Development of multidisciplinary workshops between different subjects as an innovative teaching methodology for the acquisition of professional skills of the future architect

The implantation of the new Architecture Degree and the important normative changes in the building sector imply the need to use new teaching methodologies that enhance skills and competences in order to response to the increasing requirements demanded by society to the future architect. The aim of this paper is to present, analyze and discuss the development of multidisciplinary workshops as a new teaching methodology used in several Construction subjects of the Architecture Degree in the University of Alicante. Workshops conceived with the aim to synthesize and complement the technical knowledge acquired by the students during the Degree and to enhance the skills and competencies necessary for the professional practice. With that purpose, we decided to experiment on current subjects of the degree during this academic year, by applying the requirements defined in the future Architecture Degree in a practical way, through workshops between different subjects, superposing the technical knowledge with the resolution of constructive problems in the development of an architectural project. Developing these workshops between subjects we can dissolve the traditional boundaries between different areas of the Degree. This multidisciplinary workshop methodology allows the use of all the global knowledge acquired by students during their studies and at the same time, it enhances students’ ability to communicate and discuss their ideas and solutions in public. It also increases their capacity of self-criticism, and it foments their ability to undertake learning strategies and research in an autonomous way. The used methodology is based on the development of a practical work common to several subjects of different knowledge areas within the "Technology Block" of the future Architecture Degree. Thus, students work approaching the problem in a global way discussing simultaneously with teachers from different areas. By using these new workshops we stimulate an interactive class versus a traditional lecture. Work is evaluated continuously, valuing the participative pupil´s attitude, working in groups in class time, reaching weekly objectives and stimulating the individual responsibility and positive interdependence of the pupil inside the working group. The exercises are designed to improve students’ ability to transmit their ideas and solutions in public, knowing how to discuss and defend their technical resolutions to peers and teachers (Peer Reviewing), their capacity for self-criticism and their capacity to undertake strategies and autonomous learning processes at the same time they develop a personal research into new technologies, systems and materials. Students have shown their majority preference for this teaching methodology by the multidisciplinary workshops offered in the last years, with very satisfactory academic results. In conclusion, it can be verified nowadays the viability of the introduction of new contents and new teaching methodologies necessary for the acquisition of the skills in the future Architecture Degree, through workshops between several subjects that have had a great acceptance in students and positive contrasted academic results.

Evaluación del practicum en la formación de posgrado en los estudios de comunicación desde una orientación profesional y discente

La investigación evaluativa se erige como una herramienta necesaria para reorientar las propuestas docentes desarrolladas con los estudiantes. A través de este estudio se evalúa la consecución de los objetivos relacionados con las prácticas profesionales de los alumnos del Master Comunicación en Industrias Creativas, durante el curso académico 2011-2012, en la Universidad de Alicante. Los resultados obtenidos permiten establecer una reflexión en torno a la orientación futura que debemos otorgar a este proceso de intervención didáctica, reforzando los objetivos de aprendizaje menos consolidados.

Conhecimento e adesão da prática de higienização das mãos dos profissionais da saúde: revisão de literatura

O presente estudo objetiva conhecer a produção científica da saúde acerca da higienização das mãos realizada pelos profissionais e relacionar o conhecimento e adesão do profissional a essa prática. Trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática, realizado na Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS), nas bases de dados LILACS e SCIELO, com os descritores: pessoal de saúde, lavagem de mãos e adesão. Selecionou-se 13 artigos no período de 2002 a 2012, que foram analisados em categorias. Os critérios de inclusão para a seleção dos artigos foram: artigos publicados em português e estar disponível em texto completo. Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciaram que a grande maioria dos profissionais tem embasamento teórico e prático sobre higienização das mãos. Porém, no campo de trabalho temos resultados contrários, não há adesão esperada nem a técnica correta da lavagem das mãos. Por diversos motivos ainda não realizam por completo essa tarefa. Concluindo assim que as ações de educação que tem função de orientar e motivar esses profissionais devem ser discutidas e implementadas, a fim de sanar todas as dúvidas que ainda existem sobre a técnica de higienização das mãos.

