UNIVERSITIES AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Iañez Domínguez ◽  
Raúl Alvarez Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Development Cooperation ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Promotion ◽  
Organisational Structures ◽  
Spanish Universities ◽  
Just Society ◽  
Conducting Research

When it comes to human development, justice, and sustainability, universities should play a driving role, given their specific assigned task of providing specialist education and conducting research. They should also educate and promote the values of solidarity and commitment towards a more egalitarian and just society. This involves making a firm commitment to social change, which many Spanish universities have done by cooperating to foster the development of more impoverished countries. To this end, they have developed structures through which they can undertake different actions. The research presented in this paper was conducted as a direct result of the authors’ interest in finding out more about the specific actions carried out by Andalusian universities. The research conducted was qualitative, using in-depth semi-structured interviews with key informants (development cooperation officers and senior policy-makers within each institution) from Andalusia’s ten public universities. All universities incorporate an area for development cooperation within their organisational structures, and they have staffing and funding for the organisation and development of actions, although the panorama is diverse and heterogeneous. The actions carried out encompass academic training and education, research, promotion and awareness, university volunteering schemes, and cooperation out in the field.

scholarly journals Smart Cities in Turkey: Approaches, Advances and Applications with Greater Consideration for Future Urban Transport Development

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Can Bıyık
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Future Vision

The smart city transport concept is viewed as a future vision aiming to undertake investigations on the urban planning process and to construct policy-pathways for achieving future targets. Therefore, this paper sets out three visions for the year 2035 which bring about a radical change in the level of green transport systems (often called walking, cycling, and public transport) in Turkish urban areas. A participatory visioning technique was structured according to a three-stage technique: (i) Extensive online comprehensive survey, in which potential transport measures were researched for their relevance in promoting smart transport systems in future Turkish urban areas; (ii) semi-structured interviews, where transport strategy suggestions were developed in the context of the possible imaginary urban areas and their associated contextual description of the imaginary urban areas for each vision; (iii) participatory workshops, where an innovative method was developed to explore various creative future choices and alternatives. Overall, this paper indicates that the content of the future smart transport visions was reasonable, but such visions need a considerable degree of consensus and radical approaches for tackling them. The findings offer invaluable insights to researchers inquiring about the smart transport field, and policy-makers considering applying those into practice in their local urban areas.

Facilitators, challenges and usefulness of an asthma educational programme

2020 ◽  
pp. 001789692098162
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Hamad Ghalib Dailah
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Breathing Techniques ◽  
Educational Programmes ◽  
Asthma Patients ◽  
Programme Content

Background: This study explored the role of hospitals, specialised doctors and staff in developing patient awareness, participation and motivation concerning asthma control. It also looked at the challenges that undermine the value of asthma educational programmes, especially in an Arab cultural context. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 30 asthma patients who had been living with asthma for a long period of time. Results: Findings highlight how an asthma educational programme can increase patient knowledge about the causes of asthma. Following the programme, patients had a better understanding of levels of medication, breathing techniques and rest and relaxation. Awareness of support from health professionals for managing depression and frustration also increased. However, some patients felt that the asthma educational programme content and delivery was not very interactive and was too lengthy. Conclusion: Findings can help policy makers, researchers, hospitals, doctors and the national Ministry of Health improve the content of future asthma educational programmes. They can also inform the development of a research framework to extend understanding of relevant issues in an Arabian context.

scholarly journals Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 1) — a multi-actor qualitative study on success in science

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽  
Wim Pinxten
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Students

Abstract Background Success shapes the lives and careers of scientists. But success in science is difficult to define, let alone to translate in indicators that can be used for assessment. In the past few years, several groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the indicators currently used for assessing researchers. But given the lack of agreement on what should constitute success in science, most propositions remain unanswered. This paper aims to complement our understanding of success in science and to document areas of tension and conflict in research assessments. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series, with the current paper focusing on what defines and determines success in science. Respondents depicted success as a multi-factorial, context-dependent, and mutable construct. Success appeared to be an interaction between characteristics from the researcher (Who), research outputs (What), processes (How), and luck. Interviewees noted that current research assessments overvalued outputs but largely ignored the processes deemed essential for research quality and integrity. Interviewees suggested that science needs a diversity of indicators that are transparent, robust, and valid, and that also allow a balanced and diverse view of success; that assessment of scientists should not blindly depend on metrics but also value human input; and that quality should be valued over quantity. Conclusions The objective of research assessments may be to encourage good researchers, to benefit society, or simply to advance science. Yet we show that current assessments fall short on each of these objectives. Open and transparent inter-actor dialogue is needed to understand what research assessments aim for and how they can best achieve their objective. Study Registration osf.io/33v3m.

