Butterpaper, sweat & tears : the affective dimension of engaging students during the architectural critique

Considering how dominant a feature of architectural education the critique has been, and continues to be, little has been written about the affective dimension of engaging students during this key final stage of the design or documentation process. For most students, the critique is unlike any previous educational or life experience that they have ever confronted, and the abrupt change in the instructor’s role, from tutor to judge, can be disconcerting at a time when the student is feeling their most vulnerable. The fact that the period immediately leading up to the critique habitually entails not only a focused and sustained effort, but also sleepless nights of intensive work, further exacerbates this. The purpose of this paper is to recognise the affective phenomena influencing student engagement, during the critique. The participants of this research were second to fourth year architecture students at a major Australian university. Following the implementation of trials in alternative modes of critique in architectural design and technology studios, qualitative data was obtained from students, through questionnaires and interviews. Six indicators of engagement were investigated through this research: motivation and agency, transactional engagement with staff, transactional engagement with students, institutional support, active citizenship, and non-institutional support. This research confirms that affective phenomena play a significant role in the events of the critique; the relationship between instructor and student influences student engagement, as does the choreography and spatial planning of the critique environment; and these factors ultimately have an impact on the depth of student learning.

The paradox of creative uncertainty in learning and teaching

In an ever-changing and globalised world there is a need for higher education to adapt and evolve its models of learning and teaching. The old industrial model has lost traction, and new patterns of creative engagement are required. These new models potentially increase relevancy and better equip students for the future. Although creativity is recognised as an attribute that can contribute much to the development of these pedagogies, and creativity is valued by universities as a graduate capability, some educators understandably struggle to translate this vision into practice. This paper reports on selected survey findings from a mixed methods research project which aimed to shed light on how creativity can be designed for in higher education learning and teaching settings. A social constructivist epistemology underpinned the research and data was gathered using survey and case study methods. Descriptive statistical methods and informed grounded theory were employed for the analysis reported here. The findings confirm that creativity is valued for its contribution to the development of students’ academic work, employment opportunities and life in general; however, tensions arise between individual educator’s creative pedagogical goals and the provision of institutional support for implementation of those objectives. Designing for creativity becomes, paradoxically, a matter of navigating and limiting complexity and uncertainty, while simultaneously designing for those same states or qualities.

Estrategias de gestión y producción escénica en el teatro independiente argentino de 2001 a 2011

Resumen: Este ensayo establece una territorialización de los lenguajes teatrales alternativos como zona específica de la cultura urbana, y los historiza en la tradición de la escena independiente argentina. Analiza el contexto específico de la crisis financiera que eclosionó en 2001 y la producción más reciente, dando cuenta de un periodo tan conflictivo en lo económico como prolífico en lo teatral. Se describen las actividades de gestión y producción escénicas, que incluyen la búsqueda de espacios, subsidios y respaldo institucional, y la implementación de estrategias de difusión y explotación. Estas labores específicas son desarrolladas de manera particular por numerosos teatristas argentinos de entre 30 y 40 años, ya legitimados, incluso a nivel internacional. Estos dramaturgos-actores-directores co-construyen representaciones sociales compartidas, y manifiestan diferentes modalidades estratégicas asociativas, tales como la rotación de roles y el trabajo en colaboración.

Laço da Laje: jovens produtores de cultura

O que é feito ou o que acontece com um grupo que se forma na juventude? Muitos podem ser os caminhos tomados, escolhas poderão ser feitas. Muitas dessas escolhas podem estar relacionadas à forma como esses grupos desenvolveram suas produções culturais e quais foram as relações extragrupo que fizeram parte de sua trajetória. Os grupos de jovens das periferias e favelas que produzem cultura se constituem de maneiras bem heterogêneas, há várias formas e caminhos de se fazer parte de um grupo cultural. A presente dissertação investiga, especificamente, como um grupo de jovens moradores de favelas se organiza e produz cultura sem apoio institucional. De que modo as suas produções têm algo de novo, um outro olhar com relação à produção cultural vigente? A partir do conceito de função fraterna, discutido por um grupo de psicanalistas coordenado por Maria Rita Kehl, pretendo investigar como essa organização horizontal se constitui na busca de um local de pertencimento. Com caráter interdisciplinar, essa pesquisa propõe também um laço fraterno ou na horizontalidade, entre Psicanálise, Educação e Ciências Sociais.

