Reflective Assessment in Knowledge Building by Students with Low Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yuqin; van Aalst, Jan; Chan, Carol K. K.; Tian, Wen

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether and how students with low prior achievement can carry out and benefit from reflective assessment supported by the Knowledge Connections Analyzer (KCA) to collaboratively improve their knowledge-building discourse. Participants were a class of 20 Grade 11 students with low achievement taking visual art from an…

College Students Constructing Collective Knowledge of Natural Science History in a Collaborative Knowledge Building Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Huang-Yao; Chai, Ching Sing; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2015-01-01

This study investigates whether engaging college students (n = 42) in a knowledge building environment would help them work as a community to construct their collective knowledge of history of science and, accordingly, develop a more informed scientific view. The study adopted mixed-method analyses and data mainly came from surveys and student…

Power and Knowledge-Building in Teacher Inquiry: Negotiating Interpersonal and Ideational Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spicer, David H. Eddy

2011-01-01

Professional collaboration in schools features prominently in contemporary approaches to educational change. Advocates highlight the importance of situated knowledge to continuous teacher learning, sustained school reform and improved student learning. Critics portray collaboration as an invisible and coercive means of official control. The…

A Collaborative Problem-Solving Process through Environmental Field Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Mijung; Tan, Hoe Teck

2013-01-01

This study explored and documented students' responses to opportunities for collective knowledge building and collaboration in a problem-solving process within complex environmental challenges and pressing issues with various dimensions of knowledge and skills. Middle-school students ("n" =?16; age 14) and high-school students…

Online Collaboration--How to Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Julie

2016-01-01

Thanks to the development of faster Internet and better technology tools, students and teachers can network, collaborate, co-create products, build knowledge together, and share that knowledge with whomever they want around the world. Julie Lindsay describes online resources, tools, and projects that teachers can use for online global…

Using Appropriate Digital Tools to Overcome Barriers to Collaborative Learning in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wardlow, Liane; Harm, Eian

2015-01-01

Collaborative learning provides students with vital opportunities to create and build knowledge. Existing technologies can facilitate collaborative learning. However, barriers exist to enacting collaborative practices related to the coverage of material for assessments and classroom management concerns, among others. Teachers can overcome these…

Putting more ‘modern’ in modern physics education: a Knowledge Building approach using student questions and ideas about the universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Glenn

2017-03-01

Student-generated questions and ideas about our universe are the start of a rich and highly motivating learning environment. Using their curiosity-driven questions and ideas, students form Knowledge Building groups or ‘communities’ where they plan, set goals, design questions for research, and assess the progress of their work, tasks that were once under the control of the teacher. With the understanding that all knowledge and ideas are treated as improvable, students work collaboratively at their level of competency to share their knowledge, ideas and understandings gained from authoritative sources and laboratory activities. Over time, students work collectively to improve the knowledge and ideas of others that result in advances in understanding that benefit not only the individual but the community as a whole. Learning outcomes reported in this paper demonstrate that a Knowledge Building environment applied to introductory cosmology produced similar gains in knowledge and understanding surrounding foundational concepts compared to teacher-centred learning environments. Aside from new knowledge and understanding, students develop important skills and competencies such as question-asking, idea development, communication, collaboration that are becoming ever more important for 21st century living and working. Finally, the process of planning and initiating a Knowledge Building environment that produced the results reported in this paper is outlined.

Knowledge Building in Asynchronous Discussion Groups: Going Beyond Quantitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrire, Sarah

2006-01-01

This contribution examines the methodological challenges involved in defining the collaborative knowledge-building processes occurring in asynchronous discussion and proposes an approach that could advance understanding of these processes. The written protocols that are available to the analyst provide an exact record of the instructional…

Interaction between Tool and Talk: How Instruction and Tools Support Consensus Building in Collaborative Inquiry-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gijlers, H.; Saab, N.; Van Joolingen, W. R.; De Jong, T.; Van Hout-Wolters, B. H. A. M.

2009-01-01

The process of collaborative inquiry learning requires maintaining a mutual understanding of the task, along with reaching consensus on strategies, plans and domain knowledge. In this study, we explore how different supportive measures affect students' consensus-building process, based on a re-analysis of data from four studies. We distinguish…

An Indigenous Knowledges Perspective on Valid Meaning Making: A Commentary on Research with the EDI and Aboriginal Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sam, Michele A.

2011-01-01

Offering an Indigenous perspective, this commentary discusses collaborative research, shared meaning making, and knowledge building specific to child development, and reflects on social, cultural, and historical aspects that influence these processes. Drawing upon experiences of developing a collaborative research approach with which to engage…

Co-Constructing Writing Knowledge: Students' Collaborative Talk across Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winzenried, Misty Anne; Campbell, Lillian; Chao, Roger; Cardinal, Alison

2017-01-01

Although compositionists recognize that student talk plays an important role in learning to write, there is limited understanding of how students use conversational moves to collaboratively build knowledge about writing across contexts. This article reports on a study of focus group conversations involving first-year students in a cohort program.…

Role Taking and Knowledge Building in a Blended University Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cesareni, Donatella; Cacciamani, Stefano; Fujita, Nobuko

2016-01-01

Role taking is an established approach for promoting social cognition. Playing a specific role within a group could lead students to exercise collective cognitive responsibility for collaborative knowledge building. Two studies explored the relationship of role taking to participation in a blended university course. Students participated in the…

Using Scaffold Supports to Improve Student Practice and Understanding of an Authentic Inquiry Process in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turcotte, Sandrine; Hamel, Christine

2016-01-01

This study addressed computer-supported collaborative scientific inquiries in remote networked schools (Quebec, Canada). Three dyads of Grade 5-6 classrooms from remote locations across the province collaborated using the knowledge-building tool Knowledge Forum. Customized scaffold supports embedded in the online tool were used to support student…

Networked eLlearning and Collaborative Knowledge Building: Design and Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Elsebeth Korsgaard

2005-01-01

This paper addresses the core goals for educators to stimulate participation across diversity (including life trajectories and culture) and motivate learners to engage in negotiation of meaning and knowledge building dialogue in the processes of networked learning. The paper reports on a Danish masters online course on networked learning for…

Exploring Collaborative Learning Effect in Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Z.; Liu, R.; Luo, L.; Wu, M.; Shi, C.

2017-01-01

The use of new technology encouraged exploration of the effectiveness and difference of collaborative learning in blended learning environments. This study investigated the social interactive network of students, level of knowledge building and perception level on usefulness in online and mobile collaborative learning environments in higher…

Knowledge-Building Quality in Online Communities of Practice: Focusing on Learning Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Elsebeth K.; Takle, Eugene S.; Moser, Heather M.

2006-01-01

This paper reports on a case study on the implementation of "language games" as a pedagogical tool for analyzing, assessing and promoting the quality and the level of collaborative knowledge building in online learning dialogues. Part of the overall objective is to explore the use, strength, weaknesses, and limitations of using the…

The Collaboratory Notebook: A Networked Knowledge-Building Environment for Project Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, D. Kevin; Gomez, Louis M.

The Collaboratory Notebook, developed as part of the Learning Through Collaborative Visualization Project (CoVis), is a networked, multimedia knowledge-building environment which has been designed to help students, teachers and scientists share inquiry over the boundaries of time and space. CoVis is an attempt to change the way that science is…

Scaffolding Wiki-Supported Collaborative Learning for Small-Group Projects and Whole-Class Collaborative Knowledge Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, C-Y.; Reigeluth, C. M.

2016-01-01

While educators value wikis' potential, wikis may fail to support collaborative constructive learning without careful scaffolding. This article proposes literature-based instructional methods, revised based on two expert instructors' input, presents the collected empirical evidence on the effects of these methods and proposes directions for future…

The Design and Development of a Collaborative mLearning Prototype for Malaysian Secondary School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeWitt, Dorothy; Alias, Norlidah; Siraj, Saedah

2014-01-01

Collaborative problem-solving in science instruction allows learners to build their knowledge and understanding through interaction, using the language of science. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools facilitate collaboration and may provide the opportunity for interaction when using the language of science in learning. There seems to be…

The National Public Health Leadership Institute: evaluation of a team-based approach to developing collaborative public health leaders.

PubMed

Umble, Karl; Steffen, David; Porter, Janet; Miller, Delesha; Hummer-McLaughlin, Kelley; Lowman, Amy; Zelt, Susan

2005-04-01

Recent public health literature contains calls for collaborative public health interventions and for leaders capable of guiding them. The National Public Health Leadership Institute aims to develop collaborative leaders and to strengthen networks of leaders who share knowledge and jointly address public health problems. Evaluation results show that completing the institute training increases collaborative leadership and builds knowledge-sharing and problem-solving networks. These practices and networks strengthen interorganizational relationships, coalitions, services, programs, and policies. Intensive team-and project-based learning are key to the program's impact.

The National Public Health Leadership Institute: Evaluation of a Team-Based Approach to Developing Collaborative Public Health Leaders

PubMed Central

Umble, Karl; Steffen, David; Porter, Janet; Miller, Delesha; Hummer-McLaughlin, Kelley; Lowman, Amy; Zelt, Susan

2005-01-01

Recent public health literature contains calls for collaborative public health interventions and for leaders capable of guiding them. The National Public Health Leadership Institute aims to develop collaborative leaders and to strengthen networks of leaders who share knowledge and jointly address public health problems. Evaluation results show that completing the institute training increases collaborative leadership and builds knowledge-sharing and problem-solving networks. These practices and networks strengthen interorganizational relationships, coalitions, services, programs, and policies. Intensive team-and project-based learning are key to the program’s impact. PMID:15798124

BIM: Enabling Sustainability and Asset Management through Knowledge Management

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop building design solutions and design documentation and to analyse construction processes. Recent advances in IT have enabled advanced knowledge management, which in turn facilitates sustainability and improves asset management in the civil construction industry. There are several important qualifiers and some disadvantages of the current suite of technologies. This paper outlines the benefits, enablers, and barriers associated with BIM and makes suggestions about how these issues may be addressed. The paper highlights the advantages of BIM, particularly the increased utility and speed, enhanced fault finding in all construction phases, and enhanced collaborations and visualisation of data. The paper additionally identifies a range of issues concerning the implementation of BIM as follows: IP, liability, risks, and contracts and the authenticity of users. Implementing BIM requires investment in new technology, skills training, and development of new ways of collaboration and Trade Practices concerns. However, when these challenges are overcome, BIM as a new information technology promises a new level of collaborative engineering knowledge management, designed to facilitate sustainability and asset management issues in design, construction, asset management practices, and eventually decommissioning for the civil engineering industry. PMID:24324392

BIM: enabling sustainability and asset management through knowledge management.

PubMed

Kivits, Robbert Anton; Furneaux, Craig

2013-11-10

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop building design solutions and design documentation and to analyse construction processes. Recent advances in IT have enabled advanced knowledge management, which in turn facilitates sustainability and improves asset management in the civil construction industry. There are several important qualifiers and some disadvantages of the current suite of technologies. This paper outlines the benefits, enablers, and barriers associated with BIM and makes suggestions about how these issues may be addressed. The paper highlights the advantages of BIM, particularly the increased utility and speed, enhanced fault finding in all construction phases, and enhanced collaborations and visualisation of data. The paper additionally identifies a range of issues concerning the implementation of BIM as follows: IP, liability, risks, and contracts and the authenticity of users. Implementing BIM requires investment in new technology, skills training, and development of new ways of collaboration and Trade Practices concerns. However, when these challenges are overcome, BIM as a new information technology promises a new level of collaborative engineering knowledge management, designed to facilitate sustainability and asset management issues in design, construction, asset management practices, and eventually decommissioning for the civil engineering industry.

From Assumptions to Practice: Creating and Supporting Robust Online Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lock, Jennifer; Johnson, Carol

2017-01-01

Collaboration is more than an activity. In the contemporary online learning environment, collaboration needs to be conceived as an overarching way of learning that fosters continued knowledge building. For this to occur, design of a learning task goes beyond students working together. There are integral nuances that give rise to: how the task is…

A Community-Building Framework for Collaborative Research Coordination across the Education and Biology Research Disciplines.

PubMed

Pelaez, Nancy; Anderson, Trevor R; Gardner, Stephanie M; Yin, Yue; Abraham, Joel K; Bartlett, Edward L; Gormally, Cara; Hurney, Carol A; Long, Tammy M; Newman, Dina L; Sirum, Karen; Stevens, Michael T

2018-06-01

Since 2009, the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences has funded Research Coordination Networks (RCN) aimed at collaborative efforts to improve participation, learning, and assessment in undergraduate biology education (UBE). RCN-UBE projects focus on coordination and communication among scientists and educators who are fostering improved and innovative approaches to biology education. When faculty members collaborate with the overarching goal of advancing undergraduate biology education, there is a need to optimize collaboration between participants in order to deeply integrate the knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. In this essay we propose a novel guiding framework for bringing colleagues together to advance knowledge and its integration across disciplines, the "Five 'C's' of Collaboration: Commitment, Collegiality, Communication, Consensus, and Continuity." This guiding framework for professional network practice is informed by both relevant literature and empirical evidence from community-building experience within the RCN-UBE Advancing Competencies in Experimentation-Biology (ACE-Bio) Network. The framework is presented with practical examples to illustrate how it might be used to enhance collaboration between new and existing participants in the ACE-Bio Network as well as within other interdisciplinary networks.

A National Collaborative for Building the Field of Childhood Obesity Research.

PubMed

2018-03-01

Rising rates of childhood obesity over the past 2 decades have spurred a number of public- and private-sector initiatives aimed at halting or even reversing this trend. Recognizing common interests in this issue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIH, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation began conversations about creating a formal collaboration aimed at accelerating efforts to address childhood obesity by coordinating research agendas and providing support for evidence-building activities. The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) was launched in February 2009, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture joined in 2010. Using the model provided by other previously successful collaborations, such as the Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative, NCCOR has emphasized several principles suggested by Petrovich as key elements for successful partnerships: (1) delineate a common purpose by identifying key knowledge gaps in the field; (2) create a shared identity around that common purpose; (3) develop structures for democratic and respectful collaboration so as to strategically coordinate efforts for maximum national impact; (4) identify effective leaders capable of articulating challenges in the field and inspiring a commitment of minds and the resolve to address identified needs; (5) facilitate continuous knowledge exchange and synthesis to keep the field informed; and (6) support assessment of progress and feedback loops for ensuring continual progress. This paper examines how NCCOR has used these principles to help build the field of research, evaluation, and surveillance for childhood obesity prevention and management. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Importance and Satisfaction of Collaborative Innovation for Strategic Entrepreneurship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, I-Chang; Lei, Han-Sheng

2016-01-01

Building on network, learning, resource-based and real options theories, collaborative innovation through the sharing of ideas, knowledge, expertise, and opportunities can enable both small and large firms to successfully engage in strategic entrepreneurship. We use the real case of a research-oriented organization and its incubator for analysis…

A Collaborative Action Research Approach to Professional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleicher, Robert E.

2014-01-01

The field of professional development is moving towards the notion of professional learning, highlighting the active learning role that teachers play in changing their knowledge bases, beliefs and practice. This article builds on this idea and argues for creating professional learning that is guided by a collaborative action research (CAR)…

SDH-NET: a South-North-South collaboration to build sustainable research capacities on social determinants of health in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Cash-Gibson, Lucinda; Guerra, German; Salgado-de-Snyder, V Nelly

2015-10-22

It is desirable that health researchers have the ability to conduct research on health equity and contribute to the development of their national health system and policymaking processes. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a limited capacity to conduct this type of research due to reasons mostly associated with the status of national (health) research systems. Building sustainable research capacity in LMICs through the triangulation of South-North-South (S-N-S) collaborative networks seems to be an effective way to maximize limited national resources to strengthen these capacities. This article describes how a collaborative project (SDH-Net), funded by the European Commission, has successfully designed a study protocol and a S-N-S collaborative network to effectively support research capacity building in LMICs, specifically in the area of social determinants of health (SDH); this project seeks to elaborate on the vital role of global collaborative networks in strengthening this practice. The implementation of SDH-Net comprised diverse activities developed in three phases. Phase 1: national level mapping exercises were conducted to assess the needs for SDH capacity building or strengthening in local research systems. Four strategic areas were defined, namely research implementation and system performance, social appropriation of knowledge, institutional and national research infrastructure, and research skills and training/networks. Phase 2: development of tools to address the identified capacity building needs, as well as knowledge management and network strengthening activities. Phase 3: identifying lessons learned in terms of research ethics, and how policies can support the capacity building process in SDH research. The implementation of the protocol has led the network to design innovative tools for strengthening SDH research capacities, under a successful S-N-S collaboration that included national mapping reports, a global open-access learning platform with tools and resources, ethical guidelines for research, policy recommendations, and academic contributions to the global SDH discourse. The effective triangulation of S-N-S partnerships can be of high value in building sustainable research capacity in LMICs. If designed appropriately, these multicultural, multi-institutional, and multidisciplinary collaborations can enable southern and northern academics to contextualize global research according to their national realities.

The role of collaborative ontology development in the knowledge negotiation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, Norma

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) collaboration can be defined as the process of integrating experts' knowledge, perspectives, and resources to advance scientific discovery. The flourishing of more complex research problems, together with the growth of scientific and technical knowledge has resulted in the need for researchers from diverse fields to provide different expertise and points of view to tackle these problems. These collaborations, however, introduce a new set of "culture" barriers as participating experts are trained to communicate in discipline-specific languages, theories, and research practices. We propose that building a common knowledge base for research using ontology development techniques can provide a starting point for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, negotiation, and integration. The goal of this work is to extend ontology development techniques to support the knowledge negotiation process in IDR groups. Towards this goal, this work presents a methodology that extends previous work in collaborative ontology development and integrates learning strategies and tools to enhance interdisciplinary research practices. We evaluate the effectiveness of applying such methodology in three different scenarios that cover educational and research settings. The results of this evaluation confirm that integrating learning strategies can, in fact, be advantageous to overall collaborative practices in IDR groups.

Computer Support for Knowledge Communication in Science Exhibitions: Novel Perspectives from Research on Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knipfer, Kristin; Mayr, Eva; Zahn, Carmen; Schwan, Stephan; Hesse, Friedrich W.

2009-01-01

In this article, the potentials of advanced technologies for learning in science exhibitions are outlined. For this purpose, we conceptualize science exhibitions as "dynamic information space for knowledge building" which includes three pathways of knowledge communication. This article centers on the second pathway, that is, knowledge…

The story of rising voices: Facilitating collaboration between indigenous and western ways of knowing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maldonado, Julie; Lazrus, Heather; Bennett, Shiloh-Kay; Chief, Karletta; Dhillon, Carla May; Gough, Bob; Kruger, Linda; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Petrovic, Stefan; Whyte, Kyle P.; Companion, Michele; Chaiken, Miriam S.

2016-01-01

Indigenous community self-determination, cultures, and ways of life are at high risk from climate change impacts and ecological dispossession. Partnerships between experts with backgrounds in Indigenous and western knowledge may be productive and effective ways to reduce vulnerability and foster resilience. This chapter examines collaborations among scientific and Native American, Alaska Native, and Pacific Island communities to support climate solutions. We draw examples from the "Rising Voices: Collaborative Science with Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Solutions" program (Rising Voices) to examine how boundary organizations function cross-culturally to increase communities' adaptive capacity through knowledge exchange, as well as building the decision-making capacity needed to exercise sovereignty and make adaptive decisions in a changing climate.

Building Community-Engaged Health Research and Discovery Infrastructure on the South Side of Chicago: Science in Service to Community Priorities

PubMed Central

Lindau, Stacy Tessler; Makelarski, Jennifer A.; Chin, Marshall H.; Desautels, Shane; Johnson, Daniel; Johnson, Waldo E.; Miller, Doriane; Peters, Susan; Robinson, Connie; Schneider, John; Thicklin, Florence; Watson, Natalie P.; Wolfe, Marcus; Whitaker, Eric

2011-01-01

Objective To describe the roles community members can and should play in, and an asset-based strategy used by Chicago’s South Side Health and Vitality Studies for, building sustainable, large-scale community health research infrastructure. The Studies are a family of research efforts aiming to produce actionable knowledge to inform health policy, programming, and investments for the region. Methods Community and university collaborators, using a consensus-based approach, developed shared theoretical perspectives, guiding principles, and a model for collaboration in 2008, which were used to inform an asset-based operational strategy. Ongoing community engagement and relationship-building support the infrastructure and research activities of the Studies. Results Key steps in the asset-based strategy include: 1) continuous community engagement and relationship building, 2) identifying community priorities, 3) identifying community assets, 4) leveraging assets, 5) conducting research, 6) sharing knowledge and 7) informing action. Examples of community member roles, and how these are informed by the Studies’ guiding principles, are provided. Conclusions Community and university collaborators, with shared vision and principles, can effectively work together to plan innovative, large-scale community-based research that serves community needs and priorities. Sustainable, effective models are needed to realize NIH’s mandate for meaningful translation of biomedical discovery into improved population health. PMID:21236295

Collaborative data model and data base development for paleoenvironmental and archaeological domain using Semantic MediaWiki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmes, C.

2017-12-01

In the frame of the Collaborative Research Centre 806 (CRC 806) an interdisciplinary research project, that needs to manage data, information and knowledge from heterogeneous domains, such as archeology, cultural sciences, and the geosciences, a collaborative internal knowledge base system was developed. The system is based on the open source MediaWiki software, that is well known as the software that enables Wikipedia, for its facilitation of a web based collaborative knowledge and information management platform. This software is additionally enhanced with the Semantic MediaWiki (SMW) extension, that allows to store and manage structural data within the Wiki platform, as well as it facilitates complex query and API interfaces to the structured data stored in the SMW data base. Using an additional open source software called mobo, it is possible to improve the data model development process, as well as automated data imports, from small spreadsheets to large relational databases. Mobo is a command line tool that helps building and deploying SMW structure in an agile, Schema-Driven Development way, and allows to manage and collaboratively develop the data model formalizations, that are formalized in JSON-Schema format, using version control systems like git. The combination of a well equipped collaborative web platform facilitated by Mediawiki, the possibility to store and query structured data in this collaborative database provided by SMW, as well as the possibility for automated data import and data model development enabled by mobo, result in a powerful but flexible system to build and develop a collaborative knowledge base system. Furthermore, SMW allows the application of Semantic Web technology, the structured data can be exported into RDF, thus it is possible to set a triple-store including a SPARQL endpoint on top of the database. The JSON-Schema based data models, can be enhanced into JSON-LD, to facilitate and profit from the possibilities of Linked Data technology.

Aspiring to Quality Teacher-Parent Partnerships in Vietnam: Building Localised Funds of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Helen; Fleer, Marilyn; Fleer-Stout, Freya; Hanh, Le Thi Bich

2016-01-01

Collaborative and reciprocal teacher-parent partnerships have been established in prior research as vital in empowering ethnic-minority children to be competent learners who value their home background, culture, and language and also learn the language used by teachers as the medium of education. Such collaborative relationships may be challenging…

How to Build an Effective Co-Teaching Relationship between Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indelicato, Julietta

2014-01-01

Collaborative teaching is an option worth exploring at the elementary school level. The problem is many teachers lack the knowledge to effectively make these co-teaching relationships work. The purpose of this study is to identify effective co-teaching strategies to enhance collaborative teaching relationships. The study documents 1st through 4th…

A community of practice for knowledge translation trainees: an innovative approach for learning and collaboration.

PubMed

Urquhart, Robin; Cornelissen, Evelyn; Lal, Shalini; Colquhoun, Heather; Klein, Gail; Richmond, Sarah; Witteman, Holly O

2013-01-01

A growing number of researchers and trainees identify knowledge translation (KT) as their field of study or practice. Yet, KT educational and professional development opportunities and established KT networks remain relatively uncommon, making it challenging for trainees to develop the necessary skills, networks, and collaborations to optimally work in this area. The Knowledge Translation Trainee Collaborative is a trainee-initiated and trainee-led community of practice established by junior knowledge translation researchers and practitioners to: examine the diversity of knowledge translation research and practice, build networks with other knowledge translation trainees, and advance the field through knowledge generation activities. In this article, we describe how the collaborative serves as an innovative community of practice for continuing education and professional development in knowledge translation and present a logic model that provides a framework for designing an evaluation of its impact as a community of practice. The expectation is that formal and informal networking will lead to knowledge sharing and knowledge generation opportunities that improve individual members' competencies (eg, combination of skills, abilities, and knowledge) in knowledge translation research and practice and contribute to the development and advancement of the knowledge translation field. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Wikis for Building Content Knowledge in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellet, Stephanie H.

2012-01-01

Most pedagogical applications of wikis in foreign language education draw on this collaborative tool to improve (formal) writing skills or to develop target language cultural sensitivity, missing largely on the opportunity to support student-developed L2 content knowledge. Seeking an alternative to traditional teacher-centered approaches, this…

A Collaborative Endeavour between Mathematics and Science Educators: Focus on the Use of Percent in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramful, Ajay; Bedgood, Danny; Lowrie, Thomas

2016-01-01

This paper is the outcome of a collaborative endeavour between mathematics and science educators where the insight from each field mutually informed one another. Specifically, building on the knowledge base from mathematics education research, this study analyses the ways in which percent is interpreted by first year university students in general…

TransFormers in Knowledge Production: Building Science-Practice Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoes, Anne-Charlotte; Regeer, Barbara J.; Bunders, Joske F. G.

2008-01-01

This article places action learning in the context of system innovation, as it studies the potential use of action learning for system change. In order to effect such system change, collaboration between actors from different institutional backgrounds is essential. To gain insight into if and how action learning can be applied for system change,…

Educational Change in Oman: A Design Research Study of Personal, Institutional, and Societal Reactions to Collaborative Knowledge Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porcaro, David S.

2014-01-01

While collaborative problem-solving has been suggested as a solution for linking classroom learning with workforce skills, it is still not entirely clear how personal, institutional, and national factors work together to influence student and teacher acceptance of this pedagogical strategy. Oman provides an appropriate case for exploring this…

Building a Community among Teachers, Researchers and University Students. A Blended Approach to Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cesareni, Donatella; Martini, Francesca; Mancini, Ilaria

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a case study about a community of practice's foundation and development among Italian teachers, researchers and university students who participated in a European project aimed at developing and testing innovative pedagogical models and technologies for collaborative knowledge building. Forty-five people (34 teachers, five…

Strategies for collaboration in the interdisciplinary field of emerging zoonotic diseases.

PubMed

Anholt, R M; Stephen, C; Copes, R

2012-06-01

The integration of the veterinary, medical and environmental sciences necessary to predict, prevent or respond to emerging zoonotic diseases requires effective collaboration and exchange of knowledge across these disciplines. There has been no research into how to connect and integrate these professions in the pursuit of a common task. We conducted a literature search looking at the experiences and wisdom resulting from collaborations built in health partnerships, health research knowledge transfer and exchange, business knowledge management and systems design engineering to identify key attributes of successful interdisciplinary (ID) collaboration. This was followed by a workshop with 16 experts experienced in ID collaboration including physicians, veterinarians and biologists from private practice, academia and government agencies. The workshop participants shared their perspectives on the facilitators and barriers to ID collaboration. Our results found that the elements that can support or impede ID collaboration can be categorized as follows: the characteristics of the people, the degree to which the task is a shared goal, the policies, practices and resources of the workplace, how information technology is used and the evaluation of the results. Above all, personal relationships built on trust and respect are needed to best assemble the disciplinary strength of the professions. The challenge of meeting collaborators outside the boundaries of one's discipline or jurisdiction may be met by an independent third party, an ID knowledge broker. The broker would know where the knowledge could be found, would facilitate introductions and would help to build effective ID teams. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Designing for health in school buildings: between research and practice.

PubMed

Kirkeby, Inge Mette; Jensen, Bjarne Bruun; Larsen, Kristian; Kural, René

2015-05-01

To investigate the kinds of knowledge practitioners use when planning and designing for health in school buildings. Twelve semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with architects, teachers and officials to investigate use of knowledge in the making of school buildings. Practitioners drew on many kinds and sources of knowledge, but in particular they made use of concepts, examples or pictures or thought-provoking knowledge. However, the interviews indicate a number of hurdles for efficient knowledge sharing between research and practice: (1) a considerable discrepancy between kinds of knowledge used by practice and knowledge traditionally produced by research; (2) research-knowledge and practice-knowledge form two circuits and the flow from one circuit to the other is weak; (3) practitioners' knowledge was often based on experience and therefore person-dependent. It makes the knowledge vulnerable. Special attention has to be paid by research to concepts and principles to guide the decision-making in practice. Further is recommended to consider new kinds of collaboration between researchers and practitioners. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Transforming the U.S. Immigration System After 9/11: The Impact of Organizational Change and Collaboration in the Context of Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

disqualifying criminal conviction from an application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident of the U.S.10 10...developing Collaborative Capacity Builders (CCBs) is another method to sustain and continue to build an effective USCIS and ICE network into the 21st...Weber and Anne M. Khademian, “Wicked Problems, Knowledge Challenges, and Collaborative Capacity Builders in Network Settings,” Public Administration

Collaborating in the context of co-location: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Wener, Pamela; Woodgate, Roberta L

2016-03-10

Most individuals with mental health concerns seek care from their primary care provider, who may lack comfort, knowledge, and time to provide care. Interprofessional collaboration between providers improves access to primary mental health services and increases primary care providers' comfort offering these services. Building and sustaining interprofessional relationships is foundational to collaborative practice in primary care settings. However, little is known about the relationship building process within these collaborative relationships. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to gain a theoretical understanding of the interprofessional collaborative relationship-building process to guide health care providers and leaders as they integrate mental health services into primary care settings. Forty primary and mental health care providers completed a demographic questionnaire and participated in either an individual or group interview. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were reviewed several times and then individually coded. Codes were reviewed and similar codes were collapsed to form categories using using constant comparison. All codes and categories were discussed amongst the researchers and the final categories and core category was agreed upon using constant comparison and consensus. A four-stage developmental interprofessional collaborative relationship-building model explained the emergent core category of Collaboration in the Context of Co-location. The four stages included 1) Looking for Help, 2) Initiating Co-location, 3) Fitting-in, and 4) Growing Reciprocity. A patient-focus and communication strategies were essential processes throughout the interprofessional collaborative relationship-building process. Building interprofessional collaborative relationships amongst health care providers are essential to delivering mental health services in primary care settings. This developmental model describes the process of how these relationships are co-created and supported by the health care region. Furthermore, the model emphasizes that all providers must develop and sustain a patient-focus and communication strategies that are flexible. Applying this model, health care providers can guide the creation and sustainability of primary care interprofessional collaborative relationships. Moreover, this model may guide health care leaders and policy makers as they initiate interprofessional collaborative practice in other health care settings.

Intertextuality and Multimodal Meanings in High School Physics: Written and Spoken Language in Computer-Supported Collaborative Student Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Kok-Sing; Tan, Seng-Chee

2017-01-01

The study in this article examines and illustrates the intertextual meanings made by a group of high school science students as they embarked on a knowledge building discourse to solve a physics problem. This study is situated in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment designed to support student learning through a science…

The Transformation of Schools' Social Networks during a Data-Based Decision Making Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keuning, Trynke

2016-01-01

Context: Collaboration within school teams is considered to be important to build the capacity school teams need to work in a data-based way. In a school characterized by a strong collaborative culture, teachers may have more access to the knowledge and skills for analyzing data, teachers have more opportunity to discuss the performance goals to…

Actionable knowledge and strategic decision making for bio- and agroterrorism threats: building a collaborative early warning culture.

PubMed

Mårtensson, Per-Åke; Hedström, Lars; Sundelius, Bengt; Skiby, Jeffrey E; Elbers, Armin; Knutsson, Rickard

2013-09-01

Current trends in biosecurity and cybersecurity include (1) the wide availability of technology and specialized knowledge that previously were available only to governments; (2) the global economic recession, which may increase the spread of radical non-state actors; and (3) recent US and EU commission reports that reflect concerns about non-state actors in asymmetric threats. The intersectoral and international nature of bioterrorism and agroterrorism threats requires collaboration across several sectors including intelligence, police, forensics, customs, and other law enforcement organizations who must work together with public and animal health organizations as well as environmental and social science organizations. This requires coordinated decision making among these organizations, based on actionable knowledge and information sharing. The risk of not sharing information among organizations compared to the benefit of sharing information can be considered in an "information sharing risk-benefit analysis" to prevent a terrorism incident from occurring and to build a rapid response capability. In the EU project AniBioThreat, early warning is the main topic in work package 3 (WP 3). A strategy has been generated based on an iterative approach to bring law enforcement agencies and human and animal health institutes together. Workshops and exercises have taken place during the first half of the project, and spin-off activities include new preparedness plans for institutes and the formation of a legal adviser network for decision making. In addition, a seminar on actionable knowledge was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2012, which identified the need to bring various agency cultures together to work on developing a resilient capability to identify early signs of bio- and agroterrorism threats. The seminar concluded that there are a number of challenges in building a collaborative culture, including developing an education program that supports collaboration and shared situational awareness.

Collaborative research in medical education: a discussion of theory and practice.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Stoddard, Hugh A; Kalishman, Summers

2010-12-01

Medical education researchers are inherently collaborators. This paper presents a discussion of theoretical frameworks, issues and challenges around collaborative research to prepare medical education researchers to enter into successful collaborations. It gives emphasis to the conceptual issues associated with collaborative research and applies these to medical education research. Although not a systematic literature review, the paper provides a rich discussion of issues which medical education researchers might consider when undertaking collaborative studies. Building on the work of others, we have classified collaborative research in three dimensions according to: the number of administrative units represented; the number of academic fields present, and the manner in which knowledge is created. Although some literature on collaboration focuses on the more traditional positivist perspective and emphasises outcomes, other literature comes from the constructivist framework, in which research is not driven by hypotheses and the approaches emphasised, but by the interaction between investigator and subject. Collaborations are more effective when participants overtly clarify their motivations, values, definitions of appropriate data and accepted methodologies. These should be agreed upon prior to commencing a study. The way we currently educate researchers should be restructured if we want them to be able to undertake interdisciplinary research. Despite calls for researchers to be educated differently, most training programmes for developing researchers have demonstrated a limited, if not contrary, response to these calls. Collaborative research in medical education should be driven by the problem being investigated, by the new knowledge gained and by the interpersonal interactions that may be achieved. Success rests on recognising that many of the research problems we, as medical educators, address are fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature. This represents a transition to bridge the dichotomy often presented in medical education between theory building and addressing practical needs. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

Impacts of Permafrost on Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trochim, E.; Schuur, E.; Schaedel, C.; Kelly, B. P.

2017-12-01

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program developed knowledge pyramids as a tool for advancing scientific understanding and making this information accessible for decision makers. Knowledge pyramids are being used to synthesize, curate and disseminate knowledge of changing land ice, sea ice, and permafrost in the Arctic. Each pyramid consists of a one-two page summary brief in broadly accessible language and literature organized by levels of detail including synthesizes and scientific building blocks. Three knowledge pyramids have been produced related to permafrost on carbon, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. Each brief answers key questions with high societal relevance framed in policy-relevant terms. The knowledge pyramids concerning infrastructure and ecosystem services were developed in collaboration with researchers specializing in the specific topic areas in order to identify the most pertinent issues and accurately communicate information for integration into policy and planning. For infrastructure, the main issue was the need to build consensus in the engineering and science communities for developing improved methods for incorporating data applicable to building infrastructure on permafrost. In ecosystem services, permafrost provides critical landscape properties which affect basic human needs including fuel and drinking water availability, access to hunting and harvest, and fish and wildlife habitat. Translating these broad and complex topics necessitated a systematic and iterative approach to identifying key issues and relating them succinctly to the best state of the art research. The development of the knowledge pyramids provoked collaboration and synthesis across distinct research and engineering communities. The knowledge pyramids also provide a solid basis for policy development and the format allows the content to be regularly updated as the research community advances.

Trust Management - Building Trust for International Cross Disciplinary Collaboration on Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oakley, K. V.; Gurney, R. J.

2014-12-01

Successful communication and collaboration entails mutual understanding, and transfer, of information. The risk of misunderstanding and/or miscommunication between collaborating groups is tackled in different ways around the globe; some are well documented whereas others may be unknown outside particular groups, whether defined geographically or by specialism. For example; in some countries legally binding contracts define the terms of collaboration. Some regions place greater emphasis on developing trust relationships, and sometimes an official agreement is implied, such as many electronic data transfers on the web. International collaboration on climate change increasingly involves electronic data exchange (e.g. open access publications, shared documents, data repositories etc.) and with this increased reliance on electronic data a need has arisen for scientists to collaborate both internationally and cross-disciplinarily particularly with information technology and data management specialists. Trust of data and metadata on the internet (e.g. privacy, legitimacy etc.) varies, possibly due to a lack of internationally agreed standards for data governance and management, leaving many national, regional and institutional practices tailored to the needs of that group only. It is proposed that building trust relationships between cross-disciplinary and international groups could help facilitate further communication, understanding and benefits from the relationship, while still maintaining independence as separate groups. Complex international cross-disciplinary group relationship dynamics are not easily mapped and producing a set of trust building rules that can be applied to any current and future collaboration with equal validity may be unfeasible. An alternative to such a set of rules may be found in a Trust Manager, whose role is to improve mutually beneficial knowledge exchange between groups, build trust and increase future collaborative potential. This presentation will report on the potential of trust management to improve international cross disciplinary climate change collaboration.

Building Trust and Shared Knowledge in Communities of E-Learning Practice: Collaborative Leadership in the JISC eLISA and CAMEL Lifelong Learning Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jameson, Jill; Ferrell, Gill; Kelly, Jacquie; Walker, Simon; Ryan, Malcolm

2006-01-01

Trust and collective learning are useful features that are enabled by effective collaborative leadership of e-learning projects across higher and further education (HE/FE) institutions promoting lifelong learning. These features contribute effectively to the development of design for learning in communities of e-learning practice. For this,…

Collaborative modelling: the future of computational neuroscience?

PubMed

Davison, Andrew P

2012-01-01

Given the complexity of biological neural circuits and of their component cells and synapses, building and simulating robust, well-validated, detailed models increasingly surpasses the resources of an individual researcher or small research group. In this article, I will briefly review possible solutions to this problem, argue for open, collaborative modelling as the optimal solution for advancing neuroscience knowledge, and identify potential bottlenecks and possible solutions.

Collaboration, Reputation, and Ethics in American Academic Life: Hans H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakes, Guy; Vidich, Arthur J.

Using the collaboration between sociologist C. Wright Mills and Hans H. Gerth and their studies of the work of Max Weber as a point of departure for a sustained discussion of academic ethics, this book explores how concealment, secrecy, and deception contribute to the building of academic reputation and how the balance of knowledge and power in a…

A Proposed Model for Authenticating Knowledge Transfer in Online Discussion Forums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Jan P.; YoungGonzaga, Stephanie; Krause, Jaclyn

2014-01-01

Discussion forums are often utilized in the online classroom to build a sense of community, encourage collaboration and exchange, and measure time on task. A review of the literature revealed that there is little research that examines the role of the online discussion forum as a mechanism for knowledge transfer. Researchers reviewed 21 course…

"Friending" Vygotsky: A Social Constructivist Pedagogy of Knowledge Building through Classroom Social Media Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churcher, Kalen M. A.; Downs, Edward; Tewksbury, Doug

2014-01-01

Social media and web 2.0 technologies are an attractive supplement to the higher education experience and are embraced as a way to foster intra-and extracurricular knowledge generation among a class community. However, these collaborative media require a rethinking of the theoretical framework through which we engage student communities of…

Shopping For Danger: E-commerce techniques applied to collaboration in cyber security

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruce, Joseph R.; Fink, Glenn A.

Collaboration among cyber security analysts is essential to a successful protection strategy on the Internet today, but it is uncommonly practiced or encouraged in operating environments. Barriers to productive collaboration often include data sensitivity, time and effort to communicate, institutional policy, and protection of domain knowledge. We propose an ambient collaboration framework, Vulcan, designed to remove the barriers of time and effort and mitigate the others. Vulcan automated data collection, collaborative filtering, and asynchronous dissemination, eliminating the effort implied by explicit collaboration among peers. We instrumented two analytic applications and performed a mock analysis session to build a dataset andmore » test the output of the system.« less

The Building Bridges project: Linking disconnected service networks in acquired brain injury and criminal justice.

PubMed

Kelly, Glenn; Brown, Suzanne; Simpson, Grahame K

2018-06-08

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) are overrepresented in prison populations across many countries. An effective service response to reduce this trend requires collaboration between the ABI and criminal justice (CJ) sectors. The Building Bridges project piloted a novel professional development model designed to increase cross-sectoral knowledge and collaboration between the ABI and CJ sectors. A total of 178 service providers from Victoria, Australia, participated in six professional development forums that included content about ABI, policing, disability and legal supports, and correctional/post-release services. Participants came from the disability, criminal justice, and health and community service sectors. Using a pre-test-post-test design with 6-month follow-up, data were obtained via a project-specific questionnaire evaluating knowledge and behaviour change among participants. Statistically significant gains in knowledge were shown at post-test and maintained at follow-up. Work-related behaviours addressing ABI/CJ issues had increased significantly within both sectors at follow-up compared to the 6 months prior to the forum. Carefully constructed professional forums improved cross-silo collaboration in the ABI/CJ sectors. This pilot project illustrates effective use of existing service resources, and highlights training as an important part of a raft of initiatives needed to address the overrepresentation of people with ABI in the CJ system.

Social construction of physical knowledge of shadows: A study of five preoperational children's perceptions, collaborative experiences, and activities across knowledge domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Amy M.

The first purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the process of social construction of physical knowledge of shadows among preoperational thinkers by examining collaborative behaviors that may lead to new knowledge. The second purpose was to understand children's perspectives concerning the connection between social interaction and learning. The study focused on group collaboration and physical knowledge building as they relate to preoperational thought, a phase of cognitive development in early childhood. The case study consisted of five kindergarten children enrolled in a private, laboratory school at a southern, urban university. Across the eight-week data collection period, the children explored shadows through planned activities on 10 occasions and were interviewed three times in a focus group context. Primary methods for collecting data included videotaping the interviews and participant observations. Data were transcribed and coded inductively to discover emerging patterns while relating these patterns to existing constructivist theories. In addition, field notes, artifacts, and interviews with the children's teacher served to verify the findings. The findings revealed four major themes. Firstly, in terms of collaborative learning, children, while exhibiting a focus on the self, were attracted to learning with each other. Secondly, interactions seldom involved dialogic complexity, revealing minimal rationale, even during conflict. Thirdly, negative behaviors, such as tattling and exclusion, and prosocial behaviors, such as helping, were perceived as integral to the success of social construction of knowledge. The children considered each of these moral behaviors from the personal standpoint of how it affected them emotionally and in accomplishing a learning-related task. Fourthly, in terms of knowledge building, the findings indicated children's knowledge of shadows evolved over time as they participated in a developing scientific community. They experimented in partnerships to answer questions, test theories, solve problems, and communicate their growing understandings to others about such topics as objects "blocking" light, the origin of shadows, and the comparison between the concepts of shadow and reflection. The influence of socio-moral-emotional classroom climates on physical knowledge construction is suggested for future research as well as motivation as it relates to learning in early childhood group contexts.

Automatic Tools for Enhancing the Collaborative Experience in Large Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourilkov, D.; Rodriquez, J. L.

2014-06-01

With the explosion of big data in many fields, the efficient management of knowledge about all aspects of the data analysis gains in importance. A key feature of collaboration in large scale projects is keeping a log of what is being done and how - for private use, reuse, and for sharing selected parts with collaborators and peers, often distributed geographically on an increasingly global scale. Even better if the log is automatically created on the fly while the scientist or software developer is working in a habitual way, without the need for extra efforts. This saves time and enables a team to do more with the same resources. The CODESH - COllaborative DEvelopment SHell - and CAVES - Collaborative Analysis Versioning Environment System projects address this problem in a novel way. They build on the concepts of virtual states and transitions to enhance the collaborative experience by providing automatic persistent virtual logbooks. CAVES is designed for sessions of distributed data analysis using the popular ROOT framework, while CODESH generalizes the approach for any type of work on the command line in typical UNIX shells like bash or tcsh. Repositories of sessions can be configured dynamically to record and make available the knowledge accumulated in the course of a scientific or software endeavor. Access can be controlled to define logbooks of private sessions or sessions shared within or between collaborating groups. A typical use case is building working scalable systems for analysis of Petascale volumes of data as encountered in the LHC experiments. Our approach is general enough to find applications in many fields.

Optimising the Collaborative Practice of Nurses in Primary Care Settings Using a Knowledge Translation Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oelke, Nelly; Wilhelm, Amanda; Jackson, Karen

2016-01-01

The role of nurses in primary care is poorly understood and many are not working to their full scope of practice. Building on previous research, this knowledge translation (KT) project's aim was to facilitate nurses' capacity to optimise their practice in these settings. A Summit engaging Alberta stakeholders in a deliberative discussion was the…

Investigating Peer Review as an Intentional Learning Strategy to Foster Collaborative Knowledge-Building in Students of Instructional Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brill, Jennifer M.; Hodges, Charles B.

2011-01-01

Peer review has been advocated for as an intentional strategy to support the knowledge and skill attainment of adult learners preparing for professional practice, including those students preparing for instructional design and technology practice. The purposes of this article are to discuss the practical application of peer review as an…

The Unified Medical Language System: an informatics research collaboration.

PubMed

Humphreys, B L; Lindberg, D A; Schoolman, H M; Barnett, G O

1998-01-01

In 1986, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) assembled a large multidisciplinary, multisite team to work on the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), a collaborative research project aimed at reducing fundamental barriers to the application of computers to medicine. Beyond its tangible products, the UMLS Knowledge Sources, and its influence on the field of informatics, the UMLS project is an interesting case study in collaborative research and development. It illustrates the strengths and challenges of substantive collaboration among widely distributed research groups. Over the past decade, advances in computing and communications have minimized the technical difficulties associated with UMLS collaboration and also facilitated the development, dissemination, and use of the UMLS Knowledge Sources. The spread of the World Wide Web has increased the visibility of the information access problems caused by multiple vocabularies and many information sources which are the focus of UMLS work. The time is propitious for building on UMLS accomplishments and making more progress on the informatics research issues first highlighted by the UMLS project more than 10 years ago.

Scholar in Residence: an innovative application of the scholarship of engagement.

PubMed

Jacelon, Cynthia S; Donoghue, Linda Carey; Breslin, Eileen

2010-01-01

Universities are expected to engage with communities for the benefit of both. Based on the definition of scholarship advanced by Boyer in the 1990s, inclusive of the scholarship of discovery, integration, teaching, and application, the School of Nursing and Jewish Geriatric Services, Inc., have instituted a unique collaboration entitled the Scholar in Residence. Unlike traditional agreements between schools of nursing and agencies to provide clinical experience and educate students, this agreement is designed to build scholarship for both university and agency. Outcomes include building opportunities for faculty and staff scholarship at the agency, enhancing the integration of knowledge into practice, intensifying opportunities for the sharing of knowledge by providing opportunities for students to work with faculty and staff on individual projects, and enriching the application of knowledge by providing opportunities for faculty clinical practice and consultation. The Scholar in Residence is a model of collaboration between the university and the community that reflects the mission of the university and provides value to the community agency through strategic engagement of both entities. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The early evolution of southwestern Pennsylvania's regional math/science collaborative from the leadership perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunt, Nancy R.

Designed as a regional approach to the coordination of efforts and focusing of resources in fragmented southwestern Pennsylvania, the Collaborative's story is narrated by its founding director. Drawing from office archives, including letters of invitation, meeting notes, and participant evaluations of each event, the study describes the genesis of the Collaborative. It begins with identification of the problem and the resulting charge by a founding congress. It details the building of an organizational framework, the creation of a shared vision, the development of a blueprint for action, and the decision-making involved in determining how to strengthen mathematics and science education in the region. The study notes several influences on the Collaborative's leadership. Considering the role of other collaboratives, the study notes that knowledge of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership's LA SMART jump-started the Collaborative's initial planning process. Knowledge of San Francisco's SEABA influenced the size and naming of the Collaborative's Journal. Fred Newmann's definition of authentic instruction, learning and assessment are reflected in the shared vision and belief statements of the Collaborative. The five disciplines of Peter Senge influenced the nature of the organizational framework as well as the day-to-day operations of the Collaborative. The study also notes that the five organizational tensions identified in Ann Lieberman's work on "intentional learning communities" were present in every aspect of the evolution of the Collaborative. The study suggests that leaders of evolving collaboratives: (1) engage all relevant stakeholders in assessing the current situation and defining a desired future state, (2) take advantage of the lessons learned by others and the resources available at the state and national levels to design strategies and build action plans, (3) model the practices to be inspired in the learning community, (4) constantly gather feedback on process and content--and act on the recommendations as soon as possible, and (5) keep the focus of efforts on achieving the desired future--and measure progress toward it.

The use of concept maps for knowledge management: from classrooms to research labs.

PubMed

Correia, Paulo Rogério Miranda

2012-02-01

Our contemporary society asks for new strategies to manage knowledge. The main activities developed by academics involve knowledge transmission (teaching) and production (research). Creativity and collaboration are valuable assets for establishing learning organizations in classrooms and research labs. Concept mapping is a useful graphical technique to foster some of the disciplines required to create and develop high-performance teams. The need for a linking phrase to clearly state conceptual relationships makes concept maps (Cmaps) very useful for organizing our own ideas (externalization), as well as, sharing them with other people (elicitation and consensus building). The collaborative knowledge construction (CKC) is supported by Cmaps because they improve the communication signal-to-noise ratio among participants with high information asymmetry. In other words, we can identify knowledge gaps and insightful ideas in our own Cmaps when discussing them with our counterparts. Collaboration involving low and high information asymmetry can also be explored through peer review and student-professor/advisor interactions, respectively. In conclusion, when it is used properly, concept mapping can provide a competitive advantage to produce and share knowledge in our contemporary society. To map is to know, as stated by Wandersee in 1990.

75 FR 41892 - Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Guidebook for Building High Performance Correctional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

... of the guidebook on leadership, assessments, intervention, change management and other related topics...: (1) Leadership and management development, (2) information and knowledge management; (3) comprehensive criminal justice planning, (4) offender management, (5) collaborative partnerships, (6...

Making Sense of Rocket Science - Building NASA's Knowledge Management Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holm, Jeanne

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a range of KM activities-from deploying intelligent "know-bots" across millions of electronic sources to ensuring tacit knowledge is transferred across generations. The strategy and implementation focuses on managing NASA's wealth of explicit knowledge, enabling remote collaboration for international teams, and enhancing capture of the key knowledge of the workforce. An in-depth view of the work being done at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) shows the integration of academic studies and practical applications to architect, develop, and deploy KM systems in the areas of document management, electronic archives, information lifecycles, authoring environments, enterprise information portals, search engines, experts directories, collaborative tools, and in-process decision capture. These systems, together, comprise JPL's architecture to capture, organize, store, and distribute key learnings for the U.S. exploration of space.

How to achieve a collaborative approach in health promotion: preferences and ideas of users of mental health services.

PubMed

Pals, Regitze Anne Saurbrey; Hempler, Nana Folmann

2018-02-12

Collaborative approaches to consensus building or decision-making are beneficial in health-promoting activities targeting users of mental health services (users). However, little is known about how to achieve a collaborative approach in practice. The purpose of this study was to explore: (1) users' preferences and ideas related to achieving a collaborative approach in health-related communication and (2) perspectives of healthcare and social work professionals and family members on users' ideas and preferences. Data were collected through interactive workshops with users (n = 15), professionals (n = 21) and users' family members (n = 12). Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. Users provided three recommendations for establishing a collaborative approach in communication about health: (1) involving users in deciding the agenda and setting for health-promoting activities; (2) exchanging knowledge between users and professionals about health and values; and (3) exploring users' motivation for change. Users and professionals had diverging perceptions of the value of establishing a collaborative approach. Professionals regarded relationship building and health promotion as separate phenomena, whereas users perceived relationship building as inherently health promoting. Family members of users requested specific guidance and support with regard to clarifying and fulfilling the best possible support role as a family member. The findings suggest that a collaborative approach in health promotion may be difficult to achieve without a focus on professional development for healthcare and social work professionals. © 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Building organisational cyber resilience: A strategic knowledge-based view of cyber security management.

PubMed

Ferdinand, Jason

The concept of cyber resilience has emerged in recent years in response to the recognition that cyber security is more than just risk management. Cyber resilience is the goal of organisations, institutions and governments across the world and yet the emerging literature is somewhat fragmented due to the lack of a common approach to the subject. This limits the possibility of effective collaboration across public, private and governmental actors in their efforts to build and maintain cyber resilience. In response to this limitation, and to calls for a more strategically focused approach, this paper offers a knowledge-based view of cyber security management that explains how an organisation can build, assess, and maintain cyber resilience.

Evaluating a European knowledge hub on climate change in agriculture: Are we building a better connected community?

