Walking The Talk: from theory to practice in delivering community based design education

This paper discusses the model of ‘walking the talk’, when running design studios based on the ‘live projects’ model within a university setting for vulnerable communities. This model is examined through exploring emerging humanitarian and community‐based design approaches in architectural education. It is tested through two case studies of design studios in Mostar and Beirut, led by the author between 1998 and 2002. Lessons from these community‐engagement studios are applied through a third case study, a design project for a disability day‐care centre in Hoi An, Vietnam. The project was led by RMIT University students and staff between 2009‐2011 and built in April 2012.     

Do Teachers Consider Advice? On the Acceptance of Computerized Expert Models

The literature suggests that simple expert (mathematical) models can improve the quality of decisions, but people are not always eager to accept and endorse such models. We ran three online experiments to test the receptiveness to advice from computerized expert models. Middle- and high-school teachers (N = 435) evaluated student profiles that varied in several personal and task relevant factors. They were offered (Studies I and II), or could ask for (Study III), advice from either expert models or human advisors. Overall, teachers requested and followed advice of expert models less frequently than advice from humans. Task-relevant factors (task difficulty) seem to be more salient than personal factors for teachers’ willingness to receive advice.     

A Multilevel Mixture IRT Framework for Modeling Response Times as Predictors or Indicators of Response Engagement in IRT Models

Disengaged item responses pose a threat to the validity of the results provided by large-scale assessments. Several procedures for identifying disengaged responses on the basis of observed response times have been suggested, and item response theory (IRT) models for response engagement have been proposed. We outline that response time-based procedures for classifying response engagement and IRT models for response engagement are based on common ideas, and we propose the distinction between independent and dependent latent class IRT models. In all IRT models considered, response engagement is represented by an item-level latent class variable, but the models assume that response times either reflect or predict engagement. We summarize existing IRT models that belong to each group and extend them to increase their flexibility. Furthermore, we propose a flexible multilevel mixture IRT framework in which all IRT models can be estimated by means of marginal maximum likelihood. The framework is based on the widespread Mplus software, thereby making the procedure accessible to a broad audience. The procedures are illustrated on the basis of publicly available large-scale data. Our results show that the different IRT models for response engagement provided slightly different adjustments of item parameters of individuals’ proficiency estimates relative to a conventional IRT model.     

Intervening with care – varying outcomes of a training and development programme in elderly care in Sweden

Awareness of the mechanisms underlying training and development (T&D) programmes is crucial in creating sustainable learning conditions in organisations. The organisational and psychosocial aspects of the work environment in Swedish elderly care is the focus of this longitudinal study, and the relation between process and results of a T&D programme is investigated. A mixed-methods design enabled exploration of the content of the quality improvement efforts, followed by an examination of how aspects of the work environment are influenced. The perceived learning climate, workload and resource adequacy are shown to be influenced differently by different contents. Insights into the complexity surrounding T&D programmes are then offered. It is concluded that even if a seemingly sound method of quality improvement is implemented, this is not enough to guarantee success. Also, it is apparent that changes may sometimes be at the expense of employees’ work environment, which may hamper continuous learning.