods
Get PDFThe construction industry accounts for approximately one-third of the total waste generation globally. With the United Nations projecting a population increase of 2 billion within the next three decades, there is a heightened demand for building stock, generating unprecedented
volumes of construction and demolition waste (CDW). To combat this, circular economy strategies
are purported to help alleviate the prevailing situation. But a number of challenges are jeopardizing
their implementation in the construction industry and preventing from achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, net zero carbon and zero avoidable waste targets. This paper systematically analyzes 54 research articles, published in the past decade within major peer-reviewed English-language scholarly publications in the form of a systematic research review. In doing so, it aims to identify and classify the challenges that prevent improved CDW management by assimilating previous research results in support of a circular economy. The classification and
analysis using a PESTLE model offers insights into gaps and differences between categories, as well
as regions and countries
On the Shore of the Lough: navigating sustainability in the rural context
Get PDFThe narrative around sustainable projects often follows considerations of acontextual best practice, standards, and inter disciplinary integration. Such formalised approaches may be appropriate for large projects often with repeat clients, however smaller independent builds may not reflect these contextual norms. In these cases localised independent suppliers, builders, architects and trades are dependent on each other for ongoing work and each is very focused on maintaining good working relationships. As actors navigate the terrain of builds which incorporate unfamiliar technologies, these sensitivities can make contractual and day-day conflict management a key determinant of how projects unfold and how sustainable practices are realised. New building techniques, updated best practice and modern methods of construction (MMC) further test team dynamics and the old legitimacy of pathways and people. This research focuses on understanding how day-day issues are experienced in practice on smaller independent builds and draws upon concepts of localised learning and embeddedness. Using ethnographic methods in a single case study of a new-build residential project in rural Northern Ireland, the research takes three episodes during the build to explore these concepts. The build uses MMC and traditional procurement centring on a local supply chain. Findings indicate that subtle informal practices around the concept of embeddedness, coupled with active strategies of conflict avoidance were mobilised to navigate uncertainties of technology inclusion and associated challenges. These informal practices centred on protecting and nurturing relationships between project actors and became major barriers to adoption of new technologies, decision making, client satisfaction and sustainable outcomes. These findings prompt further examination of the issues surrounding this particular context and open new ways to explore how harmony between old and new methods of construction and sustainability standards can be achieved