PubMed

Saetnan, Eli Rudinow; Kipling, Richard Philip

In order to maintain food security and sustainability of production under climate change, interdisciplinary and international collaboration in research is essential. In the EU, knowledge hubs are important funding instruments for the development of an interconnected European Research Area. Here, network analysis was used to assess whether the pilot knowledge hub MACSUR has affected interdisciplinary collaboration, using co-authorship of peer reviewed articles as a measure of collaboration. The broad community of all authors identified as active in the field of agriculture and climate change was increasingly well connected over the period studied. Between knowledge hub members, changes in network parameters suggest an increase in collaborative interaction beyond that expected due to network growth, and greater than that found in the broader community. Given that interdisciplinary networks often take several years to have an impact on research outputs, these changes within the relatively new MACSUR community provide evidence that the knowledge hub structure has been effective in stimulating collaboration. However, analysis showed that knowledge hub partners were initially well-connected, suggesting that the initiative may have gathered together researchers with particular resources or inclinations towards collaborative working. Long term, consistent funding and ongoing reflection to improve networking structures may be necessary to sustain the early positive signs from MACSUR, to extend its success to a wider community of researchers, or to repeat it in less connected fields of science. Tackling complex challenges such as climate change will require research structures that can effectively support and utilise the diversity of talents beyond the already well-connected core of scientists at major research institutes. But network research shows that this core, well-connected group are vital brokers in achieving wider integration.

Online Scholarly Conversations in General Education Astronomy Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Qijie; Wong, Ka-Wah

2018-01-01

In general education astronomy courses, many students are struggling with understanding the foundational concepts and theories in astronomy. One of the possible reasons is that, due the large class size, many of the courses are taught using a lecture mode, where human interactions and active learning are limited (Freeman et al., 2014). To address this challenge, we have applied the knowledge building framework (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006) to design an online collaborative learning component, called Scholarly Conversations, to be integrated into a general education astronomy course at a public, comprehensive university.During Scholarly Conversations, students are treated as scholars to advance knowledge frontiers (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006). The whole process involves the creation of new ideas and requires discourse and collective work for the advancement and creation of artifacts, such as theories and models (van Aalst, 2009). Based on the knowledge building principles (Scardamalia, 2002; Zhang, Scardamalia, Reeve, & Messina, 2009), several features have been built into Scholarly Conversations so that students are guided to deepen understanding of the astronomy concepts through three phases: knowledge sharing, knowledge construction and knowledge building, and reflections on learning growth (van Aalst, 2009; Cai, 2017). The online Scholarly Conversation is an extension of the lecture component of the general education astronomy course. It promotes student interactions and collaborative learning, and provides scaffolds for students to construct meanings of the essential concepts in astronomy through social learning and online technology. In this presentation, we will explain the specific design principles of the online Scholarly Conversation, and share the artifacts created to facilitate the online conversations in an general education astronomy course.Note: This project has been supported by the College of Education Research Grant Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Encouraging Teachers to Build Collaborations with Researchers; Examples From the Classroom (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, M.

2013-12-01

Bringing experts into our schools allows for highly engaging lessons, encourages career thinking, adds authenticity to the topic, and allows student's questions to be answered by experts. Researchers can physically visit classrooms or appear through presentation technologies, such as Skype, or Google Hangouts. Virtual visits allow students to see laboratories and field sites. Collaborating with scientists builds the connective tissue that helps all educators and our students learn more deeply. When K-12 teachers collaborate with scientists and graduate students, teachers learn more science, and scientists learn more teaching. This growth of background knowledge is a win-win situation and helps us meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers need to feel encouraged to contact their local or regional scientists for support. Reaching out into the universities to make contact with polar scientists or graduate students is a good place to start. Building professional networks allows PI's to address the 'broader impact' requirement on many grant applications, and helps spread the university's work in the polar regions out to the general public. These collaborations also give teachers expert insights and current data to build authentic lessons, and excite their students to seek careers in the sciences. This presentation will focus on three completed interactive opportunities I have built with researchers in my classroom. Students adding daily sediment to their sediment core, after communications from the field with scientist Heidi Roop in Alaska.

Towards Semantic e-Science for Traditional Chinese Medicine

PubMed Central

Chen, Huajun; Mao, Yuxin; Zheng, Xiaoqing; Cui, Meng; Feng, Yi; Deng, Shuiguang; Yin, Aining; Zhou, Chunying; Tang, Jinming; Jiang, Xiaohong; Wu, Zhaohui

2007-01-01

Background Recent advances in Web and information technologies with the increasing decentralization of organizational structures have resulted in massive amounts of information resources and domain-specific services in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The massive volume and diversity of information and services available have made it difficult to achieve seamless and interoperable e-Science for knowledge-intensive disciplines like TCM. Therefore, information integration and service coordination are two major challenges in e-Science for TCM. We still lack sophisticated approaches to integrate scientific data and services for TCM e-Science. Results We present a comprehensive approach to build dynamic and extendable e-Science applications for knowledge-intensive disciplines like TCM based on semantic and knowledge-based techniques. The semantic e-Science infrastructure for TCM supports large-scale database integration and service coordination in a virtual organization. We use domain ontologies to integrate TCM database resources and services in a semantic cyberspace and deliver a semantically superior experience including browsing, searching, querying and knowledge discovering to users. We have developed a collection of semantic-based toolkits to facilitate TCM scientists and researchers in information sharing and collaborative research. Conclusion Semantic and knowledge-based techniques are suitable to knowledge-intensive disciplines like TCM. It's possible to build on-demand e-Science system for TCM based on existing semantic and knowledge-based techniques. The presented approach in the paper integrates heterogeneous distributed TCM databases and services, and provides scientists with semantically superior experience to support collaborative research in TCM discipline. PMID:17493289

National Knowledge Commission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitroda, Sam

2007-04-01

India's National Knowledge Commission (NKC) established by the prime minister is focused on building institutions and infrastructure in Education, Science and Technology, Innovation etc. to meet the challenges of the knowledge economy in the 21st century and increase India's competitive advantage in the global market. India today stands poised to reap the benefits of a rapidly growing economy and a major demographic advantage, with 550 million young people below the age of 25 years, the largest in the world. The NKC is focused on five critical areas of knowledge related to access, concepts, creation, applications and services. This includes a variety of subject areas such as language, translations, libraries, networks, portals, affirmative action, distance learning, intellectual property, Entrepreneurship, application in Agriculture, health, small and medium scale industries, e-governance etc. One of the keys to this effort is to build a national broadband gigabit of networks of 500 nodes to connect universities, Libraries, Laboratories, Hospitals, Agriculture institutions etc. to share resources and collaborate on multidisciplinary activities. This presentation will introduce the NKC, discuss methodology, subject areas, specific recommendation and outline a plan to build knowledge networks and specifics on network architecture, applications, and utilities.

International nursing exchange and collaboration with China: a perspective from the South and the East.

PubMed

Xu, Yu

2012-01-01

There are an imbalanced world power relationships and international knowledge system, as well as cultural differences across nations. Based on the author's international experiences, this article describes the needs and motivations of international exchange and collaboration in nursing from the perspective of both China and Western countries, examines the ethical and cultural issues involved, and suggests winning strategies. Western educators and scholars must keep these issues and strategies in mind in order to build a productive, mutually beneficial, and sustainable international exchanges and collaboration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Challenges for PISA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schleicher, Andreas

2016-01-01

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides a framework in which over 80 countries collaborate to build advanced global metrics to assess the knowledge, skills and character attributes of the students. The design of assessments poses major conceptual and technical challenges, as successful learning. Beyond a sound…

The Value of Debts and Credits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akyuz, Didem

2012-01-01

Research has shown that students should be given the opportunity to explore mathematical concepts by building on their knowledge and focusing on mathematical reasoning. When students represent ideas, make conjectures, collaborate with others, and give explanations and arguments, they are using mathematical reasoning (NCTM 2000). Certain teaching…

Social construction: vistas in clinical child and adolescent psychology.

PubMed

Gergen, Kenneth J; Lightfoot, Cynthia; Sydow, Lisa

2004-06-01

We explore here the potentials of a social constructionist orientation to knowledge for research and clinical practice. Dialogues on social construction emphasize the communal origins of knowledge. They stress the cultural basis of knowledge claims, the significance of language, the value saturation of all knowledge, and the significance of relationships as opposed to individuals. An initial illustration of constructionism in action centers on adolescent risk behavior. Such behavior is often constructed negatively within popular writings and the social science and thus ignores the meaning of such actions to the adolescents themselves. Discourse analysis indicates that for adolescents risky behavior serves important functions of enhancing group solidarity and establishing positive identity. A second illustration, exploring the implications of constructionism for therapy, places a strong emphasis on the therapist as a collaborator in the building of meaning. Traditional investments in diagnosis and treatment are replaced with the collaborative creation of new possibilities for action.

The Unified Medical Language System

PubMed Central

Humphreys, Betsy L.; Lindberg, Donald A. B.; Schoolman, Harold M.; Barnett, G. Octo

1998-01-01

In 1986, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) assembled a large multidisciplinary, multisite team to work on the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), a collaborative research project aimed at reducing fundamental barriers to the application of computers to medicine. Beyond its tangible products, the UMLS Knowledge Sources, and its influence on the field of informatics, the UMLS project is an interesting case study in collaborative research and development. It illustrates the strengths and challenges of substantive collaboration among widely distributed research groups. Over the past decade, advances in computing and communications have minimized the technical difficulties associated with UMLS collaboration and also facilitated the development, dissemination, and use of the UMLS Knowledge Sources. The spread of the World Wide Web has increased the visibility of the information access problems caused by multiple vocabularies and many information sources which are the focus of UMLS work. The time is propitious for building on UMLS accomplishments and making more progress on the informatics research issues first highlighted by the UMLS project more than 10 years ago. PMID:9452981

Hackathons as a means of accelerating scientific discoveries and knowledge transfer.

PubMed

Ghouila, Amel; Siwo, Geoffrey Henry; Entfellner, Jean-Baka Domelevo; Panji, Sumir; Button-Simons, Katrina A; Davis, Sage Zenon; Fadlelmola, Faisal M; Ferdig, Michael T; Mulder, Nicola

2018-05-01

Scientific research plays a key role in the advancement of human knowledge and pursuit of solutions to important societal challenges. Typically, research occurs within specific institutions where data are generated and subsequently analyzed. Although collaborative science bringing together multiple institutions is now common, in such collaborations the analytical processing of the data is often performed by individual researchers within the team, with only limited internal oversight and critical analysis of the workflow prior to publication. Here, we show how hackathons can be a means of enhancing collaborative science by enabling peer review before results of analyses are published by cross-validating the design of studies or underlying data sets and by driving reproducibility of scientific analyses. Traditionally, in data analysis processes, data generators and bioinformaticians are divided and do not collaborate on analyzing the data. Hackathons are a good strategy to build bridges over the traditional divide and are potentially a great agile extension to the more structured collaborations between multiple investigators and institutions. © 2018 Ghouila et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Science-Journalism Collaboration: An Experiment in Closing the Communication Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canan, Penelope; Hartman, Melanie

2007-01-01

Barriers that impede effective communication between scientists and journalists include communication styles and skills, professional jargon, mistrust, time constraints, and orientation to knowledge types and "facts." Here we describe an experiment in building bridges between journalists and scientists in Southeast Asia and Japan in a…

Collaborative action around implementation in Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care: towards a programme theory.

PubMed

Rycroft-Malone, Jo; Wilkinson, Joyce; Burton, Christopher R; Harvey, Gill; McCormack, Brendan; Graham, Ian; Staniszewska, Sophie

2013-10-01

In theory, greater interaction between researchers and practitioners should result in increased potential for implementation. However, we know little about whether this is the case, or what mechanisms might operate to make it happen. This paper reports findings from a study that is identifying and tracking implementation mechanisms, processes, influences and impacts in real time, over time in the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs). This is a longitudinal, realist evaluation case study. The development of the conceptual framework and initial hypotheses involved literature reviewing and stakeholder consultation. Primary data were collected through interviews, observations and documents within three CLAHRCs, and analysed thematically against the framework and hypotheses. The first round of data collection shows that the mechanisms of collaborative action, relationship building, engagement, motivation, knowledge exchange and learning are important to the processes and outcomes of CLAHRCs' activity, including their capacity for implementation. These mechanisms operated in different contexts such as competing agendas, availability of resources and the CLAHRCs' brand. Contexts and mechanisms result in different impact, including the CLAHRCs' approach to implementation, quality of collaboration, commitment and ownership, and degree of sharing and managing knowledge. Emerging features of a middle range theory of implementation within collaboration include alignment in organizational structures and cognitive processes, history of partnerships, responsiveness and resilience in rapidly changing contexts. CLARHCs' potential to mobilize knowledge may be further realized by how they develop insights into their function as collaborative entities.

Building Bridges through Scientific Conferences.

PubMed

Zierath, Juleen R

2016-11-17

Getting together to exchange ideas, forge collaborations, and disseminate knowledge is a long-standing tradition of scientific communities. How conferences are serving the community, what their current challenges are, and what is in store for the future of conferences are the topics covered in this Commentary. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a Multicomponent Online Communication Professional Development Program for Early Interventionists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jennifer A.; Woods, Juliann J.

2012-01-01

Collaborative early intervention (EI) service delivery is enhanced by professional development focused on knowledge and skills in the content and process of delivering services. This article describes a multicomponent online professional development course designed to build infant toddler specialists' capacity to support children with…

Grounding Collaborative Learning in Semantics-Based Critiquing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, William K.; Mørch, Anders I.; Wong, Kelvin C.; Lee, Cynthia; Liu, Jiming; Lam, Mason H.

2007-01-01

In this article we investigate the use of latent semantic analysis (LSA), critiquing systems, and knowledge building to support computer-based teaching of English composition. We have built and tested an English composition critiquing system that makes use of LSA to analyze student essays and compute feedback by comparing their essays with…

Learning Lodge Institute: Montana Colleges Empower Cultures To Save Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Paul

2000-01-01

Describes the Learning Lodge Institute, a collaboration of seven Montana tribal colleges that utilizes language courses to promote and strengthen knowledge of traditional culture. Also discusses documenting the loss of language and building support for tribal languages. The institute supports existing language instruction programs to make them…

Understanding Online Knowledge Sharing: An Interpersonal Relationship Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Will W. K.; Yuen, Allan H. K.

2011-01-01

The unique features and capabilities of online learning are built on the ability to connect to a wider range of learning resources and peer learners that benefit individual learners, such as through discussion forums, collaborative learning, and community building. The success of online learning thus depends on the participation, engagement, and…

Generations at School: Building an Age-Friendly Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovely, Suzette; Buffum, Austin G.; Barth, Roland S.

2007-01-01

Today's workforce comprises distinct generational cohorts-Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials. "Generations at School" provides educators with the knowledge and tools to create and sustain true collaboration, teamwork, and consensus. Suzette Lovely and Austin G. Buffum introduce the traits and tipping points of these diverse age…

Building a Shared Virtual Learning Culture: An International Classroom Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starke-Meyerring, Doreen; Andrews, Deborah

2006-01-01

Business professionals increasingly use digital tools to collaborate across multiple cultures, locations, and time zones. Success in this complex environment depends on a shared culture that facilitates the making of knowledge and the best contributions of all team members. To prepare managers for such communication, the authors designed and…

Engineering Communication Interface: An Engineering Multi-Disciplinary Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prescott, David; El-Sakran, Tharwat; Albasha, Lutfi; Aloul, Fadi; Al-Assaf, Yousef

2011-01-01

Well-developed professional communication skills, collaborative work practices, effective self-management and a clear understanding of social responsibility and ethical practices are essential for the new engineer who hopes to contribute to the profession and build a career. These attributes are in addition to the traditional sound knowledge of…

Partnerships for Change: Maximizing Consultative Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinhardt, Patricia

2011-01-01

Consultation offers a cost-effective option that can develop into a satisfying, collaborative relationship that is highly productive, given the right ingredients: content and process knowledge on the part of the consultant, a systemic approach to change, and a foundation of professional and ethical standards on which to build a trustworthy…

Professional Practices Online: Renovating Past Practices or Building New Ones?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofield, Kaye; Melville, Bernice; Bennet, Deb; Walsh, Anne

The extent of vocational education and training (VET) teachers' knowledge about and experiences of online learning and teaching was examined in a collaborative research project undertaken with leading practitioners of VET online in technical and further education (TAFE) in South Australia in 2000. Eighteen VET practitioners considered at the…

Strategic Teaching: Student Learning through Working the Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spanbroek, Nancy

2010-01-01

The designers of our future built environment must possess intellectual tools which will allow them to be disciplined, flexible and analytical thinkers, able to address and resolve new and complex problems. In response, an experimental and collaborative design studio was designed to inspire and build on students' knowledge and their creative…

Conversational Agents Improve Peer Learning through Building on Prior Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tegos, Stergios; Demetriadis, Stavros

2017-01-01

Research in computer-supported collaborative learning has indicated that conversational agents can be pedagogically beneficial when used to scaffold students' online discussions. In this study, we investigate the impact of an agile conversational agent that triggers student dialogue by making interventions based on the academically productive talk…

Getting more for your money: designing community needs assessments to build collaboration and capacity in hospital system community benefit work.

PubMed

Ainsworth, Dale; Diaz, Heather; Schmidtlein, Mathew C

2013-11-01

Most community health needs assessments (CHNAs) are unilateral in nature and fail to include a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, limiting them in their scope. Nonprofit hospitals are required to conduct CHNAs every 3 years to determine where community prevention dollars should be spent. In 2010, a CBPR CHNA approach was conducted with four hospital systems in Northern California. Merging concepts from organization development, the approach included (a) goal determination, (b) use of a guiding framework, (c) creation of a container in which to interact, (d) established feedback loops, and (e) intentional trust-building exercises. The approach was to build lasting relationships between hospital systems that would extend beyond the CHNA. Results using this approach revealed that members representing all four hospital systems (a) began to meet regularly after the CHNA was completed, (b) increased collaboration with other community organizations, (c) expanded their level of intraorganization partnerships, (d) enjoyed the process, (e) felt that their professional knowledge expanded, and (f) felt connected professionally and personally with other hospital representatives. As a result, other joint projects are underway. The results of this study indicate that using CBPR to design a CHNA can build sustained collaborative relationships between study participants that continue.

Towards Global Transdisciplinary Research: Lessons Learned from the Belmont Forum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paillard, S. J.; Uhle, M. E.; van Jaarsveld, A. S.; Monfray, P.

2014-12-01

The Belmont Forum was initiated in 2009 by a sub group of the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research. The Belmont Challenge embodies the Forum's central goal: to deliver knowledge needed for societies to take action to mitigate and adapt to detrimental environmental change. This is fostered through collaboration among scientists across the globe and by stressing the importance of co-production of knowledge associated with coupled natural and social systems. The Belmont Challenge was clearly aligned with other collective thinking processes within the research community and key knowledge users from intergovernmental bodies. Convergence of these efforts gave rise to the S&T Alliance for Global Sustainability and its initiative - Future Earth. Collaborative Research Actions, consisting primarily of multilateral research calls to address topics relevant to Future Earth, have been the main tool developed to address the Belmont Challenge and some early lessons emerged. First, obstacles faced by the Belmont Forum are similar to those met by scientists collaborating across traditional boundaries. Building shared languages and interests between various disciplines and across global cultures, remains difficult; this results in a persistent underestimation of the transformation required to move knowledge creation towards a truly global inter- and transdisciplinary science. Second, the diversity of organizations, cultures and practices within the Belmont Forum is the main source of its creativity and its challenges. While some convergence is needed to build coherent strategies and work efficiently together, diversity is necessary to design actions suitable for all partners regardless of their national research system and science-policy priorities. Finding the right trade-offs is a learning process that Future Earth is also facing; thus both initiatives are not only linked through funding relations but also through strongly intertwined learning curves.

Rethinking capacity building for knowledge mobilisation: developing multilevel capabilities in healthcare organisations.

PubMed

Kislov, Roman; Waterman, Heather; Harvey, Gill; Boaden, Ruth

2014-11-15

Knowledge mobilisation in healthcare organisations is often carried out through relatively short-term projects dependent on limited funding, which raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of implementation and improvement. It is becoming increasingly recognised that the translation of research evidence into practice has to be supported by developing the internal capacity of healthcare organisations to engage with and apply research. This process can be supported by external knowledge mobilisation initiatives represented, for instance, by professional associations, collaborative research partnerships and implementation networks. This conceptual paper uses empirical and theoretical literature on organisational learning and dynamic capabilities to enhance our understanding of intentional capacity building for knowledge mobilisation in healthcare organisations. The discussion is structured around the following three themes: (1) defining and classifying capacity building for knowledge mobilisation; (2) mechanisms of capability development in organisational context; and (3) individual, group and organisational levels of capability development. Capacity building is presented as a practice-based process of developing multiple skills, or capabilities, belonging to different knowledge domains and levels of complexity. It requires an integration of acquisitive learning, through which healthcare organisations acquire knowledge and skills from knowledge mobilisation experts, and experience-based learning, through which healthcare organisations adapt, absorb and modify their knowledge and capabilities through repeated practice. Although the starting point for capability development may be individual-, team- or organisation-centred, facilitation of the transitions between individual, group and organisational levels of learning within healthcare organisations will be needed. Any initiative designed to build capacity for knowledge mobilisation should consider the subsequent trajectory of newly developed knowledge and skills within the recipient healthcare organisations. The analysis leads to four principles underpinning a practice-based approach to developing multilevel knowledge mobilisation capabilities: (1) moving from 'building' capacity from scratch towards 'developing' capacity of healthcare organisations; (2) moving from passive involvement in formal education and training towards active, continuous participation in knowledge mobilisation practices; (3) moving from lower-order, project-specific capabilities towards higher-order, generic capabilities allowing healthcare organisations to adapt to change, absorb new knowledge and innovate; and (4) moving from single-level to multilevel capability development involving transitions between individual, group and organisational learning.

Co-production of knowledge: An Inuit Indigenous Knowledge perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, R.; Behe, C.

2017-12-01

A "co-production of knowledge" approach brings together different knowledge systems while building equitable and collaborative partnerships from `different ways of knowing.' Inuit Indigenous Knowledge is a systematic way of thinking applied to phenomena across biological, physical, cultural and spiritual systems; rooted with a holistic understanding of ecosystems (ICC Alaska 2016). A holistic image of Arctic environmental change is attained by bringing Indigenous Knowledge (IK) holders and scientists together through a co-production of knowledge framework. Experts from IK and science should be involved together from the inception of a project. IK should be respected as its own knowledge system and should not be translated into science. A co-production of knowledge approach is important in developing adaptation policies and practices, for sustainability and to address biodiversity conservation (Daniel et al. 2016). Co-production of knowledge is increasingly being recognized by the scientific community at-large. However, in many instances the concept is being incorrectly applied. This talk will build on the important components of co-production of knowledge from an Inuit perspective and specifically IK. In this presentation we will differentiate the co-production of knowledge from a multi-disciplinary approach or multi-evidence based decision-making. We underscore the role and value of different knowledge systems with different methodologies and the need for collaborative approaches in identifying research questions. We will also provide examples from our experiences with Indigenous communities and scientists in the Arctic. References: Inuit Circumpolar Council of Alaska. 2016. Alaskan Inuit Food Security Conceptual Framework: How to Assess the Arctic From An Inuit Perspective, 201pp. Daniel, R., C. Behe, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, E. Krummel, and S. Gearhead. Arctic Observing Summit White Paper Synthesis, Theme 6: Interfacing Indigenous Knowledge, Community-based Monitoring and Scientific Methods for Sustained Arctic Observations. http://www.arcticobservingsummit.org/sites/arcticobservingsummit.org/files/Daniel_Laing_Kielsen%20Holm_et_al-AOS2016-Theme-6-IK-CBM-Synthesis-updated-2016-04.pdf

Innovation and design of a web-based pain education interprofessional resource.

PubMed

Lax, Leila; Watt-Watson, Judy; Lui, Michelle; Dubrowski, Adam; McGillion, Michael; Hunter, Judith; Maclennan, Cameron; Knickle, Kerry; Robb, Anja; Lapeyre, Jaime

2011-01-01

The present article describes educational innovation processes and design of a web-based pain interprofessional resource for prelicensure health science students in universities across Canada. Operationalization of educational theory in design coupled with formative evaluation of design are discussed, along with strategies that support collaborative innovation. Educational design was driven by content, theory and evaluation. Pain misbeliefs and teaching points along the continuum from acute to persistent pain were identified. Knowledge-building theory, situated learning, reflection and novel designs for cognitive scaffolding were then employed. Design research principles were incorporated to inform iterative and ongoing design. An authentic patient case was constructed, situated in interprofessional complex care to highlight learning objectives related to pre-operative, postoperative and treatment up to one year, for a surgical cancer patient. Pain mechanisms, assessment and management framed content creation. Knowledge building scaffolds were used, which included video simulations, embedded resources, concurrent feedback, practice-based reflective exercises and commentaries. Scaffolds were refined to specifically support knowledge translation. Illustrative commentaries were designed to explicate pain misbeliefs and best practices. Architecture of the resource was mapped; a multimedia, interactive prototype was created. This pain education resource was developed primarily for individual use, with extensions for interprofessional collective discourse. Translation of curricular content scripts into representation maps supported the collaborative design process by establishing a common visual language. The web-based prototype will be formatively and summatively evaluated to assess pedagogic design, knowledge-translation scaffolds, pain knowledge gains, relevance, feasibility and fidelity of this educational innovation.

Behind the scenes of a research and training collaboration: power, privilege, and the hidden transcript of race.

PubMed

Carpenter-Song, Elizabeth; Whitley, Rob

2013-06-01

This paper examines a federally funded research and training collaboration between an Ivy League psychiatric research center and a historically Black university and medical center. This collaboration focuses on issues of psychiatric recovery and rehabilitation among African Americans. In addition, this multidisciplinary collaboration aims to build the research capacity at both institutions and to contribute to the tradition of research in culture and mental health within the medical social sciences and cultural psychiatry. This article provides a window into the complex, often messy, dynamics of a collaboration that cross cuts institutional, disciplinary, and demographic boundaries. Taking an auto-ethnographic approach, we intend to illustrate how collaborative relationships unfold and are constructed through ongoing reciprocal flows of knowledge and experience. Central to this aim is a consideration of how issues of power, privilege, and the hidden transcript of race shape the nature of our research and training efforts.

Knowledge Strands: Enhancing Student Perception of Online Postings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaudry-Hudson, Christine; Yalda, Sepideh

2008-01-01

An important component of student-centered learning is students' ability to connect to their own experiences and to build on their initial perspectives. In this collaborative project, two courses, one in foreign language and one in meteorology, use online postings and threaded discussions to guide the student in a self-study of progress, learning,…

Arguing Collaboratively: Argumentative Discourse Types and Their Potential for Knowledge Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felton, Mark; Garcia-Mila, Merce; Villarroel, Constanza; Gilabert, Sandra

2015-01-01

Background: There is growing interest in using argumentative discourse in educational settings. However, in a previous study, we found that discourse goals (persuasion vs. consensus) while arguing can affect student outcomes in both content learning and reasoning. Aims: In this study, we look at argumentative discourse data from a previous study…

Matching Linguistic and Pedagogical Objectives in a Telecollaboration Project: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bueno-Alastuey, M. C.; Kleban, M.

2016-01-01

This article attempts to analyse to what extent a distance collaboration project between two groups of university students sharing the same lingua franca (English), but with different course educational objectives can benefit its participants. We build on the knowledge gleaned from previous studies of second language telecollaboration which point…

Professional Development: Building Effective Virtual Communities through Cooperative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyers, Robert; Davis, Hilarie; Botti, James

A web site for an online graduate course in Earth systems science for middle school teachers was designed to affect teachers' knowledge about Earth systems science and resources and their use of constructivist teaching practices, particularly collaboration, rubrics and the use of journals. In the 16-week course 44 teachers experienced…

A New Paradigm in ESL Teaching and Learning Environments: Online Professional Development for Taiwanese Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Shiao-wei

2013-01-01

This case study investigates the perspectives of four Taiwanese English ESL (English as a second language) teachers with regard to their participation in an online professional development course. To build a collaborative online professional development community, in which teachers acquire professional knowledge to improve teaching instruction and…

Collaborative Group Learning and Knowledge Building to Address Information Systems Project Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angelo, Raymond

2011-01-01

Approximately half of the information systems (IS) projects implemented each year are considered failures. These failed projects cost billions of dollars annually. Failures can be due to projects being delivered late, over-budget, abandoned after significant time and resource investment, or failing to achieve desired results. More often than not,…

Collaborative Gaming: Teaching Children about Complex Systems and Collective Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peppler, Kylie; Danish, Joshua A.; Phelps, David

2013-01-01

Although games--including board games, video games, and Massive Multiplayer Online Games--have garnered significant attention in recent years for their impact on educational outcomes, a primary focus of this interest is the transfer of knowledge from game to nongame settings. Building on this literature, our research explores how game designs that…

A Model for Critical Games Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apperley, Tom; Beavis, Catherine

2013-01-01

This article outlines a model for teaching both computer games and videogames in the classroom for teachers. The model illustrates the connections between in-game actions and youth gaming culture. The article explains how the out-of-school knowledge building, creation and collaboration that occurs in gaming and gaming culture has an impact on…

Notes from California: an anthropological approach to urban science education for language minority families

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, Lorie

2001-11-01

This article describes a unique and ongoing collaboration involving a team of bilingual/multicultural teacher-educators, preservice teachers, teachers, students, and community members in an urban California elementary school. According to the model this team employed, children, teachers, and student teachers gather community funds of knowledge about the science to be studied in a classroom, then incorporate this knowledge by using parents as experts and by creating community books. In this model community-generated materials parallel and complement standards-based curricula, although science topics that have natural significance in particular communities are used as a starting point. Using critical ethnography as a framework, the article focuses on a particular experience - the building of a Mien-American garden house - to show how, by drawing on participants' funds of knowledge, a new kind of multiscience can emerge, one accessible to all collaborating members and responsive to school standards.

An Interprofessional Course Using Human Patient Simulation to Teach Patient Safety and Teamwork Skills

PubMed Central

McCulloh, Russell; Dyer, Carla; Gregory, Gretchen; Higbee, Dena

2012-01-01

Objectives. To assess the effectiveness of human patient simulation to teach patient safety, team-building skills, and the value of interprofessional collaboration to pharmacy students. Design. Five scenarios simulating semi-urgent situations that required interprofessional collaboration were developed. Groups of 10 to 12 health professions students that included 1 to 2 pharmacy students evaluated patients while addressing patient safety hazards. Assessment. Pharmacy students’ scores on 8 of 30 items on a post-simulation survey of knowledge, skills, and attitudes improved over pre-simulation scores. Students’ scores on 3 of 10 items on a team building and interprofessional communications survey also improved after participating in the simulation exercise. Over 90% of students reported that simulation increased their understanding of professional roles and the importance of interprofessional communication. Conclusions. Simulation training provided an opportunity to improve pharmacy students’ ability to recognize and react to patient safety concerns and enhanced their interprofessional collaboration and communication skills. PMID:22611280

Advancing the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Health Team Model: Applying Democratic Professionalism, Implementation Science, and Therapeutic Alliance to Enact Social Justice Practice.

PubMed

Murphy, Nancy

2015-01-01

This essay reframes the interdisciplinary collaborative health team model by proposing the application of 3 foundational pillars-democratic professionalism, implementation science, and therapeutic alliance to advance this practice. The aim was to address challenges to the model, enhance their functional capacity, and explicate and enact social justice practices to affect individual health outcomes while simultaneously addressing health inequities. The pillars are described and examples from the author's dissertation research illustrate how the pillars were used to bring about action. Related theories, models, and frameworks that have negotiation, capacity building, collaboration, and knowledge/task/power sharing as central concepts are presented under each of the pillars.

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative: building sustainable collaboration.

PubMed

Bakewell-Sachs, Susan; Mertz, Lynn M; Egreczky, Dana; Ladden, Maryjoan

2011-01-01

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative was publically launched in 2009 as a 5-year, $22 million program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation. It was reauthorized in 2011 through 2016 for an additional $8.5 million. The initiative includes a faculty preparation program and strategic tracks of work focusing on building education capacity, increasing current faculty capacity, making nurse faculty a preferred career, leading policy initiatives, creating sustainable funding in support of nursing education, and ultimately, building local, regional, and statewide collaborative networks. The tagline, "So a Nurse will be there for You," emphasizes both the reality of an aging nursing workforce needing replacement and the expected health care transformation that will result in the need for new knowledge and skills in the future nursing workforce. The purpose of this article was to describe the New Jersey Nursing Initiative, emphasizing the partnerships that have resulted from the project to date. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CmapTools: A Software Environment for Knowledge Modeling and Sharing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canas, Alberto J.

2004-01-01

In an ongoing collaborative effort between a group of NASA Ames scientists and researchers at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) of the University of West Florida, a new version of CmapTools has been developed that enable scientists to construct knowledge models of their domain of expertise, share them with other scientists, make them available to anybody on the Internet with access to a Web browser, and peer-review other scientists models. These software tools have been successfully used at NASA to build a large-scale multimedia on Mars and in knowledge model on Habitability Assessment. The new version of the software places emphasis on greater usability for experts constructing their own knowledge models, and support for the creation of large knowledge models with large number of supporting resources in the forms of images, videos, web pages, and other media. Additionally, the software currently allows scientists to cooperate with each other in the construction, sharing and criticizing of knowledge models. Scientists collaborating from remote distances, for example researchers at the Astrobiology Institute, can concurrently manipulate the knowledge models they are viewing without having to do this at a special videoconferencing facility.

Knowledge translation in tri-sectoral collaborations: An exploration of perceptions of academia, industry and healthcare collaborations in innovation adoption.

PubMed

Ii, Suzanne Sayuri; Fitzgerald, Louise; Morys-Carter, Megan M; Davie, Natasha L; Barker, Richard

2018-02-01

With the aging population and increase in chronic disease conditions, innovation to transform treatment pathways and service delivery will be necessary. The innovation adoption process however, can take 15 years before widespread adoption occurs in most healthcare systems. Current UK government policies to increase the facilitation of innovation adoption are under way. The aim of this study is to explore perceptions of tri-sectoral collaborations in the healthcare sector. The data in the study are drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015 of professionals in academia, industry and the healthcare sectors in England, focusing on Diabetes care. Academia and healthcare respondents had the least work experience outside of their sectors compared to the industry respondents. Healthcare and academia respondents rated the industry sector less trustworthy, unethical, having different goals and less understanding of the other sectors. Industry respondents had a more positive perspective towards potential collaborators. The results from the study demonstrate greater potential challenges to tri-sectoral collaborations and the government's knowledge translation policy, due to pre-conceived notions and lack of understanding of other sectors. The purely structural approach of establishing government mandated translational networks may be insufficient without active attempts to improve collaborative relationships. Mechanisms to facilitate trust building and collaboration are proposed. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

RMS: a platform for managing cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional research project collaboration.

PubMed

Luo, Jake; Apperson-Hansen, Carolyn; Pelfrey, Clara M; Zhang, Guo-Qiang

2014-11-30

Cross-institutional cross-disciplinary collaboration has become a trend as researchers move toward building more productive and innovative teams for scientific research. Research collaboration is significantly changing the organizational structure and strategies used in the clinical and translational science domain. However, due to the obstacles of diverse administrative structures, differences in area of expertise, and communication barriers, establishing and managing a cross-institutional research project is still a challenging task. We address these challenges by creating an integrated informatics platform to reduce the barriers to biomedical research collaboration. The Request Management System (RMS) is an informatics infrastructure designed to transform a patchwork of expertise and resources into an integrated support network. The RMS facilitates investigators' initiation of new collaborative projects and supports the management of the collaboration process. In RMS, experts and their knowledge areas are categorized and managed structurally to provide consistent service. A role-based collaborative workflow is tightly integrated with domain experts and services to streamline and monitor the life-cycle of a research project. The RMS has so far tracked over 1,500 investigators with over 4,800 tasks. The research network based on the data collected in RMS illustrated that the investigators' collaborative projects increased close to 3 times from 2009 to 2012. Our experience with RMS indicates that the platform reduces barriers for cross-institutional collaboration of biomedical research projects. Building a new generation of infrastructure to enhance cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration has become an important yet challenging task. In this paper, we share the experience of developing and utilizing a collaborative project management system. The results of this study demonstrate that a web-based integrated informatics platform can facilitate and increase research interactions among investigators.

Investigating 6th graders' use of a tablet-based app supporting synchronous use of multiple tools designed to promote collaborative knowledge building in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherwood, Carrie-Anne

At this pivotal moment in time, when the proliferation of mobile technologies in our daily lives is influencing the relatively fast integration of these technologies into classrooms, there is little known about the process of student learning, and the role of collaboration, with app-based learning environments on mobile devices. To address this gap, this dissertation, comprised of three manuscripts, investigated three pairs of sixth grade students' synchronous collaborative use of a tablet-based science app called WeInvestigate . The first paper illustrated the methodological decisions necessary to conduct the study of student synchronous and face-to-face collaboration and knowledge building within the complex WeInvestigate and classroom learning environments. The second paper provided the theory of collaboration that guided the design of supports in WeInvestigate, and described its subsequent development. The third paper detailed the interactions between pairs of students as they engaged collaboratively in model construction and explanation tasks using WeInvestigate, hypothesizing connections between these interactions and the designed supports for collaboration. Together, these manuscripts provide encouraging evidence regarding the potential of teaching and learning with WeInvestigate. Findings demonstrated that the students in this study learned science through WeInvestigate , and were supported by the app - particularly the collabrification - to engage in collaborative modeling of phenomena. The findings also highlight the potential of the multiple methods used in this study to understand students' face-to-face and technology-based interactions within the "messy" context of an app-based learning environment and a traditional K-12 classroom. However, as the third manuscript most clearly illustrates, there are still a number of modifications to be made to the WeInvestigate technology before it can be optimally used in classrooms to support students' collaborative science endeavors. The findings presented in this dissertation contribute in theoretical, methodological, and applied ways to the fields of science education, educational technology, and the learning sciences, and point to exciting possibilities for future research on students' collaborations using future iterations of WeInvestigate with more embedded supports; comparative studies of students' use of synchronous collaboration; and studies focused on elucidating the role of the teacher using WeInvestigate - and similar mobile platforms - for teaching and learning.

Building motivation to participate in a quality improvement collaborative in NHS hospital trusts in Southeast England: a qualitative participatory evaluation.

PubMed

Lalani, Mirza; Hall, Kate; Skrypak, Mirek; Laing, Chris; Welch, John; Toohey, Peter; Seaholme, Sarah; Weijburg, Thomas; Eyre, Laura; Marshall, Martin

2018-04-07

This study explores the barriers and facilitators that impact on the motivation of practitioners to participate in a quality improvement collaborative. A qualitative and formative evaluation using a participatory approach, the researcher-in-residence model which embraces the concept of 'coproducing' knowledge between researchers and practitioners using a range of research methods such as participant observation, interviews and documentary analysis. The design, creation and application of newly generated evidence are facilitated by the researcher through negotiation and compromise with team members. Senior and middle managers, doctors and nurses. Two hospitals in Southeast England participating in a Patient Safety Improvement Collaborative and the facilitator (host) of the collaborative, based in Central London. The evaluation has revealed facilitators and barriers to motivation categorised under two main themes: (1) inherent motivation and (2) factors that influence motivation, interorganisational and intraorganisational features as well as external factors. Facilitators included collaborative 'champions,' individuals who drove the quality improvement agenda at a local level, raising awareness and inspiring colleagues. The collaborative itself acted as a facilitator, promoting shared learning as well as building motivation for participation. A key barrier was the lack of board engagement in the participating National Health Service organisations which may have affected motivation among front-line staff. Collaboratives maybe an important way of engaging practitioners in quality improvement initiatives. This study highlights that despite a challenging healthcare environment in the UK, there remains motivation among individuals to participate in quality improvement programmes as they recognise that improvement approaches may facilitate positive change in local clinical processes and systems. Collaboratives can harness this individual motivation to facilitate spread and adoption of improvement methodology and build engagement across their membership. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Bibliotherapy Education Project: Alive and Well--and Perpetually "Under Construction"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillen, Paula S.

2008-01-01

The Bibliotherapy Education Project began as a teaching collaboration between faculty at Oregon State University's Libraries and School of Education. The project's evolution from 1999 to 2004 was previously described in this journal (McMillen 2005). The core of the project is a book evaluation tool, which builds counselor skill and knowledge in…

Learning without Boundaries: Developing Mobile Learning Scenarios for Elementary and Middle School Language Arts & Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Michael A.; Gracanin, Denis

2009-01-01

This article provides an overview to a collaborative knowledge building project using iPod Touches in elementary and secondary language arts and mathematics classrooms, working with 4 teachers and over 80 students. The interactive technologies for embodied Learning in Reading and Mathematics (iteL*RM) project intends to facilitate student…

Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts--Collaborative Knowledge Building Tools in a Design and Technology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandra, Vinesh; Chalmers, Christina

2010-01-01

Design and Technology has become an important part of the school curriculum. In Queensland, Australia, Technology (which encompasses Design) is one of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) for students in the first ten years of schooling. This KLA adopts a student-centred, hands-on constructivist approach to teaching and learning. The ability to…

Peer Evaluation in Blended Team Project-Based Learning: What Do Students Find Important?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hye-Jung; Lim, Cheolil

2012-01-01

Team project-based learning is reputed to be an appropriate way to activate interactions among students and to encourage knowledge building through collaborative learning. Peer evaluation is an effective way for each student to participate actively in a team project. This article investigates the issues that are important to students when…

Partnering for Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study of a University's Participation in the Community Action for a Renewed Environment Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szarleta, Ellen

2010-01-01

This article examines an important policy initiative that creates self-sustaining partnerships among community stakeholders, including academic institutions. The Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) model of collaborative problem-solving (CPS) builds community capacity and knowledge while addressing the challenges of toxic pollution…

E-Mentoring at a Distance: An Approach to Support Professional Development in Workplaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanis, Hasan; Barker, Ian

2017-01-01

The rapid growth of technology has had a significant effect on educational activities. As a result of this growth, a shift has taken place from a behaviorist teaching style to a constructivist perspective which enables adult learners to build up knowledge collaboratively. Mentoring, a valuable tool within the constructivism approach, can offer a…

Student Teachers' Distinctive Contributions to Research on Primary School Children's Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kershner, Ruth; Hargreaves, Linda

2012-01-01

Student teachers' research is usually valued more for its contribution to their professional learning than for its contribution to the research topic itself. This paper reports on a research collaboration with eight student primary teachers in England, intended to build on a previously established project investigating young children's…

This Is a Job!: Second Career Teachers' Cultural and Professional Capital and the Changing Landscape of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Ann Walker

2014-01-01

As newcomers to schools in the last thirty years, second career teachers, were studied to better understand this group of teachers within schools. Second career teachers bring professional knowledge that did not originate in the field of teaching to their teaching career such as relationship building and collaboration. The professional…

OMOGENIA: A Semantically Driven Collaborative Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liapis, Aggelos

Ontology creation can be thought of as a social procedure. Indeed the concepts involved in general need to be elicited from communities of domain experts and end-users by teams of knowledge engineers. Many problems in ontology creation appear to resemble certain problems in software design, particularly with respect to the setup of collaborative systems. For instance, the resolution of conceptual conflicts between formalized ontologies is a major engineering problem as ontologies move into widespread use on the semantic web. Such conflict resolution often requires human collaboration and cannot be achieved by automated methods with the exception of simple cases. In this chapter we discuss research in the field of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) that focuses on classification and which throws light on ontology building. Furthermore, we present a semantically driven collaborative environment called OMOGENIA as a natural way to display and examine the structure of an evolving ontology in a collaborative setting.

Influence of a vertical subject on research in biomedicine and activities of The Cochrane Collaboration branch on medical students' knowledge and attitudes toward evidence-based medicine

PubMed Central

Balajić, Karolina; Barac-Latas, Vesna; Drenjančević, Ines; Ostojić, Marko; Fabijanić, Damir; Puljak, Livia

2012-01-01

Aim To investigate whether the introduction of a vertical subject on research in biomedicine and founding of The Cochrane Collaboration branch at the University of Split School of Medicine influenced students’ knowledge and attitudes toward evidence-based medicine (EBM), including the use of research literature. Methods We used a 26-item questionnaire on EBM knowledge and attitudes to survey 1232 medical students of all study years in 3 medical schools in Croatia (Split, Rijeka, Osijek) and the Croatian-speaking medical school in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Results Students from the University of Split School of Medicine who had been exposed to the vertical subject on research in biomedicine and activities of The Cochrane Collaboration at the school had better knowledge and more positive attitudes toward EBM. In general, students rarely searched for evidence; 28% of students searched for evidence more than once a month and 96% of students used only textbooks in Croatian and teachers’ handouts, even though 74% of students agreed that articles from scholarly journals were an important supplement for textbooks. Conclusion Building up an environment that fosters EBM may be beneficial for students’ knowledge and attitudes toward EBM. Teachers should encourage and require using evidence during all the courses in medical school. PMID:22911530

Conditions for sustainability of Academic Collaborative Centres for Public Health in the Netherlands: a mixed methods design.

PubMed

Jansen, Maria W J; van Oers, Hans A M; Middelweerd, Mizzi D R; van de Goor, Ien A M; Ruwaard, Dirk

2015-08-21

Contemporary research should increasingly be carried out in the context of application. Nowotny called this new form of knowledge production Mode-2. In line with Mode-2 knowledge production, the Dutch government in 2006 initiated the so-called Academic Collaborative Centres (ACC) for Public Health. The aim of these ACCs is to build a regional, sustainable knowledge-sharing network to deliver socially robust knowledge. The present study aims to highlight the enabling and constraining push and pull factors of these ACCs in order to assess whether the ACCs are able to build and strengthen a sustainable integrated organizational network between public health policy, practice, and research. Our empirical analysis builds on a mixed methods design. Quantitative data was derived from records of a survey sent to all 11 ACCs about personnel investments, number and nature of projects, and earning power. Qualitative data was derived from 21 in-depth interviews with stakeholders involved. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and manually coded as favourable or unfavourable pull or push factors. The extra funding appeared to be the most enabling push factor. The networks secured external grants for about 150 short- and long-term Mode-2 knowledge production projects in the past years. Enabling pull factors improved, especially the number of policy-driven short-term research projects. Exchange agents were able to constructively deal with the constraining push factors, like university's publication pressure and budget limitations. However, the constraining pull factors like local government's involvement and their low demand for scientific evidence were difficult to overcome. A clear improvement of the organizational networks was noticed whereby the ACC's were pushed rather than pulled. Efforts are needed to increase the demand for scientific and socially robust evidence from policymakers and to resolve the regime differences between the research and policy systems, in order to make the bidirectionality of the links sustainable.

Semantic Service Design for Collaborative Business Processes in Internetworked Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchini, Devis; Cappiello, Cinzia; de Antonellis, Valeria; Pernici, Barbara

Modern collaborating enterprises can be seen as borderless organizations whose processes are dynamically transformed and integrated with the ones of their partners (Internetworked Enterprises, IE), thus enabling the design of collaborative business processes. The adoption of Semantic Web and service-oriented technologies for implementing collaboration in such distributed and heterogeneous environments promises significant benefits. IE can model their own processes independently by using the Software as a Service paradigm (SaaS). Each enterprise maintains a catalog of available services and these can be shared across IE and reused to build up complex collaborative processes. Moreover, each enterprise can adopt its own terminology and concepts to describe business processes and component services. This brings requirements to manage semantic heterogeneity in process descriptions which are distributed across different enterprise systems. To enable effective service-based collaboration, IEs have to standardize their process descriptions and model them through component services using the same approach and principles. For enabling collaborative business processes across IE, services should be designed following an homogeneous approach, possibly maintaining a uniform level of granularity. In the paper we propose an ontology-based semantic modeling approach apt to enrich and reconcile semantics of process descriptions to facilitate process knowledge management and to enable semantic service design (by discovery, reuse and integration of process elements/constructs). The approach brings together Semantic Web technologies, techniques in process modeling, ontology building and semantic matching in order to provide a comprehensive semantic modeling framework.

Innovation and design of a web-based pain education interprofessional resource

PubMed Central

Lax, Leila; Watt-Watson, Judy; Lui, Michelle; Dubrowski, Adam; McGillion, Michael; Hunter, Judith; MacLennan, Cameron; Knickle, Kerry; Robb, Anja; Lapeyre, Jaime

2011-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The present article describes educational innovation processes and design of a web-based pain interprofessional resource for prelicensure health science students in universities across Canada. Operationalization of educational theory in design coupled with formative evaluation of design are discussed, along with strategies that support collaborative innovation. METHODS: Educational design was driven by content, theory and evaluation. Pain misbeliefs and teaching points along the continuum from acute to persistent pain were identified. Knowledge-building theory, situated learning, reflection and novel designs for cognitive scaffolding were then employed. Design research principles were incorporated to inform iterative and ongoing design. RESULTS: An authentic patient case was constructed, situated in inter-professional complex care to highlight learning objectives related to pre-operative, postoperative and treatment up to one year, for a surgical cancer patient. Pain mechanisms, assessment and management framed content creation. Knowledge building scaffolds were used, which included video simulations, embedded resources, concurrent feedback, practice-based reflective exercises and commentaries. Scaffolds were refined to specifically support knowledge translation. Illustrative commentaries were designed to explicate pain misbeliefs and best practices. Architecture of the resource was mapped; a multimedia, interactive prototype was created. This pain education resource was developed primarily for individual use, with extensions for interprofessional collective discourse. DISCUSSION: Translation of curricular content scripts into representation maps supported the collaborative design process by establishing a common visual language. The web-based prototype will be formatively and summatively evaluated to assess pedagogic design, knowledge-translation scaffolds, pain knowledge gains, relevance, feasibility and fidelity of this educational innovation. PMID:22184552

A scoping literature review of collaboration between primary care and public health.

PubMed

Martin-Misener, Ruth; Valaitis, Ruta; Wong, Sabrina T; Macdonald, Marjorie; Meagher-Stewart, Donna; Kaczorowski, Janusz; O-Mara, Linda; Savage, Rachel; Austin, Patricia

2012-10-01

The purpose of this scoping literature review was to determine what is known about: 1) structures and processes required to build successful collaborations between primary care (PC) and public health (PH); 2) outcomes of such collaborations; and 3) markers of their success. Collaboration between PC and PH is believed to enable more effective individual and population services than what might be achieved by either alone. The study followed established methods for a scoping literature review and was guided by a framework that identifies systemic, organizational and interactional determinants for collaboration. The review was restricted to articles published between 1988 and 2008. Published quantitative and qualitative primary studies, evaluation research, systematic and other types of reviews, as well as descriptive accounts without an explicit research design, were included if they addressed either the structures or processes to build collaboration or the outcomes or markers of such collaboration, and were published in English. The combined search strategy yielded 6125 articles of which 114 were included. Systemic-level factors influencing collaboration included: government involvement, policy and fit with local needs; funding and resource factors, power and control issues; and education and training. Lack of a common agenda; knowledge and resource limitations; leadership, management and accountability issues; geographic proximity of partners; and shared protocols, tools and information sharing were influential at the organizational level. Interpersonal factors included having a shared purpose; philosophy and beliefs; clear roles and positive relationships; and effective communication and decision-making strategies. Reported benefits of collaboration included: improved chronic disease management; communicable disease control; and maternal child health. More research is needed to explore the conditions and contexts in which collaboration between PC and PH makes most sense and potential gains outweigh the associated risks and costs.

Sustainable value creation through new industrial supply chains in apparel and fashion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, R.; Sandberg, E.

2017-10-01

This paper explores the inter-organizational value creation, in apparel supply chain context, through circularity and digitalization for sustainability, by gathering evidences from vivid research experiences. It can be highlighted that inter-organizational value creation in both circular- and digital- apparel supply chains largely builds upon a variety of collaborative initiatives, and among a range of included members. Knowledge co-evolvement and business co-development, end-to-end integration and information transfer, and open networks are crucial to such collaborations - making development of new supply chain structures a meta-capability of apparel firms in the changing industrial landscape.

Dengue research networks: building evidence for policy and planning in Brazil.

PubMed

de Paula Fonseca E Fonseca, Bruna; Zicker, Fabio

2016-11-08

The analysis of scientific networks has been applied in health research to map and measure relationships between researchers and institutions, describing collaboration structures, individual roles, and research outputs, and helping the identification of knowledge gaps and cooperation opportunities. Driven by dengue continued expansion in Brazil, we explore the contribution, dynamics and consolidation of dengue scientific networks that could ultimately inform the prioritisation of research, financial investments and health policy. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to produce a 20-year (1995-2014) retrospective longitudinal evaluation of dengue research networks within Brazil and with its partners abroad, with special interest in describing institutional collaboration and their research outputs. The analysis of institutional co-authorship showed a significant expansion of collaboration over the years, increased international involvement, and ensured a shift from public health research toward vector control and basic biomedical research, probably as a reflection of the expansion of transmission, high burden and increasing research funds from the Brazilian government. The analysis identified leading national organisations that maintained the research network connectivity, facilitated knowledge exchange and reduced network vulnerability. SNA proved to be a valuable tool that, along with other indicators, can strengthen a knowledge platform to inform future policy, planning and funding decisions. The paper provides relevant information to policy and planning for dengue research as it reveals: (1) the effectiveness of the research network in knowledge generation, sharing and diffusion; (2) the near-absence of collaboration with the private sector; and (3) the key central organisations that can support strategic decisions on investments, development and implementation of innovations. In addition, the increase in research activities and collaboration has not yet significantly affected dengue transmission, suggesting a limited translation of research efforts into public health solutions.

