1,720,977 research outputs found
Spontaneous volunteerism in disasters, managerial inputs and policy implications from Italian case studies
Full text linkThe landscape of the emergency response system is rapidly changing, due also to an increasing frequency of natural and man-made disasters. Nowadays, the involvement of citizens into the whole emergency management is inevitable and indispensable, from preparedness to recovery operations. Drawing on international disaster management literature, this research analyzes and compares the management of spontaneous volunteers during six emergency events that recently occurred in Italy. The research's aims are to present current tendencies of the Italian emergency volunteerism, to provide operational recommendations for organizations that may be in charge of managing unaffiliated volunteers and to propose some hints for a reform process of the Italian Civil Protection System towards a recognition of the spontaneous volunteerism in emergency. Starting from the research's findings, the study underlines the latest trends in the field of emergency operations, at a local and international level, and their policy implications, within the Italian context
The Impact of Cross-cutting Pedagogical Features Based on Neuroeducation Advances: Project-based Learning Vs. Traditional Lecturing in Engineering Education
No full textOn the academic level of education, Traditional Lecturing represents the primary means of conveying information to the class. At the same time, Project-based learning is one of the major research subjects in engineering education, and literature claims it can offer more authentic and meaningful learning experiences. Supported by the most recent advances in syntheses of meta-analyses in education and neuroscientific-based educational sciences, the study presented compares Traditional Lecturing and two versions of Project-based learning implemented with variations in content and project typologies through a single-group variation on the two-group post-test-only randomized experiment. Two research hypotheses were investigated using three questionnaires and a test: I) the learning experience and outcomes are enhanced when attending Projectbased learning lessons compared to Traditional Lecturing ones; II) effective cross-cutting instructional elements are more detectable in Projectbased learning than in Traditional Lecturing and variations in contents and typologies of project do not lead to different outcomes within Project-based 1 2 Prof. Claudia Paciarotti , Dr. Gabriele Bertozzi 1,2 Industrial Engineering Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona – Italy 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected] learning. The research was carried out in an Engineering course and involved 80 students. The results show that Project-based learning outperforms Traditional Lecturing and highlight the crucial role of some cross-cutting instructional features that are detectable or missing within the two methodologies. Derived from meta-analyses and neuroscientificbased educational sciences, these features represent a solid pedagogical core within the structure of the Project-based learning methodology. We argue they have a relevant role in the stability and enhancement of the results of Project-based learning in comparison with Traditional Lecturing. Indeed, despite variations in content and project typologies, Project-based learning produces similar results. Finally, for engineering teachers wishing to adopt Project-based learning, this study provides insights into the necessity to understand, consciously incorporate, support, and manipulate such particular features, especially through developing pedagogical competence based on scientific evidence
A new approach to Gamification in engineering education: the Learner-Designer Approach to Serious Games
No full textGamification is usually defined as the use of game structure components in circumstances that are not commonly associated with games. In engineering studies, Gamification and its sub-concept of Serious Games are rather widespread pedagogical models. Just like in other application scopes, the approach to their utilisation or analysis is always concerned with the players, their psychological experience and the relevance of their learning outcomes. The aim of this work is to illustrate the results of a different approach, the ‘Learner-Designer Approach to Serious Games’ (LDASG). The study was carried out through a single group variation on the two-group posttest-only randomised experiment and performed on 79 second year undergraduate students of an Industrial Plant Design course within a Management Engineering programme. Quantitative data on the students’ learning performance and learning experience were collected through a test and a questionnaire, respectively. The test results were analyzed by means of the Paired Samples Test and effect sizes were calculated. As to the questionnaire, a descriptive analysis was employed. The outcomes obtained show how LDASG can successfully compete with other active learning methodologies
Humanitarian logistics and supply chain standards. Literature review and view from practice
No full textPurpose: The paper is focused on standards in humanitarian logistics and supply chain. Standards, implemented between organisations, allow improving the interoperability of humanitarian operations. The paper aims (1) to review a state-of-the-art approach to the topic by the academic community, (2) to evaluate the current use of standards among humanitarian organisations and (3) to investigate the perceived need for further and specific standards. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the aims, the literature was reviewed; then a survey on 227 professionals from the humanitarian logistics sector was conducted. Findings: Based on 227 responses, it is possible to conclude that most surveyed professionals recognise the need for and the importance of standardisation in humanitarian logistics, especially in areas such as procurement, distribution, medical logistics and logistics planning, which were perceived as critical areas that require standardisation. Research limitations/implications: Practitioners and scholars were targeted via social media, through mailing lists and via communication from the practitioner organisation – the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA). While it provided good access to different groups of respondents, the response rate is not possible to calculate. Practical implications: The findings confirm the high importance of standardisation, indicating areas and functions that should be standardised first. Standardisation may improve cooperation between different humanitarian actors, allowing better service provision for beneficiaries. Thus there are also potential negative impacts, i.e. impact on localisation, which should be overcome. Social implications: Results do not have a direct social impact; however, they stimulate research and work among practitioners on standardisation, which in turn could improve cooperation between humanitarian actors, thereby enabling a better humanitarian response in emergencies. Originality/value: The majority of papers on standardisation use a qualitative approach. This paper applies a survey among a large network of humanitarian practitioners, capturing their view on the topic and perception of the need for standardisation. The work is descriptive; however, it could be used as a base for further studies related to humanitarian standards