Integrating Evidence-Based Practice in the Training Programme Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, University Jaume I

The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) aims to combine a form methodological process of professional experience in health with the most current information on the clinical situation. The professional novice can make better decisions despite lacking sufficient years in clinical practice. We then train the student in correct habits within the methodological process by which you can strengthen both their knowledge and their attitude and ability, allowing secure customs, where all of your work is based on PBE.

Benefits of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards: a literature review

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the similarities and differences between the benefits derived from implementing the ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001 standards. Methodology/Approach: The paper reviews the literature using an electronic search in the ScienceDirect, ABI/Inform, Emerald databases to identify papers focusing on the adoption of the ISO 9001 and 14001 standards and the benefits derived from implementing them. Findings: The paper identifies 82 articles about ISO 9001 and 29 about ISO 14001. Although some differences can be observed between the benefits considered by ISO 9001 and 14001, there is a great degree of coincidence in the benefits studied. The review suggests 13 benefits as the most usually analyzed (including environmental performance for the case of the ISO 14001 standard) by scholars. It is suggested that both standards have clear benefits on operational, people and customer results and that the effects on financial performance are inconclusive. Limitations/implications: One limitation of this paper is that the works identified are conditioned by the search strategy used. In addition, other key words could be included in future studies such as operational, market, quality, financial performance, and customer satisfaction in order to expand this search. Originality/Value: The main contribution is that the paper identifies the literature gap and future research proposals with regard to the benefits of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.

Teachers’ beliefs about diversity: an analysis from a personal and professional perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs that teachers have about diversity and their level of sensitivity towards some topics related to it. Moreover, beliefs were compared according to teachers’ personal and professional views and teaching experience. The Personal and Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scales (Pohan and Aguilar, 1999) were administered to a sample of 233 teachers. Results showed highly positive beliefs towards diversity in all its dimensions (cultural, linguistic and social diversity, ability, gender, sexual orientation and religion), especially regarding its personal implications compared to the professional ones. Likewise, it was observed a significant relationship between years of teaching experience and professional beliefs about diversity, so teachers with no school experience showed a higher tolerance than those with teaching experience, mainly in aspects related to cultural, linguistic and social differences, ability and gender. The implications that these results have for educational practice and the need for the development of multicultural education courses that favour an effective teaching are discussed.

Workshops in “Construction of Structures I”: A new teaching methodology in the Building Engineering Degree

Both the current economic situation in the construction sector and the continuous normative changes in the building area imply the use of new methodologies to enhance students’ competences in the degree of Building Engineer. The aim of this paper is to present, analyse and discuss the development of constructive workshops as a new teaching methodology used in the subject of Construction of Structures I at the University of Alicante to complement the constructive and technical knowledge acquired by our students and to enhance their communicative and representation skills essential for their professional practice in the future. The used methodology is based on the development of three-dimensional construction details (in groups of 3 or 4 students) to be shown in two A1-pannels exposed in the corridors of the Polytechnic School. Thus, students’ work approaches constructive problems in a global way by discussing simultaneously with teachers and other groups about the most suitable solution on each case. This contribution has multiperspective results and improves criticism of students in different areas, encouraging new learning strategies and active participation. What is more, on-line information and web applications have been used to prepare and organize this kind of workshops, allowing students to use new technologies as a complementary learning methodology. In conclusion, the use of these new workshops in the Degree of Building Engineer stimulates an interactive class versus a traditional lecture where the participative groups´ attitude and the development of oral presentations dissolve the traditional boundaries regarding public communication skills of the students in the Degree.