Global mental health: transformative capacity building in Nicaragua

PubMed Central

Sapag, Jaime C.; Herrera, Andrés; Trainor, Ruth; Caldera, Trinidad; Khenti, Akwatu

2013-01-01

Background Mental health is increasingly recognised as integral to good public health, but this area continues to lack sufficient planning, resources, and global strategy. It is a pressing concern in Latin America, where social determinants of health aggravate existing inequities in access to health services. Nicaragua faces serious mental health needs and challenges. One key strategy for addressing gaps in mental health services is building capacity at the primary healthcare and system levels. Objective Using the framework of best practice literature, this article analyses the four-year collaborative process between the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in León (UNAN-León) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada, which is aimed at improving mental healthcare in Nicaragua. Design Based on a critical analysis of evaluation reports, key documents, and discussion among partners, the central steps of the collaboration are analysed and main successes and challenges identified. Results A participatory needs assessment identified local strengths and weaknesses, expected outcomes regarding competencies, and possible methodologies and recommendations for the development of a comprehensive capacity-building programme. The partners delivered two international workshops on mental health and addiction with an emphasis on primary healthcare. More recently, an innovative Diploma and Master programme was launched to foster interprofessional leadership and effective action to address mental health and addiction needs. Collaborative activities have taken place in Nicaragua and Canada. Discussion To date, international collaboration between Nicaragua and CAMH has been successful in achieving the jointly defined goals. The process has led to mutual knowledge sharing, strong networking, and extensive educational opportunities. Evidence of effective and respectful global health capacity building is provided. Lessons learned and implications for global health action are identified and discussed. PMID:24088364

Transforming Teacher-Family Relationships: Shifting Roles and Perceptions of Home Visits through the Funds of Knowledge Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whyte, Kristin Lyn; Karabon, Anne

2016-01-01

Education has embraced the idea of an "asset approach" to working with families and children, creating a focus on developing collaborative relationships with families by building on what they bring to the table. In this paper we explore what happened when early childhood teachers entered homes to learn from families and identify their…

The Important Elements of LMS Design That Affect User Engagement with E-Learning Tools within LMSs in the Higher Education Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zanjani, Nastaran; Edwards, Sylvia L.; Nykvist, Shaun; Geva, Shlomo

2017-01-01

In recent years, universities have been under increased pressure to adopt e-learning practices for teaching and learning. In particular, the emphasis has been on learning management systems (LMSs) and associated collaboration tools to provide opportunities for sharing knowledge, building a community of learners, and supporting higher order…

Deeper Learning: Improving Student Outcomes for College, Career, and Civic Life. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitter, Catherine; Loney, Emily

2015-01-01

The Issue: To prepare for the demands of postsecondary education and the workforce, students need to master content and build skills that allow them to collaborate with others, and then apply that knowledge to new situations. Students will be able to access a wider range of opportunities in college, career, and civic life if they possess the…

The Use of a Wiki at a College in Hungary as a Tool to Enhance Personal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asztalos, Réka

2014-01-01

Wikis have been extensively used in language teaching for collaborative writing. However, there are very few studies about wikis as holistic learning environments. To fill this niche, the present research project aimed to explore the potential of the wiki as a platform for knowledge building and personalized learning that may enhance lifelong…

Nobody Says No: Student Self-Censorship in a Collaborative Knowledge Building Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Alan; Nason, Rod

2011-01-01

This paper explores student self-censorship within an online learning environment. Self-censorship in group activity can be seen as a two-edged sword. While it can be advantageous that a student censor personal frustration and angst when working with others, if the self-censorship impacts on the cognitive contribution a student makes then this may…

Adverse Outcome Pathways: From Research to Regulation ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) organizes existing knowledge on chemical mode of action, starting with a molecular initiating event such as receptor binding, continuing through key events, and ending with an adverse outcome such as reproductive impairment. AOPs can help identify knowledge gaps where more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms, aid in chemical hazard characterization, and guide the development of new testing approaches that use fewer or no animals. A September 2014 workshop co-sponsored by NICEATM and PCRM considered how the AOP concept could improve regulatory assessments of chemical toxicity. Scientists from 21 countries, representing industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and special interest groups, attended the workshop, titled Adverse Outcome Pathways: From Research to Regulation. Workshop plenary presentations were followed by breakout sessions that considered regulatory acceptance of AOPs and AOP-based tools, criteria for building confidence in an AOP for regulatory use, and requirements to build quantitative AOPs and AOP networks. Discussions during the closing session emphasized a need to increase transparent and inclusive collaboration, especially with disciplines outside of toxicology. Additionally, to increase impact, working groups should be established to systematically prioritize and develop AOPs. Multiple collaborative projects and follow-up activities resulted from the workshop. This manuscript provides a

Supporting and structuring "contributing student pedagogy" in Computer Science curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkner, Katrina; Falkner, Nickolas J. G.

2012-12-01

Contributing student pedagogy (CSP) builds upon social constructivist and community-based learning principles to create engaging and productive learning experiences. What makes CSP different from other, related, learning approaches is that it involves students both learning from and also explicitly valuing the contributions of other students. The creation of such a learning community builds upon established educational psychology that encourages deep learning, reflection and engagement. Our school has recently completed a review and update of its curriculum, incorporating student content-creation and collaboration into the design of key courses across the curriculum. Our experiences, based on several years of experimentation and development, support CSP-based curriculum design to reinforce the value of the student perspective, the clear description of their own transformative pathway to knowledge and the importance of establishing student-to-student networks in which students are active and willing participants. In this paper, we discuss the tools and approaches that we have employed to guide, support and structure student collaboration across a range of courses and year levels. By providing an account of our intentions, our approaches and tools, we hope to provide useful and transferrable knowledge that can be readily used by other academics who are considering this approach.

Exploring the Complexities of Children's Inquiries in Science: Knowledge Production Through Participatory Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siry, Christina

2013-12-01

Beginning with the assumption that young children are capable of producing unprecedented knowledges about science phenomena, this paper explores the complexities of children's inquiries within open-ended investigations. I ask two central questions: (1) how can we (teachers, researchers, and children themselves) use and build upon children's explorations in science in practice? and (2) what pedagogical approaches can position children as experts on their experiences to facilitate children's sense of ownership in the process of learning science? Six vignettes from a Kindergarten classroom are analyzed to elaborate the central claim of this work, which is that when children are engaged in collaborative open-ended activities, science emerges from their interactions. Open-ended structures allowed for teachers and children to facilitate further investigations collaboratively, and participatory structures mediated children's representations and explanations of their investigations. Evidence of children's interactions is used to illustrate the complexities of children's explorations, and pedagogical approaches that create the spaces for children to create knowledge are highlighted.

Building capacity to secure healthier and safer working conditions for healthcare workers: A South African-Canadian collaboration.

PubMed

Yassi, Annalee; Nophale, Letshego E; Dybka, Lyndsay; Bryce, Elizabeth; Kruger, Willem; Spiegel, Jerry

2009-01-01

Healthcare workers face difficult working conditions, particularly where HIV and tuberculosis add to understaffing. Questionnaires, workplace assessments, and discussion groups were conducted at a regional hospital in South Africa to obtain baseline data and input from the workforce in designing interventions. Findings highlighted weaknesses in knowledge, for example regarding the use of N95 respirators and safe handling of sharps, and suggested the need for improved training. Access to supplies and personal protective equipment was the major reported reason for failure to follow proper procedures; this was confirmed by workplace assessments. Discussion groups highlighted the important role for worker Health and Safety Committees (HSC), including in combating stigma and encouraging reporting. Interest in data to support decision-making resulted in development of the Occupational Health and Safety Information System (OHASIS); further training of HSCs is still needed. Multi-stakeholder international collaboration aimed at building HSC capacity is well-received.

Partnering with American Indian communities in health using methods of strategic collaboration.

PubMed

Rajaram, Shireen S; Grimm, Brandon; Giroux, Jennifer; Peck, Magda; Ramos, Athena

2014-01-01

The Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) sponsored six regional workshops in 2010 on community engagement and community-engaged research. One of the six workshops was a collaborative effort between the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Health Board (GPTCHB)-Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center and the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC-COPH). To create a meaningful and dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas and co-learning between researchers from urban, tribal and nontribal communities and to build the groundwork for development of sustainable partnerships between researchers and American Indian (AI) communities to eliminate health disparities. To enhance meaningful community engagement, we utilized methods of Strategic Collaboration using the Appreciative Inquiry, 4D Change Process Model and designed several interactive group activities including Collaborative Learning and Understanding Exercises (CLUE) and the Research Café. The key themes that emerged from the interactive sessions stressed the importance of building relationships and trust; mutual use and sharing of data; and acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities to enable sustainable research partnerships with AI communitiesConclusions: Innovative, dynamic, and strategic collaborative methods of Appreciative Inquiry and the World Café can served to engage people in a constructive dialogue to create a shared vision and plan for more meaningful research partnerships based on principles of equity and social justice, essential for the elimination of health disparities. These collaborative methods can be replicated and adapted in diverse communities, locally, nationally, and globally.

8 ways to build collaborative teams.

PubMed

Gratton, Lynda; Erickson, Tamara J

2007-11-01

Executing complex initiatives like acquisitions or an IT overhaul requires a breadth of knowledge that can be provided only by teams that are large, diverse, virtual, and composed of highly educated specialists. The irony is, those same characteristics have an alarming tendency to decrease collaboration on a team. What's a company to do? Gratton, a London Business School professor, and Erickson, president of the Concours Institute, studied 55 large teams and identified those with strong collaboration despite their complexity. Examining the team dynamics and environment at firms ranging from Royal Bank of Scotland to Nokia to Marriott, the authors isolated eight success factors: (1) "Signature" relationship practices that build bonds among the staff, in memorable ways that are particularly suited to a company's business. (2) Role models of collaboration among executives, which help cooperation trickle down to the staff. (3) The establishment of a "gift culture," in which managers support employees by mentoring them daily, instead of a transactional "tit-for-tat culture", (4) Training in relationship skills, such as communication and conflict resolution. (5) A sense of community, which corporate HR can foster by sponsoring group activities. (6) Ambidextrous leadership, or leaders who are both task-oriented and relationship-oriented. (7) Good use of heritage relationships, by populating teams with members who know and trust one another. (8) Role clarity and task ambiguity, achieved by defining individual roles sharply but giving teams latitude on approach. As teams have grown from a standard of 20 members to comprise 100 or more, team practices that once worked well no longer apply. The new complexity of teams requires companies to increase their capacity for collaboration, by making long-term investments that build relationships and trust, and smart near-term decisions about how teams are formed and run.

How can mental health and faith-based practitioners work together? A case study of collaborative mental health in Gujarat, India.

PubMed

Shields, Laura; Chauhan, Ajay; Bakre, Ravindra; Hamlai, Milesh; Lynch, Durwin; Bunders, Joske

2016-06-01

Despite the knowledge that people with mental illness often seek care from multiple healing systems, there is limited collaboration between these systems. Greater collaboration with existing community resources could narrow the treatment gap and reduce fragmentation by encouraging more integrated care. This paper explores the origins, use, and outcomes of a collaborative programme between faith-based and allopathic mental health practitioners in India. We conducted 16 interviews with key stakeholders and examined demographic and clinical characteristics of the user population. Consistent with previous research, we found that collaboration is challenging and requires trust, rapport-building, and open dialogue. The collaboration reached a sizeable population, was reviewed favourably by key stakeholders-particularly on health improvement and livelihood restoration-and perhaps most importantly, views the client holistically, allowing for both belief systems to play a shared role in care and recovery. Results support the idea that, despite differing practices, collaboration between faith-based and allopathic mental health practitioners can be achieved and can benefit clients with otherwise limited access to mental health care. © The Author(s) 2016.

Evaluation of a collaborative project to develop sustainable healthcare education in eight UK medical schools.

PubMed

Walpole, S C; Mortimer, F

2017-09-01

Environmental change poses pressing challenges to public health and calls for profound and far-reaching changes to policy and practice across communities and health systems. Medical schools can act as a seedbed where knowledge, skills and innovation to address environmental challenges can be developed through innovative and collaborative approaches. The objectives of this study were to (1) explore drivers and challenges of collaboration for educational development between and within medical schools; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of a range of pedagogies for sustainable healthcare education; and (3) identify effective strategies to facilitate the renewal of medical curricula to address evolving health challenges. Participatory action research. Medical school teams participated in a nine-month collaborative project, including a one-day seminar to learn about sustainable healthcare education and develop a project plan. After the seminar, teams were supported to develop, deliver and evaluate new teaching at their medical school. New teaching was introduced at seven medical schools. A variety of pedagogies were represented. Collaboration between schools motivated and informed participants. The main challenges faced related to time pressures. Educators and students commented that new teaching was enjoyable and effective at improving knowledge and skills. Collaborative working supported educators to develop and implement new teaching sessions rapidly and effectively. Collaboration can help to build educators' confidence and capacity in a new area of education development. Different forms of collaboration may be appropriate for different circumstances and at different stages of education development. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Pioneering Role of the Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) to Advance Collaborative Research and Distributed Data Networks

PubMed Central

Fahey, Kevin R.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Large-scale distributed data networks consisting of diverse stakeholders including providers, patients, and payers are changing health research in terms of methods, speed and efficiency. The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) set the stage for expanded involvement of health plans in collaborative research. Expanding Surveillance Capacity and Progress Toward a Learning Health System: From an initial collaboration of four integrated health systems with fewer than 10 million covered lives to 16 diverse health plans with nearly 100 million lives now in the FDA Sentinel, the expanded engagement of health plan researchers has been essential to increase the value and impact of these efforts. The collaborative structure of the VSD established a pathway toward research efforts that successfully engage all stakeholders in a cohesive rather than competitive manner. The scientific expertise and methodology developed through the VSD such as rapid cycle analysis (RCA) to conduct near real-time safety surveillance allowed for the development of the expanded surveillance systems that now exist. Building on Success and Lessons Learned: These networks have learned from and built on the knowledge base and infrastructure created by the VSD investigators. This shared technical knowledge and experience expedited the development of systems like the FDA’s Mini-Sentinel and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)’s PCORnet Conclusion: This narrative reviews the evolution of the VSD, its contribution to other collaborative research networks, longer-term sustainability of this type of distributed research, and how knowledge gained from the earlier efforts can contribute to a continually learning health system. PMID:26793736

From «information deluge» to explicit knowledge: how web technologies and web collaboration could support Natural Hazards Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Franco, Sabina; Rapisardi, Elena; Giardino, Marco

2015-04-01

In the last 20 years the debate on disasters preparedness and relief operations underlined the need to evolve from "war" against hazards to "preparedness" in order to decrease vulnerability [Wisner et al., 1994]. In this perspective the key word "resilience" fosters a cultural change that should drive the risk & emergency management towards a participatory dimension - involving scientific communities, experts, civil protection bodies, media, citizens, volunteers, civil society -: from protection (passive behaviour) to resilience, supporting a wide responsibility and proactive behaviour (Longstaff, Armstrong, Perrin, 2010). Without any doubt, recent disasters highlighted how the new media increase the information complexity; the internet and the web 2.0 have augmented information and data availability, however some critical points are arising: easy access to information, precision and reliability, that are at the centre of the current debate. The internet "information deluge" is a continuous and rather chaotic flow, hence how to give answer to the increasing need of clear, and trustworthy information on NH? How to share knowledge? How to support a citizen-science perspective? Which are the best practices to switch towards a new resilient information ecosystem? The challenge is to find models and tools to build an open and structured knowledge to facilitate the access to validated and reliable information, build a common understanding on NH and local risks, so to react and take the right decision in order to cope with and reduce the impact of disasters. The confusion and misunderstanding on natural disaster terms is often underestimated in its consequences. Terminology could be a source of ambiguity and terminology associated with identifying and communicating risk is a relatively new science (F.M. Christensen et al., 2003). It is needed to start back from «words», from their meaning and relations between concepts and terms, as precise comprehension allows a more "precise" resilient behavior. A "Natural Hazard Wikisaurus" (NHW) is here proposed as a "matrix" of a model to be used in "practice". The NHW is a web environment of interrelated terminological tools: glossary, thesaurus, wiki; an augmented «terminology tool» conceived as a collaborative virtual source of validated information and knowledge on Natural Hazards and Civil Protection, to sustain and support a common understanding. Thesaurus represents the building block of knowledge, enabling the "know-how" on NH, whilst the Wiki selects and organizes the praxis of natural hazards management. NHW is intended as a structured and collaborative web platform with validated information on geosciences that could be integrated in other websites; the overall aim is to propose an operational and collaborative approach for acknowledged practitioners, citizens, civil servants, media representatives, and students allowed to collaborate or to retrieve information through the collective content validated by the scientific users of the platform. Furthermore, this first step could foster a next step that will take advantage from the power of «linked data» so to contribute to a natural hazard semantic, or to a «semantic disaster resilience».

Using wikis to stimulate collaborative learning in two online health sciences courses.

PubMed

Zitzelsberger, Hilde; Campbell, Karen A; Service, Dorothea; Sanchez, Otto

2015-06-01

The use of wiki technology fits well in courses that encourage constructive knowledge building and social learning by a community of learners. Pedagogically, wikis have attracted interest in higher education environments because they facilitate the collaborative processes required for developing student group assignments. This article describes a pilot project to assess the implementation of wikis in two online small- and mid-sized elective courses comprising nursing students in third- or fourth-year undergraduate levels within interdisciplinary health sciences courses. The need exists to further develop the pedagogical use of wiki environments before they can be expected to support collaboration among undergraduate nursing students. Adapting wiki implementation to suitable well-matched courses will make adaptation of wikis into nursing curricula more effective and may increase the chances that nursing students will hone the collaborative abilities that are essential in their future professional roles in communities of practice. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Our Journal Unites Us: Global Responsibilities and Possibilities for Pediatric Physical Therapy.

PubMed

Van Sant, Ann F

2018-04-01

This article was designed to describe personal and social responsibilities for strengthening the science of pediatric physical therapy and effective international research collaboration and communication. Common flaws in research design and analysis are reviewed with recommendations for developing research students' design and analytical skills. Our social responsibility to be informed by global knowledge is highlighted. Barriers to scientific collaboration and communication including international disparities in scientific development and language barriers are presented. Suggestions to reduce these barriers are outlined. The importance of free access to scientific literature in developing countries is reviewed. The journal should assume a leadership role in building a strong science of pediatric physical therapy through encouraging personal and social responsibility in research and serving as a model of international collaboration and communication. Treatment for children with movement disorders will be improved by stronger science, international collaboration, and communication.

Academic Cross-Pollination: The Role of Disciplinary Affiliation in Research Collaboration

PubMed Central

Dhand, Amar; Luke, Douglas A.; Carothers, Bobbi J.; Evanoff, Bradley A.

2016-01-01

Academic collaboration is critical to knowledge production, especially as teams dominate scientific endeavors. Typical predictors of collaboration include individual characteristics such as academic rank or institution, and network characteristics such as a central position in a publication network. The role of disciplinary affiliation in the initiation of an academic collaboration between two investigators deserves more attention. Here, we examine the influence of disciplinary patterns on collaboration formation with control of known predictors using an inferential network model. The study group included all researchers in the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) at Washington University in St. Louis. Longitudinal data were collected on co-authorships in grants and publications before and after ICTS establishment. Exponential-family random graph models were used to build the network models. The results show that disciplinary affiliation independently predicted collaboration in grant and publication networks, particularly in the later years. Overall collaboration increased in the post-ICTS networks, with cross-discipline ties occurring more often than within-discipline ties in grants, but not publications. This research may inform better evaluation models of university-based collaboration, and offer a roadmap to improve cross-disciplinary collaboration with discipline-informed network interventions. PMID:26760302

Data and Model Integration Promoting Interdisciplinarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koike, T.

2014-12-01

It is very difficult to reflect accumulated subsystem knowledge into holistic knowledge. Knowledge about a whole system can rarely be introduced into a targeted subsystem. In many cases, knowledge in one discipline is inapplicable to other disciplines. We are far from resolving cross-disciplinary issues. It is critically important to establish interdisciplinarity so that scientific knowledge can transcend disciplines. We need to share information and develop knowledge interlinkages by building models and exchanging tools. We need to tackle a large increase in the volume and diversity of data from observing the Earth. The volume of data stored has exponentially increased. Previously, almost all of the large-volume data came from satellites, but model outputs occupy the largest volume in general. To address the large diversity of data, we should develop an ontology system for technical and geographical terms in coupling with a metadata design according to international standards. In collaboration between Earth environment scientists and IT group, we should accelerate data archiving by including data loading, quality checking and metadata registration, and enrich data-searching capability. DIAS also enables us to perform integrated research and realize interdisciplinarity. For example, climate change should be addressed in collaboration between the climate models, integrated assessment models including energy, economy, agriculture, health, and the models of adaptation, vulnerability, and human settlement and infrastructure. These models identify water as central to these systems. If a water expert can develop an interrelated system including each component, the integrated crisis can be addressed by collaboration with various disciplines. To realize this purpose, we are developing a water-related data- and model-integration system called a water cycle integrator (WCI).

Native Geoscience: Pathways to Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolman, J. R.; Seielstad, G.

2006-12-01

We are living in a definite time of change. Distinct changes are being experienced in our most sacred and natural environments. This is especially true on Native lands. Native people have lived for millennia in distinct and unique ways. The knowledge of balancing the needs of people with the needs of our natural environments is paramount in all tribal societies. This inherent accumulated knowledge has become the foundation on which to build a "blended" contemporary understanding of western science. The Dakota's and Northern California have embraced the critical need of understanding successful tribal strategies to engage educational systems (K-12 and higher education), to bring to prominence the professional development opportunities forged through working with tribal peoples and ensure the continued growth of Native earth and environmental scientists The presentation will highlight: 1) past and present philosophies on building and maintaining Native/Tribal students in earth and environmental sciences; 2) successful educational programs/activities in PreK-Ph.D. systems; 3) current Native leadership development in earth and environmental sciences; and 4) forward thinking for creating proaction collaborations addressing sustainable environmental, educational and social infrastructures for all people. Humboldt State University (HSU) and the University of North Dakota's Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment and the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC) have been recognized nationally for their partnerships with Native communities. Unique collaborations are emerging "bridging" Native people across geographic areas in developing educational/research experiences which integrate the distinctive earth/environmental knowledge of tribal people. The presentation will highlight currently funded projects and initiatives as well as success stories of emerging Native earth system students and scientists.

Leading Cultural Change in a School District through a Budget Building Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford, Ricky Warren

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess, plan, and implement a budget building process through collaboration with the stakeholders of a targeted school district. The research question of this study was, "Will allowing the stakeholders more input, autonomy, and collaboration during a budget building process build a team environment and…

Building contexts that support effective community responses to HIV/AIDS: a South African case study.

PubMed

Campbell, Catherine; Nair, Yugi; Maimane, Sbongile

2007-06-01

In this paper we discuss our conceptualisation of a 'health-enabling social environment', and some of the strategies we are currently using to build social contexts most likely to support effective HIV/AIDS management in southern Africa. In developing these ideas, we draw on our on-going collaboration with residents of Entabeni, a remote rural community in South Africa where 43% of pregnant women are HIV positive. The aim of this collaboration is to facilitate contextual changes that will enable more effective community-led HIV/AIDS management in an isolated area where people have little or no access to formal health or welfare support, and where HIV/AIDS is heavily stigmatised. We give an account of the three phases of collaboration to date. These include research; the dissemination of findings and community consultation about the way forward; preliminary project activities (skills training for volunteer health workers; partnership building and a youth rally) as a way of illustrating what we believe are six key strategies for facilitating the development of 'AIDS-competent' communities: building knowledge and basic skills; creating social spaces for dialogue and critical thinking; promoting a sense of local ownership of the problem and incentives for action; emphasising community strengths and resources; mobilising existing formal and informal local networks; and building partnerships between marginalized communities and more powerful outside actors and agencies, locally, nationally and internationally. We discuss some of the triumphs and trials of this work, concluding with a discussion of the need to set realistic goals when working at the community level in highly conservative patriarchal communities to tackle problems which may be shaped by economic and political processes over which local people have little control.

Intelligent Systems Technologies to Assist in Utilization of Earth Observation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, Hampapuram K.; McConaughy, Gail; Lynnes, Christopher; McDonald, Kenneth; Kempler, Steven

2003-01-01

With the launch of several Earth observing satellites over the last decade, we are now in a data rich environment. From NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites alone, we are accumulating more than 3 TB per day of raw data and derived geophysical parameters. The data products are being distributed to a large user community comprising scientific researchers, educators and operational government agencies. Notable progress has been made in the last decade in facilitating access to data. However, to realize the full potential of the growing archives of valuable scientific data, further progress is necessary in the transformation of data into information, and information into knowledge that can be used in particular applications. Sponsored by NASA s Intelligent Systems Project within the Computing, Information and Communication Technology (CICT) Program, a conceptual architecture study has been conducted to examine ideas to improve data utilization through the addition of intelligence into the archives in the context of an overall knowledge building system. Potential Intelligent Archive concepts include: 1) Mining archived data holdings using Intelligent Data Understanding algorithms to improve metadata to facilitate data access and usability; 2) Building intelligence about transformations on data, information, knowledge, and accompanying services involved in a scientific enterprise; 3) Recognizing the value of results, indexing and formatting them for easy access, and delivering them to concerned individuals; 4) Interacting as a cooperative node in a web of distributed systems to perform knowledge building (i.e., the transformations from data to information to knowledge) instead of just data pipelining; and 5) Being aware of other nodes in the knowledge building system, participating in open systems interfaces and protocols for virtualization, and collaborative interoperability. This paper presents some of these concepts and identifies issues to be addressed by research in future intelligent systems technology.

Social media, knowledge translation, and action on the social determinants of health and health equity: A survey of public health practices.

PubMed

Ndumbe-Eyoh, Sume; Mazzucco, Agnes

2016-11-01

The growth of social media presents opportunities for public health to increase its influence and impact on the social determinants of health and health equity. The National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health at St. Francis Xavier University conducted a survey during the first half of 2016 to assess how public health used social media for knowledge translation, relationship building, and specific public health roles to advance health equity. Respondents reported that social media had an important role in public health. Uptake of social media, while relatively high for personal use, was less present in professional settings and varied for different platforms. Over 20 per cent of those surveyed used Twitter or Facebook at least weekly for knowledge exchange. A lesser number used social media for specific health equity action. Opportunities to enhance the use of social media in public health persist. Capacity building and organizational policies that support social media use may help achieve this.

From Information Society to Knowledge Society: The Ontology Issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roche, Christophe

2002-09-01

Information society, virtual enterprise, e-business rely more and more on communication and knowledge sharing between heterogeneous actors. But, no communication is possible, and all the more so no co-operation or collaboration, if those actors do not share the same or at least a compatible meaning for the terms they use. Ontology, understood as an agreed vocabulary of common terms and meanings, is a solution to that problem. Nevertheless, although there is quite a lot of experience in using ontologies, several barriers remain which stand against a real use of ontology. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to build, reuse and share ontologies. We claim that the ontology problem requires a multidisciplinary approach based on sound epistemological, logical and linguistic principles. This article presents the Ontological Knowledge Station (OK Station©), a software environment for building and using ontologies which relies on such principles. The OK Station is currently being used in several industrial applications.

The Circle of Prosperity: Tribal Colleges, Tradition, and Technology -- Building Synergistic Cross-Community Collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billy, C. L.

2003-12-01

For more than three decades, American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities have been working to sustain what is ours: our land, our language, our communities, and our culture. Tribal Colleges have achieved success by helping our communities, located in some of the poorest and most geographically remote areas of the country, develop systems for higher education, research, and economic development that are accessible, culturally responsive, and place-based. American Indian higher education is holistic, focused on the mind, body, spirit, and family. Research is respectful of culture, mindful of community values, and essential to community well-being. Economic development strategies are based on national and international trends, but focused on relationships between local people and their land. In this environment, applied research flourishes and new knowledge, integrating traditional ways of knowing with western science, is created and used. In the 1990s, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which is composed of 35 Tribal Colleges and Universities in the U.S. and Canada, launched a major initiative to expand and enhance this capacity through new collaborations and state-of-the-art information and communications technologies. Through a multi-phase effort, the Tribal Colleges developed and are currently implementing a dynamic and broad-based strategic plan. The goal: to reach a "Circle of Prosperity," a place where tribal traditions and new technologies are woven together to build stronger and more sustainable communities through enhanced STEM education and research programs. Our plan, the "Tribal College Framework for Community Technology," is a framework of strategic partnerships, resources, and tools that is helping us create locally based economic and social opportunities through information and communications technology and use of the Internet. During this presentation, we will: (a) discuss the innovative collaborative process we are using to build and implement the Framework; (b) provide examples of our growing ability to collaborate across time and distance; and (c) through coordinating presentations from a panel of Tribal College presidents, discuss strategies for establishing mutually beneficial education and research projects that integrate traditional knowledge and western science and involve Tribal Colleges, federal agencies, foundations, and mainstream research institutions.

Complex collaborative problem-solving processes in mission control.

PubMed

Fiore, Stephen M; Wiltshire, Travis J; Oglesby, James M; O'Keefe, William S; Salas, Eduardo

2014-04-01

NASA's Mission Control Center (MCC) is responsible for control of the International Space Station (ISS), which includes responding to problems that obstruct the functioning of the ISS and that may pose a threat to the health and well-being of the flight crew. These problems are often complex, requiring individuals, teams, and multiteam systems, to work collaboratively. Research is warranted to examine individual and collaborative problem-solving processes in this context. Specifically, focus is placed on how Mission Control personnel-each with their own skills and responsibilities-exchange information to gain a shared understanding of the problem. The Macrocognition in Teams Model describes the processes that individuals and teams undertake in order to solve problems and may be applicable to Mission Control teams. Semistructured interviews centering on a recent complex problem were conducted with seven MCC professionals. In order to assess collaborative problem-solving processes in MCC with those predicted by the Macrocognition in Teams Model, a coding scheme was developed to analyze the interview transcriptions. Findings are supported with excerpts from participant transcriptions and suggest that team knowledge-building processes accounted for approximately 50% of all coded data and are essential for successful collaborative problem solving in mission control. Support for the internalized and externalized team knowledge was also found (19% and 20%, respectively). The Macrocognition in Teams Model was shown to be a useful depiction of collaborative problem solving in mission control and further research with this as a guiding framework is warranted.

Collaborative WorkBench for Researchers - Work Smarter, Not Harder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Rahul; Kuo, Kwo-sen; Maskey, Manil; Lynnes, Christopher

2014-01-01

It is important to define some commonly used terminology related to collaboration to facilitate clarity in later discussions. We define provisioning as infrastructure capabilities such as computation, storage, data, and tools provided by some agency or similarly trusted institution. Sharing is defined as the process of exchanging data, programs, and knowledge among individuals (often strangers) and groups. Collaboration is a specialized case of sharing. In collaboration, sharing with others (usually known colleagues) is done in pursuit of a common scientific goal or objective. Collaboration entails more dynamic and frequent interactions and can occur at different speeds. Synchronous collaboration occurs in real time such as editing a shared document on the fly, chatting, video conference, etc., and typically requires a peer-to-peer connection. Asynchronous collaboration is episodic in nature based on a push-pull model. Examples of asynchronous collaboration include email exchanges, blogging, repositories, etc. The purpose of a workbench is to provide a customizable framework for different applications. Since the workbench will be common to all the customized tools, it promotes building modular functionality that can be used and reused by multiple tools. The objective of our Collaborative Workbench (CWB) is thus to create such an open and extensible framework for the Earth Science community via a set of plug-ins. Our CWB is based on the Eclipse [2] Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which is designed as a small kernel containing a plug-in loader for hundreds of plug-ins. The kernel itself is an implementation of a known specification to provide an environment for the plug-ins to execute. This design enables modularity, where discrete chunks of functionality can be reused to build new applications. The minimal set of plug-ins necessary to create a client application is called the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) [3]; The Eclipse RCP also supports thousands of community-contributed plug-ins, making it a popular development platform for many diverse applications including the Science Activity Planner developed at JPL for the Mars rovers [4] and the scientific experiment tool Gumtree [5]. By leveraging the Eclipse RCP to provide an open, extensible framework, a CWB supports customizations via plug-ins to build rich user applications specific for Earth Science. More importantly, CWB plug-ins can be used by existing science tools built off Eclipse such as IDL or PyDev to provide seamless collaboration functionalities.

Carving a niche: establishing bioinformatics collaborations

PubMed Central

Lyon, Jennifer A.; Tennant, Michele R.; Messner, Kevin R.; Osterbur, David L.

2006-01-01

Objectives: The paper describes collaborations and partnerships developed between library bioinformatics programs and other bioinformatics-related units at four academic institutions. Methods: A call for information on bioinformatics partnerships was made via email to librarians who have participated in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Advanced Workshop for Bioinformatics Information Specialists. Librarians from Harvard University, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota, and Vanderbilt University responded and expressed willingness to contribute information on their institutions, programs, services, and collaborating partners. Similarities and differences in programs and collaborations were identified. Results: The four librarians have developed partnerships with other units on their campuses that can be categorized into the following areas: knowledge management, instruction, and electronic resource support. All primarily support freely accessible electronic resources, while other campus units deal with fee-based ones. These demarcations are apparent in resource provision as well as in subsequent support and instruction. Conclusions and Recommendations: Through environmental scanning and networking with colleagues, librarians who provide bioinformatics support can develop fruitful collaborations. Visibility is key to building collaborations, as is broad-based thinking in terms of potential partners. PMID:16888668

Outcomes of a Self-Regulated Learning Curriculum Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters-Burton, Erin E.

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to describe connections among students' views of nature of science in relation to the goals of a curriculum delivered in a unique setting, one where a researcher and two teachers collaborated to develop a course devoted to teaching students about how knowledge is built in science. Students proceeded through a cycle of self-regulated phases, forethought, performance, and self-reflection, during each segment of the curriculum: (a) independent research, (b) knowledge building in the discipline of science, and (c) a citizen science project. Student views were measured at the beginning and end of the course using epistemic network analysis. The pretest map reported student understanding of science as experimentation and indicated three clusters representing the durability of knowledge, empirical evidence, and habits of mind, which were loosely connected and represented knowledge generation as external to personal thinking. The posttest map displayed a broader understanding of scientific endeavors beyond experimentation, a shift toward personal knowledge generation, and indicated a larger number of connections among three more tightly oriented clusters: empirical evidence, habits of mind, and tentativeness. Implications include the potential to build curriculum that purposefully considers reinforcing cycles of learning of the nature of science in different contexts.

Transparent Global Seismic Hazard and Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolka, Anselm; Schneider, John; Pinho, Rui; Crowley, Helen

2013-04-01

Vulnerability to earthquakes is increasing, yet advanced reliable risk assessment tools and data are inaccessible to most, despite being a critical basis for managing risk. Also, there are few, if any, global standards that allow us to compare risk between various locations. The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) is a unique collaborative effort that aims to provide organizations and individuals with tools and resources for transparent assessment of earthquake risk anywhere in the world. By pooling data, knowledge and people, GEM acts as an international forum for collaboration and exchange, and leverages the knowledge of leading experts for the benefit of society. Sharing of data and risk information, best practices, and approaches across the globe is key to assessing risk more effectively. Through global projects, open-source IT development and collaborations with more than 10 regions, leading experts are collaboratively developing unique global datasets, best practice, open tools and models for seismic hazard and risk assessment. Guided by the needs and experiences of governments, companies and citizens at large, they work in continuous interaction with the wider community. A continuously expanding public-private partnership constitutes the GEM Foundation, which drives the collaborative GEM effort. An integrated and holistic approach to risk is key to GEM's risk assessment platform, OpenQuake, that integrates all above-mentioned contributions and will become available towards the end of 2014. Stakeholders worldwide will be able to calculate, visualise and investigate earthquake risk, capture new data and to share their findings for joint learning. Homogenized information on hazard can be combined with data on exposure (buildings, population) and data on their vulnerability, for loss assessment around the globe. Furthermore, for a true integrated view of seismic risk, users can add social vulnerability and resilience indices to maps and estimate the costs and benefits of different risk management measures. The following global data, models and methodologies will be available in the platform. Some of these will be released to the public already before, such as the ISC-GEM global instrumental catalogue (released January 2013). Datasets: • Global Earthquake History Catalogue [1000-1903] • Global Instrumental Catalogue [1900-2009] • Global Geodetic Strain Rate Model • Global Active Fault Database • Tectonic Regionalisation • Buildings and Population Database • Earthquake Consequences Database • Physical Vulnerability Database • Socio-Economic Vulnerability and Resilience Indicators Models: • Seismic Source Models • Ground Motion (Attenuation) Models • Physical Exposure Models • Physical Vulnerability Models • Composite Index Models (social vulnerability, resilience, indirect loss) The aforementioned models developed under the GEM framework will be combined to produce estimates of hazard and risk at a global scale. Furthermore, building on many ongoing efforts and knowledge of scientists worldwide, GEM will integrate state-of-the-art data, models, results and open-source tools into a single platform that is to serve as a "clearinghouse" on seismic risk. The platform will continue to increase in value, in particular for use in local contexts, through contributions and collaborations with scientists and organisations worldwide.

Contextualizing learning to improve care using collaborative communities of practices.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; McShane, Julie; Flintoft, Virginia; White, Peggy; Indar, Alyssa; Maione, Maria; Lopez, A J; Bookey-Bassett, Sue; Scavuzzo, Lauren

2016-09-02

The use of interorganizational, collaborative approaches to build capacity in quality improvement (QI) in health care is showing promise as a useful model for scaling up and accelerating the implementation of interventions that bridge the "know-do" gap to improve clinical care and provider outcomes. Fundamental to a collaborative approach is interorganizational learning whereby organizations acquire, share, and combine knowledge with other organizations and have the opportunity to learn from their respective successes and challenges in improvement areas. This learning approach aims to create the conditions for collaborative, reflective, and innovative experiential systems that enable collective discussions regarding daily practice issues and finding solutions for improvement. The concepts associated with interorganizational learning and deliberate learning activities within a collaborative 'Communities-of-practice'(CoP) approach formed the foundation of the of an interactive QI knowledge translation initiative entitled PERFORM KT. Nine teams participated including seven teams from two acute care hospitals, one from a long term care center, and one from a mental health sciences center. Six monthly CoP learning sessions were held and teams, with the support of an assigned mentor, implemented a QI project and monitored their results which were presented at an end of project symposium. 47 individuals participated in either a focus group or a personal interview. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an iterative content analysis. Four key themes emerged from the narrative dataset around experiences and perceptions associated with the PERFORM KT initiative: 1) being successful and taking it to other levels by being systematic, structured, and mentored; 2) taking it outside the comfort zone by being exposed to new concepts and learning together; 3) hearing feedback, exchanging stories, and getting new ideas; and 4) having a pragmatic and accommodating approach to apply new learnings in local contexts. Study findings offer insights into collaborative, inter-organizational CoP learning approaches to build QI capabilities amongst clinicians, staff, and managers. In particular, our study delineates the need to contextualize QI learning by using deliberate learning activities to balance systematic and structured approaches alongside pragmatic and accommodating approaches with expert mentors.

Phases of "pre-engagement" capacity building: discovery, exploration, and trial alliance.

PubMed

Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly

2010-01-01

Academic prevention researchers who engage limited-resource communities may find that organizational or community capacity for prevention is low. Community organizations, neighborhoods, and academic partners may lack shared issue awareness, mutual interests, and interactive skills necessary for collaborative intervention. Existing capacity building models either ignore a 'pre-engagement' phase or acknowledge it without offering strategic detail. An exploratory or developmental phase before active engagement can be achieved through co-located work in a community setting. The construct, "ecology of practice," provides conceptual background for examining how "shared work" introduces and prepares partners for future collaboration consistent with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. This paper presents two case studies where pre-engagement capacity building involved partners who were initially unaware, disinterested, or unable to engage in preventive interventions. These cases illustrate how mutual participation in shared "ecologies of practice" enabled an exchange of cultural knowledge, skill, and language that laid the groundwork for future preventive intervention. A trajectory of developmental work in each case occurred over 5 years. Historical timelines, interviews, and personal communications between community and academic leaders were reviewed and common themes identified. A model of "pre-capacity building" emerged. Capacity-building models that detail strategies for developing equitable engagement in under-resourced settings will more effectively move best practices into vulnerable communities. Preventive interventions must be translated equitably if health disparities are to be reduced.

Collaborative research, knowledge and emergence.

PubMed

Zittoun, Tania; Baucal, Aleksandar; Cornish, Flora; Gillespie, Alex

2007-06-01

We use the notion of emergence to consider the sorts of knowledge that can be produced in a collaborative research project. The notion invites us to see collaborative work as a developmental dynamic system in which various changes constantly occur. Among these we examine two sorts of knowledge that can be produced: scientific knowledge, and collaborative knowledge. We argue that collaborative knowledge can enable researchers to reflectively monitor their collaborative project, so as to encourage its most productive changes. On the basis of examples taken from this special issue, we highlight four modes of producing collaborative knowledge and discuss the possible uses of such knowledge.

Learning from the implementation of inter-organisational web-based care planning and coordination.

PubMed

Walker, Rae; Blacker, Vivian; Pandita, Linda; Close, Jacky; Mason, Wendy; Watson, Julie

2013-01-01

In Victoria, despite strong policy support, e-care planning and coordination is poorly developed. The action research project discussed here was developed to overcome organisational and worker-level barriers to change. The project outcomes highlighted the need for work on the building blocks of e-care coordination that enhance workers' knowledge and skills, and provide permission and support for appropriate collaborative system and services coordination practices.

Collaborative Interactive Visualization Exploratory Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

the FIAC concepts. It consists of various DRDC-RDDC-2015-N004 intelligence analysis web services build of top of big data technologies exploited...sits on the UDS where validated common knowledge is stored. Based on the Lumify software2, this important component exploits big data technologies such...interfaces. Above this database resides the Big Data Manager responsible for transparent data transmission between the UDS and the rest of the S3

The Dissertation House Model: Doctoral Student Experiences Coping and Writing in a Shared Knowledge Community

PubMed Central

Carter-Veale, Wendy Y.; Tull, Renetta G.; Rutledge, Janet C.; Joseph, Lenisa N.

2016-01-01

The problem of PhD attrition, especially at the dissertation-writing stage, is not solely related to mentoring, departments, or disciplines; it is a problem that affects the entire institution. As such, solutions require collaborative efforts for student success. Building on Yeatman’s master–apprentice model, which assumes mastering disciplinary writing in singular advisor–student contexts, and Burnett’s collaborative cohort model, which introduced doctoral dissertation supervision in a collaborative-learning environment with several faculty mentors in a single discipline, the Dissertation House model (DHM) introduces a model of doctoral dissertation supervision that involves multiple mentors across several disciplines. On the basis of more than 200 students’ reflections, we find that challenges in completing the dissertation extend beyond departmental and disciplinary boundaries. The DHM’s multidisciplinary approach preserves the traditional master–apprentice relationship between faculty and students within academic departments while providing an additional support mechanism through interdisciplinary collaborative cohorts. Using Thoits’s coping assistance theory and data from DH students over a 10-year period, the DHM incorporates Hoadley’s concept of knowledge communities to establish a successful dissertation-writing intervention for graduate students across doctoral programs. Using propensity score analysis, we provide in this study an empirical assessment of the benefits and efficacy of the DHM. PMID:27521236

Collaborative risk governance in informal urban areas: The case of Wallacedene temporary relocation area

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) is an emancipatory approach that aims to empower local communities in reducing their own risks. A community risk assessment (CRA) is an essential element of CBDRM, incorporating highly participatory processes of hazard identification and vulnerability analysis. By incorporating local knowledge and insights, together with those contributed by other external role players, the nature of local risks can be more accurately identified, giving consideration to their causal factors, the nature of their realised impacts or potential effects on a local community and the challenges posed in addressing them. Reflecting on the process and outcomes of a CRA conducted in an informal settlement in the Cape Town metropolitan area, this article describes how one such risk assessment contributed to building local agency through a process of collaborative engagement. Offered as an example of possible best practice, it illustrates both the immediate and potentially longer term benefits to be derived from such a collaborative process, suggesting that a community-based risk assessment may contribute significantly to building more resilient communities. It concludes with a consideration of the challenges of sustaining longer term risk reduction efforts.

Collaborative approaches towards building midwifery capacity in low income countries: a review of experiences.

PubMed

Dawson, Angela; Brodie, Patricia; Copeland, Felicity; Rumsey, Michele; Homer, Caroline

2014-04-01

to explore collaborative approaches undertaken to build midwifery education, regulation and professional association in low income countries and identify evidence of strategies that may be useful to scale-up midwifery to achieve MDG 5. an integrative review involving a mapping exercise and a narrative synthesis of the literature was undertaken. The search included peer reviewed research and discursive literature published between 2002 and 2012. fifteen papers were found that related to this topic: 10 discursive papers and five research studies. Collaborative approaches to build midwifery capacity come mainly from Africa and involve partnerships between low income countries and between low and high income countries. Most collaborations focus on building capacity across more than one area and arose through opportunistic and strategic means. A number of factors were found to be integral to maintaining collaborations including the establishment of clear processes for communication, leadership and appropriate membership, effective management, mutual respect, learning and an understanding of the context. Collaborative action can result in effective clinical and research skill building, the development of tailored education programmes and the establishment of structures and systems to enhance the midwifery workforce and ultimately, improve maternal and child health. between country collaborations are one component to building midwifery workforce capacity in order to improve maternal health outcomes. the findings provide insights into how collaboration can be established and maintained and how the contribution collaboration makes to capacity building can be evaluated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): Enhancing Collaboration to Support Science-Based Decision-Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duke, C. S.; Quach, K.; Jackson, S. T.

2015-12-01

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) offers major opportunities to enhance scientific collaboration and advance global environmental sustainability. IPBES was established in 2012 as an independent intergovernmental body dedicated to assessing the state of the planet's biodiversity, its ecosystems, and the essential services they provide to society. IPBES has four functions: 1) identify and prioritize key scientific information needed for policymakers and catalyze efforts to generate new knowledge by engaging relevant scientific, policy and funding organizations; 2) perform regular and timely assessments of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services and their interlinkages; 3) support policy formulation and implementation by identifying policy-relevant tools and methodologies; and 4) prioritize key capacity-building needs to improve the science-policy interface and catalyze related financing. To date, IPBES has brought together representatives of 124 countries at three annual plenary meetings and numerous panel meetings about specific assessments. This presentation will summarize IPBES' opportunities and achievements to date. These include a conceptual framework for IPBES processes and products, an assessment of the status of pollination and pollinators associated with food production, draft reports on scenario analyses and capacity building, and scoping for assessments of land degradation and restoration and of biodiversity in five regions of the world. IPBES provides natural and social scientists and other experts with important opportunities to support collaborative, science-based environmental decision-making at global to local scales. The presentation will conclude by describing opportunities to participate as expert panel members, contributors to assessments, and reviewers.

A Drupal-Based Collaborative Framework for Science Workflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinheiro da Silva, P.; Gandara, A.

2010-12-01

Cyber-infrastructure is built from utilizing technical infrastructure to support organizational practices and social norms to provide support for scientific teams working together or dependent on each other to conduct scientific research. Such cyber-infrastructure enables the sharing of information and data so that scientists can leverage knowledge and expertise through automation. Scientific workflow systems have been used to build automated scientific systems used by scientists to conduct scientific research and, as a result, create artifacts in support of scientific discoveries. These complex systems are often developed by teams of scientists who are located in different places, e.g., scientists working in distinct buildings, and sometimes in different time zones, e.g., scientist working in distinct national laboratories. The sharing of these specifications is currently supported by the use of version control systems such as CVS or Subversion. Discussions about the design, improvement, and testing of these specifications, however, often happen elsewhere, e.g., through the exchange of email messages and IM chatting. Carrying on a discussion about these specifications is challenging because comments and specifications are not necessarily connected. For instance, the person reading a comment about a given workflow specification may not be able to see the workflow and even if the person can see the workflow, the person may not specifically know to which part of the workflow a given comments applies to. In this paper, we discuss the design, implementation and use of CI-Server, a Drupal-based infrastructure, to support the collaboration of both local and distributed teams of scientists using scientific workflows. CI-Server has three primary goals: to enable information sharing by providing tools that scientists can use within their scientific research to process data, publish and share artifacts; to build community by providing tools that support discussions between scientists about artifacts used or created through scientific processes; and to leverage the knowledge collected within the artifacts and scientific collaborations to support scientific discoveries.

From theory to practice: community health nursing in a public health neighborhood team.

PubMed

Westbrook, L O; Schultz, P R

2000-12-01

An interdisciplinary team in a local public health district tested its ability to implement the core public health functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance by changing its practice to a community-driven model of building partnerships for health with groups and communities in a designated locale. Evaluation of this innovation revealed that the public health nurse members of the team enacted their community health nursing knowledge to strengthen agency to cocreate health. Interdisciplinary collaboration was essential to the team's community mobilization efforts. Additional findings suggested that this organizational innovation was associated with developing a more participatory organizational climate, increasing system effectiveness, and building community capacity.

Capacity building toward evidence-based medicine among healthcare professionals at the university of medicine and pharmacy, ho chi minh city, and its related institutes.

PubMed

Nga, LE Thi Quynh; Goto, Aya; Trung, Tran The; Vinh, Nguyen Quang; Khue, Nguyen Thy

2014-02-01

Research capacity development enhances a country's ownership of activities aimed at strengthening its health system. In Vietnam, continuing medical education (CME) is attracting increasing attention with the establishment of legal and policy frameworks. During 2010-2013, the Japan International Cooperation Agency funded a research capacity building project targeting physicians in Ho Chi Minh City. The project had been developed in four previous courses that were conducted in collaboration with Fukushima Medical University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP). The project succeeded in obtaining accreditation as the city's CME course. A total of 262 physicians attended three courses that have a divided set of research competencies. Following the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs, we confirmed the participants' positive reaction to the courses (Level 1 evaluation), their perceived increase in knowledge and confidence in research skills (Level 2 evaluation), and application of learned knowledge in their practice (Level 3 evaluation). Presented here is a step-by-step scaling-up model of health research capacity building. Strategies for the further expansion include: further capacity building of instructors; responding to clinicians' specific needs; building a recruiting system with authorization; and improving the Level 3 training evaluation.

Experiences of Pharmacy Trainees from an Interprofessional Immersion Training.

PubMed

Boland, Daubney; White, Traci; Adams, Eve

2018-04-25

Interprofessional education is essential in that it helps healthcare disciplines better utilize each other and provide team-based collaboration that improves patient care. Many pharmacy training programs struggle to implement interprofessional education. This purpose of the study was to examine the effect of a 30-h interprofessional training that included pharmacy students to determine if the training helped these students build valuable knowledge and skills while working alongside other health care professions. The interprofessional training included graduate-level trainees from pharmacy, behavioral health, nursing, and family medicine programs where the trainees worked within teams to build interprofessional education competencies based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies. Sixteen pharmacy trainees participated in the training and completed pre- and post-test measures. Data were collected over a two-year period with participants completing the Team Skills Scale and the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale. Paired sample t -tests indicated that, after this training, pharmacy trainees showed significant increases in feeling better able to work in healthcare teams and valuing interprofessional practice.

Community-based participatory research and integrated knowledge translation: advancing the co-creation of knowledge.

PubMed

Jull, Janet; Giles, Audrey; Graham, Ian D

2017-12-19

Better use of research evidence (one form of "knowledge") in health systems requires partnerships between researchers and those who contend with the real-world needs and constraints of health systems. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and integrated knowledge translation (IKT) are research approaches that emphasize the importance of creating partnerships between researchers and the people for whom the research is ultimately meant to be of use ("knowledge users"). There exist poor understandings of the ways in which these approaches converge and diverge. Better understanding of the similarities and differences between CBPR and IKT will enable researchers to use these approaches appropriately and to leverage best practices and knowledge from each. The co-creation of knowledge conveys promise of significant social impacts, and further understandings of how to engage and involve knowledge users in research are needed. We examine the histories and traditions of CBPR and IKT, as well as their points of convergence and divergence. We critically evaluate the ways in which both have the potential to contribute to the development and integration of knowledge in health systems. As distinct research traditions, the underlying drivers and rationale for CBPR and IKT have similarities and differences across the areas of motivation, social location, and ethics; nevertheless, the practices of CBPR and IKT converge upon a common aim: the co-creation of knowledge that is the result of knowledge user and researcher expertise. We argue that while CBPR and IKT both have the potential to contribute evidence to implementation science and practices for collaborative research, clarity for the purpose of the research-social change or application-is a critical feature in the selection of an appropriate collaborative approach to build knowledge. CBPR and IKT bring distinct strengths to a common aim: to foster democratic processes in the co-creation of knowledge. As research approaches, they create opportunities to challenge assumptions about for whom, how, and what is defined as knowledge, and to develop and integrate research findings into health systems. When used appropriately, CBPR and IKT both have the potential to contribute to and advance implementation science about the conduct of collaborative health systems research.

