Design and validation of a tool to assess the safety principles of working with nanomaterials in nanotechnology laboratories

Introduction: The unique properties of nanomaterials, in addition to their applications in science and technology, can be a threat to human health and the environment. Exposure to these materials may occur in workplaces or research laboratories. It can be said that about half of people with occupational exposure to nanomaterials work in academic environments and laboratories. So, the present study was conducted to design and validate a tool to investigate the principles of working safely with nanomaterials in research laboratories. Materials & Methods: The tool was designed using reports, instructions and articles related to " Methods of working safely with nanomaterials". The validity of the tool was assessed using Lawshe method by calculating CVI and CVR. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and kappa coefficient. Results: The tool was designed in 5 sections: "General Information", "Transportation and Storage of Nanomaterials", "Engineering Controls", "Administrative Controls" and "Personal Protection Equipment". After validation, 5 items did not get the necessary points to stay in the tool and were removed. The Cronbach's alpha value for each section of the tool was more than 0.80, indicating that the was "appropriate". Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that the tool studied in this study is compatible for the designed purpose and is ready to be used as a questionnaire or checklist.

Evaluation of the High human quality innovative potential in the framework of the establishment project of the Constantine 3 University

Purpose of the study: The quality of work-life focuses on everyone's attention. This innovative concept led us to look for appropriate ways to put it into practice in academic environments, particularly within the University of Constantine 3 in Algeria's teaching community and to which we are affiliated. Methodology: An online survey has been conducted for the attainment of the purpose. It has collected the lecturer’s satisfaction levels with their framework and working conditions. The researcher, therefore, targeted two groups of respondents to obtain the most varied possible feedbacks. The first group came from a social branch and the second from a technical one. A questionnaire was sent to both groups Main Findings: Results were cross-referenced with the objectives of the 2020-2024 establishment project initiated by the same University. The latter wants to prioritize wellbeing, improve the framework and means available to teachers. These cross-referenced elements have revealed a great concordance between the teachers' expectations and the University’s undertaken project. This shows promising prospects for the realization of high human quality. Applications of the study: The study is a perfect recommendation to emphasize the pre-eminence of High Human Quality HHQ in universities and make its economic, social, and environmental interest prevail for more sustainable, more competitive, and more attractive university spaces... Novelty/Originality of the study: Participating in these ongoing reflections allows us to make our reflections even more engaging. The human capital becomes then the essential element on which this research focuses: It is a question of searching for the probable reasons for its unproductivity and working to make it the instigator of the HHQ Label within the University.

Development and implementation of an online platform for curriculum mapping in medical education

Objectives Nowadays universities face ever-increasing demands on quality of education, which is crucial from perspective of future graduates. In face of the need of constant quality improvements of medical curricula, it is important to seek strategies for their efficient management. The general trend is to develop electronic support tools to streamline the curricular design, analysis and harmonization. Methods Based on the requirements we have identified by the needs analysis among curriculum designers, teachers and managers at five universities involved in the Building Curriculum Infrastructure in Medical Education (BCIME) project, and evidence published in literature on curriculum development, we have developed methodological guidelines on curriculum innovations and a software-based tools that help manage, map and analyse curricula in the medical and healthcare study fields. Results In this paper, we share our experiences with building and implementation of EDUportfolio, an online platform developed within our consortium and intended to facilitate harmonisation and optimisation of medical outcome-based curricula. Its functionalities and outputs were verified by pilot mapping of Anatomy curricula as taught at partner universities in five European countries. Conclusions The visualisation and the analysis of described curriculum data using natural language processing techniques revealed both the hidden relations between curriculum building blocks and a set of overlaps and gaps in curricula. In addition, we demonstrate both the usability of the platform in the context of the involved academic environments and the capability to map and compare curricula across different institutions and different countries.

Organisational Characteristics That Facilitate Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Higher Education?

Gender-based violence and sexual harassment (GBVH) by and towards academics and students has been under-theorised at an organisational level in higher education institutions (HEIs). The methodology involves a critical review of the literature on GBVH and organizational responses to it, locating it in the context of an analysis of organizational power. The theoretical perspective involves a focus on power and workplace bullying. It identifies three power-related characteristics of academic environments which it is suggested facilitate GBVH: their male-dominant hierarchical character; their neoliberal managerialist ethos and gender/intersectional incompetent leadership which perpetuates male entitlement and toxic masculinities. These characteristics also inhibit tackling GBVH by depicting it as an individual problem, encouraging informal coping and militating against the prosecution of perpetrators. Initiating a discussion and action at organizational and state levels about GBVH as a power-related phenomenon, challenging the dominant neo-liberal ethos and the hierarchical character of HEIs, as well as reducing their male dominance and increasing the gender competence of those in positions of power are seen as initial steps in tackling the problem.