The Virtual Interactive Relationship Between BIM Project Teams: Effective Communication to aid Collaboration in the Design Process

Building Information Modelling (BIM) provides a shared source of information about a built asset, which creates a collaborative virtual environment for project teams. Literature suggests that to collaborate efficiently, the relationship between the project team is based on sympathy, obligation, trust and rapport. Communication increases in importance when working collaboratively but effective communication can only be achieved when the stakeholders are willing to act, react, listen and share information. Case study research and interviews with Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry experts suggest that synchronous face-to-face communication is project teams’ preferred method, allowing teams to socialise and build rapport, accelerating the creation of trust between the stakeholders. However, virtual unified communication platforms are a close second-preferred option for communication between the teams. Effective methods for virtual communication in professional practice, such as virtual collaboration environments (CVE), that build trust and achieve similar spontaneous responses as face-to-face communication, are necessary to face the global challenges and can be achieved with the right people, processes and technology. This research paper investigates current industry methods for virtual communication within BIM projects and explores the suitability of avatar interaction in a collaborative virtual environment as an alternative to face-to-face communication to enhance collaboration between design teams’ professional practice on a project. Hence, this paper presents comparisons between the effectiveness of these communication methods within construction design teams with results of further experiments conducted to test recommendations for more efficient methods for virtual communication to add value in the workplace between design teams.

Architectural Technology and the BIM Acronym 3: Getting to Grips with BIM

Among Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in particular, the UK Government’s ambitions regarding BIM uptake and diffusion across the construction sector may be tempered by a realpolitik shaped in part by interactions between the industry, Higher Education (HE) and professional practice. That premise also has a global perspective. Building on the previous 2 papers, Architectural technology and the BIM Acronym 1 and 2, this third iteration is a synthesis of research and investigations carried out over a number of years directly related to the practical implementation of BIM and its impact upon BE SMEs. First challenges, risks and potential benefits for SMEs and micros in facing up to the necessity to engage with digital tools in a competitive and volatile marketplace are discussed including tailoring BIM to suit business models, and filtering out achievable BIM outcomes from generic and bespoke aspects of practice. Second the focus is on setting up and managing teams engaging with BIM scenarios, including the role of clients; addresses a range of paradigms including lonely BIM and collaborative working. The significance of taking a whole life view with BIM is investigated including embedding soft landings principles into project planning and realisation. Thirdly procedures for setting up and managing common data environments are identified and the value of achieving smooth information flow is addressed. The overall objective of this paper is to provide SMEs with a practical strategy to develop a toolkit to BIM implementation.

Technologies for Seduction: The “Espacio Doméstico” VideoArt Center in Blanca [EDOM]

Sustainability, understood in its beginnings as a common horizon for multiple practices and fields of study, has gradually given way to the development of increasingly sophisticated tools, with distinct dominant meanings established for each discipline. Within the field of material technologies for architectural production, sustainability seems to have found its most fertile ground in topics such as recycling, the use of "bio" materials, or energetic efficiency. However, to improve the understanding of the impact of technology on our ways of living, it appears increasingly necessary to move from the deterministic logic of sustainability into the relational domain of ecology, where the use and deployment of technologies can be observed through the multiplicity of its effects and the diversity of actors involved. In this paper we will address the case of the rehabilitation of several traditional houses located in the Murcian town of Blanca to host the “Espacio Doméstico” VideoArt Center (EDOM). In this action the selection and implementation of technologies have been aimed at impacting on diverse aspects including local communities, digital manufacturing, recycling, and policies regarding the rehabilitation of heritage buildings. While the initial approach was to address housing recovery as a heterogeneous accumulation of stories, technologies or material deployments of the domestic, our intervention strategies ascribed to the different technologies the role of mediating with existing elements through the incorporation of the very different visions of sustainability. Thus, we displayed artifacts produced by digitally manufactured methacrylate assembled on IKEA structures, fluorescent power lines supported by insulators on the wall, fluorescent tattoos on walls and ceilings that guide and extend the configuration of existing flooring, esparto furniture and fabrics produced by the esparto women workers’ and village women’s associations, re-appropriations of old furniture through the implementation of new media technologies, etc. If we can see seduction as the process of converting affinities and disagreements into affirmative communication, then the EDOM proposal can be seen as an active seduction process between technologies and users who approach this kind of cultural artifacts. Through these permanently active processes, art technologies will refer the viewer to complex sensory experiences, where a combination of parody, memory and sound pushes the user to the limit of mere comprehension of works of art. This more relational approach to the issue of heritage rehabilitation, technology or art institutions is offered as an area of controversy and debate on the scope of political ecology and its potential impact on the architect’s professional practice.