Strengthening primary health care through primary care and public health collaboration: the influence of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors.

PubMed

Valaitis, Ruta K; O'Mara, Linda; Wong, Sabrina T; MacDonald, Marjorie; Murray, Nancy; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Meagher-Stewart, Donna

2018-04-12

AimThe aim of this paper is to examine Canadian key informants' perceptions of intrapersonal (within an individual) and interpersonal (among individuals) factors that influence successful primary care and public health collaboration. Primary health care systems can be strengthened by building stronger collaborations between primary care and public health. Although there is literature that explores interpersonal factors that can influence successful inter-organizational collaborations, a few of them have specifically explored primary care and public health collaboration. Furthermore, no papers were found that considered factors at the intrapersonal level. This paper aims to explore these gaps in a Canadian context. This interpretative descriptive study involved key informants (service providers, managers, directors, and policy makers) who participated in one h telephone interviews to explore their perceptions of influences on successful primary care and public health collaboration. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 9.FindingsA total of 74 participants [from the provinces of British Columbia (n=20); Ontario (n=19); Nova Scotia (n=21), and representatives from other provinces or national organizations (n=14)] participated. Five interpersonal factors were found that influenced public health and primary care collaborations including: (1) trusting and inclusive relationships; (2) shared values, beliefs and attitudes; (3) role clarity; (4) effective communication; and (5) decision processes. There were two influencing factors found at the intrapersonal level: (1) personal qualities, skills and knowledge; and (2) personal values, beliefs, and attitudes. A few differences were found across the three core provinces involved. There were several complex interactions identified among all inter and intra personal influencing factors: One key factor - effective communication - interacted with all of them. Results support and extend our understanding of what influences successful primary care and public health collaboration at these levels and are important considerations in building and sustaining primary care and public health collaborations.

A Novel Program Trains Community‐Academic Teams to Build Research and Partnership Capacity

PubMed Central

Brown, Jen; LeBailly, Susan; McGee, Richard; Bayldon, Barbara; Huber, Gail; Kaleba, Erin; Lowry, Kelly Walker; Martens, Joseph; Mason, Maryann; Nuñez, Abel

2013-01-01

Abstract The Community‐Engaged Research Team Support (CERTS) program was developed and tested to build research and partnership capacity for community‐engaged research (CEnR) teams. Led by the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS), the goals of CERTS were: (1) to help community‐academic teams build capacity for conducting rigorous CEnR and (2) to support teams as they prepare federal grant proposal drafts. The program was guided by an advisory committee of community and clinical partners, and representatives from Chicago's Clinical and Translational Science Institutes. Monthly workshops guided teams to write elements of NIH‐style research proposals. Draft reviewing fostered a collaborative learning environment and helped teams develop equal partnerships. The program culminated in a mock‐proposal review. All teams clarified their research and acquired new knowledge about the preparation of NIH‐style proposals. Trust, partnership collaboration, and a structured writing strategy were assets of the CERTS approach. CERTS also uncovered gaps in resources and preparedness for teams to be competitive for federally funded grants. Areas of need include experience as principal investigators, publications on study results, mentoring, institutional infrastructure, and dedicated time for research. PMID:23751028

Building Cultural Sensitivity and Interprofessional Collaboration Through a Study Abroad Experience.

PubMed

Gilliland, Irene; Attridge, Russell T; Attridge, Rebecca L; Maize, David F; McNeill, Jeanette

2016-01-01

Study abroad (SA) experiences for health professions students may be used to heighten cultural sensitivity to future patients and incorporate interprofessional education (IPE). Two groups of nursing and pharmacy students participated in an SA elective over a 2-year period, traveling to China and India. Both groups improved significantly in knowledge, awareness, and skills following the travel experiences. Student reflections indicate that the SA experience was transformative, changing their views of travel, other cultures, personal environment, collaboration with other health professionals, and themselves. Use of SA programs is a novel method to encourage IPE, with a focus on enhancing the acquisition of cultural competency skills. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Community transformation through culturally competent nursing leadership: application of theory of culture care diversity and universality and tri-dimensional leader effectiveness model.

PubMed

Shapiro, Mina L; Miller, June; White, Kathleen

2006-04-01

Transcultural knowledge and competency have become a critical need for nurses to accommodate the global trends in cultural diversity and health care disparities. Today, nurses are increasingly taking on leadership roles in community settings. This article addresses the application of Leininger's culture care theory with the sunrise model and Hersey and Blanchard's tri-dimensional leader effectiveness model as potential collaborating theories for capacity building and community transformation from a global, transcultural nursing perspective. The two theories, used in collaboration, view the provision of competent leadership as the delivery of effective, culturally congruent nursing care in promoting health and health equity at the community level.

Understanding collaboration in a multi-national research capacity-building partnership: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Varshney, Dinansha; Atkins, Salla; Das, Arindam; Diwan, Vishal

2016-08-18

Research capacity building and its impact on policy and international research partnership is increasingly seen as important. High income and low- and middle-income countries frequently engage in research collaborations. These can have a positive impact on research capacity building, provided such partnerships are long-term collaborations with a unified aim, but they can also have challenges. What are these challenges, which often result in a short term/ non viable collaboration? Does such collaboration results in capacity building? What are the requirements to make any collaboration sustainable? This study aimed to answer these and other research questions through examining an international collaboration in one multi-country research capacity building project ARCADE RSDH (Asian Regional Capacity Development for Research on Social Determinants of Health). A qualitative study was conducted that focused on the reasons for the collaboration, collaboration patterns involved, processes of exchanging information, barriers faced and perceived growth in research capacity. In-depth interviews were conducted with the principal investigators (n = 12), research assistants (n = 2) and a scientific coordinator (n = 1) of the collaborating institutes. Data were analysed using thematic framework analysis. The initial contact between institutes was through previous collaborations. The collaboration was affected by the organisational structure of the partner institutes, political influences and the collaboration design. Communication was usually conducted online, which was affected by differences in time and language and inefficient infrastructure. Limited funding resulted in restricted engagement by some partners. This study explored work in a large, North-South collaboration project focusing on building research capacity in partner institutes. The project helped strengthen research capacity, though differences in organization types, existing research capacity, culture, time, and language acted as obstacles to the success of the project. Managing these differences requires preplanned strategies to develop functional communication channels among the partners, maintaining transparency, and sharing the rewards and benefits at all stages of collaboration.

Building community partnerships to end interpersonal violence: a collaboration of the schools of social work, law, and nursing.

PubMed

Busch-Armendariz, Noël Bridget; Johnson, Regina Jones; Buel, Sarah; Lungwitz, Jeana

2011-09-01

The article discusses the University of Texas at Austin's (UT Austin) Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA), an institution that was established in 2001. IDVSA is a collaboration of the Schools of Social Work, Law, and Nursing, and 150 community affiliates. Recognizing that interpersonal violence does not occur in a vacuum, the IDVSA operates within an ecological framework in which explanations for interpersonal violence acknowledge that individuals and families are nested in larger mezzo and macro systems, and factors such as gender, poverty, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and immigration status play influential roles in our understanding of these issues. The overarching goal is to advance knowledge and meaningful practice in the field through partnerships with survivors and community practitioners. Specifically, the mission is to advance the knowledge related to domestic violence and sexual assault in order to end interpersonal violence. IDVSA seeks to achieve its mission by focusing on three key areas: (1) rigorous research and scholarship on domestic violence and sexual assault; (2) comprehensive training, technical assistance, and information dissemination to the practitioner community and the community at large; and (3) substantial collaboration with our community partners. This article summarizes the authors' pursuit.

Measuring societal effects of transdisciplinary research projects: design and application of an evaluation method.

PubMed

Walter, Alexander I; Helgenberger, Sebastian; Wiek, Arnim; Scholz, Roland W

2007-11-01

Most Transdisciplinary Research (TdR) projects combine scientific research with the building of decision making capacity for the involved stakeholders. These projects usually deal with complex, societally relevant, real-world problems. This paper focuses on TdR projects, which integrate the knowledge of researchers and stakeholders in a collaborative transdisciplinary process through structured methods of mutual learning. Previous research on the evaluation of TdR has insufficiently explored the intended effects of transdisciplinary processes on the real world (societal effects). We developed an evaluation framework for assessing the societal effects of transdisciplinary processes. Outputs (measured as procedural and product-related involvement of the stakeholders), impacts (intermediate effects connecting outputs and outcomes) and outcomes (enhanced decision making capacity) are distinguished as three types of societal effects. Our model links outputs and outcomes of transdisciplinary processes via the impacts using a mediating variables approach. We applied this model in an ex post evaluation of a transdisciplinary process. 84 out of 188 agents participated in a survey. The results show significant mediation effects of the two impacts "network building" and "transformation knowledge". These results indicate an influence of a transdisciplinary process on the decision making capacity of stakeholders, especially through social network building and the generation of knowledge relevant for action.

ESIP's Earth Science Knowledge Graph (ESKG) Testbed Project: An Automatic Approach to Building Interdisciplinary Earth Science Knowledge Graphs to Improve Data Discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGibbney, L. J.; Jiang, Y.; Burgess, A. B.

2017-12-01

Big Earth observation data have been produced, archived and made available online, but discovering the right data in a manner that precisely and efficiently satisfies user needs presents a significant challenge to the Earth Science (ES) community. An emerging trend in information retrieval community is to utilize knowledge graphs to assist users in quickly finding desired information from across knowledge sources. This is particularly prevalent within the fields of social media and complex multimodal information processing to name but a few, however building a domain-specific knowledge graph is labour-intensive and hard to keep up-to-date. In this work, we update our progress on the Earth Science Knowledge Graph (ESKG) project; an ESIP-funded testbed project which provides an automatic approach to building a dynamic knowledge graph for ES to improve interdisciplinary data discovery by leveraging implicit, latent existing knowledge present within across several U.S Federal Agencies e.g. NASA, NOAA and USGS. ESKG strengthens ties between observations and user communities by: 1) developing a knowledge graph derived from various sources e.g. Web pages, Web Services, etc. via natural language processing and knowledge extraction techniques; 2) allowing users to traverse, explore, query, reason and navigate ES data via knowledge graph interaction. ESKG has the potential to revolutionize the way in which ES communities interact with ES data in the open world through the entity, spatial and temporal linkages and characteristics that make it up. This project enables the advancement of ESIP collaboration areas including both Discovery and Semantic Technologies by putting graph information right at our fingertips in an interactive, modern manner and reducing the efforts to constructing ontology. To demonstrate the ESKG concept, we will demonstrate use of our framework across NASA JPL's PO.DAAC, NOAA's Earth Observation Requirements Evaluation System (EORES) and various USGS systems.

Decision support systems in health economics.

PubMed

Quaglini, S; Dazzi, L; Stefanelli, M; Barosi, G; Marchetti, M

1999-08-01

This article describes a system addressed to different health care professionals for building, using, and sharing decision support systems for resource allocation. The system deals with selected areas, namely the choice of diagnostic tests, the therapy planning, and the instrumentation purchase. Decision support is based on decision-analytic models, incorporating an explicit knowledge representation of both the medical domain knowledge and the economic evaluation theory. Application models are built on top of meta-models, that are used as guidelines for making explicit both the cost and effectiveness components. This approach improves the transparency and soundness of the collaborative decision-making process and facilitates the result interpretation.

Building the national health information infrastructure for personal health, health care services, public health, and research

PubMed Central

Detmer, Don E

2003-01-01

Background Improving health in our nation requires strengthening four major domains of the health care system: personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and health-related research. Many avoidable shortcomings in the health sector that result in poor quality are due to inaccessible data, information, and knowledge. A national health information infrastructure (NHII) offers the connectivity and knowledge management essential to correct these shortcomings. Better health and a better health system are within our reach. Discussion A national health information infrastructure for the United States should address the needs of personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and research. It should also address relevant global dimensions (e.g., standards for sharing data and knowledge across national boundaries). The public and private sectors will need to collaborate to build a robust national health information infrastructure, essentially a 'paperless' health care system, for the United States. The federal government should assume leadership for assuring a national health information infrastructure as recommended by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee. Progress is needed in the areas of funding, incentives, standards, and continued refinement of a privacy (i.e., confidentiality and security) framework to facilitate personal identification for health purposes. Particular attention should be paid to NHII leadership and change management challenges. Summary A national health information infrastructure is a necessary step for improved health in the U.S. It will require a concerted, collaborative effort by both public and private sectors. If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it. Lord Kelvin PMID:12525262

Education in Biomedical and Health Informatics in the Web 3.0 Era: Standards for data, curricula, and activities. Contribution of the IMIA Working Group on Health and Medical Informatics Education.

PubMed

Otero, P; Hersh, W

2011-01-01

Web 3.0 is transforming the World Wide Web by allowing knowledge and reasoning to be gleaned from its content. Describe a new scenario in education and training known as "Education 3.0" that can help in the promotion of learning in health informatics in a collaborative way. Review of the current standards available for curricula and learning activities in in Biomedical and Health Informatics (BMHI) for a Web 3.0 scenario. A new scenario known as "Education 3.0" can provide open educational resources created and reused throughout different institutions and improved by means of an international collaborative knowledge powered by the use of E-learning. Currently there are standards that could be used in identifying and deliver content in education in BMHI in the semantic web era such as Resource Description Format (RDF), Web Ontology Language (OWL) and Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). In addition, there are other standards to support healthcare education and training. There are few experiences in the use of standards in e-learning in BMHI published in the literature. Web 3.0 can propose new approaches to building the BMHI workforce so there is a need to build tools as knowledge infrastructure to leverage it. The usefulness of standards in the content and competencies of training programs in BMHI needs more experience and research so as to promote the interoperability and sharing of resources in this growing discipline.

Knowing, Being, and Doing: Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Collaboration in Cancer Services

PubMed Central

Zubrzycki, Joanna; Shipp, Rick; Jones, Victoria

2017-01-01

This qualitative inquiry explored the processes and practices of collaboration as experienced by a group of Australian multidisciplinary Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health workers. Each worker had participated, for a period of 2 to 5 years, in an Australian Government–funded project in which a range of health initiatives led to improved access to cancer services by Aboriginal communities in a rural region of South Eastern Australia. Initiatives which addressed high rates of mortality from cancer, poor access to cancer screening, and engagement with cancer treatment were developed through the formation of close working relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health workers. These relationships were regarded as personally and professionally transformative. Through the sharing of knowledge, skills, and experiences, new ways of knowing, being, and doing emerged. Developing a deeper understanding of cross-cultural collaboration is one way of addressing complex health problems and building the capacity of the health workforce. PMID:28682709

Science-policy processes for transboundary water governance.

PubMed

Armitage, Derek; de Loë, Rob C; Morris, Michelle; Edwards, Tom W D; Gerlak, Andrea K; Hall, Roland I; Huitema, Dave; Ison, Ray; Livingstone, David; MacDonald, Glen; Mirumachi, Naho; Plummer, Ryan; Wolfe, Brent B

2015-09-01

In this policy perspective, we outline several conditions to support effective science-policy interaction, with a particular emphasis on improving water governance in transboundary basins. Key conditions include (1) recognizing that science is a crucial but bounded input into water resource decision-making processes; (2) establishing conditions for collaboration and shared commitment among actors; (3) understanding that social or group-learning processes linked to science-policy interaction are enhanced through greater collaboration; (4) accepting that the collaborative production of knowledge about hydrological issues and associated socioeconomic change and institutional responses is essential to build legitimate decision-making processes; and (5) engaging boundary organizations and informal networks of scientists, policy makers, and civil society. We elaborate on these conditions with a diverse set of international examples drawn from a synthesis of our collective experiences in assessing the opportunities and constraints (including the role of power relations) related to governance for water in transboundary settings.

Coordinating an interdisciplinary disease management conference on a military installation: collaboration between military and civilian communities, lessons learned.

PubMed

Lewis-Fleming, Glenda; Knapp, Casey A

2009-08-01

The needs of individuals with chronic diseases or disabilities are similar whether within military or civilian communities. With finite resources and the continuing global war on terrorism, military treatment facilities (MTFs) may find collaborative, multidisciplinary, continuing education efforts with community agencies invaluable. Collaborative efforts that bring military and civilian communities together can result in innovative programs that offer cost-effective high-quality information to enhance the knowledge and skill level of military families, providers, and other professionals who provide services and care for military eligible beneficiaries. This article addresses the development and implementation of two major multidisciplinary disease management conferences at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), Virginia. It provides an overview of lessons learned in the areas of preplanning, team building, program development, implementation, and evaluation. Despite challenges, tremendous benefits may be reaped from efforts to include diverse target populations from military and civilian communities.

Building bridges to operationalise one health - A Sino-Swedish collaboration to tackle antibiotic resistance.

PubMed

Cars, Otto; Xiao, Yonghong; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Nilsson, Lennart E; Shen, Jianzhong; Sun, Qiang; Bi, Zhenqiang; Börjesson, Stefan; Greko, Christina; Wang, Yang; Liu, Yuqing; Ottoson, Jakob; Li, Xuewen; Nilsson, Maud; Yin, Hong; Bi, Zhenwang; Zheng, Beiwen; Xia, Xi; Chen, Baoli; Ding, Lilu; Sun, Pan; Dyar, Oliver James; Hulth, Anette; Tomson, Göran

2016-12-01

Antibiotic resistance is a complex global health challenge. The recent Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance highlights the importance of adopting One Health approaches that can cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. We report on the early experiences of a multisectoral Sino-Swedish research project that aims to address gaps in our current knowledge and seeks to improve the situation through system-wide interventions. Our research project is investigating antibiotic use and resistance in a rural area of China through a combination of epidemiological, health systems and laboratory investigations. We reflect here on the challenges inherent in conducting long distance cross-disciplinary collaborations, having now completed data and sample collection for a baseline situation analysis. In particular, we recognise the importance of investing in aspects such as effective communication, shared conceptual frameworks and leadership. We suggest that our experiences will be instructive to others planning to develop similar international One Health collaborations.

Finding ways to grow skills, knowledge, and voice in the next generation of interdisciplinary sustainability scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, S. G.; de Souza, S. P.; McGreavy, B.; Gardner, K.; Hart, D.; Druschke, C. G.

2017-12-01

The need to train early-career interdisciplinary, solutions-driven sustainability researchers has never been more apparent than today. To meet this challenge, educators at the Universities of Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have collaborated with their students to design and assess an interdisciplinary, multi-university course meant to develop the skills, content knowledge, and voice that are seen as critical for training the next generation of interdisciplinary sustainability researchers. We developed a rubric and conducted a mixed methods analysis of sustainability science learning outcomes identified as central to successful sustainability research. We used these targeted outcomes as a guide to design and implement several activities that build these skills and competencies and advance the identified outcomes. These course learning outcomes focus on three major sustainability science competencies: (1) systems thinking, which focuses on improving students' abilities to build a deep understanding of dynamic social-ecological systems; (2) problem definition, which focuses on the skills necessary to identify and communicate sustainability problems by combining systems knowledge with multiple stakeholder perspectives; and (3) decision making, which focuses on the abilities required to create and communicate adaptable decisions to mitigate sustainability problems. Students were frequently asked to help co-create class meetings based on their own educational experiences and objectives.Based on a quantitative assessment of survey results taken before and after the course, several students tended to initially overestimate their capacity for undertaking interdisciplinary sustainability research, possibly because of a previously narrow exposure to these concepts from the perspective of a single discipline. Qualitative results indicate that students gained substantial experience and confidence in communication, and especially in collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and conflict. Based on our empirical approach we recommend focusing on three key factors when training future interdisciplinary sustainability scientists: diverse and nested communication, building voice by co-creating the course, and early engagement with stakeholders.

Empowering Change Agents in Hierarchical Organizations: Participatory Action Research in Prisons

PubMed Central

Penrod, Janice; Loeb, Susan J.; Ladonne, Robert A.; Martin, Lea M.

2017-01-01

Participatory action research (PAR) approaches harness collaborative partnerships to stimulate change in defined communities. The purpose of this article is to illustrate key methodological strategies used in the application of PAR methods in the particularly challenging environment of a hierarchical organization. A study designed to promote sustainable, insider-generated system-level changes in the provision of end-of-life (EOL) care in the restrictive setting of six state prisons is used as an exemplar of the application of three cardinal principles of PAR. First, development of a collaborative network with active partnership between outsider academic researchers and insider co-researchers began with careful attention to understanding the culture and processes of prisons and gaining the support of organizational leadership, using qualitative data gathering and trust-building. During the implementation phase, promoting co-ownership of change in EOL care through the co-construction of knowledge and systems to enhance sustainable change required carefully-orchestrated strategies to maximize the collaborative spirit of the project. Co-researchers were empowered to examine their worlds and capture opportunities for change using new leadership skills role-modeled by the research team. Third, their local knowledge of the barriers inherent in the contextual reality of prisons was translated into achievable system change by production of a toolkit of formalized and well-rehearsed change strategies that collaborative teams were empowered to enact within their hierarchical prison environment. PMID:27028096

Global faculty development: lessons learned from the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) initiatives.

PubMed

Burdick, William P

2014-08-01

Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) faculty development programs have operated since 2001 and are designed to overcome many of the challenges inherent in global health collaborations, including alignment with local needs, avoiding persistent dependency, and development of trust. FAIMER fellowship programs, developed for midcareer faculty members in all health professions from around the world, share goals of strengthening knowledge and skills in education leadership, education methods, and project management and evaluation. Building community is another explicit goal that allows participants to support and learn from each other.The author recommends several practices for successful international collaborations based on 13 years of experience with FAIMER fellowships. These include using authentic education projects to maintain alignment with local needs and apply newly acquired knowledge and skills, teaching leadership across cultures with careful communication and adaptation of concepts to local environments, cultivating a strong field of health professions education to promote diffusion of ideas and advocate for policy change, intentionally promoting field development and leadership to reduce dependency, giving generously of time and resources, learning from others as much as teaching others, and recognizing that effective partnerships revolve around personal relationships to build trust. These strategies have enabled the FAIMER fellowship programs to stay aligned with local needs, reduce dependency, and maintain trust.

Integrating quality and safety education into clinical nursing education through a dedicated education unit.

PubMed

Masters, Kelli

2016-03-01

The Institute of Medicine and American Association of Colleges of Nursing are calling for curriculum redesign that prepares nursing students with the requisite knowledge and skills to provide safe, high quality care. The purpose of this project was to improve nursing students' knowledge of quality and safety by integrating Quality and Safety Education for Nurses into clinical nursing education through development of a dedicated education unit. This model, which pairs nursing students with front-line nursing staff for clinical experiences, was implemented on a medical floor in an acute care hospital. Prior to implementation, nurses and students were educated about the dedicated education unit and quality and safety competencies. During each clinical rotation, students collaborated with their nurses on projects related to these competencies. Students' knowledge was assessed using questions related to quality and safety. Students who participated in the dedicated education unit had higher scores than those with traditional clinical rotations. Focus groups were held mid-semester to assess nurses' perceptions of the experience. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data including thirsting for knowledge, building teamwork and collaboration, establishing trust and decreasing anxiety, mirroring organization and time management skills, and evolving confidence in the nursing role. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nurse practitioner and physician assistant students' knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of chiropractic.

PubMed

Bowden, Briana S; Ball, Lisa

2016-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) students' views of chiropractic. As the role of these providers progresses in primary care settings, providers' views and knowledge of chiropractic will impact interprofessional collaboration and patient outcomes. Understanding how NP and PA students perceive chiropractic may be beneficial in building integrative health care systems. This descriptive quantitative pilot study utilized a 56-item survey to examine attitudes, knowledge, and perspectives of NP and PA students in their 2nd year of graduate studies. Frequencies and binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine responses to survey totals. Ninety-two (97%) students completed the survey. There were conflicting results as to whether participants viewed chiropractic as mainstream or alternative. The majority of participants indicated lack of awareness regarding current scientific evidence for chiropractic and indicated a positive interest in learning more about the profession. Students who reported prior experience with chiropractic had higher attitude-positive responses compared to those without experience. Participants were found to have substantial knowledge deficits in relation to chiropractic treatments and scope of practice. The results of this study emphasize the need for increased integrative initiatives and chiropractic exposure in NP and PA education to enhance future interprofessional collaboration in health care.

Towards a Semantic Web of Things: A Hybrid Semantic Annotation, Extraction, and Reasoning Framework for Cyber-Physical System.

PubMed

Wu, Zhenyu; Xu, Yuan; Yang, Yunong; Zhang, Chunhong; Zhu, Xinning; Ji, Yang

2017-02-20

Web of Things (WoT) facilitates the discovery and interoperability of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a cyber-physical system (CPS). Moreover, a uniform knowledge representation of physical resources is quite necessary for further composition, collaboration, and decision-making process in CPS. Though several efforts have integrated semantics with WoT, such as knowledge engineering methods based on semantic sensor networks (SSN), it still could not represent the complex relationships between devices when dynamic composition and collaboration occur, and it totally depends on manual construction of a knowledge base with low scalability. In this paper, to addresses these limitations, we propose the semantic Web of Things (SWoT) framework for CPS (SWoT4CPS). SWoT4CPS provides a hybrid solution with both ontological engineering methods by extending SSN and machine learning methods based on an entity linking (EL) model. To testify to the feasibility and performance, we demonstrate the framework by implementing a temperature anomaly diagnosis and automatic control use case in a building automation system. Evaluation results on the EL method show that linking domain knowledge to DBpedia has a relative high accuracy and the time complexity is at a tolerant level. Advantages and disadvantages of SWoT4CPS with future work are also discussed.

International Collaborative Research Partnerships: Blending Science with Management and Diplomacy.

PubMed

Lau, Chuen-Yen; Wang, Crystal; Orsega, Susan; Tramont, Edmund C; Koita, Ousmane; Polis, Michael A; Siddiqui, Sophia

2014-12-01

As globalization progressively connects and impacts the health of people across the world, collaborative research partnerships provide mutual advantages by sharing knowledge and resources to address locally and globally relevant scientific and public health questions. Partnerships undertaken for scientific research are similar to business collaborations in that they require attention to partner systems, whether local, international, political, academic, or non-academic. Scientists, like diplomats or entrepreneurs, are representatives of their field, culture, and country and become obligatory agents in health diplomacy. This role significantly influences current and future collaborations with not only the immediate partner but with other in country partners as well. Research partnerships need continuous evaluation of the collaboration's productivity, perspectives of all partners, and desired outcomes for success to avoid engaging in "research tourism", particularly in developing regions. International engagement is a cornerstone in addressing the impact of infectious diseases globally. Global partnerships are strategically aligned with national, partner and global health priorities and may be based on specific requests for assistance from the partnering country governments. Here we share experiences from select research collaborations to highlight principles that we have found key in building long-term relationships with collaborators and in meeting the aim to address scientific questions relevant to the host country and strategic global health initiatives.

Applying organizational science to health care: a framework for collaborative practice.

PubMed

Dow, Alan W; DiazGranados, Deborah; Mazmanian, Paul E; Retchin, Sheldon M

2013-07-01

Developing interprofessional education (IPE) curricula that improve collaborative practice across professions has proven challenging. A theoretical basis for understanding collaborative practice in health care settings is needed to guide the education and evaluation of health professions trainees and practitioners and support the team-based delivery of care. IPE should incorporate theory-driven, evidence-based methods and build competency toward effective collaboration.In this article, the authors review several concepts from the organizational science literature and propose using these as a framework for understanding how health care teams function. Specifically, they outline the team process model of action and planning phases in collaborative work; discuss leadership and followership, including how locus (a leader's integration into a team's usual work) and formality (a leader's responsibility conferred by the traditional hierarchy) affect team functions; and describe dynamic delegation, an approach to conceptualizing escalation and delegation within health care teams. For each concept, they identify competencies for knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to aid in the development of innovative curricula to improve collaborative practice. They suggest that gaining an understanding of these principles will prepare health care trainees, whether team leaders or members, to analyze team performance, adapt behaviors that improve collaboration, and create team-based health care delivery processes that lead to improved clinical outcomes.

Applying Organizational Science to Health Care: A Framework for Collaborative Practice

PubMed Central

Dow, Alan W.; DiazGranados, Deborah; Mazmanian, Paul E.; Retchin, Sheldon M.

2013-01-01

Developing interprofessional education (IPE) curricula that improve collaborative practice across professions has proven challenging. A theoretical basis for understanding collaborative practice in health care settings is needed to guide the education and evaluation of health professions trainees and practitioners and support the team-based delivery of care. IPE should incorporate theory-driven, evidence-based methods and build competency toward effective collaboration. In this article, the authors review several concepts from the organizational science literature and propose using these as a framework for understanding how health care teams function. Specifically, they outline the team process model of action and planning phases in collaborative work; discuss leadership and followership, including how locus (a leader’s integration into a team’s usual work) and formality (a leader’s responsibility conferred by the traditional hierarchy) affect team functions; and describe dynamic delegation, an approach to conceptualizing escalation and delegation within health care teams. For each concept, they identify competencies for knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to aid in the development of innovative curricula to improve collaborative practice. They suggest that gaining an understanding of these principles will prepare health care trainees, whether team leaders or members, to analyze team performance, adapt behaviors that improve collaboration, and create team-based health care delivery processes that lead to improved clinical outcomes. PMID:23702530

Promoting a Culture of Health Through Cross-Sector Collaborations.

PubMed

Martsolf, Grant R; Sloan, Jennifer; Villarruel, Antonia; Mason, Diana; Sullivan, Cheryl

2018-04-01

In this study, we explore the experiences of innovative nurses who have developed cross-sector collaborations toward promoting a culture of health, with the aim of identifying lessons that can inform similar efforts of other health care professionals. We used a mixed-methods approach based on data from both an online survey and telephone interviews. A majority of the participants had significant collaborations with health care providers and non-health care providers. Strong partners included mental health providers, specialists, and primary care providers on the health side, and for non-health partners, the strongest collaborations were with community leaders, research institutions, and local businesses. Themes that emerged for successful collaborations included having to be embedded in both the community and in institutions of power, ensuring that a shared vision and language with all partners are established, and leading with strength and tenacity. A focus on building a culture of health will grow as payment policy moves away from fee-for-service toward models that focus on incentivizing population health. Effective efforts to promote a culture of health require cross-sector collaborations that draw on long-term, trusting relationships among leaders. Health care practitioners can be important leaders and "bridgers" in collaborations, but they must possess or develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of "bilingual" facilitators, partners, and "relationship builders."

Intelligent Systems Technologies and Utilization of Earth Observation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, H. K.; McConaughy, G. R.; Morse, H. S.

2004-01-01

The addition of raw data and derived geophysical parameters from several Earth observing satellites over the last decade to the data held by NASA data centers has created a data rich environment for the Earth science research and applications communities. The data products are being distributed to a large and diverse community of users. Due to advances in computational hardware, networks and communications, information management and software technologies, significant progress has been made in the last decade in archiving and providing data to users. However, to realize the full potential of the growing data archives, further progress is necessary in the transformation of data into information, and information into knowledge that can be used in particular applications. Sponsored by NASA s Intelligent Systems Project within the Computing, Information and Communication Technology (CICT) Program, a conceptual architecture study has been conducted to examine ideas to improve data utilization through the addition of intelligence into the archives in the context of an overall knowledge building system (KBS). Potential Intelligent Archive concepts include: 1) Mining archived data holdings to improve metadata to facilitate data access and usability; 2) Building intelligence about transformations on data, information, knowledge, and accompanying services; 3) Recognizing the value of results, indexing and formatting them for easy access; 4) Interacting as a cooperative node in a web of distributed systems to perform knowledge building; and 5) Being aware of other nodes in the KBS, participating in open systems interfaces and protocols for virtualization, and achieving collaborative interoperability.

A Typology of Knowledge Collaboration: A Case Study of an Initiative to Accelerate the Internationalization of Finnish Cleantech Entrepreneurship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vauterin, Johanna Julia; Virkki-Hatakka, Terhi

2016-01-01

A critical understanding of how knowledge collaboration may work in various configurations is a prerequisite in shedding light on how effective knowledge collaboration affects opportunities for business growth. This article presents a case analysis of a knowledge collaboration initiative between a university and other knowledge organizations. The…

Continuous quality improvement: a shared governance model that maximizes agent-specific knowledge.

PubMed

Burkoski, Vanessa; Yoon, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Motivate, Innovate, Celebrate: an innovative shared governance model through the establishment of continuous quality improvement (CQI) councils was implemented across the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The model leverages agent-specific knowledge at the point of care and provides a structure aimed at building human resources capacity and sustaining enhancements to quality and safe care delivery. Interprofessional and cross-functional teams work through the CQI councils to identify, formulate, execute and evaluate CQI initiatives. In addition to a structure that facilitates collaboration, accountability and ownership, a corporate CQI Steering Committee provides the forum for scaling up and spreading this model. Point-of-care staff, clinical management and educators were trained in LEAN methodology and patient experience-based design to ensure sufficient knowledge and resources to support the implementation.

Examining Strategies to Build and Sustain Healthy Aging Programming Collaboratives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altpeter, Mary; Schneider, Ellen Caylor; Whitelaw, Nancy

2014-01-01

Background: Community collaboratives provide a means to build local capacity, reduce service fragmentation and duplication, maximize efficiency, and create synergies for "systems change". But what are the collaborative practices that aging services providers and other stakeholders employ for "system change" and…

Knowledge Co-production Strategies for Water Resources Modeling and Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gober, P.

2016-12-01

The limited impact of scientific information on policy making and climate adaptation in North America has raised awareness of the need for new modeling strategies and knowledge transfer processes. This paper outlines the rationale for a new paradigm in water resources modeling and management, using examples from the USA and Canada. Principles include anticipatory modeling, complex system dynamics, decision making under uncertainty, visualization, capacity to represent and manipulate critical trade-offs, stakeholder engagement, local knowledge, context-specific activities, social learning, vulnerability analysis, iterative and collaborative modeling, and the concept of a boundary organization. In this framework, scientists and stakeholders are partners in the production and dissemination of knowledge for decision making, and local knowledge is fused with scientific observation and methodology. Discussion draws from experience in building long-term collaborative boundary organizations in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA and the Saskatchewan River Basin (SRB) in Canada. Examples of boundary spanning activities include the use of visualization, the concept of a decision theater, infrastructure to support social learning, social networks, and reciprocity, simulation modeling to explore "what if" scenarios of the future, surveys to elicit how water problems are framed by scientists and stakeholders, and humanistic activities (theatrical performances, art exhibitions, etc.) to draw attention to local water issues. The social processes surrounding model development and dissemination are at least as important as modeling assumptions, procedures, and results in determining whether scientific knowledge will be used effectively for water resources decision making.

Inter-professional education of prospective speech-language therapists and primary school teachers through shared professional practice placements.

PubMed

Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T

2017-07-01

Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another useful avenue to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills for inter-professional collaboration. Research examining the impact of different approaches to IPE is required to advance our understanding of effective design and evaluation of such initiatives. To understand how student SLTs and student teachers develop competency for collaborative practice when co-working during professional practice placements to support children's speech and literacy development. A case study design was used to monitor the impact of the IPE. Student SLTs (n = 4) were paired with student teachers (n = 4) to participate in shared professional practice placements in junior school classrooms. An inductive thematic analysis of interviews conducted with participants after the IPE was employed to explore the development of competencies in collaborative practice. Change in inter-disciplinary knowledge and perceptions over the IPE was evaluated via survey to further explore the development of collaborative competencies. Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings suggested that participants began to develop four broad areas of collaborative competency: understanding of professional roles and expertise, communication skills to support shared decision-making, inter-dependency in supporting children's learning, and flexibility to implement alternative instructional practices. Interview analysis also revealed factors related to the facilitators and learning contexts that supported and/or limited the collaboration between participants. Shared placement experiences between student SLTs and student teachers may be an effective method for building participants' competencies in multiple aspects of collaborative practice. Active facilitation by both SLT and classroom teacher supervisors alongside careful consideration of learning contexts (e.g., classroom structure) will help to ensure that learning is maximized for prospective professionals. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Capacity building among african american faith leaders to promote HIV prevention and vaccine research.

PubMed

Alio, Amina P; Lewis, Cindi A; Bunce, Catherine A; Wakefield, Steven; Thomas, Weldon G; Sanders, Edwin; Keefer, Michael C

2014-01-01

In light of the increasing rates of HIV infection in African Americans, it is essential that black faith leaders become more proactive in the fight against the epidemic. The study aim was to engage faith leaders in a sustainable partnership to increase community participation in preventive HIV vaccine clinical research while improving their access to and utilization of HIV/AIDS prevention services. Leadership Development Seminars were adapted for faith leaders in Rochester, NY, with topics ranging from the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research to social issues surrounding HIV/AIDs within a theological framework. Seminars were taught by field-specific experts from the black community and included the development of action plans to institute HIV preventive ministries. To assess the outcome of the Seminars, baseline and post-training surveys were administered and analyzed through paired sample t Tests and informal interviews. 19 faith leaders completed the intervention. In general, the majority of clergy felt that their understanding of HIV vaccine research and its goals had increased postintervention. A critical outcome was the subsequent formation of the Rochester Faith Collaborative by participating clergy seeking to sustain the collaborative and address the implementation of community action plans. Providing scientific HIV/AIDS knowledge within the context of clergy members' belief structure was an effective method for engaging black Church leaders in Rochester, NY. Collaborative efforts with various local institutions and community-based organizations were essential in building trust with the faith leaders, thereby building bridges for better understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, including HIV vaccine research.

Building High-Performing Commander Leader Teams: Intensive Collaboration Enabled by Information Technology and Knowledge Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

In- formation Officer (CIO)/G- 6 , and the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas in partial fulfillment of the “Independent...Army governance of BCKS (DA CIO/G- 6 , DA G-3, and Com- manding General, US Army Combined Arms Center) for the opportunity to develop these proposed...Operations Sketch for “Clear the Main Supply Route ” ............ G-4 Figure G-2. “Duffer’s Drift” Execution (Student-interactor overwatched by the

Evaluating community-based public health leadership training.

PubMed

Ceraso, Marion; Gruebling, Kirsten; Layde, Peter; Remington, Patrick; Hill, Barbara; Morzinski, Jeffrey; Ore, Peggy

2011-01-01

Addressing the nation's increasingly complex public health challenges will require more effective multisector collaboration and stronger public health leadership. In 2005, the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute launched an annual, year-long intensive "community teams" program. The goal of this program is to develop collaborative leadership and public health skills among Wisconsin-based multisectoral teams mobilizing their communities to improve public health. To measure the scope of participation and program impacts on individual learning and practice, including application of new knowledge and collective achievements of teams on coalition and short-term community outcomes. End-of-year participant program evaluations and follow-up telephone interviews with participants 20 months after program completion. Community-based public health leadership training program. Sixty-eight participants in the Community Teams Program during the years 2006 to 2007 and 2007 to 2008. Professional diversity of program participants; individual learning and practice, including application of new knowledge; and collective achievements of teams, including coalition and short-term community outcomes. Participants in the Community Teams Program represent a diversity of sectors, including nonprofit, governmental, academic, business, and local public health. Participation increased knowledge across all public health and leadership competency areas covered in the program. Participating teams reported outcomes, including increased engagement of community leadership, expansion of preventive services, increased media coverage, strengthened community coalitions, and increased grant funding. Evaluation of this community-based approach to public health leadership training has shown it to be a promising model for building collaborative and public health leadership skills and initiating sustained community change for health improvement.

Science education reform in an elementary school: An investigation of collaboration and inquiry in a school with an emphasis on language arts and fine arts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martini, Mariana

This investigation was framed within the science education reform, which proposes to change the way science is taught and promotes the implementation of inquiry-based teaching approaches. The implementation of inquiry science teaching represents a move away from traditional didactic teaching styles, a transition that requires change in the assumptions underlying the philosophy of traditional science instruction. Another theme in the reform literature is the establishment of collaboration between teachers and researchers or scientists as a way to implement reform practices. Situated within this reform climate, this research aimed to investigate science education at an elementary school with a history of implementing reform ideas in the areas of language arts and fine arts. I employed an ethnographic methodology to examine the nature of a teacher-researcher relationship in the context of the school's culture and teachers' practices. The findings indicate that change was not pervasive. Reform ideas were implemented only in the areas of language arts and fine arts. Situated within a district that promoted an accountability climate, the school disregarded science education and opposed the use of constructivist-based pedagogies, and did not have a strong science program. Since science was not tested, teachers spent little (if any) time teaching science. All participants firmly perceived the existence of several barriers to the implementation of inquiry: (a) lack of time: teachers spent excessive time to prepare students for tests, (b) nature of science teaching: materials and set preparation, (c) lack of content knowledge, (d) lack of pedagogical content knowledge, and (e) lack of opportunities to develop professional knowledge. In spite of the barriers, the school had two assets: an outdoor facility and two enthusiastic teachers who were lead science teachers, in spite of the their lack of content and pedagogical science knowledge. Collaboration between the researcher and each teacher was developmental. Defining who we are and how we approach the work ahead played an important part in the relationship. It took time to build trust and change the modus operandi from a cooperation to a collaboration project. Despite the constraints faced, collaboration had a positive effect on us.

Building bridges in academic nursing and health care practice settings.

PubMed

Levin, Rona F; Vetter, Mary Jo; Chaya, Joan; Feldman, Harriet; Marren, Joan

2007-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the development and implementation of a shared position with a focus on evidence-based practice (EBP) between the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and the Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University. A preexisting relationship between the two institutions in providing student experiences in a community setting paved the way for the evolution a new collaborative effort. The shared position was initially conceived by two of the authors as an outcome of research they were conducting in the home care setting, which tested a model of mentoring frontline nurses in the EBP process on health care professional and patient outcomes. An initial conception of the new role provided a working document for discussions between the two institutions and the creation of a workable contract. The implementation of several initiatives has already provided support for the position, and each partner has benefited from building this bridge between nursing education and service. Benefits include advancing knowledge of and implementing EBP in both settings and promoting collaborative, clinically related scholarship.

A balanced psychology and a full life.

PubMed Central

Seligman, Martin E P; Parks, Acacia C; Steen, Tracy

2004-01-01

Psychology since World War II has been largely devoted to repairing weakness and understanding suffering. Towards that end, we have made considerable gains. We have a classification of mental illness that allows international collaboration, and through this collaboration we have developed effective psychotherapeutic or pharmacological treatments for 14 major mental disorders. However, while building a strong science and practice of treating mental illness, we largely forgot about everyday well-being. Is the absence of mental illness and suffering sufficient to let individuals and communities flourish? Were all disabling conditions to disappear, what would make life worth living? Those committed to a science of positive psychology can draw on the effective research methods developed to understand and treat mental illness. Results from a new randomized, placebo-controlled study demonstrate that people are happier and less depressed three months after completing exercises targeting positive emotion. The ultimate goal of positive psychology is to make people happier by understanding and building positive emotion, gratification and meaning. Towards this end, we must supplement what we know about treating illness and repairing damage with knowledge about nurturing well-being in individuals and communities. PMID:15347529

Sustaining Tunisian SMEs' Competitiveness in the Knowledge Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Vecchio, Pasquale; Elia, Gianluca; Secundo, Giustina

The paper aims to contribute to the debate about knowledge and digital divide affecting countries' competitiveness in the knowledge society. A survey based on qualitative and quantitative data collection has been performed to analyze the level of ICTs and e-Business adoption of the Tunisian SMEs. The results shows that to increase the SMEs competitiveness is necessary to invest in all the components of Intellectual capital: human capital (knowledge, skills, and the abilities of people for using the ICTs), structural capital (supportive infrastructure such as buildings, software, processes, patents, and trademarks, proprietary databases) and social capital (relations and collaboration inside and outside the company). At this purpose, the LINCET "Laboratoire d'Innovation Numerique pour la Competitivité de l'Entreprise Tunisienne" project is finally proposed as a coherent proposition to foster the growth of all the components of the Intellectual Capital for the benefits of competitiveness of Tunisian SMEs.

A Model for Strengthening Collaborative Research Capacity: Illustrations From the Atlanta Clinical Translational Science Institute.

PubMed

Rodgers, Kirsten C; Akintobi, Tabia; Thompson, Winifred Wilkins; Evans, Donoria; Escoffery, Cam; Kegler, Michelle C

2014-06-01

Community-engaged research is effective in addressing health disparities but may present challenges for both academic institutions and community partners. Therefore, the need to build capacity for conducting collaborative research exists. The purpose of this study is to present a model for building research capacity in academic-community partnerships. The Building Collaborative Research Capacity Model was developed as part of the Community Engagement Research Program (CERP) of the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI). Six domains of collaborative research capacity were identified and used to develop a model. Inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes of building collaborative research capacity are described. To test this model, a competitive request for applications was widely distributed and four community-based organizations were funded to participate in a 2-year program with the aim of conducting a pilot study and submitting a research proposal for funding to National Institutes of Health or another major funding agency. During the first year, the community-based organization partners were trained on conducting collaborative research and matched with an academic partner from an ACTSI institution. Three of the academic-community partnerships submitted pilot study results and two submitted a grant proposal to a national agency. The Building Collaborative Research Capacity Model is an innovative approach to strengthening academic-community partnerships. This model will help build needed research capacity, serve as a framework for academicians and community partners, and lead to sustainable partnerships that improve community health. © 2013 Society for Public Health Education.

The Web Resource Collaboration Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlap, Joanna C.

2004-01-01

The Web Resource Collaboration Center (WRCC) is a web-based tool developed to help software engineers build their own web-based learning and performance support systems. Designed using various online communication and collaboration technologies, the WRCC enables people to: (1) build a learning and professional development resource that provides…

Collaborative human-machine analysis using a controlled natural language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mott, David H.; Shemanski, Donald R.; Giammanco, Cheryl; Braines, Dave

2015-05-01

A key aspect of an analyst's task in providing relevant information from data is the reasoning about the implications of that data, in order to build a picture of the real world situation. This requires human cognition, based upon domain knowledge about individuals, events and environmental conditions. For a computer system to collaborate with an analyst, it must be capable of following a similar reasoning process to that of the analyst. We describe ITA Controlled English (CE), a subset of English to represent analyst's domain knowledge and reasoning, in a form that it is understandable by both analyst and machine. CE can be used to express domain rules, background data, assumptions and inferred conclusions, thus supporting human-machine interaction. A CE reasoning and modeling system can perform inferences from the data and provide the user with conclusions together with their rationale. We present a logical problem called the "Analysis Game", used for training analysts, which presents "analytic pitfalls" inherent in many problems. We explore an iterative approach to its representation in CE, where a person can develop an understanding of the problem solution by incremental construction of relevant concepts and rules. We discuss how such interactions might occur, and propose that such techniques could lead to better collaborative tools to assist the analyst and avoid the "pitfalls".

Participatory and Collaborative Digital Mapping to Enhance Disaster Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei; Dugar, Sumit; McCallum, Ian; Brown, Sarah; See, Linda; Mechler, Reinhard

2017-04-01

Critical knowledge gaps seriously hinder disaster risk reduction and resilience building efforts, especially in disaster prone least developing countries. The information scarcity is highest at local levels, in terms of the spatial information of risk, resources and capacities of communities. We propose a general procedure that combines community-based participatory mapping processes, which has been widely used by in various government and non-government organization projects in the fields of natural resources management, disaster risk reduction and rural development, and the emerging collaborative digital mapping techniques to tackle this challenge. We demonstrate the value and potential of this general participatory and collaborative digital mapping by conducting a pilot study in the flood prone lower Karnali River basin in Western Nepal. We engaged a range of stakeholders to generate geographic information on resources, capacities and flood risks of pilot communities according to local needs. The new digital community maps are richer in contents, more accurate, and easier to update and share than those produced using conventional Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCAs), a variant of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) that is widely used by in various government and non-government organizations. This approach, as an inclusive form of risk knowledge co-generation, can play a critical role in improving evidence-based understanding of disaster risk and enhance disaster resilience worldwide.

Building international collaborative capacity: contributions of community psychologists to a European network.

PubMed

García-Ramírez, Manuel; Paloma, Virginia; Suarez-Balcazar, Yolanda; Balcazar, Fabricio

2009-09-01

Europe is in the process of building a more participative, just, and inclusive European Union. The European Social Fund, which is an initiative developed to actively promote multinational partnerships that address pressing social issues, is a good example of the European transformation. This article describes the steps taken to develop and evaluate the activities of an international network promoting collaborative capacity among regional partners involved in the prevention of labor discrimination toward immigrants in three European countries-Spain, Belgium, and Italy. An international team of community psychologists proposed an empowering approach to assess the collaborative capacity of the network. This approach consisted of three steps: (1) establishing a collaborative relationship among partners, (2) building collaborative capacity, and (3) evaluating the collaborative capacity of the network. We conclude with lessons learned from the process and provide recommendations for addressing the challenges inherent in international collaboration processes.

Producing More Actionable Science Isn't the Problem; It's Providing Decision-Makers with Access to Right Actionable Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trexler, M.

2017-12-01

Policy-makers today have almost infinite climate-relevant scientific and other information available to them. The problem for climate change decision-making isn't missing science or inadequate knowledge of climate risks; the problem is that the "right" climate change actionable knowledge isn't getting to the right decision-maker, or is getting there too early or too late to effectively influence her decision-making. Actionable knowledge is not one-size-fit-all, and for a given decision-maker might involve scientific, economic, or risk-based information. Simply producing more and more information as we are today is not the solution, and actually makes it harder for individual decision-makers to access "their" actionable knowledge. The Climatographers began building the Climate Web five years ago to test the hypothesis that a knowledge management system could help navigate the gap between infinite information and individual actionable knowledge. Today the Climate Web's more than 1,500 index terms allow instant access to almost any climate change topic. It is a curated public-access knowledgebase of more than 1,000 books, 2,000 videos, 15,000 reports and articles, 25,000 news stories, and 3,000 websites. But it is also much more, linking together tens of thousands of individually extracted ideas and graphics, and providing Deep Dives into more than 100 key topics from changing probability distributions of extreme events to climate communications best practices to cognitive dissonance in climate change decision-making. The public-access Climate Web is uniquely able to support cross-silo learning, collaboration, and actionable knowledge dissemination. The presentation will use the Climate Web to demonstrate why knowledge management should be seen as a critical component of science and policy-making collaborations.

Increasing Capacity for Stewardship of Oceans and Coasts: Findings of the National Research Council Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, S. J.; Feeley, M. H.

2008-05-01

With the increasing stress on ocean and coastal resources, ocean resource management will require greater capacity in terms of people, institutions, technology and tools. Successful capacity-building efforts address the needs of a specific locale or region and include plans to maintain and expand capacity after the project ends. In 2008, the US National Research Council published a report that assesses past and current capacity-building efforts to identify barriers to effective management of coastal and marine resources. The report recommends ways that governments and organizations can strengthen marine conservation and management capacity. Capacity building programs instill the tools, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that address: ecosystem function and change; processes of governance that influence societal and ecosystem change; and assembling and managing interdisciplinary teams. Programs require efforts beyond traditional sector-by-sector planning because marine ecosystems range from the open ocean to coastal waters and land use practices. Collaboration among sectors, scaling from local community-based management to international ocean policies, and ranging from inland to offshore areas, will be required to establish coordinated and efficient governance of ocean and coastal ecosystems. Barriers Most capacity building activities have been initiated to address particular issues such as overfishing or coral reef degradation, or they target a particular region or country facing threats to their marine resources. This fragmentation inhibits the sharing of information and experience and makes it more difficult to design and implement management approaches at appropriate scales. Additional barriers that have limited the effectiveness of capacity building programs include: lack of an adequate needs assessment prior to program design and implementation; exclusion of targeted populations in decision- making efforts; mismanagement, corruption, or both; incomplete or inappropriate evaluation procedures; and, lack of a coordinated and strategic approach among donors. A New Framework Improving ocean stewardship and ending the fragmentation of current capacity building programs will require a new, broadly adopted framework for capacity building that emphasizes cooperation, sustainability, and knowledge transfer within and among communities. The report identifies four specific features of capacity building that would increase the effectiveness and efficiency of future programs: 1. Regional action plans based on periodic program assessments to guide investments in capacity and set realistic milestones and performance measures. 2. Long-term support to establish self-sustaining programs. Sustained capacity building programs require a diversity of sources and coordinated investments from local, regional, and international donors. 3. Development of leadership and political will. One of the most commonly cited reasons for failure and lack of progress in ocean and coastal governance initiatives is lack of political will. One strategy for strengthening support is to identify, develop, mentor, and reward leaders. 4. Establishment of networks and mechanisms for regional collaboration. Networks bring together those working in the same or similar ecosystems with comparable management or governance challenges to share information, pool resources, and learn from one another. The report also recommends the establishment of regional centers to encourage and support collaboration among neighboring countries.

