Purpose: This is a position paper describing the elements of an international framework for assistive techhnology provision that could guide the development of policies, systems and service delivery procedures across the world. It describes general requirements, quality criteria and possible approaches that may help to enhance the accessibility of affordable and high quality assistive technology solutions. Materials and methods: The paper is based on the experience of the authors, an analysis of the existing literature and the inputs from many colleagues in the field of assistive technology provision. It includes the results of discussions of an earlier version of the paper during an international conference on the topic in August 2017. Results and conclusion: The paper ends with the recommendation to develop an international standard for assistive technology provision. Such a standard can have a major impact on the accessibility of AT for people with disabilities. The paper outlines some the key elements to be included in a standard.
Purpose: This is a position paper describing the elements of an international framework for assistive techhnology provision that could guide the development of policies, systems and service delivery procedures across the world. It describes general requirements, quality criteria and possible approaches that may help to enhance the accessibility of affordable and high quality assistive technology solutions. Materials and methods: The paper is based on the experience of the authors, an analysis of the existing literature and the inputs from many colleagues in the field of assistive technology provision. It includes the results of discussions of an earlier version of the paper during an international conference on the topic in August 2017. Results and conclusion: The paper ends with the recommendation to develop an international standard for assistive technology provision. Such a standard can have a major impact on the accessibility of AT for people with disabilities. The paper outlines some the key elements to be included in a standard.
Background: Our transition to an “information society” means that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become integral to our lives. ICT has also become an essential aspect of medical institutions and healthcare settings. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses are required to use ICT in their daily work. In Lebanon, however, due to political factors, many universities have not introduced technology or any form of ICT in their curricula. Institutions of higher education do use technology in various ways, however, successful incorporation of ICT in education requires acceptance by instructors who are expected to use ICT in teaching practices. Although international findings reveal that ICT should be used in nursing education, some faculty members experience difficulty integrating it. Method: A mixed methodological research approach was used to investigate the attitudes of nursing teaching staff toward the use of ICT in nursing education. Results: Our findings revealed three categories of faculty with differing attitudes to the use of ICT in teaching and learning: pioneers, faculty members who have developed positive attitudes toward ICT usage; followers, faculty members with neutral attitudes; and resisters, faculty members with negative attitudes. Conclusions: Identification of the nursing faculty members’ attitude toward ICT and the challenges faced by them contributes to the integration of ICT into nursing curricula and further development of educational practices.
Aiming for a more sustainable future, biobased materials with improved performance are required. For biobased vinyl polymers, enhancing performance can be achieved by nanostructuring the material, i.e. through the use of well-defined (multi-)block, gradient, graft, comb, etc., copolymer made by controlled radical polymerization (CRP). Dispoltec has developed a new generation of alkoxyamines, which suppress termination and display enhanced end group stability compared to state-of-art CRP. Hence, these alkoxyamines are particularly suited to provide access to such biobased nanostructured materials. In order to produce alkoxyamines in a more environmentally benign and efficient manner, a photo-chemical step is beneficial for the final stage in their synthesis. Photo-flow chemistry as a process intensification technology is proposed, as flow chemistry inherently leads to more efficient reactions. In particular, photo-flow offers the benefit of significantly enhancing reactant concentrations and reducing batch times due to highly improved illumination. The aim of this project is to demonstrate at lab scale the feasibility of producing the new generation of alkoxy-amines via a photo-flow process under industrially relevant conditions regarding concentration, duration and efficiency. To this end, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Zuyd), CHemelot Innovation and Learning Labs (CHILL) and Dispoltec BV want to enter into a collaboration by combining the expertise of Dispoltec on alkoxyamines for CRP with those of Zuyd and CHILL on microreactor technology and flow chemistry. Improved access to these alkoxyamines is industrially relevant for initiator manufacturers, as well as producers of biobased vinyl polymers and end-users aiming to enhance performance through nanostructuring biobased materials. In addition, access in this manner is a clear demonstration for the high industrial potential of photo-flow chemistry as sustainable manufacturing tool. Further to that, students and professionals working together at CHILL will be trained in this emerging, industrially relevant and sustainable processing tool.