Children's History: Implications of Childhood Beliefs for Teachers of Aboroginal Students

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Race Relations ◽  
Liberal Education ◽  
Aboriginal Education ◽  
Scholarly Book ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Australian History ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Indigenous Teachers

While conducting research intended to explore the underlying thoughts and assumptions held by non-Indigenous teachers and policy makers involved in Aboriginal education I dug out my first book on Australian history which had been given when I was about seven years old. Titled Australia From the Beginning (Pownall, 1980), the book was written for children and was not a scholarly book. It surprised me, then, to find so many of my own understandings and assumptions about Aboriginal affairs and race relations in this book despite four years of what had seemed quite liberal education in Australian history.

scholarly journals Clinical signs of trachoma are prevalent among Solomon Islanders who have no persistent markers of prior infection with Chlamydia trachomatis

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Robert Butcher ◽  
Oliver Sokana ◽  
Kelvin Jack ◽  
Leslie Sui ◽  
Charles Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Sexual Debut ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Health Organization

Background: The low population-prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis and high prevalence of trachomatous inflammation–follicular (TF) provide contradictory estimates of the magnitude of the public health threat from trachoma in the Solomon Islands. Improved characterisation of the biology of trachoma in the region may support policy makers as they decide what interventions are required. Here, age-specific profiles of anti-Pgp3 antibodies and conjunctival scarring were examined to determine whether there is evidence of ongoing transmission and pathology from ocular Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection. Methods: A total of 1511 individuals aged ≥1 year were enrolled from randomly selected households in 13 villages in which >10% of children aged 1–9 years had TF prior to a single round of azithromycin mass drug administration undertaken six months previously. Blood was collected to be screened for antibodies to the Ct antigen Pgp3. Tarsal conjunctival photographs were collected for analysis of scarring severity. Results: Anti-Pgp3 seropositivity was 18% in 1–9 year olds, sharply increasing around the age of sexual debut to reach 69% in those over 25 years. Anti-Pgp3 seropositivity did not increase significantly between the ages of 1–9 years and was not associated with TF (p=0.581) or scarring in children (p=0.472). Conjunctival scars were visible in 13.1% of photographs. Mild (p<0.0001) but not severe (p=0.149) scars increased in prevalence with age. Conclusions: Neither conjunctival scars nor lymphoid follicles were associated with antibodies to Ct, suggesting that they are unlikely to be a direct result of ocular Ct infection. Clinical signs of trachoma were prevalent in this population but were not indicative of the underlying rates of Ct infection. The current World Health Organization guidelines for trachoma elimination indicated that this population should receive intervention with mass distribution of antibiotics, but the data presented here suggest that this may not have been appropriate.

scholarly journals "We Never Knew":  The Differences between Museum History and  Academic History Explored through an  Exhibition of the New Zealand Wars

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elspeth Hocking
Keyword(s):  
Public History ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Presentation Modes ◽  
Academic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Museum History ◽  
Conducting Research

<p>Public history and academic history have been viewed both as opposites, two practices related only by their concern with sharing the past, as well as conceptualised as similar fields with close connections to each other. Museum history exhibitions are an obvious example of public history in action. However, is the history that exhibitions present all that different from what is produced in the academy, or is this history academia in another form? Initially this dissertation aimed to explore the relationships between academic and public histories as discipline and practice, assuming a relationship rather than divide between the two fields as suggested in some of the literature. However, the eventual results of the research were different than expected, and suggested that in fact public histories manifest very differently to academic histories within a museum context. Using an adapted ethnographic research methodology, this dissertation traces the development of a single history exhibition, "Te Ahi Kā Roa, Te Ahi Kātoro Taranaki War 1860–2010: Our Legacy – Our Challenge", from its concept development to opening day and onwards to public programmes. This exhibition opened at Puke Ariki in New Plymouth in March 2010, and was a provocative display not only of the history of the wars themselves, but of the legacy of warfare in the Taranaki community. Other methods include partially structured interviews which were conducted with ten people involved in creating this exhibition, who outlined their roles in its production and provided their views on its development, and also a brief analysis of the broader social and historical context in which the exhibition was staged. Through tracing the creation of this history, the findings suggested that the history produced at Puke Ariki is a history in its own right, with noticeable differences from academic histories. The strongest correlation between public and academic history in this instance was the shared aspiration to be rigorous in conducting research and, as far as possible, to create an accurate portrayal of the past. Otherwise the history created by Puke Ariki through the exhibition proved to be different in that it was deliberately designed to be very accessible, and it utilised a number of presentation modes, including objects, text, audiovisual and sound. It was interactive, and had a clear aim of enabling the audience to participate in a discussion about the history being presented. Finally, it was a highly politicised history, in that decision making had to be negotiated with source communities in a collaborative fashion, and issues of censorship worked through with the council, a major funding source. The dissertation concludes that producing history in a museum context is a dynamic and flexible process, and one that can be successful despite not necessarily following theoretical models of exhibition development.</p>

scholarly journals Meeting the challenge of (co-)designing real-world laboratories: Insights from the Well-Being Transformation Wuppertal project