Measuring Knowledge Elaboration Based on a Computer-Assisted Knowledge Map Analytical Approach to Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Lanqin; Huang, Ronghuai; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Yang, Kaicheng

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively measure the level of knowledge elaboration and explore the relationships between prior knowledge of a group, group performance, and knowledge elaboration in collaborative learning. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the level of knowledge elaboration. The collaborative learning objective in…

Relationships and Authentic Collaboration: Perceptions of a Building Leadership Team

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conner, Tonya

2015-01-01

This research examined perceptions of a Building Leadership Team (BLT) regarding the school climate, collegial relationships, camaraderie, and team-building skills among certified faculty. Participants' perceptions changed from resistance accession once a clear understanding of authentic collaboration developed through five job-embedded…

The Climate is A-Changin': Teaching Civic Competence for a Sustainable Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Carolyn A.; Kharecha, Pushker; Goble, Pam; Goble, Ryan

2016-01-01

A central aim of social studies curriculum is to prepare young people for making "informed and reasoned decisions for the public good" concerning consequential problems like global climate change. By developing students' "vision of a good society" and exploring what actions and policies move our society in this direction, social studies teachers have an important role in preparing students for a world undergoing enormous environmental change. This article discusses elementary curriculum connections between building students' knowledge and understanding about "their community, nation and world" and global climate change. It also suggests ideas for building civic competency and climate literacy while creating opportunities for students to practice high-value skills like "data collection and analysis, collaboration, decision-making and problem-solving."

International Collaborative Research Partnerships: Blending Science with Management and Diplomacy

PubMed Central

Lau, Chuen-Yen; Wang, Crystal; Orsega, Susan; Tramont, Edmund C; Koita, Ousmane; Polis, Michael A; Siddiqui, Sophia

2015-01-01

As globalization progressively connects and impacts the health of people across the world, collaborative research partnerships provide mutual advantages by sharing knowledge and resources to address locally and globally relevant scientific and public health questions. Partnerships undertaken for scientific research are similar to business collaborations in that they require attention to partner systems, whether local, international, political, academic, or non-academic. Scientists, like diplomats or entrepreneurs, are representatives of their field, culture, and country and become obligatory agents in health diplomacy. This role significantly influences current and future collaborations with not only the immediate partner but with other in country partners as well. Research partnerships need continuous evaluation of the collaboration’s productivity, perspectives of all partners, and desired outcomes for success to avoid engaging in “research tourism”, particularly in developing regions. International engagement is a cornerstone in addressing the impact of infectious diseases globally. Global partnerships are strategically aligned with national, partner and global health priorities and may be based on specific requests for assistance from the partnering country governments. Here we share experiences from select research collaborations to highlight principles that we have found key in building long-term relationships with collaborators and in meeting the aim to address scientific questions relevant to the host country and strategic global health initiatives. PMID:26225217

Building Successful Relationships in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial

PubMed Central

Marcus, Pamela M.; Broski, Karen G.; Buys, Saundra S.; Childs, Jeffery; Church, Timothy R.; Gohagan, John K.; Gren, Lisa H.; Higgins, Darlene; Jaggi, Rachel; Jenkins, Victoria; Johnson, Christine C.; Lappe, Karen; O’Brien, Barbara; Ogden, Sheryl L.; Prorok, Philip C.; Reding, Douglas; Shambaugh, Vicki; Yokochi, Lance A.; Yurgalevitch, Susan

2017-01-01

Biomedical research cannot succeed without funding, knowledgeable staff, and appropriate infrastructure. There are however equally important but intangible factors that are rarely considered in planning large multidisciplinary endeavors or evaluating their success. The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial required extensive collaborations between individuals from many fields, including clinicians, clinical trialists, and administrators; it also addressed questions across the spectrum of cancer prevention and control, In this manuscript, we examine the experiences and opinions of trial staff regarding the building of successful relationships in PLCO. We summarize, in narrative form, data collected using open-ended questionnaires that were administered to the National Cancer Institute project officers, coordinating center staff, screening center principal investigators, and screening center coordinators in 2015, about 3 years after publication of the final primary trial manuscript. Trust, respect, listening to others, and in-person interaction were frequently mentioned as crucial to building successful relationships. PMID:26238208

Empowering Change Agents in Hierarchical Organizations: Participatory Action Research in Prisons.

PubMed

Penrod, Janice; Loeb, Susan J; Ladonne, Robert A; Martin, Lea M

2016-06-01

Participatory action research (PAR) approaches harness collaborative partnerships to stimulate change in defined communities. The purpose of this article is to illustrate key methodological strategies used in the application of PAR methods in the particularly challenging environment of a hierarchical organization. A study designed to promote sustainable, insider-generated system-level changes in the provision of end-of-life (EOL) care in the restrictive setting of six state prisons is used as an exemplar of the application of three cardinal principles of PAR. First, development of a collaborative network with active partnership between outsider academic researchers and insider co-researchers began with careful attention to understanding the culture and processes of prisons and gaining the support of organizational leadership, using qualitative data gathering and trust-building. During the implementation phase, promoting co-ownership of change in EOL care through the co-construction of knowledge and systems to enhance sustainable change required carefully-orchestrated strategies to maximize the collaborative spirit of the project. Co-researchers were empowered to examine their worlds and capture opportunities for change using new leadership skills role-modeled by the research team. Third, their local knowledge of the barriers inherent in the contextual reality of prisons was translated into achievable system change by production of a toolkit of formalized and well-rehearsed change strategies that collaborative teams were empowered to enact within their hierarchical prison environment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessing the continuum of applications and societal benefits of US CLIVAR science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, A. J.; Garfin, G. M.

2015-12-01

The new US CLIVAR strategic plan seeks to address the challenges of communicating the climate knowledge generated through its activities and to collaborate with the research and operational communities that may use this knowledge for managing climate risks. This presentation provides results of an overview in progress of the continuum of potential applications of climate science organized and coordinated through US CLIVAR. We define applications more broadly than simply ready for operations or direct use, and find that there are several stages in a continuum of readiness for communication and collaboration with communities that use climate information. These stages include: 1) advancing scientific understanding to a readiness for the next research steps aimed at predictable signals; 2) application of understanding climate phenomena in collaboration with a boundary organization, such as NOAA RISAs DOI Climate Science Centers, and USDA Climate Hubs, to understand how predictable signals may be translated into useable products; 3) use of knowledge in risk framing for a decision process, or in a science synthesis, such as the National Climate Assessment, and 4) transitioning new science knowledge into operational products (e.g. R2O), such as intraseasonal climate prediction. In addition, US CLIVAR has sponsored efforts to build science-to-decisions capacity, e.g., the Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise (PACE) program, in its 7th cohort, which has embedded climate experts into decision-making institutions. We will spotlight accomplishments of US CLIVAR science that are ripe for application in communities that are managing climate risks -- such as drought outlooks, MJO forecasting, extremes, and ocean conditions -- for agricultural production, water use, and marine ecosystems. We will use these examples to demonstrate the usefulness of an "applications continuum framework" identifying pathways from research to applications.

Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care: lessons from the theory of communities of practice

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The paper combines the analytical and instrumental perspectives on communities of practice (CoPs) to reflect on potential challenges that may arise in the process of interprofessional and inter-organisational joint working within the Collaborations for Leaderships in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs)--partnerships between the universities and National Health Service (NHS) Trusts aimed at conducting applied health research and translating its findings into day-to-day clinical practice. Discussion The paper discusses seminal theoretical literature on CoPs as well as previous empirical research on the role of these communities in healthcare collaboration, which is organised around the following three themes: knowledge sharing within and across CoPs, CoP formation and manageability, and identity building in CoPs. It argues that the multiprofessional and multi-agency nature of the CLAHRCs operating in the traditionally demarcated organisational landscape of the NHS may present formidable obstacles to knowledge sharing between various professional groupings, formation of a shared 'collaborative' identity, and the development of new communities within the CLAHRCs. To cross multiple boundaries between various professional and organisational communities and hence enable the flow of knowledge, the CLAHRCs will have to create an effective system of 'bridges' involving knowledge brokers, boundary objects, and cross-disciplinary interactions as well as address a number of issues related to professional and organisational identification. Summary The CoP approach can complement traditional 'stage-of-change' theories used in the field of implementation research and provide a basis for designing theory-informed interventions and evaluations. It can help to illuminate multiple boundaries that exist between professional and organisational groups within the CLAHRCs and suggest ways of crossing those boundaries to enable knowledge transfer and organisational learning. Achieving the aims of the CLAHRCs and producing a sustainable change in the ways applied health research is conducted and implemented may be influenced by how effectively these organisations can navigate through the multiple CoPs involved and promote the development of new multiprofessional and multi-organisational communities united by shared practice and a shared sense of belonging--an assumption that needs to be explored by further empirical research. PMID:21699712

Collaborations for leadership in applied health research and care: lessons from the theory of communities of practice.

PubMed

Kislov, Roman; Harvey, Gill; Walshe, Kieran

2011-06-23

The paper combines the analytical and instrumental perspectives on communities of practice (CoPs) to reflect on potential challenges that may arise in the process of interprofessional and inter-organisational joint working within the Collaborations for Leaderships in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs)--partnerships between the universities and National Health Service (NHS) Trusts aimed at conducting applied health research and translating its findings into day-to-day clinical practice. The paper discusses seminal theoretical literature on CoPs as well as previous empirical research on the role of these communities in healthcare collaboration, which is organised around the following three themes: knowledge sharing within and across CoPs, CoP formation and manageability, and identity building in CoPs. It argues that the multiprofessional and multi-agency nature of the CLAHRCs operating in the traditionally demarcated organisational landscape of the NHS may present formidable obstacles to knowledge sharing between various professional groupings, formation of a shared 'collaborative' identity, and the development of new communities within the CLAHRCs. To cross multiple boundaries between various professional and organisational communities and hence enable the flow of knowledge, the CLAHRCs will have to create an effective system of 'bridges' involving knowledge brokers, boundary objects, and cross-disciplinary interactions as well as address a number of issues related to professional and organisational identification. The CoP approach can complement traditional 'stage-of-change' theories used in the field of implementation research and provide a basis for designing theory-informed interventions and evaluations. It can help to illuminate multiple boundaries that exist between professional and organisational groups within the CLAHRCs and suggest ways of crossing those boundaries to enable knowledge transfer and organisational learning. Achieving the aims of the CLAHRCs and producing a sustainable change in the ways applied health research is conducted and implemented may be influenced by how effectively these organisations can navigate through the multiple CoPs involved and promote the development of new multiprofessional and multi-organisational communities united by shared practice and a shared sense of belonging--an assumption that needs to be explored by further empirical research.

Wicked Problem Solvers.

PubMed

Edmondson, Amy C

2016-06-01

Companies today increasingly rely on teams that span many industries for radical innovation, especially to solve "wicked problems." So leaders have to understand how to promote collaboration when roles are uncertain, goals are shifting, expertise and organizational cultures are varied, and participants have clashing or even antagonistic perspectives. HBS professor Amy Edmondson has studied more than a dozen cross-industry innovation projects, among them the creation of a new city, a mango supply-chain transformation, and the design and construction of leading-edge buildings. She has identified the leadership practices that make successful cross-industry teams work: fostering an adaptable vision, promoting psychological safety, enabling knowledge sharing, and encouraging collaborative innovation. Though these practices are broadly familiar, their application within cross-industry teams calls for unique leadership approaches that combine flexibility, open-mindedness, humility, and fierce resolve.

Reflections on a community and university research collaboration.

PubMed

Mayo, Kevin; Tsey, Komla

2009-08-01

This paper reflects on the collaborative research relationship between university and community researchers. It identifies emergent themes expressed in the words of researchers and recommends strategies to assist with other research collaborations. Emergent themes included: Initial reticence by community members followed by positive experiences; the value of empowerment frameworks in research; building trust between community and university researchers; capacity building, management, and workloads; and community politics, misunderstandings and wealth disparity. The paper recommends strategies for successful research collaborations and identifies challenges to research collaborations.

Preparing Science Teachers for Culturally Diverse Students: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Cultural Immersion, Cultural Translators and Communities of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinn, Pauline W. U.

2006-09-01

This three year study of P-12 professional development is grounded in sociocultural theories that hold that building knowledge and relationships among individuals from different cultural backgrounds entails joint activity toward common goals and cultural dialogues mediated by cultural translators. Sixty P-12 pre and in-service teachers in a year long interdisciplinary science curriculum course shared the goal of developing culturally relevant, standards-based science curricula for Native Hawai'ian students. Teachers and Native Hawai'ian instructors lived and worked together during a five day culture-science immersion in rural school and community sites and met several times at school, university, and community sites to build knowledge and share programs. Teachers were deeply moved by immersion experiences, learned to connect cultural understandings, e.g., a Hawai'ian sense of place and curriculum development, and highly valued collaborating with peers on curriculum development and implementation. The study finds that long term professional development providing situated learning through cultural immersion, cultural translators, and interdisciplinary instruction supports the establishment of communities of practice in which participants develop the cross-cultural knowledge and literacy needed for the development of locally relevant, place and standards-based curricula and pedagogy.

Building A Community Focused Data and Modeling Collaborative platform with Hardware Virtualization Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michaelis, A.; Wang, W.; Melton, F. S.; Votava, P.; Milesi, C.; Hashimoto, H.; Nemani, R. R.; Hiatt, S. H.

2009-12-01

As the length and diversity of the global earth observation data records grow, modeling and analyses of biospheric conditions increasingly requires multiple terabytes of data from a diversity of models and sensors. With network bandwidth beginning to flatten, transmission of these data from centralized data archives presents an increasing challenge, and costs associated with local storage and management of data and compute resources are often significant for individual research and application development efforts. Sharing community valued intermediary data sets, results and codes from individual efforts with others that are not in direct funded collaboration can also be a challenge with respect to time, cost and expertise. We purpose a modeling, data and knowledge center that houses NASA satellite data, climate data and ancillary data where a focused community may come together to share modeling and analysis codes, scientific results, knowledge and expertise on a centralized platform, named Ecosystem Modeling Center (EMC). With the recent development of new technologies for secure hardware virtualization, an opportunity exists to create specific modeling, analysis and compute environments that are customizable, “archiveable” and transferable. Allowing users to instantiate such environments on large compute infrastructures that are directly connected to large data archives may significantly reduce costs and time associated with scientific efforts by alleviating users from redundantly retrieving and integrating data sets and building modeling analysis codes. The EMC platform also provides the possibility for users receiving indirect assistance from expertise through prefabricated compute environments, potentially reducing study “ramp up” times.

Utilization of communities of practice for ongoing learning and knowledge dissemination: Making the case for the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery (GANM).

PubMed

Gresh, Ashley; Mena-Carrasco, Fernando; Rauh, Allison; Pfaff, Teresa

2017-09-01

With the growing connectivity among countries and healthcare practitioners, nurses and midwives in low resource settings are connecting digitally to access information through online platforms. Ninety eight percent of adults online report visiting a social network in the past month, and spend almost two hours per day engaged with social media. In an increasingly interconnected world, innovative strategies are needed to translate knowledge into practice. The Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery (GANM), part of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center (CC) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHSON) leverages its Knowledge Gateway to facilitate translating knowledge into practice in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper explores the concepts of knowledge dissemination, communities of practice, and makes the case for further using the GANM as an exemplary model to build the capacity of nurses and midwives globally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards a Semantic Web of Things: A Hybrid Semantic Annotation, Extraction, and Reasoning Framework for Cyber-Physical System

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhenyu; Xu, Yuan; Yang, Yunong; Zhang, Chunhong; Zhu, Xinning; Ji, Yang

2017-01-01

Web of Things (WoT) facilitates the discovery and interoperability of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a cyber-physical system (CPS). Moreover, a uniform knowledge representation of physical resources is quite necessary for further composition, collaboration, and decision-making process in CPS. Though several efforts have integrated semantics with WoT, such as knowledge engineering methods based on semantic sensor networks (SSN), it still could not represent the complex relationships between devices when dynamic composition and collaboration occur, and it totally depends on manual construction of a knowledge base with low scalability. In this paper, to addresses these limitations, we propose the semantic Web of Things (SWoT) framework for CPS (SWoT4CPS). SWoT4CPS provides a hybrid solution with both ontological engineering methods by extending SSN and machine learning methods based on an entity linking (EL) model. To testify to the feasibility and performance, we demonstrate the framework by implementing a temperature anomaly diagnosis and automatic control use case in a building automation system. Evaluation results on the EL method show that linking domain knowledge to DBpedia has a relative high accuracy and the time complexity is at a tolerant level. Advantages and disadvantages of SWoT4CPS with future work are also discussed. PMID:28230725

Knowledge brokerage - potential for increased capacities and shared power in impact assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosario Partidario, Maria, E-mail: mrp@civil.ist.utl.pt; Sheate, William R., E-mail: w.sheate@imperial.ac.uk; Collingwood Environmental Planning Ltd, London, 1E, The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7QY

2013-02-15

Constructive and collaborative planning theory has exposed the perceived limitations of public participation in impact assessment. At strategic levels of assessment the established norm can be misleading and practice is illusive. For example, debates on SEA effectiveness recognize insufficiencies, but are often based on questionable premises. The authors of this paper argue that public participation in strategic assessment requires new forms of information and engagement, consistent with the complexity of the issues at these levels and that strategic assessments can act as knowledge brokerage instruments with the potential to generate more participative environments and attitudes. The paper explores barriers andmore » limitations, as well as the role of knowledge brokerage in stimulating the engagement of the public, through learning-oriented processes and responsibility sharing in more participative models of governance. The paper concludes with a discussion on building and inter-change of knowledge, towards creative solutions to identified problems, stimulating learning processes, largely beyond simple information transfer mechanisms through consultative processes. The paper argues fundamentally for the need to conceive strategic assessments as learning platforms and design knowledge brokerage opportunities explicitly as a means to enhance learning processes and power sharing in IA. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Debates on SEA recognize insufficiencies on public participation Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We propose new forms of engagement consistent with complex situations at strategic levels of decision-making Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Constructive and collaborative planning theories help explain how different actors acquire knowledge and the value of knowledge exchange Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Strategic assessments can act as knowledge brokerage instruments Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The paper argues for strategic assessments as learning platforms as a means to enhance learning processes and power sharing in IA.« less

The Sydney West Knowledge Portal: Evaluating the Growth of a Knowledge Portal to Support Translational Research.

PubMed

Janssen, Anna; Robinson, Tracy Elizabeth; Provan, Pamela; Shaw, Tim

2016-06-29

The Sydney West Translational Cancer Research Centre is an organization funded to build capacity for translational research in cancer. Translational research is essential for ensuring the integration of best available evidence into practice and for improving patient outcomes. However, there is a low level of awareness regarding what it is and how to conduct it optimally. One solution to addressing this gap is the design and deployment of web-based knowledge portals to disseminate new knowledge and engage with and connect dispersed networks of researchers. A knowledge portal is an web-based platform for increasing knowledge dissemination and management in a specialized area. To measure the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal for increasing individual awareness of translational research and to build organizational capacity for the delivery of translational research projects in cancer. An adaptive methodology was used to capture the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal in cancer. This involved stakeholder consultations to inform initial design of the portal. Once the portal was live, site analytics were reviewed to evaluate member usage of the portal and to measure growth in membership. Knowledge portal membership grew consistently for the first 18 months after deployment, before leveling out. Analysis of site metrics revealed members were most likely to visit portal pages with community-generated content, particularly pages with a focus on translational research. This was closely followed by pages that disseminated educational material about translational research. Preliminary data from this study suggest that knowledge portals may be beneficial tools for translating new evidence and fostering an environment of communication and collaboration.

The Sydney West Knowledge Portal: Evaluating the Growth of a Knowledge Portal to Support Translational Research

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background The Sydney West Translational Cancer Research Centre is an organization funded to build capacity for translational research in cancer. Translational research is essential for ensuring the integration of best available evidence into practice and for improving patient outcomes. However, there is a low level of awareness regarding what it is and how to conduct it optimally. One solution to addressing this gap is the design and deployment of web-based knowledge portals to disseminate new knowledge and engage with and connect dispersed networks of researchers. A knowledge portal is an web-based platform for increasing knowledge dissemination and management in a specialized area. Objective To measure the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal for increasing individual awareness of translational research and to build organizational capacity for the delivery of translational research projects in cancer. Methods An adaptive methodology was used to capture the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal in cancer. This involved stakeholder consultations to inform initial design of the portal. Once the portal was live, site analytics were reviewed to evaluate member usage of the portal and to measure growth in membership. Results Knowledge portal membership grew consistently for the first 18 months after deployment, before leveling out. Analysis of site metrics revealed members were most likely to visit portal pages with community-generated content, particularly pages with a focus on translational research. This was closely followed by pages that disseminated educational material about translational research. Conclusions Preliminary data from this study suggest that knowledge portals may be beneficial tools for translating new evidence and fostering an environment of communication and collaboration. PMID:27357641

A Framework for Analyzing the Collaborative Construction of Arguments and Its Interplay with Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Mary; Yankelewitz, Dina; Maher, Carolyn

2012-01-01

In this report, we offer a framework for analyzing the ways in which collaboration influences learners' building of mathematical arguments and thus promotes mathematical understanding. Building on a previous model used to analyze discursive practices of students engaged in mathematical problem solving, we introduce three types of collaboration and…

How Pictorial Knowledge Representations Mediate Collaborative Knowledge Construction in Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naykki, Piia; Jarvela, Sanna

2008-01-01

This study investigates the process of collaborative knowledge construction when technology and pictorial knowledge representations are used for visualizing individual and groups' shared ideas. The focus of the study is on how teacher-students contribute to the group's collaborative knowledge construction and use each other's ideas and tools as an…

Ontology Enabled Annotation and Knowledge Management for Collaborative Learning in Virtual Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Stephen J. H.; Chen, Irene Ya-Ling; Shao, Norman W. Y.

2004-01-01

The nature of collaborative learning involves intensive interactions among collaborators, such as articulating knowledge into written, verbal or symbolic forms, authoring articles or posting messages to this community's discussion forum, responding or adding comments to messages or articles posted by others, etc. Knowledge collaborators'…

Open Geosciences Knowledge: foster Information Preparedness in a Disaster Resilience Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapisardi, Elena; Di Franco, Sabina

2014-05-01

Information in science communication is the ability and the capacity to transfer scientific knowledge to enable the understanding of communication content. Particularly, as stated in many documents and programs (e.g. UNISDR, a clear and correct information on hazards and emergency matters is crucial,either for practitioners or population,to cope with disaster and to allow collaboration to take the best decision. The Open Knowledge is defined as a set of criteria and conditions related to production, use and distribution, that include principles for better access to knowledge. However,knowledge is a pillar to understand the world in itself and to guide human actions and interactions with the environment. A free and open access to knowledge in a wider perspective includes also an ethical topic that is strictly connected to the acting in terms of interactions and responsibilities, in other words with the purpose of knowledge. Focusing on "data" as a technical issue, could displace ethics and responsibility as external issues, enhancing the technical value of data. In this perspective "opening" to an open knowledge perspective could not only solve problems related to the téchne, such as functionalities and efficiency, but it should foster sharing and collaboration expressed through ethics (praxis). The web era frees the information, hence the internet "information deluge" brings to the idea of "encyclopedia" (and of Wikipedia) as a tool to "organize, control and filter" knowledge, to allow communication, knowledge transfer, education, and sense-making. Social media and crowdsourcing have considerable promise for supporting collaborative and innovative ways that reshape the information production and distribution. However, the debate is now facing an important concern related to true/false issues, focusing on validation, and liability. Without any doubt the massive use of Social Media during recent major and minor disasters highlighted a huge need of clear, correct, free and trustworthy information. The challenge is to find models and tools to build an open and structured knowledge to sustain a common understanding in Disaster Resilience [DR] in order to cope with risks and reduce the impact of disaster: to observe natural phenomena, to understand natural hazards dynamics and local risks, to improve and facilitate the access to validated and reliable information.

The collaboratory for MS3D: a new cyberinfrastructure for the structural elucidation of biological macromolecules and their assemblies using mass spectrometry-based approaches.

PubMed

Yu, Eizadora T; Hawkins, Arie; Kuntz, Irwin D; Rahn, Larry A; Rothfuss, Andrew; Sale, Kenneth; Young, Malin M; Yang, Christine L; Pancerella, Carmen M; Fabris, Daniele

2008-11-01

Modern biomedical research is evolving with the rapid growth of diverse data types, biophysical characterization methods, computational tools and extensive collaboration among researchers spanning various communities and having complementary backgrounds and expertise. Collaborating researchers are increasingly dependent on shared data and tools made available by other investigators with common interests, thus forming communities that transcend the traditional boundaries of the single research laboratory or institution. Barriers, however, remain to the formation of these virtual communities, usually due to the steep learning curve associated with becoming familiar with new tools, or with the difficulties associated with transferring data between tools. Recognizing the need for shared reference data and analysis tools, we are developing an integrated knowledge environment that supports productive interactions among researchers. Here we report on our current collaborative environment, which focuses on bringing together structural biologists working in the area of mass spectrometric based methods for the analysis of tertiary and quaternary macromolecular structures (MS3D) called the Collaboratory for MS3D (C-MS3D). C-MS3D is a Web-portal designed to provide collaborators with a shared work environment that integrates data storage and management with data analysis tools. Files are stored and archived along with pertinent meta data in such a way as to allow file handling to be tracked (data provenance) and data files to be searched using keywords and modification dates. While at this time the portal is designed around a specific application, the shared work environment is a general approach to building collaborative work groups. The goal of this is to not only provide a common data sharing and archiving system, but also to assist in the building of new collaborations and to spur the development of new tools and technologies.

Connecting Hydrologic Research and Management in American Samoa through Collaboration and Capacity Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuler, C. K.; El-Kadi, A. I.; Dulai, H.; Glenn, C. R.; Mariner, M. K. E.; DeWees, R.; Schmaedick, M.; Gurr, I.; Comeros, M.; Bodell, T.

2017-12-01

In small-island developing communities, effective communication and collaboration with local stakeholders is imperative for successful implementation of hydrologic or other socially pertinent research. American Samoa's isolated location highlights the need for water resource sustainability, and effective scientific research is a key component to addressing critical challenges in water storage and management. Currently, aquifer degradation from salt-water-intrusion or surface-water contaminated groundwater adversely affects much of the islands' municipal water supply, necessitating an almost decade long Boil-Water-Advisory. This presentation will share the approach our research group, based at the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, has taken for successfully implementing a collaboration-focused water research program in American Samoa. Instead of viewing research as a one-sided activity, our program seeks opportunities to build local capacity, develop relationships with key on-island stakeholders, and involve local community through forward-looking projects. This presentation will highlight three applications of collaborative research with water policy and management, water supply and sustainability, and science education stakeholders. Projects include: 1) working with the island's water utility to establish a long-term hydrological monitoring network, motivated by a need for data to parameterize numerical groundwater models, 2) collaboration with the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency to better understand groundwater discharge and watershed scale land-use impacts for management of nearshore coral reef ecosystems, and 3) participation of local community college and high school students as research interns to increase involvement in, and exposure to socially pertinent water focused research. Through these innovative collaborative approaches we have utilized resources more effectively, and focused research efforts on more pertinent locally-driven research questions. Additionally, this approach has enhanced our ability to provide technical support and knowledge transfer for on-island scientific needs, and helped overcome data availability barriers faced by water managers, planners, and future investigators.

Improving Understanding of Glacier Melt Contribution to High Asian River Discharge through Collaboration and Capacity Building with High Asian CHARIS Partner Institutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, Richard; Brodzik, Mary Jo; Armstrong, Betsy; Barrett, Andrew; Fetterer, Florence; Hill, Alice; Jodha Khalsa, Siri; Racoviteanu, Adina; Raup, Bruce; Rittger, Karl; Williams, Mark; Wilson, Alana; Ye, Qinghua

2017-04-01

The Contribution to High Asia Runoff from Ice & Snow (CHARIS) project uses remote sensing data combined with modeling from 2000 to the present to improve proportional estimates of melt from glaciers and seasonal snow surfaces. Based at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, the CHARIS project objectives are twofold: 1) capacity-building efforts with CHARIS partners from eight High Asian countries to better forecast future availability and vulnerability of water resources in the region, and 2) improving our ability to systematically assess the role of glaciers and seasonal snow in the freshwater resources of High Asia. Capacity-building efforts include working with CHARIS partners from Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Our capacity-building activities include training, data sharing, supporting fieldwork, graduate student education and infrastructure development. Because of the scarcity of in situ data in this High Asian region, we are using the wealth of available remote sensing data to characterize digital elevation, daily maps of fractional snow-cover, annual maps of glacier and permanent snow cover area and downscaled reanalysis temperature data in snow melt models to estimate the relative proportions of river runoff from glacierized and seasonally snow-covered surfaces. Current collaboration with Qinghua Ye, visiting scientist at NSIDC from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, focuses on remote sensing methods to detect changes in the mountain cryosphere. Collaboration with our Asian partners supports the systematic analysis of the annual cycle of seasonal snow and glacier ice melt across the High Mountain Asia region. With our Asian partners, we have derived reciprocal benefits, learning from their specialized local knowledge and obtaining access to their in situ data. We expect that the improved understanding of runoff from snow and glacier surfaces will inform the development of adaptation and mitigation measures. The CHARIS Project is funded by USAID.

Collaboration between infection control and occupational health in three continents: a success story with international impact.

PubMed

Yassi, Annalee; Bryce, Elizabeth A; Breilh, Jaime; Lavoie, Marie-Claude; Ndelu, Lindiwe; Lockhart, Karen; Spiegel, Jerry

2011-11-08

Globalization has been accompanied by the rapid spread of infectious diseases, and further strain on working conditions for health workers globally. Post-SARS, Canadian occupational health and infection control researchers got together to study how to better protect health workers, and found that training was indeed perceived as key to a positive safety culture. This led to developing information and communication technology (ICT) tools. The research conducted also showed the need for better workplace inspections, so a workplace audit tool was also developed to supplement worker questionnaires and the ICT. When invited to join Ecuadorean colleagues to promote occupational health and infection control, these tools were collectively adapted and improved, including face-to-face as well as on-line problem-based learning scenarios. The South African government then invited the team to work with local colleagues to improve occupational health and infection control, resulting in an improved web-based health information system to track incidents, exposures, and occupational injury and diseases. As the H1N1 pandemic struck, the online infection control course was adapted and translated into Spanish, as was a novel skill-building learning tool that permits health workers to practice selecting personal protective equipment. This tool was originally developed in collaboration with the countries from the Caribbean region and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Research from these experiences led to strengthened focus on building capacity of health and safety committees, and new modules are thus being created, informed by that work.The products developed have been widely heralded as innovative and interactive, leading to their inclusion into "toolkits" used internationally. The tools used in Canada were substantially improved from the collaborative adaptation process for South and Central America and South Africa. This international collaboration between occupational health and infection control researchers led to the improvement of the research framework and development of tools, guidelines and information systems. Furthermore, the research and knowledge-transfer experience highlighted the value of partnership amongst Northern and Southern researchers in terms of sharing resources, experiences and knowledge.

Collaboration between infection control and occupational health in three continents: a success story with international impact

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Globalization has been accompanied by the rapid spread of infectious diseases, and further strain on working conditions for health workers globally. Post-SARS, Canadian occupational health and infection control researchers got together to study how to better protect health workers, and found that training was indeed perceived as key to a positive safety culture. This led to developing information and communication technology (ICT) tools. The research conducted also showed the need for better workplace inspections, so a workplace audit tool was also developed to supplement worker questionnaires and the ICT. When invited to join Ecuadorean colleagues to promote occupational health and infection control, these tools were collectively adapted and improved, including face-to-face as well as on-line problem-based learning scenarios. The South African government then invited the team to work with local colleagues to improve occupational health and infection control, resulting in an improved web-based health information system to track incidents, exposures, and occupational injury and diseases. As the H1N1 pandemic struck, the online infection control course was adapted and translated into Spanish, as was a novel skill-building learning tool that permits health workers to practice selecting personal protective equipment. This tool was originally developed in collaboration with the countries from the Caribbean region and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Research from these experiences led to strengthened focus on building capacity of health and safety committees, and new modules are thus being created, informed by that work. The products developed have been widely heralded as innovative and interactive, leading to their inclusion into “toolkits” used internationally. The tools used in Canada were substantially improved from the collaborative adaptation process for South and Central America and South Africa. This international collaboration between occupational health and infection control researchers led to the improvement of the research framework and development of tools, guidelines and information systems. Furthermore, the research and knowledge-transfer experience highlighted the value of partnership amongst Northern and Southern researchers in terms of sharing resources, experiences and knowledge. PMID:22166059

WhatisKT wiki: a case study of a platform for knowledge translation terms and definitions — descriptive analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background More than a hundred terms, often with unclear definitions and varying emphases, are used by health research and practice communities across the world who are interested in getting the best possible evidence applied (e.g., knowledge translation, implementation science, diffusion of innovations, and technology transfer). This makes finding published evidence difficult and can result in reduced, misinterpreted, or challenging interactions among professionals. Open dialogue and interaction among various professionals is needed to achieve consolidation of vocabulary. We use case report methods to describe how we sought to build an online tool to present the range of terms and facilitate the dialogue process across groups and disciplines interested in harnessing research evidence for healthcare. Methods We used a wiki platform from Wikispaces to present the problem of terminology and make a case and opportunity for collaboration on usage. Wikis are web sites where communities of users can collaborate online to build content and discuss progress. We gathered terms related to getting research into practice, sought published definitions, and posted these on the wiki (WhatisKT http://whatiskt.wikispaces.com/). We built the wiki in mid-2008 and promoted it through various groups and publications. This report describes the content of the site, our promotion efforts, use of the site, and how the site was used for collaboration up to the end of 2011. Results The WhatisKT wiki site now includes more than 120 pages. Traffic to the site has increased substantially from an average of 200 monthly visits in 2008 to 1700 in 2011. Visitors from 143 countries viewed the wiki in 2011, compared with 12 countries in 2008. However, most use has been limited to short term accesses of about 40 seconds per visit, and discussion of consolidation and solidifying terminology is conspicuously absent. Conclusions Although considerable interest exists in the terms and definitions related to getting research into practice based on increasing numbers of accesses, use of the WhatisKT wiki site for anything beyond quick lookups was minimal. Additional efforts must be directed towards increasing the level of interaction among the members of the site to encourage collaboration on term use. PMID:23347357

COPD360social Online Community: A Social Media Review.

PubMed

Stellefson, Michael; Paige, Samantha R; Alber, Julia M; Stewart, Margaret

2018-06-01

People living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly report feelings of loneliness and social isolation due to lack of support from family, friends, and health care providers. COPD360social is an interactive and disease-specific online community and social network dedicated to connecting people living with COPD to evidence-based resources. Through free access to collaborative forums, members can explore, engage, and discuss an array of disease-related topics, such as symptom management. This social media review provides an overview of COPD360social, specifically its features that practitioners can leverage to facilitate patient-provider communication, knowledge translation, and community building. The potential of COPD360social for chronic disease self-management is maximized through community recognition programming and interactive friend-finding tools that encourage members to share their own stories through blogs and multimedia (e.g., images, videos). The platform also fosters collaborative knowledge dissemination and helping relationships among patients, family members, friends, and health care providers. Successful implementation of COPD360social has dramatically expanded patient education and self-management support resources for people affected by COPD. Practitioners should refer patients and their families to online social networks such as COPD360social to increase knowledge and awareness of evidence-based chronic disease management practices.

Stop waiting and start creating: service learning with an outpatient bone marrow transplant unit art cart program.

PubMed

Fletcher, Tina; Bayer, Christina; Beyer, Emily; Gonzales, Jessica; Ralston, Ashley; Yount, Phyllis

2013-01-01

This paper examines how master of occupational therapy students, their occupational therapy instructor, and a community-based licensed clinical social worker collaborated in a service learning art cart program on an outpatient bone marrow transplant unit. As they progressed through the phases of Kolb's model of service learning, occupational therapy students, their occupational therapy instructor, and the licensed clinical social worker were all able to meet mutual goals of serving a unique patient population, increasing knowledge of best practices, and building and fostering university/community relationships.

Libraries, Archives, and Museums Helping Create Futures: Building on Culture, Knowledge, and Information through Collaboration and Resource Sharing. Selected Papers from PIALA 2010, Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums Annual Conference (20th, Weno, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, November 15-19, 2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Paul B., Ed.

2012-01-01

This publication follows the tradition of publishing selected papers from Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives and Museums (PIALA) annual conferences. This 20th annual conference was held in Weno, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, November 15-19, 2010. The volume begins with a listing of the members of the PIALA 2010…

A health promotion practicum targeting the college-age population.

PubMed

Diebold, C M; Chappell, H W; Robinson, M K

2000-01-01

Senior and sophomore baccalaureate nursing students at the University of Kentucky developed a health promotion exposition that targeted college students. This experience gave senior students the opportunity to practice leadership and management skills, such as planning, organizing, collaborating, delegating, evaluating, and time management and conflict resolution. Sophomore students developed teaching abilities, practiced assessment and communication techniques, and increased their knowledge of health-promoting behaviors. Both groups experienced team building and demonstrated accountability. Students reported a positive learning experience that met various course objectives in an innovative way.

BIM-Based E-Procurement: An Innovative Approach to Construction E-Procurement

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

This paper presents an innovative approach to e-procurement in construction, which uses building information models (BIM) to support the construction procurement process. The result is an integrated and electronic instrument connected to a rich knowledge base capable of advanced operations and able to strengthen transaction relationships and collaboration throughout the supply chain. The BIM-based e-procurement prototype has been developed using distinct existing electronic solutions and an IFC server and was tested in a pilot case study, which supported further discussions of the results of the research. PMID:26090518

Building the Encyclopedia of Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangiafico, P. A.; Patterson, D. J.

2010-04-01

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a collaborative project that indexes information about species, and makes it freely accessible to anyone. In order to accomplish this, EOL is building collaborative tools and infrastructure to unify the information.

Building Energy Monitoring and Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Tianzhen; Feng, Wei; Lu, Alison

U.S. and China are the world’s top two economics. Together they consumed one-third of the world’s primary energy. It is an unprecedented opportunity and challenge for governments, researchers and industries in both countries to join together to address energy issues and global climate change. Such joint collaboration has huge potential in creating new jobs in energy technologies and services. Buildings in the US and China consumed about 40% and 25% of the primary energy in both countries in 2010 respectively. Worldwide, the building sector is the largest contributor to the greenhouse gas emission. Better understanding and improving the energy performancemore » of buildings is a critical step towards sustainable development and mitigation of global climate change. This project aimed to develop a standard methodology for building energy data definition, collection, presentation, and analysis; apply the developed methods to a standardized energy monitoring platform, including hardware and software, to collect and analyze building energy use data; and compile offline statistical data and online real-time data in both countries for fully understanding the current status of building energy use. This helps decode the driving forces behind the discrepancy of building energy use between the two countries; identify gaps and deficiencies of current building energy monitoring, data collection, and analysis; and create knowledge and tools to collect and analyze good building energy data to provide valuable and actionable information for key stakeholders.« less

The Climate Change Education Partnership Alliance: Building a Network for Effective Collaboration and Impact (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scowcroft, G.

2013-12-01

The mission of the Climate Change Education Partnership Alliance (The Alliance), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is to advance exemplary climate change education through research and innovative partnerships. Through six unique regional projects, The Alliance is reaching wide and diverse audiences across the U.S., while linking groups and institutions that might not otherwise be connected by a common focus on climate change education. The goals for The Alliance include building collaborations between projects and institutions, sharing effective practices, and leveraging resources to create a community in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. To foster these goals, NSF has funded a central hub, the Alliance Office. Currently, the Alliance Office is building the infrastructure necessary to support activities and communication between the projects. Successful networks need objectives for their interactions and a common vision held by the partners. In the first national meeting of The Alliance members, held in June 2013, the foundation was laid to begin this work. The Alliance now has a common mission and vision to guide the next four years of activities. An initial 'mapping' of the network has identified the scope and diversity of the network, how members are connected, current boundaries of the network, network strengths and weaknesses, and network needs. This information will serve as a baseline as the network develops. The Alliance has also identified the need for key 'working groups' which provide an opportunity for members to work across the projects on common goals. As The Alliance evolves, building blocks identified by the field of network science will be used to forge a strong and successful collaborative enterprise. Infrastructure is being established to support widespread engagement; social ties are being fostered through face-to-face meetings and monthly teleconferences; time is provided to build and share knowledge; the sharing of new and diverse perspectives is encouraged; and resources will be leveraged across and beyond the projects. This presentation will provide an overview of The Alliance activities, lessons learned thus far, and plans for the future.

Building the Capacity of HBCU's for Establishing Effective Globe Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bagayoko, Diola; Ford, Robert L.

2002-01-01

The special GLOBE train-the-trainer (TTT) workshop entitled "Building the Capacity of HBCUs For Establishing Effective GLOBE Partnerships" was help for the purpose of expanding GLOBE training capacity on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and community colleges (CCs). The workshop was held March 17-22, 2002 in Washington, D.C. at Howard University. It was designed to establish research and instructional collaboration between and among U.S. universities (HBCUs and CCs) and African countries. Representatives from 13 HBCUs, and two community colleges were represented among trainees, so were representatives from eight African countries who were financially supported by other sources. A total of 38 trainees increased their knowledge of GLOBE protocols through five days of rigorous classroom instruction, field experiences, cultural events, and computer lab sessions.

Capacity Building for Rare Bleeding Disorders in the Remote Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

PubMed

Lin, Tiffany F; Carhill, Pam; Huang, James N; Baker, Judith R

2016-04-01

The US Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is home to an underserved hemophilia population. We developed a strategy in 2014 to build sustainable island-wide medical, patient and family, and community support for this rare disease. Collaboration with regional bleeding disorder leadership galvanized a weeklong conference series. More than 200 participants attended discipline-specific seminars; pre-post test evaluations documented educational benefits. This time-concentrated island-wide education intervention promoted the rapid identification of new cases and stimulated sustainable bleeding disorder care development. The education series proved feasible, efficient, and effective in increasing knowledge and reducing patient and professional isolation, serving as a model for improving capacity for orphan diseases (those that affect fewer than 200 000 people in any particular country) in underresourced areas.

Potential and Impact Factors of the Knowledge and Information Awareness Approach for Fostering Net-Based Collaborative Problem-Solving: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelmann, Tanja

2014-01-01

For effective communication and collaboration in learning situations, it is important to know what the collaboration partners know. However, the acquisition of this knowledge is difficult, especially in collaborating groups with spatially distributed members. One solution is the "Knowledge and Information Awareness" approach developed by…

The evolution and provision of expert knowledge and its effective utilisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sammonds, Peter

2017-04-01

The specific aims of increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards in China programme are (i) to improve hazard forecasting, risk mitigation and preparedness based upon reliable knowledge of the fundamental processes involved and underpinned by basic science and, (ii) to improve the uptake of and responses to scientific advice, by developing risk-based approaches to natural hazards in collaboration with the communities at risk. One of the programme's principal goals is to integrate natural and social science research to increase the benefits for those affected by natural hazards. To that end a co-productive approach to research is expected, involving a framework for sharing knowledge and values between natural and social scientists and consultation with policy makers, civil society and other stakeholders. This paper explore knowledge relationships and reflective learning across disciplines. There is commonly a disjunction between the evolution and provision of expert knowledge and its effective utilisation. Building on experience as Strategic Advisor to the Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards programme, this paper addresses the research needs to assess how scientific knowledge and risk reduction strategies can be most effectively developed and communicated.

Value of Collaboration With Standardized Patients and Patient Facilitators in Enhancing Reflection During the Process of Building a Simulation.

PubMed

Stanley, Claire; Lindsay, Sally; Parker, Kathryn; Kawamura, Anne; Samad Zubairi, Mohammad

2018-05-09

We previously reported that experienced clinicians find the process of collectively building and participating in simulations provide (1) a unique reflective opportunity; (2) a venue to identify different perspectives through discussion and action in a group; and (3) a safe environment for learning. No studies have assessed the value of collaborating with standardized patients (SPs) and patient facilitators (PFs) in the process. In this work, we describe this collaboration in building a simulation and the key elements that facilitate reflection. Three simulation scenarios surrounding communication were built by teams of clinicians, a PF, and SPs. Six build sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed through an iterative process to (1) describe the steps of building a simulation scenario and (2) identify the key elements involved in the collaboration. The five main steps to build a simulation scenario were (1) storytelling and reflection; (2) defining objectives and brainstorming ideas; (3) building a stem and creating a template; (4) refining the scenario with feedback from SPs; and (5) mock run-throughs with follow-up discussion. During these steps, the PF shared personal insights, challenging participants to reflect deeper to better understand and consider the patient's perspective. The SPs provided unique outside perspective to the group. In addition, the interaction between the SPs and the PF helped refine character roles. A collaborative approach incorporating feedback from PFs and SPs to create a simulation scenario is a valuable method to enhance reflective practice for clinicians.

Managing frame diversity in environmental participatory processes - Example from the Fogera woreda in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Hassenforder, Emeline; Brugnach, Marcela; Cullen, Beth; Ferrand, Nils; Barreteau, Olivier; Daniell, Katherine Anne; Pittock, Jamie

2016-07-15

Many participatory processes fail to generate social change and collaborative outcomes. This failure can partly be explained by how divergent stakeholders' frames are handled. This paper builds on the framing and participation literature to explain how facilitators can manage frame diversity and foster collaborative outcomes. It suggests two pragmatic steps: identifying frames and managing frames. The two steps are applied to a participatory process for natural resource management in Fogera, Ethiopia. Effectiveness of facilitators' strategies to manage frame diversity in the Fogera case is discussed. Two main elements challenging effectiveness are identified: counter-strategies used by facilitators and most-powerful stakeholders, and the constraining factors knowledge, champions and frame sponsorship. We argue that these elements need to be taken into account by participatory process facilitators when managing frame diversity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Canadian-US Demonstration Project Towards an International ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Bellingham Bay will provide the test case for an international nitrogen (N) management system for North America. Spanning a portion of the western interface of the U.S. and Canada, the region supports intensive agriculture, freshwater and estuarine fisheries, diverse wildlife, cities and towns, and to the east, North Cascades National Park that is protected by the US Wilderness Acts. Using abundant data and model activities from a well-established scientific community, our project seeks to create knowledge, build regional capacity, and forge collaborations toward creation of regional N management solutions that protect or restore ecosystems and human health affected by excess reactive N while maintaining a vibrant agricultural community. As an outgrowth of the International Nitrogen Initiative's North American Nitrogen Committee, US and Canadian scientists will collaborate on a demonstration project centered on Bellingham Bay on the US-Canada border. This location presents a good opportunity for this international collaborative effort because of abundant scientific data and numerous connections to engaged scientists and stakeholders. There are other well-studied areas in the US but this presents an opportunity to develop new international collaboration in an area with nitrogen-sensitive terrestrial, groundwater, rivers and coastal systems. There is a tremendous opportunity to collaborate on nitrogen management methods across the U.S. and Canada, as well as with

Making health markets work better for poor people: the case of informal providers.

PubMed

Bloom, Gerald; Standing, Hilary; Lucas, Henry; Bhuiya, Abbas; Oladepo, Oladimeji; Peters, David H

2011-07-01

There has been a dramatic spread of market relationships in many low- and middle-income countries. This spread has been much faster than the development of the institutional arrangements to influence the performance of health service providers. In many countries poor people obtain a large proportion of their outpatient medical care and drugs from informal providers working outside a regulatory framework, with deleterious consequences in terms of the safety and efficacy of treatment and its cost. Interventions that focus only on improving the knowledge of these providers have had limited impact. There is a considerable amount of experience in other sectors with interventions for improving the performance of markets that poor people use. This paper applies lessons from this experience to the issue of informal providers, drawing on the findings of studies in Bangladesh and Nigeria. These studies analyse the markets for informal health care services in terms of the sources of health-related knowledge for the providers, the livelihood strategies of these providers and the institutional arrangements within which they build and maintain their reputation. The paper concludes that there is a need to build a systematic understanding of these markets to support collaboration between key actors in building institutional arrangements that provide incentives for better performance.

Public/private partners. Key factors in creating a strategic alliance for community health.

PubMed

Nelson, J C; Rashid, H; Galvin, V G; Essien, J D; Levine, L M

1999-04-01

The rapidly evolving American health system creates economic and societal incentives for public and private health organizations to collaborate. Despite the apparent benefits of collaboration, there is a paucity of information available to help local agencies develop partnerships. This study, itself a collaboration between a school of public health (SPH) and a Georgia health district, was undertaken to identify critical factors necessary to successfully initiate and sustain a public/private community health collaboration. Professional staff at the SPH conducted 26 standardized interviews involving participants from Cobb and Douglas counties Boards of Health; Promina Northwest (now known as Wellstar), a not-for-profit health system; and community stakeholders. Content analysis of each interview question was performed and comparisons were made both within each group and across groups. Trends were identified in the following key areas: vision of health care for Cobb and Douglas counties, forces driving collaboration, strengths of each organization, critical negotiating issues, and potential community gain resulting from the partnership. A shared vision between potential collaborators facilitates communication regarding strategies to achieve common goals. A previous history of working together in limited capacities allowed the partners to develop trust and respect for one another prior to entering negotiations. These factors, when taken in conjunction with each organization's strong leadership and knowledge of the community, build a strong foundation for a successful partnership.

Is ownership the decisive factor in collaborations between occupational health services and client companies?

PubMed

Schmidt, Lisa; Sjöström, John; Antonsson, Ann-Beth

2017-01-01

Swedish employers are required to use external resources such as Occupational Health Services (OHS providers) if their own knowledge of occupational health and safety is insufficient. Some large employers have their own in-house OHS units but it is more common to engage the services of an external provider. However, no studies have been carried out from a critical perspective regarding how ownership of the OHS provider is related to a successful collaboration with client companies. This study explores the extent to which the six key factors for a successful collaboration are related to ownership and seeks to identify the challenges that the different models of ownership pose. Interviews with 15 client companies and their OHS providers were conducted in order to identify key factors in achieving a successful collaboration with an OHS provider. This study utilizes existing data to identify challenges related to ownership. Two key factors were identified with challenges related to ownership of the OHS provider: The importance of having a long-term perspective when building a relationship; and ensuring that collaboration extends beyond the client's HR Department to the various organisational levels of the company. Whatever form the ownership of an OHS provider may take, each comes with its own specific set of challenges that must be managed in order to achieve a successful collaboration with the client company.

Interprofessional trust in emergency department - as experienced by nurses in charge and doctors on call.

PubMed

Friberg, Klara; Husebø, Sissel Eikeland; Olsen, Øystein Evjen; Saetre Hansen, Britt

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to describe that which characterises interprofessional trust in a Norwegian emergency department, as expressed by nurses in charge and doctors on call. Interprofessional trust requires knowledge of and skills in interprofessional collaboration. It also requires established trust in fellow collaborators, as well as in the work environment and in the more comprehensive system in which the work is conducted. Nurses in charge and doctors on call who collaborate in the context of an emergency department do so under changing conditions in terms of staff composition and work load. The study was designed in a qualitative, inductive and sequential manner. Data were collected from September-November 2013 through four focus group interviews and was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The data revealed two themes that were characteristic of interprofessional trust: 'having relational knowledge' and 'being part of a context'. Together, the themes can be understood as equally important to contextual collaboration. A model of interprofessional trust between an individual level and system level was developed from the results. The study indicates that interprofessional trust is a changeable phenomenon that has great impact on the possibility for development at an individual level and at a more abstract system level. Interprofessional trust can be improved by focusing on trust-building activities between staff at the individual level and between staff and organisation at the system level. Supportive activities such as continuous interprofessional education are suggested as valuable to the development and maintenance of trust. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The influence of empowerment, authentic leadership, and professional practice environments on nurses' perceived interprofessional collaboration.

PubMed

Regan, Sandra; Laschinger, Heather K S; Wong, Carol A

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of structural empowerment, authentic leadership and professional nursing practice environments on experienced nurses' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. Enhanced interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is seen as one means of transforming the health-care system and addressing concerns about shortages of health-care workers. Organizational supports and resources are suggested as key to promoting IPC. A predictive non-experimental design was used to test the effects of structural empowerment, authentic leadership and professional nursing practice environments on perceived interprofessional collaboration. A random sample of experienced registered nurses (n = 220) in Ontario, Canada completed a mailed questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used. Higher perceived structural empowerment, authentic leadership, and professional practice environments explained 45% of the variance in perceived IPC (Adj. R² = 0.452, F = 59.40, P < 0.001). Results suggest that structural empowerment, authentic leadership and a professional nursing practice environment may enhance IPC. Nurse leaders who ensure access to resources such as knowledge of IPC, embody authenticity and build trust among nurses, and support the presence of a professional nursing practice environment can contribute to enhanced IPC. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Role of Semantics in Open-World, Integrative, Collaborative Science Data Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Peter; Chen, Yanning; Wang, Han; West, Patrick; Erickson, John; Ma, Marshall

2014-05-01

As collaborative science spreads into more and more Earth and space science fields, both participants and funders are expressing stronger needs for highly functional data and information capabilities. Characteristics include a) easy to use, b) highly integrated, c) leverage investments, d) accommodate rapid technical change, and e) do not incur undue expense or time to build or maintain - these are not a small set of requirements. Based on our accumulated experience over the last ~ decade and several key technical approaches, we adapt, extend, and integrate several open source applications and frameworks to handle major portions of functionality for these platforms. This includes: an object-type repository, collaboration tools, identity management, all within a portal managing diverse content and applications. In this contribution, we present our methods and results of information models, adaptation, integration and evolution of a networked data science architecture based on several open source technologies (Drupal, VIVO, the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network; CKAN, and the Global Handle System; GHS). In particular we present the Deep Carbon Observatory - a platform for international science collaboration. We present and discuss key functional and non-functional attributes, and discuss the general applicability of the platform.