A process for community-based fisheries co-management

There are many similarities, and some differences, between community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) and co-management. When CBCRM is considered an integral part of co-management, there is a new category of co-management which can be called community-based co-management. Community-based co-management is people-centered, community-oriented, resources-based and partnership-based. The implementation of community-based co-management has four components: resources management, community and economic development, capability building, and institutional support.

The value of cooperatives in rural electrification

The electricity sectors of many developing countries underwent substantial reforms during the 1980s and 1990s, driven by global agendas of privatization and liberalization. However, rural electrification offered little by way of market incentives for profit-seeking private companies and was often neglected. As a consequence, delivery models for rural electrification need to change. This paper will review the experiences of various rural electrification delivery models that have been established in developing countries, including concessionary models, dealership approaches and the strengthening of small and medium-sized energy businesses. It will use examples from the USA, Bangladesh and Nepal, together with a detailed case study of a Nepali rural electric cooperative, to explore the role that local cooperatives can play in extending electricity access. It is shown that although there is no magic bullet solution to deliver rural electrification, if offered appropriate financial and institutional support, socially orientated cooperative businesses can be a willing, efficient and effective means of extending and managing rural electricity services. It is expected that this paper will be of particular value to policy-makers, donors, project planners and implementers currently working in the field of rural electrification. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

中尺度生态农业建设效益评价指标体系研究

作者首先提出了中尺度生态农业建设效益的评价指标体系 ,然后运用“层次分析法”确定了各个指标的权重 ,并以燕沟流域为对象对这一指标体系进行了验证

黄土高原丘陵沟壑区的土壤侵蚀与土地利用

黄土高原丘陵沟壑区生态农业建设的目标是调和自然和人类的关系 ,不合理的土地利用是导致土壤侵蚀的主要因素 ,控制严重的土壤侵蚀并改善提高当地人民的生活水平 ,合理利用土地资源调整土地利用结构是建设秀美山川的根本出路

黄土高原中部丘陵区生态农业结构模式及阶段目标

分析了黄土丘陵区农业生产现状和存在的主要问题 ,指出广种薄收习惯是导致土地利用不合理 ,植被遭到破坏 ,进而水土流失加剧和生态环境恶化 ,农业生产力降低的根源。该地区生态农业建设的核心是改变广种薄收习惯 ,治理水土流失 ,不断调整优化土地利用和产业结构。依据土地资源状况提出目前阶段 1 2 34的土地利用结构模式。认为在占总土地面积 2 0 %的基本农田和果园 ,只要实行集约化经营就可实现较高的经济效益 ,70 %的土地应为林草地。根据生态农业的基本原则和当前生产水平提出生态农业建设三个阶段的不同指标和适宜治理度 ,当前该地区主导产业的发展应以资源—结构—质量型模式为主

黄土丘陵区农业生态经济系统分析

通过对黄土丘陵区农业生态经济系统结构演变过程和 3种不同生态农业建设模式的分析 ,提出了农业生态经济系统建设的基本思路

黄土丘陵沟壑区数字单元景观研究

根据黄土高原丘陵沟壑区景观的基本特征 ,论述了单元景观的基本概念和分异规律 ,建立了数字单元景观的技术方法 ,并以燕沟为例 ,简要阐述了数字单元景观研究的程序、方法和实践意义

The relationship between rural livelihoods and livestock keeping: the case of Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia

This study examines the relationship between rural livelihoods and livestock keeping in Sidama Zones, southern Ethiopia. The livelihood context, assets and strategies of households are the key features of rural livelihoods considered in the study; while households’ livestock ownership, dependence on livestock and livestock management are the main aspects of livestock keeping examined. The study used the sustainable livelihood approach as a framework for data collection and analysis. Describing the main features of rural livelihoods and livestock keeping, and the general pattern of relationship between them, this study mainly aims at identifying the main livelihood factors that determine livestock keeping in the study area. Descriptive statistics, pair wise correlations, mean comparisons and analysis of variance were used to describe rural livelihoods and livestock keeping as well as the relationship between them. Tobit regressions were used to examine the effect of the various livelihood factors on households’ livestock ownership and dependence; Poisson regressions are used to investigate the factors that influence the intensity of livestock management measured by the use of different technologies and inputs. The findings indicated that a number of livelihood factors - assets, livelihood strategies, livelihood shocks and institutional supports - significantly determine the different aspects of livestock keeping. These include: human assets such as age, education and family size; social assets such as membership to social groups; financial assets such as credit; natural assets such as land, and household physical assets; and livelihood strategies such as diversification into farm and nonfarm activities, and coping mechanisms. In addition the livelihood vulnerability context such as shocks and institutional support are among the main determinants of livestock keeping. The results, by and large, matched the findings of previous studies, and it is concluded that households livestock keeping depends on their livelihoods. Accordingly, it is recommended that policies aiming at livestock asset building and productivity improvement should take the livelihoods of rural households in to consideration. As such the study contribute to scholarly works in the area of rural livelihoods, in general, and livestock keeping, in particular. It also contributes to a better understanding of the problems of livestock keeping within the context of rural livelihoods in the country and to the formulation of appropriate policy for the development of the sector.

BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS TO OPEN SOURCE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INNOVATION THROUGH COLLABORATION

It has been proposed that the field of appropriate technology (AT) - small-scale, energy efficient and low-cost solutions, can be of tremendous assistance in many of the sustainable development challenges, such as food and water security, health, shelter, education and work opportunities. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a significant uptake of AT by organizations, researchers, policy makers or the mainstream public working in the many areas of the development sector. Some of the biggest barriers to higher AT engagement include: 1) AT perceived as inferior or ‘poor persons technology’, 2) questions of technological robustness, design, fit and transferability, 3) funding, 4) institutional support, as well as 5) general barriers associated with tackling rural poverty. With the rise of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for online networking and knowledge sharing, the possibilities to tap into the collaborative open-access and open-source AT are growing, and so is the prospect for collective poverty reducing strategies, enhancement of entrepreneurship, communications, education and a diffusion of life-changing technologies. In short, the same collaborative philosophy employed in the success of open source software can be applied to hardware design of technologies to improve sustainable development efforts worldwide. To analyze current barriers to open source appropriate technology (OSAT) and explore opportunities to overcome such obstacles, a series of interviews with researchers and organizations working in the field of AT were conducted. The results of the interviews confirmed the majority of literature identified barriers, but also revealed that the most pressing problem for organizations and researchers currently working in the field of AT is the need for much better communication and collaboration to share the knowledge and resources and work in partnership. In addition, interviews showcased general receptiveness to the principles of collaborative innovation and open source on the ground level. A much greater focus on networking, collaboration, demand-led innovation, community participation, and the inclusion of educational institutions through student involvement can be of significant help to build the necessary knowledge base, networks and the critical mass exposure for the growth of appropriate technology.

Understanding the collaborative experience between researchers and health care practitioners:Implications for gerontological nursing practice

The health care field is a new arena for collaborative research carried out by practitioner-researcher teams. Although the current literature discusses factors supportive of such teams, most evidence is anecdotal or descriptive of pilot projects. In this article, the authors use survey and interview data to document health care practitioners' views on collaborative research with an experienced researcher/ mentor. Topics covered include a description of the research project and process, positive and negative aspects of doing research, expectations, recommendations to colleagues starting research, and desirable characteristics in practitioners and researchers on collaborative research teams. Of all attributes mentioned, personal traits and skills were among the most frequently mentioned for both practitioners and researchers, followed by research knowledge and attitudes for practitioners, and teaching skills for researchers. The article also addresses factors important to the success of collaborative research: how to develop a project, characteristics of collaborative team members, team functioning, and institutional support. Copyright © 2000 Taylor & Francis.

A qualitative enquiry into the appropriation of mobile telephony at the bottom of the pyramid

Purpose: The paper aims to analyse Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) customers’ (e.g. Bangladeshi farmers) use and appropriation of mobile telephony and to critically identify a suitable research strategy for such investigation.

Design/methodology/approach: Concentrated ethnographic immersion was combined with both methodological and investigator triangulation during a four-month period of fieldwork conducted in Bangladeshi villages to obtain more robust findings. Concentrated immersion was required to achieve relatively speedier engagement owing to the difficulty in engaging with respondents on a long-term basis.

Findings: The farmers’ use of mobile telephony went beyond the initial adoption, as they appropriated it through social and institutional support, inventive means and/or changes in their own lifestyle. The paper argues that technology appropriation, being a result of the mutual shaping of technology, human skills and abilities and macro-environmental factors, enables users to achieve desired outcomes which may not always be the ones envisaged by the original designers.

Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to two major areas: first, it identifies technology appropriation as an important and emerging concept in international marketing research; second, it suggests a concentrated form of ethnographic engagement for studying technology appropriation in a developing country context.

Practical implications: A good understanding of the dynamic interplay between users’ skills and abilities, social contexts and technological artefacts/applications is required in order for businesses to serve BoP customers profitably.

Originality/value: The paper presents a dynamic model of technology appropriation based on findings collected through a pragmatic approach by combining concentrated ethnographic immersion with methodological and investigator triangulation