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rose ◽  
Katrin Maibaum
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Project Proposal ◽  
Management Communication ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Project Documentation ◽  
Organisational Structures

As transdisciplinary and transformative research approaches, real-world laboratories (RwLs) come with many pitfalls. Their design and implementation place high demands on everyone involved, which means that realistically, things rarely go smoothly. The following Design Report shares the lessons learned about establishing and adjusting communication and organisational structures in RwLs.What should we take into account when setting up real-world laboratories (RwLs)? In our analysis of the experience of (co-)designing three RwLs within the Well-Being Transformation Wuppertal research project, we examine both the origin of the project proposal and its implementation, from management, communication and inter- and transdisciplinarity to actor dynamics and recruitment criteria for staff. We especially highlight the effects of the initial co-design phase (project proposal) on the RwL’s implementation, focusing on the challenges which arose and how these were addressed.We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews, analysed relevant project documentation and reflected on the research team’s own experiences. The transdisciplinary and transformative dimensions of the RwL approach are the areas where significant lessons were learned. RwLs are unique in their extraordinarily strong need to balance different roles and resources, even as many of their challenges and solutions resemble those which also arise in transdisciplinary research. The uniqueness of RwLs lies in their objective to co-produce not only socially robust knowledge but also tangible real-world change through experimentation.

scholarly journals Fraud in overseas aid and the challenge of measurement

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Button ◽  
Chris Lewis ◽  
David Shepherd ◽  
Graham Brooks
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
International Development ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study to applying more accurate measures of fraud. Findings – This paper shows there are significant challenges to using fraud loss measurement to gauge fraud in overseas aid. However, it argues that, along with other types of measures, it could be used in areas of expenditure in overseas governments and charities to measure aid. Given the high risk of such aid to fraud, it argues helping to develop capacity to reduce aid, of which measuring the size of the problem is an important part; this could be considered as aid in its own right. Research limitations/implications – The researchers were not able to visit high-risk countries for fraud to examine in the local context views on the challenges of measuring fraud. Practical implications – The paper offers insights on the challenges to accurately measuring fraud in an overseas context, which will be useful to policy-makers in this context. Social implications – Given the importance of as much aid as possible reaching recipients, it offers an important contribution to helping to reduce losses in this important area. Originality/value – There has been very little consideration of how to measure fraud in the overseas aid context, with most effort aimed at corruption, which poses some of the same challenges, as well as some very different challenges.

Physician Diagnosis and Knowledge of Mild Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Emilie M. Blair ◽  
Darin B. Zahuranec ◽  
Jane Forman ◽  
Bailey K. Reale ◽  
Kenneth M. Langa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Physician Knowledge ◽  
Myocardial Infraction ◽  
Adequate Understanding ◽  
Physician Recommendations ◽  
Multiple Health ◽  
And Training

Background: Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) receive fewer guideline-concordant treatments for multiple health conditions than those with normal cognition. Reasons for this disparity are unclear. Objective: To better understand this disparity, we describe physician understanding and experience with patient MCI, particularly physician identification of MCI, ability to distinguish between MCI and dementia, and perspectives on education and training in MCI and dementia. Methods: As part of a mixed-methods study assessing the influence of patient MCI on physician recommendations for acute myocardial infraction and stroke treatments, we conducted a descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured interviews of physicians from three specialties. Key question topics included participants’ identification of MCI, impressions of MCI and dementia awareness within their practice specialty, and perspectives on training and education in MCI. Results: The study included 22 physicians (8 cardiologists, 7 neurologists, and 7 internists). We identified two primary themes: There is 1) a lack of adequate understanding of the distinction between MCI and dementia; and 2) variation in physician approaches to identifying whether an older adult has MCI. Conclusion: These findings suggest that physicians have a poor understanding of MCI. Our results suggest that interventions that improve physician knowledge of MCI are needed.

Challenges of Green Office Implementation: A Case Study in Penang, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ong Yee Sin ◽  
◽  
Nor'Aini Yusof ◽  
Atasya Osmadi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
State Government ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Green Practices

This study was conducted in response to the lack of green office buildings in Malaysia, despite the fact that the green concept has been initiated in Malaysia for many years. The Penang State Government has taken the initiative to establish the Penang Green Council (PGC) as the first state in Malaysia, and the implementation of green offices is one of its programme initiatives. Nonetheless, green offices are still in scarcity across Penang. This study identified the challenges faced in implementing green offices. Data were collected from five green building owners using semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The outcomes revealed that the main challenges faced by green office adoption were lack of budget, lack of awareness, lack of expertise, ownership factor, and type of building. This study offers several implications for practitioners and policy makers to improve the adoption of green office in Malaysia. The results may be applied to raise awareness amongst practitioners and office owners regarding green practices in office buildings. The study outcomes may serve as reference to policy makers on enhancing the development of green buildings.

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