Collaboration in the design and delivery of a mental health Recovery College course: experiences of students and tutors.

PubMed

Cameron, Josh; Hart, Angie; Brooker, Saff; Neale, Paul; Reardon, Mair

2018-05-15

Recovery Colleges address mental health challenges using an educative approach underpinned by a collaborative recovery orientated philosophy. Research has been limited with no studies identified reporting research on the design and delivery of a specific course. To understand how Recovery College students and tutors experience the design and delivery of a mental health Recovery College course, specifically the "'Building Resilience" course. Thematic analysis of qualitative data related to the experience and process of collaboration in recovery college course design and delivery. Data included 13 qualitative individual interviews with course students and tutors and "naturally occurring" data generated through course preparation and delivery. Findings drew attention to the centrality of: prior experience and design related to students, tutors and the course structure; co-delivery related to tutors and co-learner impacts; and to the course methods and environment. Commitment to collaboration in design and delivery of Recovery College courses can mobilise the diverse experiences and expertise of tutors and students. The environment and methods of learning have a significant impact and should be considered alongside content. Boundaries between people and areas of knowledge and experience that arise can be viewed as sources of creativity that can enrich courses.

Earth Science Education Plan: Inspire the Next Generation of Earth Explorers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The Education Enterprise Strategy, the expanding knowledge of how people learn, and the community-wide interest in revolutionizing Earth and space science education have guided us in developing this plan for Earth science education. This document builds on the success of the first plan for Earth science education published in 1996; it aligns with the new framework set forth in the NASA Education Enterprise Strategy; it recognizes the new educational opportunities resulting from research programs and flight missions; and it builds on the accomplishments th'at the Earth Science Enterprise has made over the last decade in studying Earth as a system. This document embodies comprehensive, practicable plans for inspiring our children; providing educators with the tools they need to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and improving our citizens' scientific literacy. This plan describes an approach to systematically sharing knowledge; developing the most effective mechanisms to achieve tangible, lasting results; and working collaboratively to catalyze action at a scale great enough to ensure impact nationally and internationally. This document will evolve and be periodically reviewed in partnership with the Earth science education community.

Ethical challenges for international collaborative research partnerships in the context of the Zika outbreak in the Dominican Republic: a qualitative case study.

PubMed

Canario Guzmán, Julio Arturo; Espinal, Roberto; Báez, Jeannette; Melgen, Ricardo Elias; Rosario, Patricia Antonia Pérez; Mendoza, Eddys Rafael

2017-09-25

The establishment of international collaborative research partnerships in times of infectious disease outbreaks of international importance has been considered an ethical imperative. Frail health research systems in low- and middle-income countries can be an obstacle to achieve the goal of knowledge generation and the search for health equity before, during and after infectious disease outbreaks. A qualitative case study was conducted to identify the challenges and opportunities facing the Dominican Republic with regards to developing international collaborative research partnerships in the context of the Zika outbreak and its ethical implications. Researchers conducted 34 interviews (n = 30 individual; n = 4 group) with 39 participants (n = 23 males; n = 16 females) representing the government, universities, international donor agencies, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and medical societies, in two metropolitan cities. Five international collaborative research projects related to the Zika virus were identified. Major ethical challenges were linked to the governance of health research, training of human resources, the institutionalisation of scientific activity, access to research funds and cultural aspects. Capacity-building was not necessarily a component of some partnership agreements. With few exceptions, local researchers were merely participating in data collection and less on defining the problem. Opportunities for collaborative work included the possibility of participation in international research consortiums through calls for proposals. The Dominican government and research stakeholders can contribute to the international response to the Zika virus through active participation in international collaborative research partnerships; however, public recognition of the need to embrace health research as part of public policy efforts is warranted. A working group led by the government and formed by national and international research stakeholders will be key to identify ways in which the country could respond to the ethical demand of generating new knowledge in times of outbreaks.

Immersive participation: Smartphone-Apps and Virtual Reality - tools for knowledge transfer, citizen science and interactive collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotterweich, Markus

2017-04-01

In the last few years, the use of smartphone-apps has become a daily routine in our life. However, only a few approaches have been undertaken to use apps for transferring scientific knowledge to the public audience. The development of learning apps or serious games requires large efforts and several levels of simplification which is different to traditional text books or learning webpages. Current approaches often lack a connection to the real life and/or innovative gamification concepts. Another almost untapped potential is the use of Virtual Reality, a fast growing technology which replicates a virtual environment in order to simulate physical experiences in artificial or real worlds. Hence, smartphone-apps and VR provides new opportunities for capacity building, knowledge transfer, citizen science or interactive engagement in the realm of environmental sciences. This presentation will show some examples and discuss the advantages of these immersive approaches to improve the knowledge transfer between scientists and citizens and to stimulate actions in the real world.

Visual documentation process of historic building refurbishment "Improving energy efficiency by insulating wall cavity"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennadji, A.

2013-07-01

The North East of Scotland's construction method is similar to most popular building typologies in the UK. This typology can vary in term of external material (Granite, brick or stone) but with a secondary, usually timber sub frame with a lining on its interior. Insulation was seldom a consideration when such buildings were completed. Statistics shows that 80% of existing buildings in the UK will need to be upgraded. The lack of knowledge in dealing with old building fabric's manipulation has a negative impact on buildings' integrity. The documentation of such process seems to be an important step that buildings' actors should undertake to communicate a practical knowledge that is still at incubation stage. We wanted for this documentation to be visual, as descriptions might mislead none specialised and specialised in the field due to the innovative approach our method was conducted with. For the Scottish context this research/experiment will concentrate on existing granite wall buildings with plastered lath internal wall. It is unfortunate to see the commonly beautiful interiors of Scottish buildings disappearing, when the internal linings are removed. Skips are filled with old Plaster and Lath and new linings have to be supplied and fitted. Excessive waste is created in this change. This paper is based on a historic building energy improvement case study financed by the European commission and the Scottish Government. The pilot study consists of insulating an 18th century house using an innovative product and method. The project was a response to a call by the CIC start (Construction Innovation Club), aiming to establish a link between SMEs and the Universities. The project saw the day in collaboration with Icynene Canada, KDL Kishorn (see full list in the acknowledgment). This paper describes the process through which the team went through to improve the building envelope without damaging the buildings original features (Loveday et all). The energy efficiency improvement consists on improving the walls U-val by introducing an insulation material Icynene (Sadineni, France & Boehm 2011) into the cavity wall. The U-val was improved by 50% and no redecoration was needed after the operation and no disturbance to the building's occupants.

The Study on Collaborative Manufacturing Platform Based on Agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao-yan; Qu, Zheng-geng

To fulfill the trends of knowledge-intensive in collaborative manufacturing development, we have described multi agent architecture supporting knowledge-based platform of collaborative manufacturing development platform. In virtue of wrapper service and communication capacity agents provided, the proposed architecture facilitates organization and collaboration of multi-disciplinary individuals and tools. By effectively supporting the formal representation, capture, retrieval and reuse of manufacturing knowledge, the generalized knowledge repository based on ontology library enable engineers to meaningfully exchange information and pass knowledge across boundaries. Intelligent agent technology increases traditional KBE systems efficiency and interoperability and provides comprehensive design environments for engineers.

A New Framework and Practice Center for Adapting, Translating, and Scaling Evidence-Based Health/Wellness Programs for People With Disabilities.

PubMed

Rimmer, James H; Vanderbom, Kerri A; Graham, Ian D

2016-04-01

Supporting the transition of people with newly acquired and existing disability from rehabilitation into community-based health/wellness programs, services, and venues requires rehabilitation professionals to build evidence by capturing successful strategies at the local level, finding innovative ways to translate successful practices to other communities, and ultimately to upgrade and maintain their applicability and currency for future scale-up. This article describes a knowledge-to-practice framework housed in a national resource and practice center that will support therapists and other rehabilitation professionals in building and maintaining a database of successful health/wellness guidelines, recommendations, and adaptations to promote community health inclusion for people with disabilities. A framework was developed in the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) to systematically build and advance the evidence base of health/wellness programs, practices, and services applicable to people with disabilities. N-KATS (NCHPAD Knowledge Adaptation, Translation, and Scale-up) has 4 sequencing strategies: strategy 1-new evidence- and practice-based knowledge is collected and adapted for the local context (ie, community); strategy 2-customized resources are effectively disseminated to key stakeholders including rehabilitation professionals with appropriate training tools; strategy 3-NCHPAD staff serve as facilitators assisting key stakeholders in implementing recommendations; strategy 4-successful elements of practice (eg, guideline, recommendation, adaptation) are archived and scaled to other rehabilitation providers. The N-KATS framework supports the role of rehabilitation professionals as knowledge brokers, facilitators, and users in a collaborative, dynamic structure that will grow and be sustained over time through the NCHPAD.Video abstract available for additional insights from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A130).

Trainees' Self-Reported Challenges in Knowledge Translation, Research and Practice.

PubMed

Lal, Shalini; Urquhart, Robin; Cornelissen, Evelyn; Newman, Kristine; Van Eerd, Dwayne; Powell, Byron J; Chan, Vivian

2015-12-01

Knowledge translation (KT) refers to the process of moving evidence into healthcare policy and practice. Understanding the experiences and perspectives of individuals who develop careers in KT is important for designing training programs and opportunities to enhance capacity in KT research and practice. To date, however, limited research has explored the challenges that trainees encounter as they develop their careers in KT. The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges that KT trainees face in their KT research or practice. An online survey was conducted with a sample of trainees associated with the Knowledge Translation Trainee Collaborative or the KT Canada Summer Institutes, with written responses thematically analyzed. A total of 35 individual responses were analyzed, resulting in the identification of six interrelated themes, listed in descending order of prevalence: limited availability of KT-specific resources (54%), difficulty inherent in investigating KT (34%), KT not recognized as a distinct field (23%), colleagues' limited knowledge and understanding of KT (20%), competing priorities and limited time (20%), and difficulties in relation to collaboration (14%). KT trainees experience specific challenges in their work: limited understanding of KT in other stakeholder groups; limited structures or infrastructure to support those who do KT; the inherently interdisciplinary and applied nature of KT; and the resultant complexities of scientific inquiry in this field, such as designing and testing multifaceted, multilevel implementation strategies and accounting for contextual factors. KT training and capacity-building efforts are needed to better position health systems to routinely adopt knowledge into healthcare policy and practice. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Collaboration Across Worldviews: Managers and Scientists on Hawai'i Island Utilize Knowledge Coproduction to Facilitate Climate Change Adaptation.

PubMed

Laursen, Scott; Puniwai, Noelani; Genz, Ayesha S; Nash, Sarah A B; Canale, Lisa K; Ziegler-Chong, Sharon

2018-05-30

Complex socio-ecological issues, such as climate change have historically been addressed through technical problem solving methods. Yet today, climate science approaches are increasingly accounting for the roles of diverse social perceptions, experiences, cultural norms, and worldviews. In support of this shift, we developed a research program on Hawai'i Island that utilizes knowledge coproduction to integrate the diverse worldviews of natural and cultural resource managers, policy professionals, and researchers within actionable science products. Through their work, local field managers regularly experience discrete land and waterscapes. Additionally, in highly interconnected rural communities, such as Hawai'i Island, managers often participate in the social norms and values of communities that utilize these ecosystems. Such local manager networks offer powerful frameworks within which to co-develop and implement actionable science. We interviewed a diverse set of local managers with the aim of incorporating their perspectives into the development of a collaborative climate change research agenda that builds upon existing professional networks utilized by managers and scientists while developing new research products. We report our manager needs assessment, the development process of our climate change program, our interactive forums, and our ongoing research products. Our needs assessment showed that the managers' primary source of information were other professional colleagues, and our in-person forums informed us that local managers are very interested in interacting with a wider range of networks to build upon their management capacities. Our initial programmatic progress suggests that co-created research products and in-person forums strengthen the capacities of local managers to adapt to change.

A workshop report on promoting HIV/AIDS understanding through a capacity building train-the-trainer educational intervention

PubMed Central

Diesel, Holly J; Nsagha, Dickson S; Sab, Clement M; Taliaferro, Donna; Rosenburg, Neal S

2011-01-01

Nursing educators are frequently confronted with challenges that bring about innovation and transition to new ways of transferring knowledge in their home environments. These challenges are magnified when approached from an international perspective. Optimal implementation of knowledge transfer incorporates choosing models that promote local initiatives in line with increasingly decentralized educational structures. These decentralized models are a means to foster ongoing participation for both educators and students in their own professional development. Innovative education stems from creativity in approaching the need with formats and activities to meet a specific challenge. This experimental study builds upon previous study by the authors which was conducted in March, 2009, based upon the qualitative open focus forum at each of the five nursing programs. Overwhelmingly, the Cameroonian nursing students expressed a keen desire to study the HIV infected pregnant woman and the feeding options of the newborn. The study team developed the train-the-trainer program which was delivered at the University of Buea in the Southwest region of Cameroon in March, 2011. TTT is particularly effective for reaching large audiences and also permits a degree of sustainability such that the Cameroonian students will be trainers for subsequent cohorts of their peers. This study continues to strengthen the collaborative endeavors between the two nursing schools; the University of Buea (UB) and Goldfarb School of Nursing (GSON) at Barnes Jewish College in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. The final aim of the intervention was the initiation of collaborative relationships between the faculty members of the two educational organizations. PMID:22187599

Federal climate change programs in the water-limited Southwest: intersection of mission, stakeholders and geography to build successful collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, E.; Steele, C. M.; Rango, A.; Reyes, J. J.; Langston, M. A.; Johnson, K.

2016-12-01

As one of the newest federal programs to emerge in response to climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Climate Hubs were established to assist farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in their adaptation and mitigation efforts under a changing climate. The Hubs' mission is to deliver science-based information and tools to agricultural and natural resource land managers, to enable climate-informed decision-making. By facilitating and transferring tools and knowledge, the Hubs also provide value to cooperative extension, land grant institutions, and USDA itself, especially in leveraging existing resource capacity. Various federal agencies (NOAA, USGS, USFWS) have also developed climate change coordination networks: RISAs, CSCs, and LCCs. These regionally-based federal networks can best operate in collaboration with one another. At their programmatic level, however, there are fundamental discrepancies in mission, stakeholder definition and geographic region. In this presentation, we seek to compare and contrast these divergent characteristics by identifying `hot spots' and `hot moments' where definitions, programs, or priorities may intersect due to place-based or event-based issues. The Southwest (SW) region of the United States, which presently operates under warm and dry conditions, is projected to become warmer and drier in the future. On-going drought conditions have presented an opportunity to maintain and build professional networks among these federal climate change coordination networks, as well as within USDA, to better understand impacts and respond to stakeholder needs. Projects in the Rio Grande River Valley and with Tribal nations highlight successful collaboration based on geography and common stakeholders, respectively. Aridity and water scarcity characterize the SW region and provide an overarching theme to better support adaptation and mitigation, as well as create opportunities for collaborative success.

A midas plugin to enable construction of reproducible web-based image processing pipelines

PubMed Central

Grauer, Michael; Reynolds, Patrick; Hoogstoel, Marion; Budin, Francois; Styner, Martin A.; Oguz, Ipek

2013-01-01

Image processing is an important quantitative technique for neuroscience researchers, but difficult for those who lack experience in the field. In this paper we present a web-based platform that allows an expert to create a brain image processing pipeline, enabling execution of that pipeline even by those biomedical researchers with limited image processing knowledge. These tools are implemented as a plugin for Midas, an open-source toolkit for creating web based scientific data storage and processing platforms. Using this plugin, an image processing expert can construct a pipeline, create a web-based User Interface, manage jobs, and visualize intermediate results. Pipelines are executed on a grid computing platform using BatchMake and HTCondor. This represents a new capability for biomedical researchers and offers an innovative platform for scientific collaboration. Current tools work well, but can be inaccessible for those lacking image processing expertise. Using this plugin, researchers in collaboration with image processing experts can create workflows with reasonable default settings and streamlined user interfaces, and data can be processed easily from a lab environment without the need for a powerful desktop computer. This platform allows simplified troubleshooting, centralized maintenance, and easy data sharing with collaborators. These capabilities enable reproducible science by sharing datasets and processing pipelines between collaborators. In this paper, we present a description of this innovative Midas plugin, along with results obtained from building and executing several ITK based image processing workflows for diffusion weighted MRI (DW MRI) of rodent brain images, as well as recommendations for building automated image processing pipelines. Although the particular image processing pipelines developed were focused on rodent brain MRI, the presented plugin can be used to support any executable or script-based pipeline. PMID:24416016

A midas plugin to enable construction of reproducible web-based image processing pipelines.

PubMed

Grauer, Michael; Reynolds, Patrick; Hoogstoel, Marion; Budin, Francois; Styner, Martin A; Oguz, Ipek

2013-01-01

Image processing is an important quantitative technique for neuroscience researchers, but difficult for those who lack experience in the field. In this paper we present a web-based platform that allows an expert to create a brain image processing pipeline, enabling execution of that pipeline even by those biomedical researchers with limited image processing knowledge. These tools are implemented as a plugin for Midas, an open-source toolkit for creating web based scientific data storage and processing platforms. Using this plugin, an image processing expert can construct a pipeline, create a web-based User Interface, manage jobs, and visualize intermediate results. Pipelines are executed on a grid computing platform using BatchMake and HTCondor. This represents a new capability for biomedical researchers and offers an innovative platform for scientific collaboration. Current tools work well, but can be inaccessible for those lacking image processing expertise. Using this plugin, researchers in collaboration with image processing experts can create workflows with reasonable default settings and streamlined user interfaces, and data can be processed easily from a lab environment without the need for a powerful desktop computer. This platform allows simplified troubleshooting, centralized maintenance, and easy data sharing with collaborators. These capabilities enable reproducible science by sharing datasets and processing pipelines between collaborators. In this paper, we present a description of this innovative Midas plugin, along with results obtained from building and executing several ITK based image processing workflows for diffusion weighted MRI (DW MRI) of rodent brain images, as well as recommendations for building automated image processing pipelines. Although the particular image processing pipelines developed were focused on rodent brain MRI, the presented plugin can be used to support any executable or script-based pipeline.

Sustaining an International Partnership: An Evolving Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierson, Melinda R.; Myck-Wayne, Janice; Stang, Kristin K.; Basinska, Anna

2015-01-01

Universities across the United States have an increasing interest in international education. Increasing global awareness through educational collaborations will promote greater cross-cultural understanding and build effective relationships with diverse communities. This paper documents one university's effort to build an effective international…

Building effective working relationships across culturally and ethnically diverse communities.

PubMed

Hosley, Cheryl A; Gensheimer, Linda; Yang, Mai

2003-01-01

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation's Social Adjustment Program for Southeast Asians is implementing two collaborative, best practice, mental health and substance abuse prevention service models in Minnesota. It faced several issues in effectively bridging multiple cultural groups, including building a diverse collaborative team, involving families and youth, reconciling cultural variation in meeting styles, and making best practice models culturally appropriate. Researchers and program staff used multiple strategies to address these challenges and build successful partnerships. Through shared goals, flexibility, and a willingness to explore and address challenges, collaboratives can promote stronger relationships across cultural communities and improve their service delivery systems.

Strategies for Building a Reliable, Diverse Pipeline of Earth Data Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, R.; Robinson, E.

2015-12-01

The grand challenges facing the geosciences are increasingly data-driven and require large-scale collaboration. Today's geoscience community is primarily self-taught or peer-taught as neither data science nor collaborative skills are traditionally part of the geoscience curriculum. This is not a sustainable model. By increasing understanding of the role of data science and collaboration in the geosciences, and Earth and space science informatics, an increased number of students pursuing STEM degrees may choose careers in these fields. Efforts to build a reliable pipeline of future Earth data scientists must incorporate the following: (1) improved communication: covering not only what data science is, but what a data scientist working in the geosciences does and the impact their work has; (2) effective identification and promotion of the skills and knowledge needed, including possible academic and career paths, the availability and types of jobs in the geosciences, and how to develop the necessary skills for these careers; (3) the employment of recruitment and engagement strategies that result in a diverse data science workforce, especially the recruitment and inclusion of underrepresented minority students; and (4) changing organizational cultures to better retain and advance women and other minority groups in data science. In this presentation we'll discuss strategies to increase the number of women and underrepresented minority students pursuing careers in data science, with an emphasis on effective strategies for recruiting and mentoring these groups, as well as challenges faced and lessons learned.

Building a semi-automatic ontology learning and construction system for geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babaie, H. A.; Sunderraman, R.; Zhu, Y.

2013-12-01

We are developing an ontology learning and construction framework that allows continuous, semi-automatic knowledge extraction, verification, validation, and maintenance by potentially a very large group of collaborating domain experts in any geosciences field. The system brings geoscientists from the side-lines to the center stage of ontology building, allowing them to collaboratively construct and enrich new ontologies, and merge, align, and integrate existing ontologies and tools. These constantly evolving ontologies can more effectively address community's interests, purposes, tools, and change. The goal is to minimize the cost and time of building ontologies, and maximize the quality, usability, and adoption of ontologies by the community. Our system will be a domain-independent ontology learning framework that applies natural language processing, allowing users to enter their ontology in a semi-structured form, and a combined Semantic Web and Social Web approach that lets direct participation of geoscientists who have no skill in the design and development of their domain ontologies. A controlled natural language (CNL) interface and an integrated authoring and editing tool automatically convert syntactically correct CNL text into formal OWL constructs. The WebProtege-based system will allow a potentially large group of geoscientists, from multiple domains, to crowd source and participate in the structuring of their knowledge model by sharing their knowledge through critiquing, testing, verifying, adopting, and updating of the concept models (ontologies). We will use cloud storage for all data and knowledge base components of the system, such as users, domain ontologies, discussion forums, and semantic wikis that can be accessed and queried by geoscientists in each domain. We will use NoSQL databases such as MongoDB as a service in the cloud environment. MongoDB uses the lightweight JSON format, which makes it convenient and easy to build Web applications using just HTML5 and Javascript, thereby avoiding cumbersome server side coding present in the traditional approaches. The JSON format used in MongoDB is also suitable for storing and querying RDF data. We will store the domain ontologies and associated linked data in JSON/RDF formats. Our Web interface will be built upon the open source and configurable WebProtege ontology editor. We will develop a simplified mobile version of our user interface which will automatically detect the hosting device and adjust the user interface layout to accommodate different screen sizes. We will also use the Semantic Media Wiki that allows the user to store and query the data within the wiki pages. By using HTML 5, JavaScript, and WebGL, we aim to create an interactive, dynamic, and multi-dimensional user interface that presents various geosciences data sets in a natural and intuitive way.

True Collaboration: Building and Maintaining Successful Teams.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollak, Judy P.; Mills, Rebecca A.

1997-01-01

Describes members' responsibilities within effective middle school interdisciplinary teams. States that principals are responsible for hiring, orientation, teacher empowerment, and staff development, while existing team members help new members by building a new team identity and developing collaborative relationships. Asserts that new teachers…

Capacity Building for Rare Bleeding Disorders in the Remote Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

PubMed Central

Carhill, Pam; Huang, James N.; Baker, Judith R.

2016-01-01

The US Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is home to an underserved hemophilia population. We developed a strategy in 2014 to build sustainable island-wide medical, patient and family, and community support for this rare disease. Collaboration with regional bleeding disorder leadership galvanized a weeklong conference series. More than 200 participants attended discipline-specific seminars; pre–post test evaluations documented educational benefits. This time-concentrated island-wide education intervention promoted the rapid identification of new cases and stimulated sustainable bleeding disorder care development. The education series proved feasible, efficient, and effective in increasing knowledge and reducing patient and professional isolation, serving as a model for improving capacity for orphan diseases (those that affect fewer than 200 000 people in any particular country) in underresourced areas. PMID:26890163

The Undergraduate Training in Genomics (UTRIG) Initiative: early & active training for physicians in the genomic medicine era.

PubMed

Wilcox, Rebecca L; Adem, Patricia V; Afshinnekoo, Ebrahim; Atkinson, James B; Burke, Leah W; Cheung, Hoiwan; Dasgupta, Shoumita; DeLaGarza, Julia; Joseph, Loren; LeGallo, Robin; Lew, Madelyn; Lockwood, Christina M; Meiss, Alice; Norman, Jennifer; Markwood, Priscilla; Rizvi, Hasan; Shane-Carson, Kate P; Sobel, Mark E; Suarez, Eric; Tafe, Laura J; Wang, Jason; Haspel, Richard L

2018-05-01

Genomic medicine is transforming patient care. However, the speed of development has left a knowledge gap between discovery and effective implementation into clinical practice. Since 2010, the Training Residents in Genomics (TRIG) Working Group has found success in building a rigorous genomics curriculum with implementation tools aimed at pathology residents in postgraduate training years 1-4. Based on the TRIG model, the interprofessional Undergraduate Training in Genomics (UTRIG) Working Group was formed. Under the aegis of the Undergraduate Medical Educators Section of the Association of Pathology Chairs and representation from nine additional professional societies, UTRIG's collaborative goal is building medical student genomic literacy through development of a ready-to-use genomics curriculum. Key elements to the UTRIG curriculum are expert consensus-driven objectives, active learning methods, rigorous assessment and integration.

Collaborative Testing: An Effective Invitational Strategy for High-Stakes Testing in Nursing.

PubMed

Green, Rebecca; Worthey, Terri; Kerven, Jenny

2018-05-01

A collaborative testing intervention was designed as an application of the invitational education model in an undergraduate nursing course. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of collaborative testing on examination scores and knowledge retention of course content and to evaluate students' feelings about the collaborative testing process. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of collaborative testing on examination scores and knowledge retention among undergraduate nursing students in a public health course (N = 106). A descriptive survey was used to evaluate students' perceptions of the collaborative testing intervention. Collaborative testing increased examination scores and facilitated knowledge retention. Students' perceptions of the intervention were positive. Invitational strategies, such as collaborative testing, may result in measurably better outcomes, such as better examination scores and improved knowledge retention. Rigor does not need to be a barrier to invitational learning and, in fact, it may be complemented and enhanced by it. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(5):291-295.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Globalization of tertiary nursing education in post-Mao China: a preliminary qualitative assessment.

PubMed

Xu, Z; Xu, Y; Sun, J; Zhang, J

2001-12-01

This article examines China's collaborative initiatives with Western countries to assess the impact of globalization on Chinese nursing education, especially at the post-secondary level, in the post-Mao era. Through the theoretical framework of mutuality, it evaluates the outcomes of globalization in two broad domains: pedagogy and system-institution-program building. In addition, case studies on two collaborative projects between Chinese nursing programs and Western institutions were conducted to further illustrate the principles of mutuality. This qualitative assessment is primarily based on a systematic review of published studies on the multifaceted dimensions of globalization in Chinese post-secondary nursing education in both English and Chinese nursing literature since 1990. It is supplemented by unpublished documents and data obtained from a research trip to China in 2000. The study concludes that globalization has been, and will remain, one of the major forces underpinning Chinese nursing education (and the nursing profession in general), which is moving towards integration into the global nursing community. However, there is a significant imbalance in the knowledge transfer equation both in the national and international context. Great efforts need to be made to synthesize nursing knowledge in the East and West to achieve an integrative nursing science.

Whole grains and health: from theory to practice--highlights of The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit 2012.

PubMed

McKeown, Nicola M; Jacques, Paul F; Seal, Chris J; de Vries, Jan; Jonnalagadda, Satya S; Clemens, Roger; Webb, Densie; Murphy, Lee Anne; van Klinken, Jan-Willem; Topping, David; Murray, Robyn; Degeneffe, Dennis; Marquart, Leonard F

2013-05-01

The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit, held May 19-22, 2012 in Minneapolis, was the first meeting of its kind to convene >300 scientists, educators, food technologists, grain breeders, food manufacturers, marketers, health professionals, and regulators from around the world. Its goals were to identify potential avenues for collaborative efforts and formulate new approaches to whole-grains research and health communications that support global public health and business. This paper summarizes some of the challenges and opportunities that researchers and nutrition educators face in expanding the knowledge base on whole grains and health and in translating and disseminating that knowledge to consumers. The consensus of the summit was that effective, long-term, public-private partnerships are needed to reach across the globe and galvanize the whole-grains community to collaborate effectively in translating whole-grains science into strategies that increase the availability and affordability of more healthful, grain-based food products. A prerequisite of that is the need to build trust among diverse multidisciplinary professionals involved in the growing, producing, marketing, and regulating of whole-grain products and between the grain and public health communities.

Evaluation of Immunization Knowledge, Practices, and Service-delivery in the Private Sector in Cambodia

PubMed Central

Soeung, Sann Chan; Grundy, John; Morn, Cheng; Samnang, Chham

2008-01-01

A study of private-sector immunization services was undertaken to assess scope of practice and quality of care and to identify opportunities for the development of models of collaboration between the public and the private health sector. A questionnaire survey was conducted with health providers at 127 private facilities; clinical practices were directly observed; and a policy forum was held for government representatives, private healthcare providers, and international partners. In terms of prevalence of private-sector provision of immunization services, 93% of the private inpatient clinics surveyed provided immunization services. The private sector demonstrated a lack of quality of care and management in terms of health workers’ knowledge of immunization schedules, waste and vaccine management practices, and exchange of health information with the public sector. Policy and operational guidelines are required for private-sector immunization practices that address critical subject areas, such as setting of standards, capacity-building, public-sector monitoring, and exchange of health information between the public and the private sector. Such public/private collaborations will keep pace with the trends towards the development of private-sector provision of health services in developing countries. PMID:18637533

A filter-mediated communication model for design collaboration in building construction.

PubMed

Lee, Jaewook; Jeong, Yongwook; Oh, Minho; Hong, Seung Wan

2014-01-01

Multidisciplinary collaboration is an important aspect of modern engineering activities, arising from the growing complexity of artifacts whose design and construction require knowledge and skills that exceed the capacities of any one professional. However, current collaboration in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries often fails due to lack of shared understanding between different participants and limitations of their supporting tools. To achieve a high level of shared understanding, this study proposes a filter-mediated communication model. In the proposed model, participants retain their own data in the form most appropriate for their needs with domain-specific filters that transform the neutral representations into semantically rich ones, as needed by the participants. Conversely, the filters can translate semantically rich, domain-specific data into a neutral representation that can be accessed by other domain-specific filters. To validate the feasibility of the proposed model, we computationally implement the filter mechanism and apply it to a hypothetical test case. The result acknowledges that the filter mechanism can let the participants know ahead of time what will be the implications of their proposed actions, as seen from other participants' points of view.

Technology collaboration by means of an open source government

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berardi, Steven M.

2009-05-01

The idea of open source software originally began in the early 1980s, but it never gained widespread support until recently, largely due to the explosive growth of the Internet. Only the Internet has made this kind of concept possible, bringing together millions of software developers from around the world to pool their knowledge. The tremendous success of open source software has prompted many corporations to adopt the culture of open source and thus share information they previously held secret. The government, and specifically the Department of Defense (DoD), could also benefit from adopting an open source culture. In acquiring satellite systems, the DoD often builds walls between program offices, but installing doors between programs can promote collaboration and information sharing. This paper addresses the challenges and consequences of adopting an open source culture to facilitate technology collaboration for DoD space acquisitions. DISCLAIMER: The views presented here are the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the United States Government, United States Air Force, or the Missile Defense Agency.

Laboratory of the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center of Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile.

PubMed

Lucero, Boris; Saracini, Chiara; Muñoz-Quezada, María Teresa; Mendez-Bustos, Pablo; Mora, Marco

2018-06-14

The Laboratory of the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center (CINPSI Neurocog), located in the "Technological Park" building of the Catholic University of Maule (Universidad Católica del Maule, UCM) campus in Talca, Chile, has been established as "Psychology Lab" recently in July, 2016. Our lines of work include basic and applied research. Among the basic research, we study executive functions, decision-making, and spatial cognition. In the applied field, we have studied neuropsychological and neurobehavioral effects of pesticides exposure, among other interests. One of our aims is to develop collaboration both national and internationally. It is important to mention that to date there are only few psychology laboratories and research centers in Chile involved with the fields of neuropsychology and neurosciences. Thus, this scientific effort could be a groundbreaking initiative to develop specific knowledge in this area locally and interculturally through its international collaborations.

Framework for Building Collaborative Research Environment

DOE PAGES

Devarakonda, Ranjeet; Palanisamy, Giriprakash; San Gil, Inigo

2014-10-25

Wide range of expertise and technologies are the key to solving some global problems. Semantic web technology can revolutionize the nature of how scientific knowledge is produced and shared. The semantic web is all about enabling machine-machine readability instead of a routine human-human interaction. Carefully structured data, as in machine readable data is the key to enabling these interactions. Drupal is an example of one such toolset that can render all the functionalities of Semantic Web technology right out of the box. Drupal’s content management system automatically stores the data in a structured format enabling it to be machine. Withinmore » this paper, we will discuss how Drupal promotes collaboration in a research setting such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Long Term Ecological Research Center (LTER) and how it is effectively using the Semantic Web in achieving this.« less

Collaboration Is Key for Successful Treatment of Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Folsom, Lisal J; Hannon, Tamara S

2017-04-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing in U.S. adolescents, particularly those of ethnic and racial minority groups. Risk factors for youth-onset T2D include obesity, family history of T2D, poor diet, lack of exercise, and poverty. The onset of diabetes-related complications is accelerated in adolescents with T2D compared to adults, and knowledge regarding the optimal way to prevent and slow complications is lacking. Existing treatment options are limited, and research into novel pharmacologic treatments is hindered by lack of sufficient patient population for clinical trials. Health care providers and investigators should collaborate both with each other, and with patients and their communities to build networks that will allow comprehensive evaluation of this disease in order to offer optimal, comprehensive care for these adolescents. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Building Yolŋu Skills, Knowledge, and Priorities into Early Childhood Assessment and Support: Protocol for a Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Maypilama, Elaine Lawurrpa; Fasoli, Lyn; Gundjarranbuy, Rosemary; Godwin-Thompson, Jenine; Guyula, Abbey; Yunupiŋu, Megan; Armstrong, Emily; Garrutju, Jane; McEldowney, Rose

2018-01-01

Background Yolngu or Yolŋu are a group of indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Recent government policy addressing disparities in outcomes between Indigenous and other children in Australia has resulted in the rapid introduction of early childhood interventions in remote Aboriginal communities. This is despite minimal research into their appropriateness or effectiveness for these contexts. Objective This research aims to privilege Aboriginal early childhood knowledge, priorities and practices and to strengthen the evidence base for culturally responsive and relevant assessment processes and support that distinguishes “difference” from “deficit” to facilitate optimal child development. Methods This collaborative qualitative research employs video ethnography, participant observation and in-depth interviews, involving Aboriginal families and researchers in design, implementation, interpretation and dissemination using a locally developed, culturally responsive research approach. Longitudinal case studies are being conducted with 6 families over 5 years and emerging findings are being explored with a further 50 families and key community informants. Data from all sources are analyzed inductively using a collaborative and iterative process. The study findings, grounded in an in-depth understanding of the cultural context of the study but with relevance to policy and practice more widely, are informing the development of a Web-based educational resource and targeted knowledge exchange activities. Results This paper focuses only on the research approach used in this project. The findings will be reported in detail in future publications. In response to community concerns about lack of recognition of Aboriginal early childhood strengths, priorities and knowledge, this collaborative community-driven project strengthens the evidence base for developing culturally responsive and relevant early childhood services and assessment processes to support optimal child development. The study findings are guiding the development of a Web-based educational resource for staff working with Aboriginal communities and families in the field of early child development. This website will also function as a community-developed tool for strengthening and maintaining Aboriginal knowledge and practice related to child development and child rearing. It will be widely accessible to community members through a range of platforms (eg, mobile phones and tablets) and will provide a model for other cultural contexts. Conclusions This project will facilitate wider recognition and reflection of cultural knowledge and practice in early childhood programs and policies and will support strengthening and maintenance of cultural knowledge. The culturally responsive and highly collaborative approach to community-based research on which this project is based will also inform future research through sharing knowledge about the research process as well as research findings. PMID:29514777

Asian Pacific Islander dementia care network: a model of care for underserved communities.

PubMed

Kally, Zina; Cherry, Debra L; Howland, Susan; Villarruel, Monica

2014-01-01

This study presents the results of the work of the Asian Pacific Islander Dementia Care Network (APIDCN)--a collaborative model of care created to develop community capacity to deliver dementia capable services, build community awareness about Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and offer direct services to caregivers in the API community in Los Angeles. Through trainings, mentoring, and outreach campaigns, the APIDCN expanded the availability of culturally competent services in the API community. The knowledge that was embedded within partner organizations and in the community at large assures sustainability of the services after the project ended.

Family Planning Policy Environment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Levers of Positive Change and Prospects for Sustainability.

PubMed

Mukaba, Thibaut; Binanga, Arsene; Fohl, Sarah; Bertrand, Jane T

2015-06-17

Building on expressed support from the Prime Minister to the Ministries of Health and Planning, the country's new family planning commitment grew out of: (1) recognition of the impact of family planning on maternal mortality and economic development; (2) knowledge sharing of best practices from other African countries; (3) participatory development of a national strategic plan; (4) strong collaboration between stakeholders; (5) effective advocacy by champions including country and international experts; and (6) increased donor support. The question becomes: Will the favorable policy environment translate into effective local programming?

Doctors, Lawyers and Advance Care Planning: Time for Innovation to Work Together to Meet Client Needs

PubMed Central

Douglas, Maureen; Simon, Jessica; Fassbender, Konrad

2016-01-01

Health organizations in Canada have invested considerable resources in strategies to improve knowledge and uptake of advance care planning (ACP). Yet barriers persist and many Canadians do not engage in the full range of ACP behaviours, including writing an advance directive and appointing a legally authorized decision-maker. Not engaging effectively in ACP disadvantages patients, their loved ones and their healthcare providers. This article advocates for greater collaboration between health and legal professionals to better support clients in ACP and presents a framework for action to build connections between these typically siloed professions. PMID:28032821

Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches: the key to effective groundwater management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthel, Roland; Foster, Stephen; Villholth, Karen G.

2017-11-01

The challenges of a changing world, which are progressively threatening sustainable use of groundwater resources, can only be rationally and effectively addressed through close collaboration between experts and practitioners from different disciplines. Furthermore, science and management need to build on stakeholder opinions and processes in order to generate useful knowledge and positive outcomes in terms of sustainable and equitable groundwater management. This essay provides a discussion of the status of and vision for participatory and inter-disciplinary approaches to groundwater evaluation and management as well as a conceptual framework and relevant research questions that will facilitate such approaches.

A community of practice: librarians in a biomedical research network.

PubMed

De Jager-Loftus, Danielle P; Midyette, J David; Harvey, Barbara

2014-01-01

Providing library and reference services within a biomedical research community presents special challenges for librarians, especially those in historically lower-funded states. These challenges can include understanding needs, defining and communicating the library's role, building relationships, and developing and maintaining general and subject specific knowledge. This article describes a biomedical research network and the work of health sciences librarians at the lead intensive research institution with librarians from primarily undergraduate institutions and tribal colleges. Applying the concept of a community of practice to a collaborative effort suggests how librarians can work together to provide effective reference services to researchers in biomedicine.

The Epidemiology and Management of Lung Diseases in Sickle Cell Disease: Lessons Learned from Acute and Chronic Lung Disease in Cystic Fibrosis.

PubMed

Willen, Shaina M; DeBaun, Michael R

2018-06-01

Although sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis are two of the most common monogenic diseases presenting in childhood worldwide, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease enjoy vastly different funding and collaborative research efforts. Pulmonary complications in cystic fibrosis have well established guidelines and multidisciplinary involvement focusing on comorbidities, routine monitoring, infectious complications, nutrition, and treatment recommendations. These guidelines can provide a framework on which to build knowledge of lung disease in sickle cell disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design of CIAO, a research program to support the development of an integrated approach to prevent overweight and obesity in the Netherlands.

PubMed

van Koperen, Marije Tm; van der Kleij, Rianne Mjj; Renders, Carry Cm; Crone, Matty Mr; Hendriks, Anna-Marie Am; Jansen, Maria M; van de Gaar, Vivian Vm; Raat, Hein Jh; Ruiter, Emilie Elm; Molleman, Gerard Grm; Schuit, Jantine Aj; Seidell, Jacob Jc

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the research aims, concepts and methods of the research Consortium Integrated Approach of Overweight (CIAO). CIAO is a concerted action of five Academic Collaborative Centres, local collaborations between academic institutions, regional public health services, local authorities and other relevant sectors in the Netherlands. Prior research revealed lacunas in knowledge of and skills related to five elements of the integrated approach of overweight prevention in children (based upon the French EPODE approach), namely political support, parental education, implementation, social marketing and evaluation. CIAO aims to gain theoretical and practical insight of these elements through five sub-studies and to develop, based on these data, a framework for monitoring and evaluation. For this research program, mixed methods are used in all the five sub-studies. First, problem specification through literature research and consultation of stakeholders, experts, health promotion specialists, parents and policy makers will be carried out. Based on this information, models, theoretical frameworks and practical instruments will be developed, tested and evaluated in the communities that implement the integrated approach to prevent overweight in children. Knowledge obtained from these studies and insights from experts and stakeholders will be combined to create an evaluation framework to evaluate the integrated approach at central, local and individual levels that will be applicable to daily practice. This innovative research program stimulates sub-studies to collaborate with local stakeholders and to share and integrate their knowledge, methodology and results. Therefore, the output of this program (both knowledge and practical tools) will be matched and form building blocks of a blueprint for a local evidence- and practice-based integrated approach towards prevention of overweight in children. The output will then support various communities to further optimize the implementation and subsequently the effects of this approach.

Salmon and Sagebrush: The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Collaborative Approach to Adaptation Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, A.; Nasser, E.; Stone, D.; Krosby, M.; Whitley-Binder, L.; Morgan, H.; Rupp, D. E.; Dello, K.; Dalton, M. M.; Fox, M.; Rodgers, K.

2017-12-01

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes reside in the Upper Snake River Watershed in southeast Idaho. Their lives and culture are intertwined with the lands where they live; lands which continue to sustain the Tribes cultural, spiritual, dietary and economic needs. Climate change presents a new threat to the region requiring innovative approaches to prepare for changes as well as to protect the natural resources within the region. As a critical first step in building climate resilience, the Tribes worked with Adaptation International, the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group (CIG) and the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI) to complete a collaborative climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning process. This presentation provides an overview of collaborative process, shares the results of the project, and includes a 3-minute video presentation. The project started with the identification of 34 plant and animal species to focus the vulnerability assessment. OCCRI analyzed detailed downscaled climate projections for two key climate scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and timescales (2050s and 2080s). CIG then used NatureServe's Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to develop initial relative vulnerability results for these species. A core team of Tribal staff members from various departments refined these results, drawing upon and integrating rich local and traditional knowledges of the natural environmental and cultural resources. The adaptation planning phase of the project continued in a similar collaborative manner with the project team identifying promising adaptation actions and working directly with Tribal staff to refine and customize these strategies. Tailoring the actions to the local context provides a framework for action that the Tribes can continue to build on in the future. By engaging in these efforts to identify vulnerable species and adaptation strategies and actions to minimize the negative effects of climate change, the Tribes have demonstrated their continued commitment to protecting their vital natural resources. The Tribes will continue to implement projects across landscapes in the near term and utilize the information co-produced as part of this project to develop long-term strategies and projects to build resilience.

Collaboration Nation: The Building of the Welsh Repository Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowles, Jacqueline

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to disseminate information about the Welsh Repository Network (WRN), innovative work being undertaken to build an integrated network of institutional digital repositories. A collaborative approach, in particular through the provision of centralised technical and organisational support, has demonstrated…

Integrating Scientific Content with Context to Connect Educators with the Complexities and Consequences of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, R.; Gosselin, D. C.; Oglesby, R. J.; Larson-Miller, C.; Thomas, J.; Mawalagedara, R.

2011-12-01

Over the past three years the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network has designed professional development opportunities for K-12 and extension educators that integrates scientific content into the context of helping educators connect society with the complexities and consequences of climate change. Our professional development approach uses learner-, knowledge-, assessment-, and community-centered strategies to achieve our long-term goal: collaboration of scientists, educators and learners to foster civic literacy about climate change. Two NASA-funded projects, Global Climate Change Literacy for Educators (GCCE, 2009-2012), and the Educators Climatologists Learning Community (ECLC, 2011-2013), have provided the mechanism to provide teachers with scientifically sound and pedagogically relevant educational materials to improve climate and Earth systems literacy among educators. The primary product of the GCCE program is a 16-week, online, distance-delivered, asynchronous course entitled, Laboratory Earth: Human Dimensions of Climate Change. This course consists of four, four-week modules that integrate climate literacy, Earth Systems concepts, and pedagogy focused on active learning processes, building community, action research, and students' sense of place to promote action at the local level to address the challenges of climate change. Overall, the Community of Inquiry Survey (COI) indicated the course was effective in teaching content, developing a community of learners, and engaging students in experiences designed to develop content knowledge. A pre- and post- course Wilcoxan Signed Ranks Test indicated there was a statistically significant increase in participant's beliefs about their personal science teaching efficacy. Qualitative data from concept maps and content mastery assignments support a positive impact on teachers' content knowledge and classroom practice. Service Learning units seemed tohelp teachers connect course learning to their classroom teaching. In addition, qualitative data indicate that teachers' students found service learning to be highly motivational components to learning. The ECLC project, to be initiated in the fall 2011, will build on our GCCE experiences to create a sustainable virtual learning community of educators and scientists. Climate-change issues will serve as a context in which collaborative scientist-educator-teams will develop discrete, locally oriented research projects to facilitate development of confident, knowledgeable citizen-scientists within their classrooms.

Collaborative Knowledge Creation in the Higher Education Academic Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Young S.; Schottenfeld, Matthew A.

2014-01-01

Collaboration has become a core competency of the 21st century workforce. Thus, the need of collaboration is reshaping the academic library in higher education to produce competent future workforce. To encourage collaboration in the academic library, knowledge commons that integrate technology to infrastructure and system furniture are introduced.…

Eagle Racing: Addressing Corporate Collaboration Challenges through an Online Simulation Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angehrn, Albert A.; Maxwell, Katrina

2009-01-01

Effective collaboration is necessary for corporation-wide learning, knowledge exchange, and innovation. However, it is difficult to create a corporate culture that encourages collaboration; the complexity of such collaboration is increased substantially by the diverse and distributed nature of knowledge sources and decision makers in the global…

Collaborative Web-Enabled GeoAnalytics Applied to OECD Regional Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jern, Mikael

Recent advances in web-enabled graphics technologies have the potential to make a dramatic impact on developing collaborative geovisual analytics (GeoAnalytics). In this paper, tools are introduced that help establish progress initiatives at international and sub-national levels aimed at measuring and collaborating, through statistical indicators, economic, social and environmental developments and to engage both statisticians and the public in such activities. Given this global dimension of such a task, the “dream” of building a repository of progress indicators, where experts and public users can use GeoAnalytics collaborative tools to compare situations for two or more countries, regions or local communities, could be accomplished. While the benefits of GeoAnalytics tools are many, it remains a challenge to adapt these dynamic visual tools to the Internet. For example, dynamic web-enabled animation that enables statisticians to explore temporal, spatial and multivariate demographics data from multiple perspectives, discover interesting relationships, share their incremental discoveries with colleagues and finally communicate selected relevant knowledge to the public. These discoveries often emerge through the diverse backgrounds and experiences of expert domains and are precious in a creative analytics reasoning process. In this context, we introduce a demonstrator “OECD eXplorer”, a customized tool for interactively analyzing, and collaborating gained insights and discoveries based on a novel story mechanism that capture, re-use and share task-related explorative events.

Mother ship and physical agents collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Stuart H.; Budulas, Peter P.; Emmerman, Philip J.

1999-07-01

This paper discusses ongoing research at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory that investigates the feasibility of developing a collaboration architecture between small physical agents and a mother ship. This incudes the distribution of planning, perception, mobility, processing and communications requirements between the mother ship and the agents. Small physical agents of the future will be virtually everywhere on the battlefield of the 21st century. A mother ship that is coupled to a team of small collaborating physical agents (conducting tasks such as Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA); logistics; sentry; and communications relay) will be used to build a completely effective and mission capable intelligent system. The mother ship must have long-range mobility to deploy the small, highly maneuverable agents that will operate in urban environments and more localized areas, and act as a logistics base for the smaller agents. The mother ship also establishes a robust communications network between the agents and is the primary information disseminating and receiving point to the external world. Because of its global knowledge and processing power, the mother ship does the high-level control and planning for the collaborative physical agents. This high level control and interaction between the mother ship and its agents (including inter agent collaboration) will be software agent architecture based. The mother ship incorporates multi-resolution battlefield visualization and analysis technology, which aids in mission planning and sensor fusion.

(Mis)perceptions of continuing education: insights from knowledge translation, quality improvement, and patient safety leaders.

PubMed

Kitto, Simon C; Bell, Mary; Goldman, Joanne; Peller, Jennifer; Silver, Ivan; Sargeant, Joan; Reeves, Scott

2013-01-01

Minimal attention has been given to the intersection and potential collaboration among the domains of continuing education (CE), knowledge translation (KT), quality improvement (QI), and patient safety (PS), despite their overlapping objectives. A study was undertaken to examine leaders' perspectives of these 4 domains and their relationships to each other. In this article, we report on a subset of the data that focuses on how leaders in KT, PS, and QI define and view the domain of CE and opportunities for collaboration. This study is based on a qualitative interpretivist framework to guide the collection and analysis of data in semistructured interviews. Criterion-based, maximum variation, and snowball sampling were used to identify key opinion leaders in each domain. The sample consisted of 15 individuals from the domains KT, QI, and PS. The transcripts were coded using a directed content analysis approach. The findings are organized into 3 thematic subsections: (1) definition and interpretation of CE, (2) concerns about relevance and effectiveness of CE, and (3) opportunities for collaboration among CE and the other domains. While there were slight differences among the data from the leaders of each domain, common themes were generally reported. The findings provide CE leaders with information about KT, QI, and PS leaders' (mis)perceptions about CE that can inform future strategic planning and activities. CE leaders can play an important role in building upon initial collaborations among the domains to enable their strengths to complement each other. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Family caregivers' views on coordination of care in Huntington's disease: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Røthing, Merete; Malterud, Kirsti; Frich, Jan C

2015-12-01

Collaboration between family caregivers and health professionals in specialised hospitals or community-based primary healthcare systems can be challenging. During the course of severe chronic disease, several health professionals might be involved at a given time, and the patient's illness may be unpredictable or not well understood by some of those involved in the treatment and care. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and expectations of family caregivers for persons with Huntington's disease concerning collaboration with healthcare professionals. To shed light on collaboration from the perspectives of family caregivers, we conducted an explorative, qualitative interview study with 15 adult participants experienced from caring for family members in all stages of Huntington's disease. Data were analysed with systematic text condensation, a cross-case method for thematic analysis of qualitative data. We found that family caregivers approached health services hoping to understand the illness course and to share their concerns and stories with skilled and trustworthy professionals. Family caregivers felt their involvement in consultations and access to ongoing exchanges of knowledge were important factors in improved health services. They also felt that the clarity of roles and responsibilities was crucial to collaboration. Family caregivers should be acknowledged for their competences and should be involved as contributors in partnerships with healthcare professionals. Our study suggests that building respectful partnerships with family caregivers and facilitating the mutual sharing of knowledge may improve the coordination of care. It is important to establish clarity of roles adjusted to caregivers' individual resources for managing responsibilities in the care process. © 2015 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.

Flexible learning: Evaluation of an international distance education programme designed to build the learning and teaching capacity of nurse academics in a developing country.