Aplicación de la técnica puzle como estrategia de aprendizaje cooperativo en ingeniería sísmica = Jigsaw method application as cooperative learnig strategy in earthquake engineering

La técnica de puzle es un método de aprendizaje cooperativo ampliamente implementado en ámbitos académicos que ha demostrado su eficacia en la adquisición de competencias fundamentales y transversales en la formación. La organización en grupos pequeños favorece la interacción entre alumnos y la división del trabajo en tareas separadas, fomentando la interdependencia positiva, característica fundamental en el aprendizaje cooperativo. Este trabajo presenta la aplicación de la técnica puzle a un bloque de la asignatura “Seminarios” del Máster en Ingeniería Sísmica de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Tras su aplicación, se observa que el alumno adquiere de forma muy satisfactoria los contenidos de la materia, así como una mejora sustancial en la formación en competencias transversales y en el desarrollo de habilidades sociales. Los resultados positivos de esta experiencia ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de fomentar la implantación de metodologías docentes innovadoras en las enseñanzas técnicas universitarias.AbstractCooperative jigsaw method is widely spread in academic environments and it has demonstrated its efficiency on the acquisition of professional and transversal competences. The organization in small groups improves the interaction between students and the work partitioning in independent tasks, promoting the positive interdependence which is crucial for cooperative learning. The present study applies the jigsaw method to the “Seminars” course from MScs in Earthquake Engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. As a result of the application of this method, it is observed that the students learn the content of the subject, and improve substantially the transversal competences and social skills. This study supports the need of implementing innovative educational methods in the technical studies

Voices of Undergraduate Students With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Social distancing, lockdown, and other restrictive measures imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic led universities to transfer to remote online instruction. Several studies examined the impact of online instruction on students’ academic and socioemotional performance, whereas only limited research evidence exists concerning the performance of university students with disabilities (SWD) during online learning. This exploratory qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of nine undergraduate SWD during the COVID-19 pandemic. A thematic analysis revealed that SWD experienced multiple adversities related to academic (e.g., accommodations, communication with university instructors, academic advisor) and socioemotional (stress, routine disruption, lockdown effects) areas. We compared and contrasted our study findings with existing literature on creating equitable academic environments and reducing access barriers for all students.

so Angry, so Black

The constant fear that exists within me, in both academic and non-academic environments, to avoid being the ‘angry black woman’ has left me paralyzed and feeling invisible. Academia, even academia that is centered on human betterment, is whitewashed. It is disheartening learning about the oppression of the marginalized from a perspective that can only empathize. It is from this place that I anchor the following poem. What the poem lacks in length it makes up for in raw emotion. The burden of being Black and femme for the entirety of one’s life is a heavy cross to bear. Black women are continuously failed inside and outside of the Black community. Black women are the foot soldiers, the healers, the tacticians, the martyrs, and yet, their compensation is abuse. In this year of 2020, a devastating decade that has still not given us any peace, I fully accept being the angry Black woman. Unequivocally, unapologetically.

An Indoor Navigation Methodology for Mobile Devices by Integrating Augmented Reality and Semantic Web

Indoor navigation systems incorporating augmented reality allow users to locate places within buildings and acquire more knowledge about their environment. However, although diverse works have been introduced with varied technologies, infrastructure, and functionalities, a standardization of the procedures for elaborating these systems has not been reached. Moreover, while systems usually handle contextual information of places in proprietary formats, a platform-independent model is desirable, which would encourage its access, updating, and management. This paper proposes a methodology for developing indoor navigation systems based on the integration of Augmented Reality and Semantic Web technologies to present navigation instructions and contextual information about the environment. It comprises four modules to define a spatial model, data management (supported by an ontology), positioning and navigation, and content visualization. A mobile application system was developed for testing the proposal in academic environments, modeling the structure, routes, and places of two buildings from independent institutions. The experiments cover distinct navigation tasks by participants in both scenarios, recording data such as navigation time, position tracking, system functionality, feedback (answering a survey), and a navigation comparison when the system is not used. The results demonstrate the system’s feasibility, where the participants show a positive interest in its functionalities.

Fundraising in education: a road map to the ask (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED This is a time of economic, societal, and political challenges in higher education. Traditional funding models must change as governments decrease funding and often freeze tuition at a domestic level. As a result, there is an increasing need to diversify their business models, including revenue streams. Because of this, universities are more focused than ever on fundraising dollars. To diversify their traditional revenue streams, universities are increasing their international student recruitment efforts and are expanding their research boundaries as global actors and agents of change. Therefore, interest in raising significant funds from private sources is stronger than ever, leading to the need for a more sophisticated fundraising approach. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the critical role medical educators play in helping universities with their global impact and fundraising efforts. Medical educators must become agents of change and reflect on strategies to ensure the successful implementation of fundraising programs in academic environments toward achieving maximum impact.