Hbo-studenten doen tijdens hun opleiding werkervaring op, bijvoorbeeld door stage te lopen. Wij onderzoeken op welke manier technologie het leerproces van studenten op de werkplek kan ondersteunen. We ontwikkelen ontwerpprincipes en de daarop gebaseerde Stage-App.Doel Studenten leren op de werkplek heel anders dan op de hogeschool. Het leren gebeurt vaak onbewust en impliciet. De Stage-App helpt studenten bewuster te worden van dit leerproces en hier actiever mee bezig te zijn, om uiteindelijk meer uit hun stage te halen. Resultaten Dit onderzoek loopt. We hebben de resultaten tot nu toe gedeeld via posters, presentaties en artikelen. Gepubliceerde artikelen Exploring Design Principles for Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Design Propositions for Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Design & Implementation of Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Learning Analytics voor Stages en Werkplekleren Workplace Learning Analytics in Higher Engineering Education Automated Feedback for Workplace Learning in Higher Education De open-source Stage-App is beschikbaar via Github.com. Looptijd 01 november 2015 - 31 december 2020 Aanpak In het eerste deel van onderzoek hebben we uitgezocht wat er nodig is om een app voor het leerproces te ontwerpen. Vervolgens hebben we de Stage-App ontwikkeld. Daarin kunnen studenten registreren wat ze hebben geleerd en dit koppelen aan de leerdoelen die ze vanuit hun opleiding meekrijgen. We ontwikkelen de app zoveel mogelijk vanuit het perspectief van de student. Om de app aan te laten sluiten op de wensen en eisen van studenten houden we interviews, enquêtes, gebruikerstesten en co-design-sessies. Tegelijkertijd baseren we de functionaliteiten op literatuuronderzoek over werkplekleren en 'technology enhanced learning', om te zorgen dat de app het leerproces zo goed mogelijk ondersteunt.
Hbo-studenten doen tijdens hun opleiding werkervaring op, bijvoorbeeld door stage te lopen. Wij onderzoeken op welke manier technologie het leerproces van studenten op de werkplek kan ondersteunen. We ontwikkelen ontwerpprincipes en de daarop gebaseerde Stage-App.Doel Studenten leren op de werkplek heel anders dan op de hogeschool. Het leren gebeurt vaak onbewust en impliciet. De Stage-App helpt studenten bewuster te worden van dit leerproces en hier actiever mee bezig te zijn, om uiteindelijk meer uit hun stage te halen. Resultaten Dit onderzoek loopt. We hebben de resultaten tot nu toe gedeeld via posters, presentaties en artikelen. Gepubliceerde artikelen Exploring Design Principles for Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Design Propositions for Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Design & Implementation of Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning Learning Analytics voor Stages en Werkplekleren Workplace Learning Analytics in Higher Engineering Education Automated Feedback for Workplace Learning in Higher Education De open-source Stage-App is beschikbaar via Github.com. Looptijd 01 november 2015 - 31 december 2020 Aanpak In het eerste deel van onderzoek hebben we uitgezocht wat er nodig is om een app voor het leerproces te ontwerpen. Vervolgens hebben we de Stage-App ontwikkeld. Daarin kunnen studenten registreren wat ze hebben geleerd en dit koppelen aan de leerdoelen die ze vanuit hun opleiding meekrijgen. We ontwikkelen de app zoveel mogelijk vanuit het perspectief van de student. Om de app aan te laten sluiten op de wensen en eisen van studenten houden we interviews, enquêtes, gebruikerstesten en co-design-sessies. Tegelijkertijd baseren we de functionaliteiten op literatuuronderzoek over werkplekleren en 'technology enhanced learning', om te zorgen dat de app het leerproces zo goed mogelijk ondersteunt.