PubMed

Lewis, Peter A; Tutticci, Naomi F; Douglas, Clint; Gray, Genevieve; Osborne, Yvonne; Evans, Katie; Nielson, Catherine M

2016-11-01

The professional development of nurse academics has been high on the agenda in many of the Asia-Pacific's developing countries including Vietnam. In collaboration with the Vietnamese Nurses Association, an Australian university designed and delivered a distance learning programme (DLP). The DLP sought to build academic capacity with a specific focus on the skills required to develop, implement and deliver a new national nursing curriculum. This paper will describe the design and delivery of the DLP as well as report on programme evaluation survey findings. Of the 175 surveys administered 112 were returned yielding a response rate of 64%. The majority of Vietnamese nurse academics identified all DLP modules as 'very well' designed and easy to learn from (range 63.9%-84.2%). Predominantly, academics also found the module content to be 'of great use' to their professional practice (range 73%-89.5%). Asked specifically about the benefit of the DLP online discussions, 106 (95.5%) participants stated they found the online discussions to be of use. An explanatory comment was also requested to explore this question and responses yielded three themes: 'networking and collaboration'; 'acquiring new knowledge'; and 'improving English'. When asked if they had changed their academic practice as a result of DLP participation, 105 (94.6%) academics stated they had - change was focussed on student centred learning and building a staff community of practice. While these study results indicate the DLP to be successful, it will be how Vietnamese academics utilise and build these skills which will measure the real success of the programme in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaborating to Improve Instruction: It's about Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmerman, Judith A.; Grier, Harriett L.

2005-01-01

The success of implementing school change is determined in large part by the effectiveness of building leadership and time utilization. This paper describes the changing role of an urban principal as her building moved from a traditional junior high structure to a more collaborative small-school structure involving interdisciplinary grade-level…

Co-"Lab"oration: A New Paradigm for Building a Management Information Systems Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breimer, Eric; Cotler, Jami; Yoder, Robert

2010-01-01

We propose a new paradigm for building a Management Information Systems course that focuses on laboratory activities developed collaboratively using Computer-Mediated Communication and Collaboration tools. A highlight of our paradigm is the "practice what you preach" concept where the computer communication tools and collaboration…

Building the Foundations for a Large-Scale, Cross-Sector Collaboration for a Sustainable and Permanent Return to the Lunar Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapoglou, A.

2017-10-01

This presentation will describe how to build the foundations needed for a large scale, cross-industry collaboration to enable a sustainable and permanent return to the Moon based on system leadership, cross-sector partnership, and inclusive business.

A knowledge translation project on community-centred approaches in public health.

PubMed

Stansfield, J; South, J

2018-03-01

This article examines the development and impact of a national knowledge translation project aimed at improving access to evidence and learning on community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing. Structural changes in the English health system meant that knowledge on community engagement was becoming lost and a fragmented evidence base was seen to impact negatively on policy and practice. A partnership started between Public Health England, NHS England and Leeds Beckett University in 2014 to address these issues. Following a literature review and stakeholder consultation, evidence was published in a national guide to community-centred approaches. This was followed by a programme of work to translate the evidence into national strategy and local practice.The article outlines the key features of the knowledge translation framework developed. Results include positive impacts on local practice and national policy, for example adoption within National Institute for Health and Care Evidence (NICE) guidance and Local Authority public health plans and utilization as a tool for local audit of practice and commissioning. The framework was successful in its non-linear approach to knowledge translation across a range of inter-connected activity, built on national leadership, knowledge brokerage, coalition building and a strong collaboration between research institute and government agency.

Innovation by coercion: Emerging institutionalization of university-industry collaborations in Russia.

PubMed

Bychkova, Olga

2016-08-01

This article explores the emerging institutionalization of collaborative university-industry networks in Russia. The Russian government has attempted to use a top-down public policy scheme to stimulate and promote network-building in the R&D sector. In order to understand the initial organizational responses that universities and companies select while structuring collaborations, the article utilizes conceptual perspectives from institutional theory, especially drawing on arguments from strategic choice, network-building, and network failure studies.

A thematic analysis of the role of the organisation in building allied health research capacity: a senior managers' perspective.

PubMed

Golenko, Xanthe; Pager, Susan; Holden, Libby

2012-08-27

Evidence-based practice aims to achieve better health outcomes in the community. It relies on high quality research to inform policy and practice; however research in primary health care continues to lag behind that of other medical professions. The literature suggests that research capacity building (RCB) functions across four levels; individual, team, organisation and external environment. Many RCB interventions are aimed at an individual or team level, yet evidence indicates that many barriers to RCB occur at an organisational or external environment level. This study asks senior managers from a large healthcare organisation to identify the barriers and enablers to RCB. The paper then describes strategies for building allied health (AH) research capacity at an organisational level from a senior managers' perspective. This qualitative study is part of a larger collaborative RCB project. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine allied health senior managers. Recorded interviews were transcribed and NVivo was used to analyse findings and emergent themes were defined. The dominant themes indicate that the organisation plays an integral role in building AH research capacity and is the critical link in creating synergy across the four levels of RCB. The organisation can achieve this by incorporating research into its core business with a whole of organisation approach including its mission, vision and strategic planning. Critical success factors include: developing a co-ordinated and multidisciplinary approach to attain critical mass of research-active AH and enhance learning and development; support from senior managers demonstrated through structures, processes and systems designed to facilitate research; forming partnerships to increase collaboration and sharing of resources and knowledge; and establishing in internal framework to promote recognition for research and career path opportunities. This study identifies four key themes: whole of organisation approach; structures, processes and systems; partnerships and collaboration; and dedicated research centres, units and positions. These themes form the foundation of a model which can be applied to assist in achieving synergy across the four levels of RCB, overcome barriers and create an environment that supports and facilitates research development in AH.

Collaborating to Compete: Achieving Effective Knowledge Sharing in Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laycock, Martyn

2005-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present a practitioner overview of the challenges and growing strategic importance of knowledge and knowledge sharing in organizations, considering roles of learning, and in particular networks, together with collaboration in the development of sustainable competitive edge through knowledge, knowledge management and the…

Measuring and Visualizing Group Knowledge Elaboration in Online Collaborative Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Yafeng; Xu, Chang; Li, Yanyan; Su, You

2018-01-01

Knowledge elaboration plays a critical role in promoting knowledge acquisition and facilitating the retention of target knowledge in online collaborative discussions. Adopting a key-term-based automated analysis approach, we proposed an indicator framework to measure the level of knowledge elaboration in terms of coverage, activation, and…

Students' Knowledge Sources and Knowledge Sharing in the Design Studio--An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiu, Sheng-Hsiao

2010-01-01

Architectural design is a knowledge-intensive activity; however, students frequently lack sufficient knowledge when they practice design. Collaborative learning can supplement the students' insufficient expertise. Successful collaborative learning relies on knowledge sharing between students. This implies that the peers are a considerable design…

The Impact of Virtual Collaboration and Collaboration Technologies on Knowledge Transfer and Team Performance in Distributed Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngoma, Ngoma Sylvestre

2013-01-01

Virtual teams are increasingly viewed as a powerful determinant of competitive advantage in geographically distributed organizations. This study was designed to provide insights into the interdependencies between virtual collaboration, collaboration technologies, knowledge transfer, and virtual team performance in an effort to understand whether…

National Culture in Practice: Its Impact on Knowledge Sharing in Global Virtual Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Kangning

2009-01-01

Issues concerning global virtual collaboration have received considerable attention in both the academic and practical world; however, little research has been conducted on knowledge-sharing activities in global virtual collaboration, which is a key process to achieve collaboration effectiveness. Due to national culture having been seen as one of…

Collaborative filtering to improve navigation of large radiology knowledge resources.

PubMed

Kahn, Charles E

2005-06-01

Collaborative filtering is a knowledge-discovery technique that can help guide readers to items of potential interest based on the experience of prior users. This study sought to determine the impact of collaborative filtering on navigation of a large, Web-based radiology knowledge resource. Collaborative filtering was applied to a collection of 1,168 radiology hypertext documents available via the Internet. An item-based collaborative filtering algorithm identified each document's six most closely related documents based on 248,304 page views in an 18-day period. Documents were amended to include links to their related documents, and use was analyzed over the next 5 days. The mean number of documents viewed per visit increased from 1.57 to 1.74 (P < 0.0001). Collaborative filtering can increase a radiology information resource's utilization and can improve its usefulness and ease of navigation. The technique holds promise for improving navigation of large Internet-based radiology knowledge resources.

The role of Indigenous knowledge in environmental health risk management in Yukon, Canada

PubMed Central

Friendship, Katelyn A.; Furgal, Chris M.

2012-01-01

Objectives This project aimed to gain better understandings of northern Indigenous risk perception related to food safety and to identify the role that Indigenous knowledge (IK) plays in risk management processes to support more effective and culturally relevant benefit-risk (B-R) management strategies. Study design The project used an exploratory qualitative case study design to investigate the role and place of IK in the management of environmental contaminants exposure via consumption of traditional foods in Yukon First Nations (YFNs). Methods Forty-one semi-directive interviews with Traditional Food Knowledge Holders and Health and Environment Decision-makers were conducted. A review and analysis of organizational documents related to past risk management events for the issue was conducted. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze transcripts and documents for key themes related to the research question. Results There was a recognized need by all participants for better collaboration between scientists and YFN communities. YFNs have been involved in identifying and defining community concerns about past risk issues, setting a local context, and participating in communications strategies. Interviewees stressed the need to commit adequate time for building relationships, physically being in the community, and facilitating open communication. Conducting community-based projects was identified as critical for collaboration and for cooperative learning and management of these issues. Conclusions The perception of “effective” benefit-risk management is significantly influenced by the efforts made to include local communities in the process. A set of common guiding principles within a process that brings together people and knowledge systems may provide a more effective way forward in cross-cultural, multiple knowledge system contexts for complex benefit-risk issues than a prescriptive rigid framework. PMID:22868192

A Community-Academic Partnered Grant Writing Series to Build Infrastructure for Partnered Research.

PubMed

King, Keyonna M; Pardo, Yvette-Janine; Norris, Keith C; Diaz-Romero, Maria; Morris, D'Ann; Vassar, Stefanie D; Brown, Arleen F

2015-10-01

Grant writing is an essential skill necessary to secure financial support for community programs and research projects. Increasingly, funding opportunities for translational biomedical research require studies to engage community partners, patients, or other stakeholders in the research process to address their concerns. However, there is little evidence on strategies to prepare teams of academic and community partners to collaborate on grants. This paper presents the description and formative evaluation of a two-part community-academic partnered grant writing series designed to help community organizations and academic institutions build infrastructure for collaborative research projects using a partnered approach. The first phase of the series was a half-day workshop on grant readiness, which was open to all interested community partners. The second phase, open only to community-academic teams that met eligibility criteria, was a 12-week session that covered partnered grant writing for foundation grants and National Institutes of Health grants. Participants in both phases reported an increase in knowledge and self-efficacy for writing partnered proposals. At 1-year follow-up, participants in Phase 2 had secured approximately $1.87 million in funding. This community-academic partnered grant writing series helped participants obtain proposal development skills and helped community-academic teams successfully compete for funding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Collaboration in Arctic Research: Best Practices to Build and Sustain Successful Cross- and Trans-disciplinary Efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiggins, H. V.; Rich, R. H.

2015-12-01

The rapid physical and social changes currently underway in the Arctic - and changes in the way in which we study and manage the region -- require coordinated research efforts to improve our understanding of the Arctic's physical, biological, and social systems and the implications of change at many scales. At the same time, policy-makers and Arctic communities need decision-support tools and synthesized information to respond and adapt to the "new Arctic". There are enormous challenges, however, in collaboration among the disparate groups of people needed for such efforts. A carefully planned strategic approach is required to bridge the scientific disciplinary and organizational boundaries, foster cooperation between local communities and science programs, and effectively communicate between scientists and policy-makers. Efforts must draw on bodies of knowledge from project management, strategic planning, organizational development, and group dynamics. This poster presentation will discuss best practices of building and sustaining networks of people to catalyze successful cross-disciplinary activities. Specific examples and case studies - both successes and failures -- will be presented that draw on several projects at the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS; www.arcus.org), a nonprofit membership organization composed of universities and institutions that have a substantial commitment to research in the Arctic.

A Community–Academic Partnered Grant Writing Series to Build Infrastructure for Partnered Research

PubMed Central

Pardo, Yvette‐Janine; Norris, Keith C.; Diaz‐Romero, Maria; Morris, D'Ann; Vassar, Stefanie D.; Brown, Arleen F.

2015-01-01

Abstract Grant writing is an essential skill necessary to secure financial support for community programs and research projects. Increasingly, funding opportunities for translational biomedical research require studies to engage community partners, patients, or other stakeholders in the research process to address their concerns. However, there is little evidence on strategies to prepare teams of academic and community partners to collaborate on grants. This paper presents the description and formative evaluation of a two‐part community–academic partnered grant writing series designed to help community organizations and academic institutions build infrastructure for collaborative research projects using a partnered approach. The first phase of the series was a half‐day workshop on grant readiness, which was open to all interested community partners. The second phase, open only to community–academic teams that met eligibility criteria, was a 12‐week session that covered partnered grant writing for foundation grants and National Institutes of Health grants. Participants in both phases reported an increase in knowledge and self‐efficacy for writing partnered proposals. At 1‐year follow‐up, participants in Phase 2 had secured approximately $1.87 million in funding. This community–academic partnered grant writing series helped participants obtain proposal development skills and helped community–academic teams successfully compete for funding. PMID:26365589

An information technology infrastructure to enable evidence-based nursing practice.

PubMed

Pochciol, Joan M; Warren, Joan I

2009-01-01

The movement toward evidence-based practice (EBP) poses new organizational challenges to provide the necessary infrastructure to promote effective nursing interventions based on the best available evidence. The purpose of this article is to describe a collaborative effort between nursing and library services to provide readily accessible information at the bedside to support nurses using the best available evidence. In collaboration with nursing, the Health Services Librarian created an information resource titled "Research-based Nursing Practice: Finding the Evidence," which enables nursing staff to access the resources at the bedside without having to perform lengthy searches. Every known resource that will educate nurses in defining EBP to providing them with the links to Web sites, published articles, and all the information resources is included in the tool. Much has been written about building the organizational infrastructure to promote EBP and finding the filtered, synthesized research evidence, but to our knowledge, little has been published on building the information technology infrastructure, which will give nurses real-time access at the point-of-care to the research evidence. The research-based nursing practice system is helping bridge the gap between evidence-based resources and practice by compiling the literature in one place and making it easily and readily accessible.

The state of human dimensions capacity for natural resource management: needs, knowledge, and resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie R.; Leong, Kirsten M.; Milley, Brad J.; Clarke, Melinda M.; Teel, Tara L.; Chase, Mark A.; Dietsch, Alia M.

2013-01-01

The social sciences have become increasingly important in understanding natural resource management contexts and audiences, and are essential in design and delivery of effective and durable management strategies. Yet many agencies and organizations do not have the necessary resource management. We draw on the textbook definition of HD: how and why people value natural resources, what benefits people seek and derive from those resources, and how people affect and are affected by those resources and their management (Decker, Brown, and Seimer 2001). Clearly articulating how HD information can be used and integrated into natural resource management planning and decision-making is an important challenge faced by the HD field. To address this challenge, we formed a collaborative team to explore the issue of HD capacity-building for natural resource organizations and to advance the HD field. We define HD capacity as activities, efforts, and resources that enhance the ability of HD researchers and practitioners and natural managers and decision-makers to understand and address the social aspects of conservation.Specifically, we sought to examine current barriers to integration of HD into natural resource management, knowledge needed to improve HD capacity, and existing HD tools, resources, and training opportunities. We conducted a needs assessment of HD experts and practitioners, developed a framework for considering HD activities that can contribute both directly and indirectly throughout any phase of an adaptive management cycle, and held a workshop to review preliminary findings and gather additional input through breakout group discussions. This paper provides highlights from our collaborative initiative to help frame and inform future HD capacity-building efforts and natural resource organizations and also provides a list of existing human dimensions tools and resources.

Strengthening the capacity for health promotion in South Africa through international collaboration.

PubMed

Van den Broucke, Stephan; Jooste, Heila; Tlali, Maki; Moodley, Vimla; Van Zyl, Greer; Nyamwaya, David; Tang, Kwok-Cho

2010-06-01

This paper describes a project to strengthen the capacity for health promotion in two Provinces in South Africa. The project draws on the key health promotion capacity dimensions of partnership and networking, infrastructure, problem-solving capacity, and knowledge transfer. The project was carried out in a partnership between the Provinces, the Ministry of Health of South Africa, the government of Flanders, Belgium, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project aimed to: (i) integrate health promotion into national, Provincial and district level health policy plans (ii) strengthen the health promotion capacity in the two Provinces; and (iii) support the development of tools to monitor and evaluate health promotion interventions. Starting from a situation analysis and identification of priority health issues and existing actions in each Province, capacity-building workshops were organized for senior participants from various sectors. Community-based health promotion interventions were then planned and implemented in both Provinces. A systematic evaluation of the project involving an internal audit of project activities and results based on document analysis, site visits, focus groups and interviews with key persons demonstrated that stakeholders in both Provinces saw an increase of capacity in terms of networking, knowledge transfer, problem solving, and to a lesser extent infrastructure. Health promotion had been well integrated in the Provincial health plans, and roll-out processes with local stakeholders had started after the conclusion of the project. The development of tools for monitoring and evaluation of health promotion was less well achieved. The project illustrates how capacities to deliver health promotion interventions in a developing country can be enhanced through international collaboration. The conceptual model of capacity building that served as a basis for the project provided a useful framework to plan, identify and assess the key components of health promotion capacity in an African context.

Designing the RiverCare knowledge base and web-collaborative platform to exchange knowledge in river management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortes Arevalo, Juliette; den Haan, Robert-Jan; van der Voort, Mascha; Hulscher, Suzanne

2016-04-01

Effective communication strategies are necessary between different scientific disciplines, practitioners and non-experts for a shared understanding and better implementation of river management measures. In that context, the RiverCare program aims to get a better understanding of riverine measures that are being implemented towards self-sustaining multifunctional rivers in the Netherlands. During the RiverCare program, user committees are organized between the researchers and practitioners to discuss the aim and value of RiverCare outputs, related assumptions and uncertainties behind scientific results. Beyond the RiverCare program end, knowledge about river interventions, integrated effects, management and self-sustaining applications will be available to experts and non-experts by means of River Care communication tools: A web-collaborative platform and a serious gaming environment. As part of the communication project of RiverCare, we are designing the RiverCare web-collaborative platform and the knowledge-base behind that platform. We aim at promoting collaborative efforts and knowledge exchange in river management. However, knowledge exchange does not magically happen. Consultation and discussion of RiverCare outputs as well as elicitation of perspectives and preferences from different actors about the effects of riverine measures has to be facilitated. During the RiverCare research activities, the platform will support the user committees or collaborative sessions that are regularly held with the organizations directly benefiting from our research, at project level or in study areas. The design process of the collaborative platform follows an user centred approach to identify user requirements, co-create a conceptual design and iterative develop and evaluate prototypes of the platform. The envisioned web-collaborative platform opens with an explanation and visualisation of the RiverCare outputs that are available in the knowledge base. Collaborative sessions are initiated by one facilitator that invites other users to contribute by agreeing on an objective for the session and ways and period of collaboration. Upon login, users can join the different sessions that they are invited or will be willing to participate. Within these sessions, users collaboratively engage on the topic at hand, acquiring knowledge about the ongoing results of RiverCare, sharing knowledge between actors and co-constructing new knowledge in the process as input for RiverCare research activities. An overview of each session will be presented to registered and non-registered users to document collaboration efforts and promote interaction with actors outside RiverCare. At the user requirements analysis stage of the collaborative platform, a questionnaire and workshop session was launched to uncover the end user's preferences and expectations about the tool to be designed. Results comprised insights about design criteria of the collaborative platform. The user requirements will be followed by interview sessions with RiverCare researchers and user committee members to identify considerations for data management, objectives of collaboration, expected outputs and indicators to evaluate the collaborative platform. On one side, considerations of intended users are important for co-designing tools that effectively communicate and promote a shared understanding of scientific outputs. On the other one, active involvement of end-users is important for the establishment of measurable indicators to evaluate the tool and the collaborative process.

Securing Resources in Collaborative Environments: A Peer-to-peerApproach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berket, Karlo; Essiari, Abdelilah; Thompson, Mary R.

2005-09-19

We have developed a security model that facilitates control of resources by autonomous peers who act on behalf of collaborating users. This model allows a gradual build-up of trust. It enables secure interactions among users that do not necessarily know each other and allows them to build trust over the course of their collaboration. This paper describes various aspects of our security model and describes an architecture that implements this model to provide security in pure peer-to-peer environments.

Students' Conceptions of and Approaches to Knowledge Building and Its Relationship to Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Pei-Shan; Chai, Ching Sing; Hong, Huang-Yao; Koh, Joyce Hwee Ling

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among students' conceptions of knowledge building, approaches to knowledge building, knowledge-building behaviors and learning outcomes. A total of 48 primary school students (from grades 3 and 4) who had experienced knowledge-building activities participated in the present study. After…

Tools of the Trade: Effective Strategies To Support the Collaboration of Educators in Rural Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salyer, B. Keith; Thyfault, Alberta; Curran, Christina

This paper discusses strategies with the potential to enhance student learning, teacher collaboration, building management, and joy within the rural school setting. With the goal of fostering education that makes sense to students, three general categories of strategies are considered: curriculum, classroom management, and building management.…

Continuing Change in Newark: To Protect Reform, Chris Cerf Builds Collaborative Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Richard Lee

2016-01-01

This article reports on the efforts of Christopher Cerf, the state-appointed superintendent of Newark Public Schools (New Jersey), to protect reform and build collaborative relationships. His tenure followed the controversial leadership of the former superintendent that had enacted a series of unpopular initiatives, including a new citywide…

A Model for Strengthening Collaborative Research Capacity: Illustrations from the Atlanta Clinical Translational Science Institute

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Kirsten C.; Akintobi, Tabia; Thompson, Winifred Wilkins; Evans, Donoria; Escoffery, Cam; Kegler, Michelle C.

2014-01-01

Introduction: Community-engaged research is effective in addressing health disparities but may present challenges for both academic institutions and community partners. Therefore, the need to build capacity for conducting collaborative research exists. The purpose of this study is to present a model for building research capacity in…

Collaborative Leadership for State Systems Building: New Mexico's Early Childhood Action Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermilya, Lois

2009-01-01

The Early Childhood Action Network (ECAN) provides an example of successful state systems building in New Mexico. The far-reaching scope of ECAN's coalition and accomplishments identifies promising collaborative leadership practices that have relevance for early childhood leaders in other states. The author describes the accomplishments of ECAN's…

Learner Perceptions of Biophilia and the Learning Environment: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matteson, Donna

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to address a local university's need to promote learner-centered instruction and collaboration through classroom design. Learner-centered collaborative experiences were proposed by the local university to enhance student satisfaction and build social connections and appreciation of diversity. This study builds on…

A qualitative enquiry into OpenStreetMap making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Wei

2011-04-01

Based on a case study on the OpenStreetMap community, this paper provides a contextual and embodied understanding of the user-led, user-participatory and user-generated produsage phenomenon. It employs Grounded Theory, Social Worlds Theory, and qualitative methods to illuminate and explores the produsage processes of OpenStreetMap making, and how knowledge artefacts such as maps can be collectively and collaboratively produced by a community of people, who are situated in different places around the world but engaged with the same repertoire of mapping practices. The empirical data illustrate that OpenStreetMap itself acts as a boundary object that enables actors from different social worlds to co-produce the Map through interacting with each other and negotiating the meanings of mapping, the mapping data and the Map itself. The discourses also show that unlike traditional maps that black-box cartographic knowledge and offer a single dominant perspective of cities or places, OpenStreetMap is an embodied epistemic object that embraces different world views. The paper also explores how contributors build their identities as an OpenStreetMaper alongside some other identities they have. Understanding the identity-building process helps to understand mapping as an embodied activity with emotional, cognitive and social repertoires.

Investigating the Impact of Using a CAD Simulation Tool on Students' Learning of Design Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taleyarkhan, Manaz; Dasgupta, Chandan; Garcia, John Mendoza; Magana, Alejandra J.

2018-02-01

Engineering design thinking is hard to teach and still harder to learn by novices primarily due to the undetermined nature of engineering problems that often results in multiple solutions. In this paper, we investigate the effect of teaching engineering design thinking to freshmen students by using a computer-aided Design (CAD) simulation software. We present a framework for characterizing different levels of engineering design thinking displayed by students who interacted with the CAD simulation software in the context of a collaborative assignment. This framework describes the presence of four levels of engineering design thinking—beginning designer, adept beginning designer, informed designer, adept informed designer. We present the characteristics associated with each of these four levels as they pertain to four engineering design strategies that students pursued in this study—understanding the design challenge, building knowledge, weighing options and making tradeoffs, and reflecting on the process. Students demonstrated significant improvements in two strategies—understanding the design challenge and building knowledge. We discuss the affordances of the CAD simulation tool along with the learning environment that potentially helped students move towards Adept informed designers while pursuing these design strategies.

Building a virtual network in a community health research training program.

PubMed

Lau, F; Hayward, R

2000-01-01

To describe the experiences, lessons, and implications of building a virtual network as part of a two-year community health research training program in a Canadian province. An action research field study in which 25 health professionals from 17 health regions participated in a seven-week training course on health policy, management, economics, research methods, data analysis, and computer technology. The participants then returned to their regions to apply the knowledge in different community health research projects. Ongoing faculty consultations and support were provided as needed. Each participant was given a notebook computer with the necessary software, Internet access, and technical support for two years, to access information resources, engage in group problem solving, share ideas and knowledge, and collaborate on projects. Data collected over two years consisted of program documents, records of interviews with participants and staff, meeting notes, computer usage statistics, automated online surveys, computer conference postings, program Web site, and course feedback. The analysis consisted of detailed review and comparison of the data from different sources. NUD*IST was then used to validate earlier study findings. The ten key lessons are that role clarity, technology vision, implementation staging, protected time, just-in-time training, ongoing facilitation, work integration, participatory design, relationship building, and the demonstration of results are essential ingredients for building a successful network. This study provides a descriptive model of the processes involved in developing, in the community health setting, virtual networks that can be used as the basis for future research and as a practical guide for managers.

Collaboration and co-production of climate knowledge: lessons from a network on the front-line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kettle, N.

2016-12-01

The science-practice gap is broadly considered a major barrier to the production and application of decision-relevant science. This study uses a social network analysis, based on 126 interviews, to analyze the roles and network ties among climate scientists, service providers, and decision makers in Alaska. Our research highlights the importance of key actors and significant differences in bonding and bridging ties across roles - structural characteristics that provide a basis for informing recommendations to build adaptive capacity and support the co-production of knowledge. Our findings also illustrate that some individuals in the network engage in multiple roles, suggesting that conceptualizing the science-practice interface as consisting of "producers" and "consumers" oversimplifies how individuals engage in climate science, services, and decision making. This research supports the notion that the development and use of climate information is a networked phenomenon. It also emphasizes the importance of centralized individuals who are capable of engaging in multiple roles for the transition of knowledge action.

How Could Nurse Researchers Apply Theory to Generate Knowledge More Efficiently?

PubMed

Lor, Maichou; Backonja, Uba; Lauver, Diane R

2017-09-01

Reports of nursing research often do not provide adequate information about whether, and how, researchers applied theory when conducting their studies. Unfortunately, the lack of adequate application and explication of theory in research impedes development of knowledge to guide nursing practice. To clarify and exemplify how to apply theory in research. First we describe how researchers can apply theory in phases of research. Then we share examples of how three research teams applied one theory to these phases of research in three different studies of preventive behaviors. Nurse researchers can review and refine ways in which they apply theory in guiding research and writing publications. Scholars can appreciate how one theory can guide researchers in building knowledge about a given condition such as preventive behaviors. Clinicians and researchers can collaborate to apply and examine the usefulness of theory. If nurses had improved understanding of theory-guided research, they could better assess, select, and apply theory-guided interventions in their practices. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Enabling Security, Stability, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations through Knowledge Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-18

strategy. Overall, the cultural barriers to knowledge sharing center on knowledge creation and capture. The primary barrier to knowledge sharing is lack ... Lacking a shared identity decreases the likelihood of knowledge sharing, which is essential to effective collaboration.84 Related to collaboration...to adapt, develop, and change based on experience-derived knowledge.90 A second cultural barrier to knowledge acquisition is the lack receptiveness

eClims: An Extensible and Dynamic Integration Framework for Biomedical Information Systems.

PubMed

Savonnet, Marinette; Leclercq, Eric; Naubourg, Pierre

2016-11-01

Biomedical information systems (BIS) require consideration of three types of variability: data variability induced by new high throughput technologies, schema or model variability induced by large scale studies or new fields of research, and knowledge variability resulting from new discoveries. Beyond data heterogeneity, managing variabilities in the context of BIS requires extensible and dynamic integration process. In this paper, we focus on data and schema variabilities and we propose an integration framework based on ontologies, master data, and semantic annotations. The framework addresses issues related to: 1) collaborative work through a dynamic integration process; 2) variability among studies using an annotation mechanism; and 3) quality control over data and semantic annotations. Our approach relies on two levels of knowledge: BIS-related knowledge is modeled using an application ontology coupled with UML models that allow controlling data completeness and consistency, and domain knowledge is described by a domain ontology, which ensures data coherence. A system build with the eClims framework has been implemented and evaluated in the context of a proteomic platform.

A knowledge authoring tool for clinical decision support.

PubMed

Dunsmuir, Dustin; Daniels, Jeremy; Brouse, Christopher; Ford, Simon; Ansermino, J Mark

2008-06-01

Anesthesiologists in the operating room are unable to constantly monitor all data generated by physiological monitors. They are further distracted by clinical and educational tasks. An expert system would ideally provide assistance to the anesthesiologist in this data-rich environment. Clinical monitoring expert systems have not been widely adopted, as traditional methods of knowledge encoding require both expert medical and programming skills, making knowledge acquisition difficult. A software application was developed for use as a knowledge authoring tool for physiological monitoring. This application enables clinicians to create knowledge rules without the need of a knowledge engineer or programmer. These rules are designed to provide clinical diagnosis, explanations and treatment advice for optimal patient care to the clinician in real time. By intelligently combining data from physiological monitors and demographical data sources the expert system can use these rules to assist in monitoring the patient. The knowledge authoring process is simplified by limiting connective relationships between rules. The application is designed to allow open collaboration between communities of clinicians to build a library of rules for clinical use. This design provides clinicians with a system for parameter surveillance and expert advice with a transparent pathway of reasoning. A usability evaluation demonstrated that anesthesiologists can rapidly develop useful rules for use in a predefined clinical scenario.

Building shared understandings in introductory physics tutorials through risk, repair, conflict & comedy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conlin, Luke D.

Collaborative inquiry learning environments, such as The Tutorials in Physics Sensemaking, are designed to provide students with opportunities to partake in the authentic disciplinary practices of argumentation and sensemaking. Through these practices, groups of students in tutorial can build shared conceptual understandings of the mechanisms behind physical phenomena. In order to do so, they must also build a shared epistemological understanding of what they are doing together, such that their activity includes collaboratively making sense of mechanisms. Previous work (Conlin, Gupta, Scherr, & Hammer, 2007; Scherr & Hammer, 2009) has demonstrated that tutorial students do not settle upon only one way of understanding their activity together, but instead build multiple shared ways of understanding, or framing (Scherr & Hammer, 2009; Tannen, 1993a), their activity. I build upon this work by substantiating a preliminary finding that one of these shared ways of framing corresponds with increased evidence of the students' collaboratively making sense of physical mechanisms. What previous research has not yet addressed is how the students come to understand their activity as including collaborative sensemaking discussions in the first place, and how that understanding develops over the course of the semester. In this dissertation, I address both of these questions through an in-depth video analysis of three groups' discussions throughout the semester. To build shared understandings through scientific argumentation and collaborative sensemaking, the students need to continually make repairs of each other's understanding, but this comes with the risk of affective damage that can shut down further sensemaking discussions. By analyzing the discourse of the three groups' discussions throughout the semester, I show how each group is able to manage this essential tension as they each build and maintain a safe space to sensemake together. I find that the three groups differ in how soon, how frequently, and how deeply they engage in collaborative scientific sensemaking. This variability can be explained, in part, through differences in how the groups use hedging, irony, and other discourse moves that epistemically distance the speakers from their claims. This work highlights the connection between students' epistemology and affect in face-to-face interaction.

Collaborative Knowledge and Intellectual Property: An Action Learning Conundrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Tish; Pedler, Mike

2018-01-01

If everyone is contributing, if action learning involves collective learning, then new knowledge is created through a collaborative process. This is not expert knowledge and no 'one truth' is produced, this is a collective knowledge arising from a common purpose and a shared quest. Such knowledge continues to evolve without the intention to fix or…

A "Knowledge Trading Game" for Collaborative Design Learning in an Architectural Design Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wan-Ling; Shih, Shen-Guan; Chien, Sheng-Fen

2010-01-01

Knowledge-sharing and resource exchange are the key to the success of collaborative design learning. In an architectural design studio, design knowledge entails learning efforts that need to accumulate and recombine dispersed and complementary pieces of knowledge. In this research, firstly, "Knowledge Trading Game" is proposed to be a way for…

Choosing the Company We Keep: Collaboration in American Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, John E.; And Others

1995-01-01

Provides a picture of community college partnerships and collaborative activities by viewing the contemporary context of collaboration and alliance-building. Summarizes information from 14 presidents of community colleges recognized for their partnership activities with respect to the dimensions of collaboration, definitions of community,…

Understanding Nomadic Collaborative Learning Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryberg, Thomas; Davidsen, Jacob; Hodgson, Vivien

2018-01-01

The paper builds on the work of Rossitto "et al." on collaborative nomadic work to develop three categories of practice of nomadic collaborative learning groups. Our study is based on interviews, workshops and observations of two undergraduate student's group practices engaged in self-organised, long-term collaborations within the frame…

Creating Entrepreneurial Networks: Academic Entrepreneurship, Mobility and Collaboration during PhD Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bienkowska, Dzamila; Klofsten, Magnus

2012-01-01

Network-building activities of PhD students are an important area of study in furthering our understanding of academic entrepreneurship. This paper focuses on PhD students' participation in network-building activities defined as mobility and collaboration, as well as own interest in and perceived grade of support for commercialisation from various…

Building Collaborative Structures for Teachers' Autonomy and Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Participative Management and Learning Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Jiafang; Jiang, Xinhui; Yu, Huen; Li, Dongyu

2015-01-01

This study focused on the collaborative structure-building behavior of school principals and examined how such behavior affects teacher empowerment. More important, it tested the mediating effects of participative management and learning culture. By collecting nested data from 104 schools in Hong Kong and adopting multilevel structural equation…

Building social capital in forest communities: Analysis of New Mexico's Collaborative Forest Restoration Program

Treesearch

Tyler Prante; Jennifer A. Thacher; Daniel W. McCollum; Robert P. Berrens

2007-01-01

In part because of its emphasis on building social capital, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) in New Mexico represents a unique experiment in public lands management. This study uses logit probability modeling to investigate what factors determined CFRP funding, which totaled $26 million between 2001 and 2006. Results reveal program preferences for...

The work and challenges of care managers in the implementation of collaborative care: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Overbeck, G; Kousgaard, M B; Davidsen, A S

2018-04-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: In collaborative care models between psychiatry and general practice, mental health nurses are used as care managers who carry out the treatment of patients with anxiety or depression in general practice and establish a collaborating relationship with the general practitioner. Although the care manager is the key person in the collaborative care model, there is little knowledge about this role and the challenges involved in it. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Our study shows that before the CMs could start treating patients in a routine collaborative relationship with GPs, they needed to carry out an extensive amount of implementation work. This included solving practical problems of location and logistics, engaging GPs in the intervention, and tailoring collaboration to meet the GP's particular preferences. Implementing the role requires high commitment and an enterprising approach on the part of the care managers. The very experienced mental health nurses of this study had these skills. However, the same expertise cannot be presumed in a disseminated model. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: When introducing new collaborative care interventions, the care manager role should be well defined and be well prepared, especially as regards the arrival of the care manager in general practice, and supported during implementation by a coordinated leadership established in collaboration between hospital psychiatry and representatives from general practice. Introduction In collaborative care models for anxiety and depression, the care manager (CM), often a mental health nurse, has a key role. However, the work and challenges related to this role remain poorly investigated. Aim To explore CMs' experiences of their work and the challenges they face when implementing their role in a collaborative care intervention in the Capital Region of Denmark. Methods Interviews with eight CMs, a group interview with five CMs and a recording of one supervision session were analysed by thematic analysis. Results The CM carried out considerable implementation work. This included finding suitable locations; initiating and sustaining communication with the GPs and maintaining their engagement in the model; adapting to the patient population in general practice; dealing with personal security issues, and developing supportive peer relations and meaningful supervision. Discussion We compare our findings to previous studies of collaborative care and advanced nursing roles in general practice. The importance of organizational leadership to support the CM's bridge-building role is emphasized. Implications for practice The planners of new collaborative care interventions should not only focus on the CM's clinical tasks but also on ensuring the sufficient organizational conditions for carrying out the role. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Collaborative Instructional Strategies to Enhance Knowledge Convergence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Darryl C.

2015-01-01

To promote knowledge convergence through collaborative learning activities in groups, this qualitative case study involved a layered approach for the design and delivery of a highly collaborative learning environment incorporating various instructional technologies grounded in learning theory. In a graduate-level instructional technology course,…

Facilitating Learning in Multidisciplinary Groups with Transactive CSCL Scripts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noroozi, Omid; Teasley, Stephanie D.; Biemans, Harm J. A.; Weinberger, Armin; Mulder, Martin

2013-01-01

Knowledge sharing and transfer are essential for learning in groups, especially when group members have different disciplinary expertise and collaborate online. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environments have been designed to facilitate transactive knowledge sharing and transfer in collaborative problem-solving settings. This…

Evaluation of a Clinical Cancer Trial Research Training Workshop: Helping Nurses Build Capacity in Southwest Virginia.

PubMed

Burnett, Camille; Bullock, Linda; Collins, Cathleen A; Hauser, Lindsay

2016-11-01

Residents of Southwest Virginia (SWVA) face significant barriers in accessing the most advanced forms of cancer care, cancer risk reduction, and clinical trials involvement. A collaboration between the University of Virginia (UVA) Cancer Center and UVA School of Nursing was forged with oncology caregivers in this region to build community capacity to support Cancer Clinical trials (CCT) by strengthening the workforce, and thus improving health outcomes for this underserved region of Appalachia. The UVA School of Nursing designed an educational workshop focusing on the basics of CCT to facilitate the development of a skilled nursing workforce in the SWVA region that could provide care to patients on protocol and/or to encourage residents to participate in trials. The goal of the workshop was to offer a CCT training session for oncology nurses that fostered the knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate and support CCT infrastructure across this high-risk region. This evaluation reports the learning outcomes of the CCT training on 32 nurse participants from SWVA. Evaluations of the training program showed high rates of satisfaction, increased comfort level with CCTs, and increased knowledge and attitude toward CCTs. These findings provide information about a curriculum that could be useful in educating other oncology nurses and student nurses how to care for patients who may be enrolled in a clinical trial. Nurses can also be advocates for participation in clinical trials once they have the knowledge and are comfortable in their own understanding of a trial's usefulness. Educating the nursing workforce is an essential component of building capacity and infrastructure to support clinical trials research. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Passing the Bubble: Cognitive Efficiency of Augmented Video for Collaborative Transfer of Situational Understanding

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

media factors affecting: • Shared Understanding – explicit and operational knowledge • Decision-Making – what information format best helps decision...Passing the Bubble: Cognitive Efficiency of Augmented Video for Collaborative Transfer of Situational Understanding Collaboration and Knowledge ...operational knowledge ? • Informed Decision-Making – what information format is best to pass the bubble to a decision-maker 1/14/2003 ONR David Kirsh

Knowledge translation and interprofessional collaboration: Where the rubber of evidence-based care hits the road of teamwork.

PubMed

Zwarenstein, Merrick; Reeves, Scott

2006-01-01

Knowledge-translation interventions and interprofessional education and collaboration interventions all aim at improving health care processes and outcomes. Knowledge-translation interventions attempt to increase evidence-based practice by a single professional group and thus may fail to take into account barriers from difficulties in interprofessional relations. Interprofessional education and collaboration interventions aim to improve interprofessional relations, which may in turn facilitate the work of knowledge translation and thus evidence-based practice. We summarize systematic review work on the effects of interventions for interprofessional education and collaboration. The current evidence base contains mainly descriptive studies of these interventions. Knowledge is limited regarding the impact on care and outcomes and the extent to which the interventions increase the practice of evidence-based care. Rigorous multimethod research studies are needed to develop and strengthen the current evidence base in this field. We describe a Health Canada-funded randomized trial in which quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered in 20 general internal medicine units located at 5 Toronto, Ontario, teaching hospitals. The project examines the impact of interprofessional education and collaboration interventions on interprofessional relationships, health care processes (including evidence-based practice), and patient outcomes. Routes are suggested by which interprofessional education and collaboration interventions might affect knowledge translation and evidence-based practice.

Knowledge Innovation System: The Common Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Debra M. Amidon

1993-01-01

The Knowledge Innovation System is a management technique in which a networked enterprise uses knowledge flow as a collaborative advantage. Enterprise Management System-Architecture, which can be applied to collaborative activities, has five domains: economic, sociological, psychological, managerial, and technological. (SK)

Big data, miniregistries: a rapid-turnaround solution to get quality improvement data into the hands of medical specialists.

PubMed

Herrinton, Lisa J; Liu, Liyan; Altschuler, Andrea; Dell, Richard; Rabrenovich, Violeta; Compton-Phillips, Amy L

2015-01-01

The cost to build and to maintain traditional registries for many dire, complex, low-frequency conditions is prohibitive. The authors used accessible technology to develop a platform that would generate miniregistries (small, routinely updated datasets) for surveillance, to identify patients who were missing elected utilization and to influence clinicians to change practices to improve care. The platform, tested in 5 medical specialty departments, enabled the specialists to rapidly and effectively communicate clinical questions, knowledge of disease, clinical workflows, and improve opportunities. Each miniregistry required 1 to 2 hours of collaboration by a specialist. Turnaround was 1 to 14 days.

Advanced human-machine interface for collaborative building control

DOEpatents

Zheng, Xianjun S.; Song, Zhen; Chen, Yanzi; Zhang, Shaopeng; Lu, Yan

2015-08-11

A system for collaborative energy management and control in a building, including an energy management controller, one or more occupant HMIs that supports two-way communication between building occupants and a facility manager, and between building occupants and the energy management controller, and a facility manager HMI that supports two-way communication between the facility manager and the building occupants, and between the facility manager and the energy management controller, in which the occupant HMI allows building occupants to provide temperature preferences to the facility manager and the energy management controller, and the facility manager HMI allows the facility manager to configure an energy policy for the building as a set of rules and to view occupants' aggregated temperature preferences, and the energy management controller determines an optimum temperature range that resolves conflicting occupant temperature preferences and occupant temperature preferences that conflict with the facility manager's energy policy for the building.

Consumer-driven health care: building partnerships in research.

PubMed

Shea, Beverley; Santesso, Nancy; Qualman, Ann; Heiberg, Turid; Leong, Amye; Judd, Maria; Robinson, Vivian; Wells, George; Tugwell, Peter

2005-12-01

Over the past four decades, there has been a widespread movement to increase the involvement of patients and the public in health care. Strategies to effectively foster consumer participation are occurring within all research activities from research priority setting to utilization. One of the ten principles of the Cochrane Collaboration is to 'enable wide participation', and this includes consumers. The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group (CMSG) is a review group of 50 within the Collaboration that has been working to increase consumer participation since its inception in 1993. Based in Canada, the CMSG has embraced the concept of knowledge translation as advocated by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The emphasis in knowledge translation is on interactions or partnerships between researchers and users to facilitate the use of relevant research in decision making. While the CMSG recognizes the importance of reaching all users, much of its work has focused on developing relationships with people with musculoskeletal diseases to enhance consumer participation in research. The CMSG has built a network of consumer members who guide research priorities, peer review systematic reviews and also promote and facilitate consumer-appropriate knowledge dissemination. Consumers were recruited through links with other arthritis organizations and the recruitment continues. Specific roles were established for the consumer team and responsibilities of the CMSG staff developed. The continuing development of a diversified team of consumer participants enables the CMSG to produce and promote access to high quality relevant systematic reviews and summaries of those reviews to the consumer.

Serving California's Science and Governance Needs through Crisis-driven Collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernacchi, L.

2015-12-01

Due to its magnitude, the ongoing drought in California (USA) serves as an experimental space for innovative resource management and will define responses to predicted widespread drought. Due to the magnitude of its effect on humans and natural ecosystems and the water resources on which they depend, governmental programs are granting support to scientifically-valid, locally-produced solutions to water scarcity. Concurrently, University of California Water (UC Water) Security and Sustainability Research Initiative is focused on strategic research to build the knowledge base for better water resources management. This paper examines how a team of transdisciplinary scientists are engaged in water governance and information, providing examples of actionable research successfully implemented by decision makers. From a sociology of science perspective, UC Water scientists were interviewed about their engagement practices with California water decision makers. Their "co-production of knowledge" relationships produce effective responses to climatic, landcover and population changes by expanding from singularly information-based, unidirectional communication to governance-relevant, co-constructed knowledge and wisdom. This is accomplished by serving on decision making organizational boards and developing information in a productive format. The perceived crisis of California's drought is an important impetus in cross-sector collaborations, and in combination with governance and institution parameters, defines the inquiry and decision space. We conclude by describing a process of clear problem-solution definition made possible through transparent communication, salient and credible information, and relevant tools and techniques for interpreting scientific findings.

Consumer‐driven health care: Building partnerships in research

PubMed Central

Shea, Beverley; Santesso, Nancy; Qualman, Ann; Heiberg, Turid; Leong, Amye; Judd, Maria; Robinson, Vivian; Wells, George; Tugwell, Peter

2005-01-01

Abstract Over the past four decades, there has been a widespread movement to increase the involvement of patients and the public in health care. Strategies to effectively foster consumer participation are occurring within all research activities from research priority setting to utilization. One of the ten principles of the Cochrane Collaboration is to ‘enable wide participation’, and this includes consumers. The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group (CMSG) is a review group of 50 within the Collaboration that has been working to increase consumer participation since its inception in 1993. Based in Canada, the CMSG has embraced the concept of knowledge translation as advocated by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The emphasis in knowledge translation is on interactions or partnerships between researchers and users to facilitate the use of relevant research in decision making. While the CMSG recognizes the importance of reaching all users, much of its work has focused on developing relationships with people with musculoskeletal diseases to enhance consumer participation in research. The CMSG has built a network of consumer members who guide research priorities, peer review systematic reviews and also promote and facilitate consumer‐appropriate knowledge dissemination. Consumers were recruited through links with other arthritis organizations and the recruitment continues. Specific roles were established for the consumer team and responsibilities of the CMSG staff developed. The continuing development of a diversified team of consumer participants enables the CMSG to produce and promote access to high quality relevant systematic reviews and summaries of those reviews to the consumer. PMID:16266423

The Thai-Australian Health Alliance: developing health management capacity and sustainability for primary health care services.

PubMed

Briggs, D S; Tejativaddhana, P; Cruickshank, M; Fraser, J; Campbell, S

2010-11-01

There have been recent calls for a renewed worldwide focus on primary health care. The Thai-Australian Health Alliance addresses this call by developing health care management capability in primary health care professionals in rural Thailand. This paper describes the history and current activities of the Thai-Australian Health Alliance and its approaches to developing health care management capacity for primary care services through international collaborations in research, education and training over a sustained time period. The Alliance's approach is described herein as a distributed network of practices with access to shared knowledge through collaboration. Its research and education approaches involve action research, multi-methods projects, and evaluative studies in the context of workshops and field studies. WHO principles underpin this approach, with countries sharing practical experiences and outcomes, encouraging leadership and management resource networks, creating clearing houses/knowledge centres, and harmonising and aligning partners with their country's health systems. Various evaluations of the Alliance's activities have demonstrated that a capacity building approach that aligns researchers, educators and health practitioners in comparative and reflective activities can be effective in transferring knowledge and skills among a collaboration's partners. Project participants, including primary health care practitioners, health policy makers and academics embraced the need to acquire management skills to sustain primary care units. Participants believe that the approaches described herein were crucial to developing the management skills needed of health care professionals for rural and remote primary health care. The implementation of this initiative was challenged by pre-existing low opinions of the importance of the management role in health care, but with time the Alliance's activities highlighted for all the importance of health care management. Acceptance of its activities and goals are evidenced by the establishment of a Centre of Leadership Expertise in Health Management and the endorsement of the Phitsanulok Declaration by more than 470 primary health care practitioners, academics and policy makers. Problems with the primary health care delivery system in rural Thailand continue, but the Alliance has successfully implemented a cross cultural strategic collaboration through a continuity of activities to augment practice management capacities in primary care practices.

Joint Antarctic School Expedition - An International Collaboration for High School Students and Teachers on Antarctic Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botella, J.; Warburton, J.; Bartholow, S.; Reed, L. F.

2014-12-01

The Joint Antarctic School Expedition (JASE) is an international collaboration program between high school students and teachers from the United States and Chile aimed at providing the skills required for establishing the scientific international collaborations that our globalized world demands, and to develop a new approach for science education. The National Antarctic Programs of Chile and the United States worked together on a pilot program that brought high school students and teachers from both countries to Punta Arenas, Chile, in February 2014. The goals of this project included strengthening the partnership between the two countries, and building relationships between future generations of scientists, while developing the students' awareness of global scientific issues and expanding their knowledge and interest in Antarctica and polar science. A big component of the project involved the sharing by students of the acquired knowledge and experiences with the general public. JASE is based on the successful Chilean Antarctic Science Fair developed by Chile´s Antarctic Research Institute. For 10 years, small groups of Chilean students, each mentored by a teacher, perform experimental or bibliographical Antarctic research. Winning teams are awarded an expedition to the Chilean research station on King George Island. In 2014, the Chileans invited US participation in this program in order to strengthen science ties for upcoming generations. On King George Island, students have hands-on experiences conducting experiments and learning about field research. While the total number of students directly involved in the program is relatively small, the sharing of the experience by students with the general public is a novel approach to science education. Research experiences for students, like JASE, are important as they influence new direction for students in science learning, science interest, and help increase science knowledge. We will share experiences with the planning of the pilot program as well as the expedition itself. We also share the results of the assessment report prepared by an independent party. Lastly, we will offer recommendations for initiating international science education collaborations. United States participation was funded by the NSF Division of Polar Programs.

Building Yolŋu Skills, Knowledge, and Priorities into Early Childhood Assessment and Support: Protocol for a Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Lowell, Anne; Maypilama, Elaine Lawurrpa; Fasoli, Lyn; Gundjarranbuy, Rosemary; Godwin-Thompson, Jenine; Guyula, Abbey; Yunupiŋu, Megan; Armstrong, Emily; Garrutju, Jane; McEldowney, Rose

2018-03-07

Yolngu or Yolŋu are a group of indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Recent government policy addressing disparities in outcomes between Indigenous and other children in Australia has resulted in the rapid introduction of early childhood interventions in remote Aboriginal communities. This is despite minimal research into their appropriateness or effectiveness for these contexts. This research aims to privilege Aboriginal early childhood knowledge, priorities and practices and to strengthen the evidence base for culturally responsive and relevant assessment processes and support that distinguishes "difference" from "deficit" to facilitate optimal child development. This collaborative qualitative research employs video ethnography, participant observation and in-depth interviews, involving Aboriginal families and researchers in design, implementation, interpretation and dissemination using a locally developed, culturally responsive research approach. Longitudinal case studies are being conducted with 6 families over 5 years and emerging findings are being explored with a further 50 families and key community informants. Data from all sources are analyzed inductively using a collaborative and iterative process. The study findings, grounded in an in-depth understanding of the cultural context of the study but with relevance to policy and practice more widely, are informing the development of a Web-based educational resource and targeted knowledge exchange activities. This paper focuses only on the research approach used in this project. The findings will be reported in detail in future publications. In response to community concerns about lack of recognition of Aboriginal early childhood strengths, priorities and knowledge, this collaborative community-driven project strengthens the evidence base for developing culturally responsive and relevant early childhood services and assessment processes to support optimal child development. The study findings are guiding the development of a Web-based educational resource for staff working with Aboriginal communities and families in the field of early child development. This website will also function as a community-developed tool for strengthening and maintaining Aboriginal knowledge and practice related to child development and child rearing. It will be widely accessible to community members through a range of platforms (eg, mobile phones and tablets) and will provide a model for other cultural contexts. This project will facilitate wider recognition and reflection of cultural knowledge and practice in early childhood programs and policies and will support strengthening and maintenance of cultural knowledge. The culturally responsive and highly collaborative approach to community-based research on which this project is based will also inform future research through sharing knowledge about the research process as well as research findings. ©Anne Lowell, Elaine Lawurrpa Maypilama, Lyn Fasoli, Rosemary Gundjarranbuy, Jenine Godwin-Thompson, Abbey Guyula, Megan Yunupiŋu, Emily Armstrong, Jane Garrutju, Rose McEldowney. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 07.03.2018.

