Faculty Motivation for Pursuit of Entrepreneurial Mindset Professional Development

Entrepreneurial mindset (EM) has recently been adapted and integrated into various engineering classes and programs globally. Studies have shown that this integration can be effective and lead to beneficial student outcomes. To ensure broader integration of EM, faculty need to be trained on this construct and how it can be implemented within class-based environments. This study examines faculty motivation to attend professional development opportunities focused on EM offered by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN). Through this mixed methods study it was found that faculty are often motivated by the value the workshop holds for them personally and for their career, and its usefulness in their courses. They are also motivated by their personal interests and enjoyment of professional development opportunities. The faculty in our study indicated being enabled by the workshop content's relevance to their teaching, especially in terms of course development, and its effectiveness in helping them become better instructors. Depending on the circumstances, faculty were either enabled or dissuaded by the timing of the workshop and the available funding for them to attend. The results of this study can help future workshop designers tailor their workshops to meet the needs of engineering faculty both nationwide and globally.

DRIvE Project Unlocks Demand Response Potential with Digital Twins

DRIvE (Demand Response Integration Technologies) is a research and innovation project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Program, whose main objective is unlocking the demand response potential in the distribution grid. DRIvE presented how the use of digital twins de-risks the implementation of demand response applications at the “Flexibility 2.0: Demand response and self-consumption based on the prosumer of Europe’s low carbon future” workshop within the conference “Sustainable Places 2020”. This workshop was organized to cluster and foster knowledge transfer between several EU projects, each developing innovative solutions within the field of demand response, energy flexibility, and optimized synergies between actors of the built environment and the power grid.

Inspiring Rural High School Students to Consider Careers in Medicine and the Health Professions

The United States is experiencing a physician shortage and rural areas are especially impacted. Programs exist to recruit college and medical students to work in rural areas, but few programs are focused on the high school “pipeline.” Medical students, residents and physicians who have lived in rural areas are more likely to practice in those areas. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a workshop to educate rural high school students about preparing for health professions careers. Evaluations of the workshop were positive and indicated increased knowledge and interest in careers in medicine and health professions. It is somewhat promising that even a brief educational program has the potential to increase interest of rural high school students to pursue medical or health professions careers, and perhaps ultimately increase the number of those practicing in rural areas. The authors discuss limitations and suggest changes for future workshop presentations.

Advancing a School of Nursing Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health

This chapter addresses the development and advancement of the Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health (CCCCJH) in the School of Nursing at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, the first nurse-led center emerged from the overwhelming evidence of climate change and its associated deleterious health consequences. The Center steering committee developed a mission, vision, and core values as well as a logo to guide the first year of initiatives and galvanize the efforts for the future. Workshop and symposium development, implementation, and evaluation are discussed. Future directions and the importance of educational initiatives aimed at expanding nursing and interprofessional knowledge of the intersection of climate and health are discussed.

Social pedagogical practices in Swedish welfare contexts

This article focuses on social pedagogy and how social pedagogical approaches are used in Swedish welfare contexts. Social pedagogy as a phenomenon has existed in a variety of settings and during different periods of time. However, the meaning of social pedagogy as a concept depends to a great extent on the context in which it occurs, and the concept therefore has various connotations. The aim of this article is to analyse and discuss trends, directions and goals in social pedagogical practice. Three research projects (cases) are described, analysed and related to three theoretical models. The three cases – (1) a ‘drive-in football’ project for young people in a suburb, (2) an alternative residential caresetting for young people with learning disabilities, and (3) a ‘future workshop’ for older people – involved different situations and different audiences, all with elements of marginalisation and exclusion. The analysis of the three examples shows that social pedagogical practice in the Swedish context is characterised by the challenge of balancing the tensions between the individual and the collective, between emancipation and adaptation and between action and negotiation. The social pedagogical activities are also characterised by the fact that they all contain social, practical and existential dimensions of social support and an approach rooted in ethical core values.

A Critical Analysis of the Delivery of a Psychosocial Workshop for Cancer Survivors with Lymphedema

Secondary lymphedema is a chronic condition that can develop after the treatment of cancer and can often lead to negative psychological and social impairments. When dealing with chronic illness, hoping and coping are interdependent. Previous research has assessed the outcomes of workshops designed to enhance hope but has not examined the workshop itself to determine how those outcomes were achieved. This study deconstructs the Living Hopefully with Lymphedema workshop to identify (1) what aspects of the workshop facilitated or interfered with therapeutic progress, (2) key aspects of facilitation that contributed to the functioning of the workshop, and (3) how participants responded to the workshop. Two three-day workshops were attended by a total of 19 participants. All sessions were audio taped and the recordings analyzed. Theoretical coding revealed a central theme focused on the importance of a safe environment within the workshop. Facilitators and participants worked together to co-create, maintain, and protect a safe space in which to engage in therapy. Findings are discussed in relation to key aspects of facilitation and the participants’ response to the workshops. Recommendations for future workshop development are presented.

User Involvement in Service Innovation Processes

This article presents the results of a study investigating user involvement in the idea generation phase of service innovation, and discusses advantages and limitations of such involvement. Specifically, the study compares the use of social media such as blogs and future workshops to generate idea for service innovations in the context of a research library. Our study shows that the blog is good in opening up for user contributions, while the future workshop involving users and employees is particularly good at qualifying and further developing ideas. The findings suggest therefore that methods for user involvement should be carefully selected and combined to achieve optimum benefits and avoid potential disadvantages.