Visible Learning and synchronous online lesson in higher education: a study in engineering education
No full textThe Visible Learning (VL) approach to learning processes stems from Hattie's work based on synthesising meta-analyses regarding achievement in education. Although the model is used at many levels of instruction, its performance has been less studied in higher education, engineering education, and in the context of synchronous online learning in distance education. This study implements VL features and analyzes their ability to improve learning outcomes and teaching quality. To this end, a synchronous online lesson in a Fluid Dynamics course was implemented with 39 mechanical engineering students. The research method is a one-group pretest-posttest design and data were collected through a test and a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The learning achievement is measured using Cohen's d. The relevant effect size value obtained (d =2.32) stands out from those in the literature where meta-meta-analyses report an impact on learning close to that of a traditional lecture (d=0.08). Regarding the learning experience, students' ratings of both the lesson and the teacher's teaching quality are clearly positive. It can be concluded that the VL approach can produce significant learning gains and positive perceptions of instructional quality among students in the context of synchronous online instruction in engineering education
Evaluating Disaster Operations Management: An Outcome‐Process Integrated Approach
No full textHumanitarian operations play a crucial role in alleviating human and social losses caused by natural disasters. The best way to know responders’ preparedness and ability to conduct efficient and effective humanitarian operations is to perform an evaluation. When evaluating humanitarian operations, the focus is mainly on their outcomes while the option of concentrating on the process is only mentioned, without examining in-depth the subject nor providing specific tools for its analysis. This study tries to fill this gap by proposing and testing an outcome/process integrated approach for the evaluation of disaster operations management. The output analysis and the process analysis of disaster operations management are performed jointly by means of a questionnaire and a modeling tool, respectively. The integrated framework proposed has been applied to the emergency response of a small non-profit organization to a flood. It has been shown that the two methods applied separately could give a distorted or partial picture of the operations under study, while the integrated framework proposed has proved to be effective, since it has brought to a deeper understanding of the processes. The approach can be used by practitioners to evaluate disaster operations management, and accurately and efficiently identify the key elements, strengths, and main weaknesses of relief operations
Implementing serious games through a pedagogical lens in engineering education: an experimental study
No full textSerious games are instructional tools that harmonise different pedagogical approaches and pursue specific behavioural and learning outcomes. Characterised by flexibility and complexity, serious games can draw from a vast number of elements and game mechanics. We argue that such adaptability requires specific pedagogical competencies from designers to avoid using game elements counterproductively for user learning. The literature shows lack of studies based on this perspective: if the influence of single instructional techniques has been studied, the impact of pedagogical expertise is missing, and this represents the knowledge gap this study intends to bridge. This paper reports on an experimental study of a serious game that is part of a course in Industrial Systems Engineering. Through collaborative efforts between an engineering professor and a pedagogical expert rooted in neuroeducation and syntheses of meta-analyses tied to learning achievement, the serious game was redesigned. This pre-test-post-test control and experimental group design study investigates how designers' pedagogical competencies can impact learning outcomes, motivation, and decision-making processes. The pedagogically revised serious game outperforms the original one in motivation and, in specific subgroups, in learning performance, highlighting the importance of combining pedagogical and engineering insights
Reuse of honey jars for healthier bees: Developing a sustainable honey jars supply chain through the use of LCA
No full textThis study aims at improving the environmental sustainability of an existing honey production supply chain, pursuing the Sustainable Supply Chain Management philosophy and the Life Cycle Assessment principles. Focusing the attention on the packaging stage and, in particular, on the most commonly used honey packaging solution, the glass jar, this study assesses the environmental burdens associated with its manufacturing, distribution and final disposal. Once the “AS-IS” honey packaging situation of an Italian province has been analyzed, parallel packaging reuse scenarios and redistribution supply chains are modelled, involving different levels of collaboration between the honey producers and the provincial beekeeping consortium. These scenarios have been then compared to the AS-IS situation, taking into account five environmental factors important for the honeybee's survival: the carbon dioxide equivalent emission, the triethylene glycol equivalent emissions into water and soil, the sulfur dioxide equivalent emission into air and the m2 equivalent reduction of organic arable land per year. The outcomes show how the adoption of a packaging reuse policy together with a producer collaboration policy could bring, in five years, to reduce those factors on average of 16% (with a 10% packaging reuse rate), up to more than 70% (with an 85% packaging reuse rate)
Locally produced food for restaurants: a theoretical approach for the supply chain network design
Full text linkPurpose This paper evaluates the feasibility and benefits of a local food distribution system, which connects farmers and restaurant owners from a logistics perspective. This paper considers a platform to improve operations and investigates various schemes for delivering locally produced food to restaurants using a food hub. Design/methodology/approach To compare distribution scenarios and derive managerial implications, a simulation model has been developed and executed in Matlab 2019a (c). The model evaluates various settings of business connections between farmers and restaurateurs. Findings Results of computational experiments highlight great potentials of such a system, particularly to reduce travel distances. To obtain these positive externalities, the local system requires specific attention during the design of logistical aspects and needs to be planned following a specific structure. Practical implications The developed simulation model can be used to improve understanding of related short food supply chains by analyzing specific cases where the main actors involved differ in terms of type, number, and location. Originality/value The paper analyzes the feasibility and the effects of a new distribution system that can connect supply chain actors directly. The analyses focus on logistics aspects, a topic that is often neglected in sustainable consumption research. Furthermore, the paper does not focus of a single case study but develops a customizable model to be used in various settings
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