Conception and implementation of interdisciplinarity in the Human-Environment Observatories (OHM, CNRS)

To respond to the complexity of the socioecosystemic crises that increasingly affect an anthropized and globalized planet, since 2007 the author has developed and implemented within the framework of the CNRS Ecology and Environment Institute (INEE) a comprehensive interdisciplinary system known as the Human-Environment Observatories (or OHM, of which there were 13 in 2019), a laureate of the Laboratory for Excellence project (LabEx) as part of the French Government’s ‘Investing in the future’ programme (‘Programme d’investissement d’avenir’, PIA) since 2012. The author presents what interdisciplinarity means in this framework, how it differs from conventionally identified interdisciplinary exchanges, how it is conceived and implemented, from the theoretical to the most practical level. He provides some examples of work and in a discussion, positions this system and its principles with regard to the existing frameworks and systems.

State of Digitisation and Gap Analysis Surveys

Recent developments in digitisation technologies and equipment have enabled advances in the rate of natural history specimen digitisation. However Europe’s Natural History Collection Institutions are home to over one billion specimens and currently only a small fraction of these have been digitally catalogued with fewer imaged. It is clear that institutions still face huge challenges when digitising the vast number of specimens in their collections. I will present the results of two surveys that aimed to discover the main successes and challenges facing institutions in their digitisation programmes. The first survey was undertaken in 2014 within the SYNTHESYS 3 project and gathered information from project partners on their current digitisation facilities, equipment and workflows providing some key recommendations based on these findings. The second survey was completed more recently in 2017, through the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) Digitisation Working Group. This survey aimed to discover the successful protocols and implementation of digitisation, and to identify the shortfalls in resources and protocols. Results from both surveys will be fed into the future programme of the CETAF Digitisation Working Group as well as forthcoming and proposed EU projects, including Innovation and Consolidation for large-scale Digitisation of natural heritage (ICEDIG).

Implementing a standardised annual programme review process in a third-level institution

Purpose Ideally, quality should be, and is, an integral element of education, yet capturing and articulating quality is not simple. Programme quality reviews in third-level education can demonstrate quality and identify areas for improvement, offering many potential benefits. However, details on the process of quality programme review are limited in the literature. This study aims to report on the introduction of a standardised programme review process in one university. Design/methodology/approach Using a standardised template, the annual programme review (APR) process captured student voice, external examiner reports, statistical data and action/s since the previous review. Following completion of programme reviews across the university, the APR process was itself evaluated using questionnaires and focus groups. Findings Findings showed that the programme chairs understood the rationale for the review, welcomed the standardised format and felt the information could inform future programme planning. However, in the focus group, issues arose about the timing, ownership and possible alternate use of the data collected in the course of the review. Research limitations/implications This case study demonstrates the experience of APR in a single third-level institution, therefore, limiting generalisability. Practical implications APR offers a comprehensive record of the programme that can be carried out with efficacy and efficiency. The study illustrates one institution’s experience, and this may assist others in using similar quality evaluation tools. Using APR allows quality to be measured, articulated and improved. Social implications Using APR allows quality, or its lack to be to be measured, articulated and improved in the delivery of education at a third-level institution. Originality/value This study demonstrates the experience of the introduction of an APR process in one higher education institute. Programme review is an important and essential part of academia in the 21st century. At third level, quality assurance is, or should be, a central part of academic programmes and delivery. The review of the first implementation has provided valuable information that will inform future programme review processes. Academic programmes grow, evolve and need to be reviewed regularly. It is hoped that the information reported here will aid others developing academic review procedures.