Environmental computing compendium - background and motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heikkurinen, Matti; Kranzlmüller, Dieter

2017-04-01

The emerging discipline of environmental computing brings together experts in applied, advanced environmental modelling. The application domains address several fundamental societal challenges, ranging from disaster risk reduction to sustainability issues (such as food security on the global scale). The community has used an Intuitive, pragmatic approach when determining which initiatives are considered to "belong to the discipline". The community's growth is based on sharing of experiences and tools provides opportunities for reusing solutions or applying knowledge in new settings. Thus, limiting possible synergies by applying an arbitrary, formal definition to exclude some of the sources of solutions and knowledge would be counterproductive. However, the number of individuals and initiatives involved has grown to the level where a survey of initiatives and sub-themes they focus on is of interest. By surveying the project landscape and identifying common themes and building a shared vocabulary to describe them we can both communicate the relevance of the new discipline to the general public more easily and make it easier for the new members of the community to find the most promising collaboration partners. This talk presents the methodology and initial findings of the initial survey of the environmental computing initiatives and organisations, as well as approaches that could lead to an environmental computing compendium that would be a collaborative maintained shared resource of the environmental computing community.

Some Female Professors' Experiences of Collaboration: Mapping the Collaborative Process through Rough Terrain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Anne E.; Woloshyn, Vera E.

1997-01-01

Seven Canadian female faculty members described their involvement in collaborative projects, including collaborations with a school principal, school teachers, a former student, a graduate student, and other faculty. Common themes included building rapport, establishing goals and rewards, negotiation of tasks, commitment and interpersonal support,…

School and Community Connections for Collaboration and Coteaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilker, Jean

2012-01-01

School librarians should consistently build relationships to foster collaborative work. For the school librarian, collaboration begins with both the business side of the library and personal interactions. True collaborations involve varied partnerships with shared planning and responsibilities. A co-teacher is expected to share in all aspects of…

Practices and Strategies of Distributed Knowledge Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kudaravalli, Srinivas

2010-01-01

Information Technology is enabling large-scale, distributed collaboration across many different kinds of boundaries. Researchers have used the label new organizational forms to describe such collaborations and suggested that they are better able to meet the demands of flexibility, speed and adaptability that characterize the knowledge economy.…

Social Regulation of Learning During Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Science: How does it emerge and what are its functions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ucan, Serkan; Webb, Mary

2015-10-01

Students' ability to regulate their learning is considered important for the quality of collaborative inquiry learning. However, there is still limited understanding about how students engage in social forms of regulation processes and what roles these regulatory processes may play during collaborative learning. The purpose of this study was to identify when and how co- and shared regulation of metacognitive, emotional and motivational processes emerge and function during collaborative inquiry learning in science. Two groups of three students (aged 12) from a private primary school in Turkey were videotaped during collaborative inquiry activities in a naturalistic classroom setting over a seven-week period, and the transcripts were analysed in order to identify their use of regulation processes. Moreover, this was combined with the analysis of stimulated-recall interviews with the student groups. Results indicated that co- and shared regulation processes were often initiated by particular events and played a crucial role in the success of students' collaborative inquiry learning. Co-regulation of metacognitive processes had the function of stimulating students to reflect upon and clarify their thinking, as well as facilitating the construction of new scientific understanding. Shared regulation of metacognitive processes helped students to build a shared understanding of the task, clarify and justify their shared perspective, and sustain the ongoing knowledge co-construction. Moreover, the use of shared emotional and motivational regulation was identified as important for sustaining reciprocal interactions and creating a positive socio-emotional atmosphere within the groups. In addition, the findings revealed links between the positive quality of group interactions and the emergence of co- and shared regulation of metacognitive processes. This study highlights the importance of fostering students' acquisition and use of regulation processes during collaborative inquiry learning.

Collaborative research networks in health: a pragmatic scoping study for the development of an imaging network.

PubMed

Robinson, Tracy Elizabeth; Rankin, Nicole; Janssen, Anna; Mcgregor, Deborah; Grieve, Stuart; Shaw, Timothy

2015-12-09

Collaborative research networks are often touted as a solution for enhancing the translation of knowledge, but questions remain about how to evaluate their impact on health service delivery. This pragmatic scoping study explored the enabling factors for developing and supporting a collaborative imaging network in a metropolitan university in Australia. An advisory group was established to provide governance and to identify key informants and participants. Focus group discussions (n = 2) and semi-structured interviews (n = 22) were facilitated with representatives from a broad range of disciplines. In addition, a survey, a review of relevant websites (n = 15) and a broad review of the literature were undertaken to elicit information on collaborative research networks and perceived needs and factors that would support their involvement in a multi-disciplinary collaborative research network. Findings were de-identified and broad themes were identified. Participants identified human factors as having priority for developing and sustaining a collaborative research network. In particular, leadership, a shared vision and a communication plan that includes social media were identified as crucial for sustaining an imaging network in health research. It is important to develop metrics that map relationships between network members and the role that communication tools can contribute to this process. This study confirms that human factors remain significant across a range of collaborative endeavours. The use of focus group discussions, interviews, and literature and website reviews means we can now strongly recommend the primacy of human factors. More work is needed to identify how the network operates and what specific indicators or metrics help build the capacity of clinicians and scientists to participate in translational research.

Knowledge management is new competitive edge.

PubMed

Johnson, D E

1998-07-01

Managing knowledge is emerging as the latest business strategy to get ahead of the competition. In the process of developing knowledge management systems, executives are increasing their awareness and understanding of organizational dynamics, collaboration, corporate learning and knowledge management technology. But Donald E.L. Johnson writes that health care executives must buy into and understand collaboration and corporate learning before they tackle knowledge management.

The power of collaboration with patient safety programs: building safe passage for patients, nurses, and clinical staff.

PubMed

Kerfoot, Karlene M; Rapala, Kathryn; Ebright, Patricia; Rogers, Suzanne M

2006-12-01

Patient safety is a relatively new field, with many opinions and few effectively proven approaches. One factor is clear: optimal patient safety outcomes cannot be achieved in isolation. Although it is well recognized that multidisciplinary collaboration in the healthcare setting is necessary to effect patient safety, collaboration with resources external to healthcare-academia and industry in particular-will not only aid but also quicken the patient safety efforts. The authors outline a healthcare system's use of all available resources to build a patient safety program.

The Integrating Role of the LBA and the LPB Programs as an Example of Cyberinfrastructures in International Scientific Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, P. L.

2007-05-01

International science collaboration is a key component of research programs such as the The Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Interaction Program (LBA) and the La Plata Basin Project (LPB). Both are programs with crosscutting science questions permeating different areas of knowledge related to the functioning of the natural and agricultural ecosystems in the Amazon system (LBA) and the change in the hydrological, agricultural and social systems of the Plata Basin (LPB) ecosystem under natural climatic variability and climate change. Both programs are strongly related to GEWEX, CLIVAR and IGBP and are based on extensive use of data information system (LBA/LPB/DIS) with mirror sites in the US, Europe and South America. These international programs have a significant impact in building up regional scientific capabilities at all levels of education and triggered the establishment of new research groups located in remote areas of South America. The cyberinfrastructure has been fundamental to promote the integration of the research groups, and a remarkable feedback with the operational forecasting systems has been detected. The LBA/LPB should be used as examples on how to promote international scientific and operational collaboration.

A Filter-Mediated Communication Model for Design Collaboration in Building Construction

PubMed Central

Oh, Minho

2014-01-01

Multidisciplinary collaboration is an important aspect of modern engineering activities, arising from the growing complexity of artifacts whose design and construction require knowledge and skills that exceed the capacities of any one professional. However, current collaboration in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries often fails due to lack of shared understanding between different participants and limitations of their supporting tools. To achieve a high level of shared understanding, this study proposes a filter-mediated communication model. In the proposed model, participants retain their own data in the form most appropriate for their needs with domain-specific filters that transform the neutral representations into semantically rich ones, as needed by the participants. Conversely, the filters can translate semantically rich, domain-specific data into a neutral representation that can be accessed by other domain-specific filters. To validate the feasibility of the proposed model, we computationally implement the filter mechanism and apply it to a hypothetical test case. The result acknowledges that the filter mechanism can let the participants know ahead of time what will be the implications of their proposed actions, as seen from other participants' points of view. PMID:25309958

The KMAT: Benchmarking Knowledge Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Jager, Martha

Provides an overview of knowledge management and benchmarking, including the benefits and methods of benchmarking (e.g., competitive, cooperative, collaborative, and internal benchmarking). Arthur Andersen's KMAT (Knowledge Management Assessment Tool) is described. The KMAT is a collaborative benchmarking tool, designed to help organizations make…

Communication in Collaborative Discovery Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saab, Nadira; van Joolingen, Wouter R.; van Hout-Wolters, Bernadette H. A. M.

2005-01-01

Background: Constructivist approaches to learning focus on learning environments in which students have the opportunity to construct knowledge themselves, and negotiate this knowledge with others. "Discovery learning" and "collaborative learning" are examples of learning contexts that cater for knowledge construction processes. We introduce a…

Increasing Efficiency in Evaluation of Chronic Cough: A Multidisciplinary, Collaborative Approach.

PubMed

Patton, Cynthia M; Lim, Kaiser G; Ramlow, Luke W; White, Kathleen M

2015-01-01

Chronic cough is the most common reason for medical office visits in the United States. The typical patient has coughed more than 8 years and seen many specialists. This quality improvement project is an ambulatory clinic redesign to deliver efficient, patient-centered care with interspecialty collaboration. Methodology included the Institute for Healthcare Improvement collaborative model focused on Lean/Six Sigma and ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) Change Management. Interventions targeted education to referring providers, implementation of software changes, building a collaborative interdepartmental scheduling decision tree, and an interclinic dashboard enhancing communication and decision support. Outcome measures compare group resource utilization, evidenced by the total number of specialist referrals for same indication of chronic cough (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision: 786.2), and length of time to complete evaluation. A retrospective review of 165 medical records yielded 2 groups, "current care" (n = 67) and "intervention" (n = 68). The number of specialist referrals per patient was reduced in the intervention group (M = 1.22, SD = 0.48) compared with the current care group (M = 3.33, SD = 1.02). Length of itinerary was reduced in the intervention group (M = 11.90, SD = 12.13, GM = 6.82) compared with the current care group (M = 126.93, SD = 158.13, GM = 54.8). Multidisciplinary collaboration, communication, coordinating diagnosis, and management of multifactorial conditions, such as chronic cough, are associated with lower costs and decreased utilization of health care resources.

Collaborative Learning Using a Project across Multiple Business Courses: A Cognitive Load and Knowledge Convergence Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhowmick, Sandeep; Chandra, Aruna; Harper, Jeffrey S.; Sweetin, Vernon

2015-01-01

Four business professors at a state university in the Midwestern United States launched a collaborative learning project grounded in cognitive learning theory and knowledge convergence theory with the objective of assessing student learning gains in cross-functional knowledge (CFK), course-related knowledge (CRK), and overall satisfaction with…

Ubiquitous Mobile Knowledge Construction in Collaborative Learning Environments

PubMed Central

Baloian, Nelson; Zurita, Gustavo

2012-01-01

Knowledge management is a critical activity for any organization. It has been said to be a differentiating factor and an important source of competitiveness if this knowledge is constructed and shared among its members, thus creating a learning organization. Knowledge construction is critical for any collaborative organizational learning environment. Nowadays workers must perform knowledge creation tasks while in motion, not just in static physical locations; therefore it is also required that knowledge construction activities be performed in ubiquitous scenarios, and supported by mobile and pervasive computational systems. These knowledge creation systems should help people in or outside organizations convert their tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, thus supporting the knowledge construction process. Therefore in our understanding, we consider highly relevant that undergraduate university students learn about the knowledge construction process supported by mobile and ubiquitous computing. This has been a little explored issue in this field. This paper presents the design, implementation, and an evaluation of a system called MCKC for Mobile Collaborative Knowledge Construction, supporting collaborative face-to-face tacit knowledge construction and sharing in ubiquitous scenarios. The MCKC system can be used by undergraduate students to learn how to construct knowledge, allowing them anytime and anywhere to create, make explicit and share their knowledge with their co-learners, using visual metaphors, gestures and sketches to implement the human-computer interface of mobile devices (PDAs). PMID:22969333

Ubiquitous mobile knowledge construction in collaborative learning environments.

PubMed

Baloian, Nelson; Zurita, Gustavo

2012-01-01

Knowledge management is a critical activity for any organization. It has been said to be a differentiating factor and an important source of competitiveness if this knowledge is constructed and shared among its members, thus creating a learning organization. Knowledge construction is critical for any collaborative organizational learning environment. Nowadays workers must perform knowledge creation tasks while in motion, not just in static physical locations; therefore it is also required that knowledge construction activities be performed in ubiquitous scenarios, and supported by mobile and pervasive computational systems. These knowledge creation systems should help people in or outside organizations convert their tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, thus supporting the knowledge construction process. Therefore in our understanding, we consider highly relevant that undergraduate university students learn about the knowledge construction process supported by mobile and ubiquitous computing. This has been a little explored issue in this field. This paper presents the design, implementation, and an evaluation of a system called MCKC for Mobile Collaborative Knowledge Construction, supporting collaborative face-to-face tacit knowledge construction and sharing in ubiquitous scenarios. The MCKC system can be used by undergraduate students to learn how to construct knowledge, allowing them anytime and anywhere to create, make explicit and share their knowledge with their co-learners, using visual metaphors, gestures and sketches to implement the human-computer interface of mobile devices (PDAs).

What Does Wiki Reveal about the Knowledge Processing Strategies of School Pupils? Seventh-Graders as Users of Wiki and Processors of Knowledge in a Collaborative Writing Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahlholm, Maria; Grünthal, Satu; Harjunen, Elina

2017-01-01

On the basis of one teaching project carried out in a school, this article discusses collaborative writing in wiki platforms. It aims to find out what wiki reveals about pupils' knowledge construction, creation, and division and their collaborative writing skills. In this project, wiki is treated as a useful tool for analyzing these processes…

Students' Views of Collaboration and Online Participation in Knowledge Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Carol K. K.; Chan, Yuen-Yan

2011-01-01

This study examined students- views of collaboration and learning, and investigated how these predict students- online participation in a computer-supported learning environment. The participants were 521 secondary school students in Hong Kong, who took part in online collaborative inquiry conducted using Knowledge Forum[TM]. We developed a…

English 4090: Collaborative Writing at Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutton, Mark

2007-01-01

This article presents a course design of English 4090: Collaborative Writing at Work. The course is a senior-level elective designed to reinforce students' existing knowledge of professional writing and to teach students how to apply that knowledge effectively in collaborative contexts. Here, the author focuses on the Spring 2006 class and…

Development and Determination of Reliability and Validity of Professional Learning Community Collaborative Team Survey (CTS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Joshua A.

2013-01-01

The study of transformative learning within collaborative teams was conducted to gain new applicable knowledge used to influence overall school improvement and implementation of professional learning communities. To obtain this new knowledge, the Professional Learning Community Collaborative Team Survey (CTS) was developed and psychometrically…

Evoking Knowledge and Information Awareness for Enhancing Computer-Supported Collaborative Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelmann, Tanja; Tergan, Sigmar-Olaf; Hesse, Friedrich W.

2010-01-01

Computer-supported collaboration by spatially distributed group members still involves interaction problems within the group. This article presents an empirical study investigating the question of whether computer-supported collaborative problem solving by spatially distributed group members can be fostered by evoking knowledge and information…

University-Industry Collaboration, Knowledge Management and Enterprise Innovation Performance: An Empirical Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jin; Wei, Shiyang

2008-01-01

This empirical study is concerned with university-industry collaboration from a knowledge management perspective. The authors introduce the concepts of "enterprise-level core elements" to define the principle status of an enterprise during university-industry collaboration, and "network embeddedness" as an indication of the…

Thinking Aloud Together: A Test of an Intervention To Foster Students' Collaborative Scientific Reasoning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Kathleen

1999-01-01

Describes the use of an intervention stressing the metacognitive, regulatory, and strategic aspects of knowledge co-construction. Finds that eighth grade students who received the intervention gained in metacognitive knowledge about collaborative reasoning and ability to articulate their collaborative reasoning processes compared to students in…

Recent progress in Open Data production and consumption - examples from a Governmental institute (SMHI) and a collaborative EU research project (SWITCH-ON)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arheimer, Berit; Falkenroth, Esa

2014-05-01

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) has a long tradition both in producing and consuming open data on a national, European and global scale. It is also promoting community building among water scientists in Europe by participating in and initiating collaborative projects. This presentation will exemplify the contemporary European movement imposed by the INSPIRE directive and the Open Data Strategy, by showing the progress in openness and shift in attitudes during the last decade when handling Research Data and Public Sector Information at a national European institute. Moreover, the presentation will inform about a recently started collaborative project (EU FP7 project No 603587) coordinated by SMHI and called SWITCH-ON http://water-switch-on.eu/. The project addresses water concerns and currently untapped potential of open data for improved water management across the EU. The overall goal of the project is to make use of open data, and add value to society by repurposing and refining data from various sources. SWITCH-ON will establish new forms of water research and facilitate the development of new products and services based on principles of sharing and community building in the water society. The SWITCH-ON objectives are to use open data for implementing: 1) an innovative spatial information platform with open data tailored for direct water assessments, 2) an entirely new form of collaborative research for water-related sciences, 3) fourteen new operational products and services dedicated to appointed end-users, 4) new business and knowledge to inform individual and collective decisions in line with the Europe's smart growth and environmental objectives. The presentation will discuss challenges, progress and opportunities with the open data strategy, based on the experiences from working both at a Governmental institute and being part of the global research community.

Helping Students Who Struggle with Math and Science: A Collaborative Approach for Elementary and Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Dennis; Hamm, Mary

2008-01-01

This book builds on the social nature of learning to provide useful suggestions for reaching reluctant learners. It is based on the assumption that instruction that focuses on students' interests and builds on collaborative and differentiated learning will allow students to move from believing they "can't do mathematics or science" to a feeling of…

Building of a Disaster Recovery Framework for E-Learning Environment Using Private Cloud Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Togawa, Satoshi; Kanenishi, Kazuhide

2014-01-01

In this research, we have built a framework of disaster recovery such as against earthquake, tsunami disaster and a heavy floods for e-Learning environment. Especially, our proposed framework is based on private cloud collaboration. We build a prototype system based on IaaS architecture, and this prototype system is constructed by several private…

Building cancer nursing skills in a resource-constrained government hospital.

PubMed

Strother, R M; Fitch, Margaret; Kamau, Peter; Beattie, Kathy; Boudreau, Angela; Busakhalla, N; Loehrer, P J

2012-09-01

Cancer is a rising cause of morbidity and mortality in resource-constrained settings. Few places in the developing world have cancer care experts and infrastructure for caring for cancer patients; therefore, it is imperative to develop this infrastructure and expertise. A critical component of cancer care, rarely addressed in the published literature, is cancer nursing. This report describes an effort to develop cancer nursing subspecialty knowledge and skills in support of a growing resource-constrained comprehensive cancer care program in Western Kenya. This report highlights the context of cancer care delivery in a resource-constrained setting, and describes one targeted intervention to further develop the skill set and knowledge of cancer care providers, as part of collaboration between developed world academic institutions and a medical school and governmental hospital in Western Kenya. Based on observations of current practice, practice setting, and resource limitations, a pragmatic curriculum for cancer care nursing was developed and implemented.

Staff nurses as antimicrobial stewards: An integrative literature review.

PubMed

Monsees, Elizabeth; Goldman, Jennifer; Popejoy, Lori

2017-08-01

Guidelines on antimicrobial stewardship emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary team, but current practice focuses primarily on defining the role of infectious disease physicians and pharmacists; the role of inpatient staff nurses as antimicrobial stewards is largely unexplored. An updated integrative review method guided a systematic appraisal of 13 articles spanning January 2007-June 2016. Quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed publications including staff nurses and antimicrobial knowledge or stewardship were incorporated into the analysis. Two predominant themes emerged from this review: (1) nursing knowledge, education, and information needs; and (2) patient safety and organizational factors influencing antibiotic management. Focused consideration to empower and educate staff nurses in antimicrobial management is needed to strengthen collaboration and build an interprofessional stewardship workforce. Further exploration on the integration and measurement of nursing participation is needed to accelerate this important patient safety initiative. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Articulating the ideal: 50 years of interprofessional collaboration in Medical Education.

PubMed

Paradis, Elise; Pipher, Mandy; Cartmill, Carrie; Rangel, J Cristian; Whitehead, Cynthia R

2017-08-01

Health care delivery and the education of clinicians have changed immensely since the creation of the journal Medical Education. In this project, we seek to answer the following three questions: How has the concept of collaboration changed over the past 50 years in Medical Education? Have the participants involved in collaboration shifted over time? Has the idea of collaboration itself been transformed over the past 50 years? Starting from a constructionist view of scientific discourse, we used directed content analysis to sample, code and analyse 144 collaboration-related articles over the 50-year life span of Medical Education. We developed an analytical framework to identify the key components of varying articulations of 'collaboration', with a focus on shifts in language and terminology over time. Our sample was drawn from an archive of 1221 articles developed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medical Education. Interprofessional collaboration is conceptualised in three primary ways throughout our sample: as a psychometric property; as tasks or activities, and, more recently, as 'togetherness'. The first conceptualisation articulates collaboration as involving knowledge or skills that are teachable to individuals, the second as involving the education of teams to engage in structured meetings or task distribution, and the third as the building of networks of individuals who learn to form team identities. The 'leader' of collaboration is typically conceptualised as the doctor, who is consistently articulated by authors as the active agent of collaborative care. Other clinicians and students of other professions are, as the wording in this sentence suggests, usually positioned as 'others', and thus as more passive participants in, or even observers of, 'collaboration'. In order to meet goals of meaningful collaboration leading to higher-quality care, it behoves us as a community of educators and researchers to heed the ways in which we teach, think and write about interprofessional collaboration, interrogating our own language and assumptions that may be betraying and reproducing harmful care hierarchies. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Interdisciplinary knowledge translation: lessons learned from a mental health: fire service collaboration.

PubMed

Henderson, Joanna L; Mackay, Sherri; Peterson-Badali, Michele

2010-12-01

Collaborative approaches are being increasingly advocated for addressing a variety of health, mental health and social needs for children, youth and families. Factors important for effective knowledge translation of collaborative approaches of service delivery across disciplines, however, have not been rigorously examined. TAPP-C: The Arson Prevention Program for Children is an intervention program for child and adolescent firesetters provided collaboratively by fire service and mental health professionals. The present study examined the adopter, innovation, and dissemination characteristics associated with TAPP-C implementation, protocol adherence and extent of collaboration by 241 community-based fire service professionals from communities across Ontario. Results revealed that dissemination factors are particularly important for understanding program implementation, adherence and cross-discipline collaboration. Moreover, the findings of this study show significant benefits to both within discipline (intra-disciplinary) and across discipline (interdisciplinary) knowledge translation strategies.

Knowledge silos: assessing knowledge sharing between specialties through the vestibular schwannoma literature.

PubMed

Schnurman, Zane; Golfinos, John G; Roland, J Thomas; Kondziolka, Douglas

2017-12-01

OBJECTIVE It is common for a medical disorder to be managed or researched by individuals who work within different specialties. It is known that both neurosurgeons and neurotologists manage vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients. While overlap in specialty focus has the potential to stimulate multidisciplinary collaboration and innovative thinking, there is a risk of specialties forming closed-communication loops, called knowledge silos, which may inhibit knowledge diffusion. This study quantitatively assessed knowledge sharing between neurosurgery and otolaryngology on the subject of VS. METHODS A broad Web of Science search was used to download details for 4439 articles related to VS through 2016. The publishing journal's specialty and the authors' specialties (based on author department) were determined for available articles. All 114,647 of the article references were categorized by journal specialty. The prevalence of several VS topics was assessed using keyword searches of titles. RESULTS For articles written by neurosurgeons, 44.0% of citations were from neurosurgery journal articles and 23.4% were from otolaryngology journals. The citations of otolaryngology authors included 11.6% neurosurgery journals and 56.5% otolaryngology journals. Both author specialty and journal specialty led to more citations of the same specialty, though author specialty had the largest effect. Comparing the specialties' literature, several VS topics had significantly different levels of coverage, including radiosurgery and hearing topics. Despite the availability of the Internet, there has been no change in the proportions of references for either specialty since 1997 (the year PubMed became publicly available). CONCLUSIONS Partial knowledge silos are observed between neurosurgery and otolaryngology on the topic of VS, based on the peer-reviewed literature. The increase in access provided by the Internet and searchable online databases has not decreased specialty reference bias. These findings offer lessons to improve cross-specialty collaboration, physician learning, and consensus building.

Characterizing the Use of Research-Community Partnerships in Studies of Evidence-Based Interventions in Children’s Community Services

PubMed Central

Brookman-Frazee, Lauren; Stahmer, Aubyn; Stadnick, Nicole; Chlebowski, Colby; Herschell, Amy; Garland, Ann

2015-01-01

This study characterized the use of research community partnerships (RCPs) to tailor evidence-based intervention, training, and implementation models for delivery across different childhood problems and service contexts using a survey completed by project principal investigators and community partners. To build on previous RCP research and to explicate the tacit knowledge gained through collaborative efforts, the following were examined: (1) characteristics of studies using RCP models; (2) RCP functioning, processes, and products; (3) processes of tailoring evidence-based practices (EBPs) for community implementation ; and (4) perceptions of the benefits and challenges of collaborating with community providers and consumers. Results indicated that researchers were solely or jointly involved in the formation of almost all of the RCPs; interpersonal and operational processes were perceived as primary challenges; community partners’ roles included greater involvement in implementation and participant recruitment than more traditional research activities; and the partnership process was perceived to increase the relevance and “fit” of interventions and research. PMID:25578512

Action-learning collaboratives as a platform for community-based participatory research to advance obesity prevention.

PubMed

Bazos, Dorothy A; Schifferdecker, Karen E; Fedrizzi, Rudolph; Hoebeke, Jaime; Ruggles, Laural; Goldsberry, Yvonne

2013-01-01

Although process elements that define community-based participatory research (CBPR) are well articulated and provide guidance for bringing together researchers and communities, additional models to implement CBPR are needed. One potential model for implementing and monitoring CBPR is Action Learning Collaboratives (ALCs); short term, team-based learning processes that are grounded in quality improvement. Since 2010, the Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth (PRCD) has used ALCs with three communities as a platform to design, implement and evaluate CBPR. The first ALC provided an opportunity for academia and community leadership to strengthen their relationships and knowledge of respective assets through design and evaluation of community-based QI projects. Building on this work, we jointly designed and are implementing a second ALC, a cross-community research project focused on obesity prevention in vulnerable populations. An enhanced community capacity now exists to support CBPR activities with a high degree of sophistication and decreased reliance on external facilitation.

ARCUS Project Managers and the Intangible Infrastructure of Large Interdisciplinary Arctic Research Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, B.; Wiggins, H. V.; Turner-Bogren, E. J.; Warburton, J.

2017-12-01

Project Managers at the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) lead initiatives to convene, communicate with, and connect the Arctic research community across challenging disciplinary, geographic, temporal, and cultural boundaries. They regularly serve as the organizing hubs, archivists and memory-keepers for collaborative projects comprised of many loosely affiliated partners. As leading organizers of large open science meetings and other outreach events, they also monitor the interdisciplinary landscape of community needs, concerns, opportunities, and emerging research directions. However, leveraging the ARCUS Project Manager role to strategically build out the intangible infrastructure necessary to advance Arctic research requires a unique set of knowledge, skills, and experience. Drawing on a range of lessons learned from past and ongoing experiences with collaborative science, education and outreach programming, this presentation will highlight a model of ARCUS project management that we believe works best to support and sustain our community in its long-term effort to conquer the complexities of Arctic research.

NASA Earth Science Partnerships - A Multi-Level Approach to Effectively Collaborating with Communities and Organizations to Utilize Earth Science Data for Societal Benefit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favors, J.

2016-12-01

NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) seeks to develop a scientific understanding of the Earth as a dynamic, integrated system of diverse components that interact in complex ways - analogous to the human body. The Division approaches this goal through a coordinated series of satellite and airborne missions, sponsored basic and applied research, technology development, and science education. Integral to this approach are strong collaborations and partnerships with a spectrum of organizations that produce substantive benefit to communities - both locally and globally. This presentation will showcase various ways ESD approaches partnering and will highlight best practices, challenges, and provide case studies related to rapid partnerships, co-location of scientists and end-user communities, capacity building, and ESD's new Partnerships Program which is built around taking an innovative approach to partnering that fosters interdisplinary teaming & co-production of knowledge to broaden the applicability of Earth observations and answer new, big questions for partners and NASA, alike.

A Qualitative Case Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Learning through Mandated Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilt, Barbara C.

2016-01-01

Teacher collaboration is a school improvement priority that has the potential to positively impact student learning by building the capacity of teachers. In some states, teacher collaboration is mandated by legislation. The literature indicates that policy-driven collaboration in a top-down approach results in unintentional consequences and…

Creativity and Collaborative Learning: The Practical Guide to Empowering Students, Teachers, and Families. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thousand, Jacqueline S., Ed.; Villa, Richard A., Ed.; Nevin, Ann I., Ed.

These 24 papers explain how using the collaborative learning model can help teachers address classroom challenges. Section 1, "Toward Creativity and Collaborative Learning in the 21st Century," begins with "Toward Whole Schools: Building a Movement for Creativity and Collaborative Learning in the 21st Century" (J. Michael…

Exploring Students' Knowledge Construction Strategies in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Discussions Using Sequential Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukor, Nurbiha A.; Tasir, Zaidatun; Van der Meijden, Henny; Harun, Jamalludin

2014-01-01

Online collaborative learning allows discussion to occur at greater depth where knowledge can be constructed remotely. However students were found to construct knowledge at low-level where they discussed by sharing and comparing opinions; those are inadequate for new knowledge creation. As such, this research attempted to investigate the students'…

Facilitating Argumentative Knowledge Construction through a Transactive Discussion Script in CSCL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noroozi, Omid; Weinberger, Armin; Biemans, Harm J. A.; Mulder, Martin; Chizari, Mohammad

2013-01-01

Learning to argue is prerequisite to solving complex problems in groups, especially when they are multidisciplinary and collaborate online. Environments for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) can be designed to facilitate argumentative knowledge construction. This study investigates how argumentative knowledge construction in…

An online spatial database of Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge for contemporary natural and cultural resource management.

PubMed

Pert, Petina L; Ens, Emilie J; Locke, John; Clarke, Philip A; Packer, Joanne M; Turpin, Gerry

2015-11-15

With growing international calls for the enhanced involvement of Indigenous peoples and their biocultural knowledge in managing conservation and the sustainable use of physical environment, it is timely to review the available literature and develop cross-cultural approaches to the management of biocultural resources. Online spatial databases are becoming common tools for educating land managers about Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (IBK), specifically to raise a broad awareness of issues, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities, and to promote collaboration. Here we describe a novel approach to the application of internet and spatial analysis tools that provide an overview of publically available documented Australian IBK (AIBK) and outline the processes used to develop the online resource. By funding an AIBK working group, the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) provided a unique opportunity to bring together cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary and trans-organizational contributors who developed these resources. Without such an intentionally collaborative process, this unique tool would not have been developed. The tool developed through this process is derived from a spatial and temporal literature review, case studies and a compilation of methods, as well as other relevant AIBK papers. The online resource illustrates the depth and breadth of documented IBK and identifies opportunities for further work, partnerships and investment for the benefit of not only Indigenous Australians, but all Australians. The database currently includes links to over 1500 publically available IBK documents, of which 568 are geo-referenced and were mapped. It is anticipated that as awareness of the online resource grows, more documents will be provided through the website to build the database. It is envisaged that this will become a well-used tool, integral to future natural and cultural resource management and maintenance. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Translating knowledge from Pakistan's second generation surveillance system to other global contexts.

PubMed

Adrien, Alix; Thompson, Laura H; Archibald, Chris P; Sandstrom, Paul A; Munro, Michelle; Emmanuel, Faran; Blanchard, James F

2013-09-01

From 2004 to 2011, a collaborative project was undertaken to enhance the capacity of the Government of Pakistan to implement an effective second-generation surveillance system for HIV/AIDS, known as the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project (HASP). In four separate rounds, behavioural questionnaires were administered among injection drug users, and female, male and hijra (transgender) sex workers. Dried blood spots were collected for HIV testing. Through interviews with project staff in Pakistan and Canada, we have undertaken a critical review of the role of HASP in generating, using and translating knowledge, with an emphasis on capacity building within both the donor and recipient countries. We also documented ongoing and future opportunities for the translation of knowledge produced through HASP. Knowledge translation activities have included educational workshops and consultations held in places as diverse as Colombia and Cairo, and the implementation of HASP methodologies in Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. HASP methodologies have been incorporated in multiple WHO reports. Importantly, the donor country, Canada, has benefited in significant ways from this partnership. Operational and logistical lessons from HASP have, in turn, improved how surveillance is performed in Canada. Through this project, significant capacity was built among the staff of HASP, non-governmental organisations which were engaged as implementation partners, data coordination units which were established in each province, and in the laboratory. As is to be expected, different organisations have different agendas and priorities, requiring negotiation, at times, to ensure the success of collaborative activities. Overall, there has been considerable interest in and opportunities made for learning about the methodologies and approaches employed by HASP. Generally, the recognition of the strengths of the approaches and methodologies used by HASP has ensured an appetite for opportunities of mutual learning.

A Model for Collaborative Working to Facilitate Knowledge Mobilisation in Public Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCabe, Karen Elizabeth; Wallace, Annie; Crosland, Ann

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a model for collaborative working to facilitate knowledge mobilisation in public health. The model has been developed by university researchers who worked collaboratively with public health commissioners and strategic partners to evaluate a portfolio of short-term funded interventions to inform re-commissioning. Within this…

International Collaboration and Its Contributions: Disseminating Knowledge and Supporting Evidence-Based Practices across Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Belva C.; Tekin-Iftar, Elif; Olcay-Gul, Seray

2017-01-01

This article explores how international collaboration among researchers can contribute to developing evidence-based practices and disseminating knowledge in the field of special education. A review of a sample of special education journals published in English to identify articles written in collaboration by researchers from different countries is…

Internal and External Regulation to Support Knowledge Construction and Convergence in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Margarida; Lambropoulos, Niki

2011-01-01

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) activities aim to promote collaborative knowledge construction and convergence. During the CSCL activity, the students should regulate their learning activity, at the individual and collective level. This implies an organisation cost related to the coordination of the activity with the team-mates…

A Collaborative Inquiry to Promote Pedagogical Knowledge of Mathematics in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moghaddam, Alireza; Sarkar Arani, Mohammad Reza; Kuno, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

The present study attempts to report a collaborative cycle of professional development in teaching elementary school mathematics through lesson study. It explores a practice of lesson study conducted by teachers aiming to improve their knowledge of pedagogy. The study adopts an ethnographic approach to examine how collaborative teaching within an…

Mobile, Collaborative Situated Knowledge Creation for Urban Planning

PubMed Central

Zurita, Gustavo; Baloian, Nelson

2012-01-01

Geo-collaboration is an emerging research area in computer sciences studying the way spatial, geographically referenced information and communication technologies can support collaborative activities. Scenarios in which information associated to its physical location are of paramount importance are often referred as Situated Knowledge Creation scenarios. To date there are few computer systems supporting knowledge creation that explicitly incorporate physical context as part of the knowledge being managed in mobile face-to-face scenarios. This work presents a collaborative software application supporting visually-geo-referenced knowledge creation in mobile working scenarios while the users are interacting face-to-face. The system allows to manage data information associated to specific physical locations for knowledge creation processes in the field, such as urban planning, identifying specific physical locations, territorial management, etc.; using Tablet-PCs and GPS in order to geo-reference data and information. It presents a model for developing mobile applications supporting situated knowledge creation in the field, introducing the requirements for such an application and the functionalities it should have in order to fulfill them. The paper also presents the results of utility and usability evaluations. PMID:22778639

Mobile, collaborative situated knowledge creation for urban planning.

PubMed

Zurita, Gustavo; Baloian, Nelson

2012-01-01

Geo-collaboration is an emerging research area in computer sciences studying the way spatial, geographically referenced information and communication technologies can support collaborative activities. Scenarios in which information associated to its physical location are of paramount importance are often referred as Situated Knowledge Creation scenarios. To date there are few computer systems supporting knowledge creation that explicitly incorporate physical context as part of the knowledge being managed in mobile face-to-face scenarios. This work presents a collaborative software application supporting visually-geo-referenced knowledge creation in mobile working scenarios while the users are interacting face-to-face. The system allows to manage data information associated to specific physical locations for knowledge creation processes in the field, such as urban planning, identifying specific physical locations, territorial management, etc.; using Tablet-PCs and GPS in order to geo-reference data and information. It presents a model for developing mobile applications supporting situated knowledge creation in the field, introducing the requirements for such an application and the functionalities it should have in order to fulfill them. The paper also presents the results of utility and usability evaluations.

North–south collaboration and capacity development in global health research in low- and middle-income countries – the ARCADE projects

PubMed Central

Atkins, Salla; Marsden, Sophie; Diwan, Vishal; Zwarenstein, Merrick

2016-01-01

Background Research capacity enhancement is needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for improved health, wellbeing, and health systems’ development. In this article, we discuss two capacity-building projects, the African/Asian Regional Capacity Development (ARCADE) in Health Systems and Services Research (HSSR) and Research on Social Determinants of Health (RSDH), implemented from 2011 to 2015. The two projects focussed on providing courses in HSSR and social determinants of health research, and on developing collaborations between universities, along with capacity in LMIC universities to manage research grant submissions, financing, and reporting. Both face-to-face and sustainable online teaching and learning resources were used in training at higher postgraduate levels (Masters and Doctoral level). Design We collated project meeting and discussion minutes along with project periodic reports and deliverables. We extracted key outcomes from these, reflected on these in discussions, and summarised them for this paper. Results Nearly 55 courses and modules were developed that were delivered to over 920 postgraduate students in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Junior researchers were mentored in presenting, developing, and delivering courses, and in preparing research proposals. In total, 60 collaborative funding proposals were prepared. The consortia also developed institutional capacity in research dissemination and grants management through webinars and workshops. Discussion ARCADE HSSR and ARCADE RSDH were comprehensive programmes, focussing on developing the research skills, knowledge, and capabilities of junior researchers. One of the main strengths of these programmes was the focus on network building amongst the partner institutions, where each partner brought skills, expertise, and diverse work cultures into the consortium. Through these efforts, the projects improved both the capacity of junior researchers and the research environment in Africa, Asia, and Europe. PMID:27725081

North-south collaboration and capacity development in global health research in low- and middle-income countries - the ARCADE projects.

PubMed

Atkins, Salla; Marsden, Sophie; Diwan, Vishal; Zwarenstein, Merrick

2016-01-01

Research capacity enhancement is needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for improved health, wellbeing, and health systems' development. In this article, we discuss two capacity-building projects, the African/Asian Regional Capacity Development (ARCADE) in Health Systems and Services Research (HSSR) and Research on Social Determinants of Health (RSDH), implemented from 2011 to 2015. The two projects focussed on providing courses in HSSR and social determinants of health research, and on developing collaborations between universities, along with capacity in LMIC universities to manage research grant submissions, financing, and reporting. Both face-to-face and sustainable online teaching and learning resources were used in training at higher postgraduate levels (Masters and Doctoral level). We collated project meeting and discussion minutes along with project periodic reports and deliverables. We extracted key outcomes from these, reflected on these in discussions, and summarised them for this paper. Nearly 55 courses and modules were developed that were delivered to over 920 postgraduate students in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Junior researchers were mentored in presenting, developing, and delivering courses, and in preparing research proposals. In total, 60 collaborative funding proposals were prepared. The consortia also developed institutional capacity in research dissemination and grants management through webinars and workshops. ARCADE HSSR and ARCADE RSDH were comprehensive programmes, focussing on developing the research skills, knowledge, and capabilities of junior researchers. One of the main strengths of these programmes was the focus on network building amongst the partner institutions, where each partner brought skills, expertise, and diverse work cultures into the consortium. Through these efforts, the projects improved both the capacity of junior researchers and the research environment in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The importance of research in the MEPI program: perspectives from the National Institutes of Health.

PubMed

Glass, Roger I; Razak, Myat Htoo; Said, Maria

2014-08-01

The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which aims to strengthen and transform education in medicine and the health sciences in Africa, has placed special emphasis on including research as part of new curricula. The great progress achieved against HIV/AIDS globally has been based in part on major research conducted by African investigators working in African institutions at African field sites in collaboration with international partners. This experience demonstrates the key role of academic institutions in generating knowledge while training the next generation of health professionals. Research is a key driver of innovation in the health sciences, and it can spur global collaborations, build substantial financial support, empower scientific leadership, and promote economic development. Through MEPI, young investigators are becoming engaged in research training early in their careers with projects that develop research skills to help them better understand how to evaluate and integrate new evidence into policy and practice, advance the science of health within their countries, and strengthen the academic institutions in which they work. Research training is an essential component of MEPI and should endure long after the program ends. It may help build a critical mass of researchers as well as a cadre of health professionals, teachers, and leaders who will be better equipped to embrace the continually changing panorama of advances in the health sciences.

Strengthening population health interventions: developing the CollaboraKTion Framework for Community-Based Knowledge Translation.

PubMed

Jenkins, Emily K; Kothari, Anita; Bungay, Vicky; Johnson, Joy L; Oliffe, John L

2016-08-30

Much of the research and theorising in the knowledge translation (KT) field has focused on clinical settings, providing little guidance to those working in community settings. In this study, we build on previous research in community-based KT by detailing the theory driven and empirically-informed CollaboraKTion framework. A case study design and ethnographic methods were utilised to gain an in-depth understanding of the processes for conducting a community-based KT study as a means to distilling the CollaboraKTion framework. Drawing on extensive field notes describing fieldwork observations and interactions as well as evidence from the participatory research and KT literature, we detail the processes and steps undertaken in this community-based KT study as well as their rationale and the challenges encountered. In an effort to build upon existing knowledge, Kitson and colleagues' co-KT framework, which provides guidance for conducting KT aimed at addressing population-level health, was applied as a coding structure to inform the current analysis. This approach was selected because it (1) supported the application of an existing community-based KT framework to empirical data and (2) provided an opportunity to contribute to the theory and practice gaps in the community-based KT literature through an inductively derived empirical example. Analysis revealed that community-based KT is an iterative process that can be viewed as comprising five overarching processes: (1) contacting and connecting; (2) deepening understandings; (3) adapting and applying the knowledge base; (4) supporting and evaluating continued action; and (5) transitioning and embedding as well as several key elements within each of these processes (e.g. building on existing knowledge, establishing partnerships). These empirically informed theory advancements in KT and participatory research traditions are summarised in the CollaboraKTion framework. We suggest that community-based KT researchers place less emphasis on enhancing uptake of specific interventions and focus on collaboratively identifying and creating changes to the contextual factors that influence health outcomes. The CollaboraKTion framework can be used to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of contextually relevant, evidence-informed initiatives aimed at improving population health, amid providing a foundation to leverage future research and practice in this emergent KT area.

Knowledge Organization through Multiple Representations in a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Namdar, Bahadir; Shen, Ji

2018-01-01

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments provide learners with multiple representational tools for storing, sharing, and constructing knowledge. However, little is known about how learners organize knowledge through multiple representations about complex socioscientific issues. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to…

76 FR 13371 - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview Information; Personnel...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-11

... skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based... families. Paraprofessional students must obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to collaborate and work... must obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to collaborate and work effectively with licensed or...

The University of Botswana and the University of Tromso Collaborative Program: Its Relevance to Minority Education and San Youth Capacity-Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolaane, Maitseo; Saugestad, Sidsel

2011-01-01

This article highlights a multidisciplinary collaborative program between the University of Botswana and the University of Tromso, Norway, focusing on San research and capacity-building. After 12 years of operation, this program led, in April 2010, to the creation of a new "Research Center for San Studies" at the University of Botswana.…

A Path to Successful Energy Retrofits: Early Collaboration through Integrated Project Delivery Teams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parrish, Kristen

2012-10-01

This document guides you through a process for the early design phases of retrofit projects to help you mitigate frustrations commonly experienced by building owners and designers. It outlines the value of forming an integrated project delivery team and developing a communication and information-sharing infrastructure that fosters collaboration. This guide does not present a complete process for designing an energy retrofit for a building. Instead, it focuses on the early design phase tasks related to developing and selecting energy efficiency measures (EEMs) that benefit from collaboration, and highlights the resulting advantages.

eLearning, knowledge brokering, and nursing: strengthening collaborative practice in long-term care.

PubMed

Halabisky, Brenda; Humbert, Jennie; Stodel, Emma J; MacDonald, Colla J; Chambers, Larry W; Doucette, Suzanne; Dalziel, William B; Conklin, James

2010-01-01

Interprofessional collaboration is vital to the delivery of quality care in long-term care settings; however, caregivers in long-term care face barriers to participating in training programs to improve collaborative practices. Consequently, eLearning can be used to create an environment that combines convenient, individual learning with collaborative experiential learning. Findings of this study revealed that learners enjoyed the flexibility of the Working Together learning resource. They acquired new knowledge and skills that they were able to use in their practice setting to achieve higher levels of collaborative practice. Nurses were identified as team leaders because of their pivotal role in the long-term care home and collaboration with all patient care providers. Nurses are ideal as knowledge brokers for the collaborative practice team. Quantitative findings showed no change in learner's attitudes regarding collaborative practice; however, interviews provided examples of positive changes experienced. Face-to-face collaboration was found to be a challenge, and changes to organizations, systems, and technology need to be made to facilitate this process. The Working Together learning resource is an important first step toward strengthening collaboration in long-term care, and the pilot implementation provides insights that further our understanding of both interprofessional collaboration and effective eLearning.

Collaborative Environmental Institutions: All Talk and No Action?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubell, Mark

2004-01-01

Many analysts view collaborative institutions that attempt to forge consensus and build cooperation among conflicting stakeholders as a potential remedy to the pathologies of conventional environmental policy. However, few analyses have demonstrated that collaborative institutions actually increase levels of cooperation, and critics accuse…

Collaborative diagramming during problem based learning in medical education: Do computerized diagrams support basic science knowledge construction?

PubMed

De Leng, Bas; Gijlers, Hannie

2015-05-01

To examine how collaborative diagramming affects discussion and knowledge construction when learning complex basic science topics in medical education, including its effectiveness in the reformulation phase of problem-based learning. Opinions and perceptions of students (n = 70) and tutors (n = 4) who used collaborative diagramming in tutorial groups were collected with a questionnaire and focus group discussions. A framework derived from the analysis of discourse in computer-supported collaborative leaning was used to construct the questionnaire. Video observations were used during the focus group discussions. Both students and tutors felt that collaborative diagramming positively affected discussion and knowledge construction. Students particularly appreciated that diagrams helped them to structure knowledge, to develop an overview of topics, and stimulated them to find relationships between topics. Tutors emphasized that diagramming increased interaction and enhanced the focus and detail of the discussion. Favourable conditions were the following: working with a shared whiteboard, using a diagram format that facilitated distribution, and applying half filled-in diagrams for non-content expert tutors and\\or for heterogeneous groups with low achieving students. The empirical findings in this study support the findings of earlier more descriptive studies that diagramming in a collaborative setting is valuable for learning complex knowledge in medicine.

Arguing collaboratively: Argumentative discourse types and their potential for knowledge building.

PubMed

Felton, Mark; Garcia-Mila, Merce; Villarroel, Constanza; Gilabert, Sandra

2015-09-01

There is growing interest in using argumentative discourse in educational settings. However, in a previous study, we found that discourse goals (persuasion vs. consensus) while arguing can affect student outcomes in both content learning and reasoning. In this study, we look at argumentative discourse data from a previous study to ask how differences in discourse might account for the differences we observed in learning and reasoning outcomes. One hundred and five dialogues (57 disputative, 48 consensus) between 7th grade science students attending a public high school near Tarragona, Spain. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions and paired with peers who disagreed with them on three topics related to renewable energy sources. After instruction on each topic, they were asked to either 'argue to convince' (persuasion condition) or 'argue to reach consensus' (consensus condition) on that topic. Conversations were audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Students in the persuasion condition engaged in shorter conversational exchanges around argumentative claims and were more likely to use moves that foreclosed discussion, whereas students in the consensus condition were more likely to use moves that elicited, elaborated on, and integrated their partners' ideas. When arguing to reach - rather than defend - a conclusion, students are more likely to coconstruct knowledge by exchanging and integrating arguments. These findings are consistent with predictions about the potential of argumentation for knowledge building and suggest that teachers must attend to discourse goals when using argumentation to support learning and reasoning. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

The Roles of Labor Migrants’ Wives in HIV/AIDS Risk and Prevention in Tajikistan

PubMed Central

Golobof, Alexandra; Weine, Stevan; Bahromov, Mahbat; Luo, Jing

2013-01-01

This study aimed to build formative knowledge regarding labor migrants' wives' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HIV/AIDS risk and protection that would inform developing innovative HIV prevention strategies. This was a collaborative ethnography in Tajikistan that included minimally structured interviews and focused field observations with 30 Tajik wives in Dushanbe married to Tajik male migrant workers currently working in Moscow. The results documented the wives' concerns over their husbands’ safety in Moscow and the difficulties of living without husbands. In a male-dominated society, gender norms limit the wives' abilities to protect themselves and their husbands from HIV/AIDS. They have some awareness of HIV/AIDS, but limited abilities to speak about sexual activity, HIV/AIDS, condoms, and HIV testing. Wives do not use condoms with their husbands and depend upon their husband's role as their protector. Wives often turn for support to their “circle of friends” or to a primary care nurse for support, but seldom do these relationships focus on preventing HIV/AIDS. To respond to HIV/AIDS risks amongst the wives of Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow, preventive interventions could build upon migrants' wives' role as the primary family caregiver and their existing sources of social support from women's circles and nurses. The overall intervention strategy could be to expand their role as family caregivers to include HIV/AIDS protection, through enhancing their HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention skills and negotiation strategies with their husbands. PMID:21218281

Incidence of Group Awareness Information on Students' Collaborative Learning Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pifarré, M.; Cobos, R.; Argelagós, E.

2014-01-01

This paper studies how the integration of group awareness tools in the knowledge management system called KnowCat (Knowledge Catalyser), which promotes collaborative knowledge construction, may both foster the students' perception about the meaningfulness of visualization of group awareness information and promote better collaborative…

Improving Collaborative Learning in the Classroom: Text Mining Based Grouping and Representing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkens, Melanie; Bodemer, Daniel; Hoppe, H. Ulrich

2016-01-01

Orchestrating collaborative learning in the classroom involves tasks such as forming learning groups with heterogeneous knowledge and making learners aware of the knowledge differences. However, gathering information on which the formation of appropriate groups and the creation of graphical knowledge representations can be based is very effortful…

Collaborative Knowledge Production Model in the Field of Organizational Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramstad, Elise

2008-01-01

The paper proposes a framework for collaborative knowledge production in order to enhance the amount and quality of knowledge in the field of organizational development (OD). We distinguish three types of actors that offer development services for work organizations: academic R&D units, training and educational institutes and management…

Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruffee, Kenneth A.

This volume explores the role and implications of collaborative learning for the mission and future of higher education and college teaching. Part I discusses the implications of nonfoundational social constructionist thought for colleges and universities. Nonfoundational notions of knowledge and social relations argue that knowledge has no…

Facilitating career advancement for women in the Geosciences through the Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hastings, M. G.; Kontak, R.; Holloway, T.; Kogan, M.; Laursen, S. L.; Marin-Spiotta, E.; Steiner, A. L.; Wiedinmyer, C.

2011-12-01

The Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN) is a network of women geoscientists, many of who are in the early stages of their careers. The mission of ESWN is to promote career development, build community, provide informal mentoring and support, and facilitate professional collaborations, all towards making women successful in their scientific careers. ESWN currently connects over 1000 women across the globe, and includes graduate students, postdoctoral associates, faculty from a diversity of colleges and universities, program managers, and government, non-government and industry researchers. ESWN facilitates communication between its members via an email listserv and in-person networking events, and also provides resources to the broader community through the public Earth Science Jobs Listserv that hosts over 1800 subscribers. With funding from a NSF ADVANCE PAID grant, our primary goals include growing our membership to serve a wider section of the geosciences community, designing and administering career development workshops, promoting professional networking at major scientific conferences, and developing web resources to build connections, collaborations, and peer mentoring for and among women in the Earth Sciences. Recognizing that women in particular face a number of direct and indirect biases while navigating their careers, we aim to provide a range of opportunities for professional development that emphasize different skills at different stages of career. For example, ESWN-hosted mini-workshops at national scientific conferences have targeted skill building for early career researchers (e.g., postdocs, tenure-track faculty), with a recent focus on raising extramural research funding and best practices for publishing in the geosciences literature. More concentrated, multi-day professional development workshops are offered annually with varying themes such as Defining Your Research Identity and Building Leadership Skills for Success in Scientific Organizations. These workshops bring together a variety of women with the goals of identifying personal strengths, defining career goals, building a network of contacts, and supporting actions to achieve personal and career success. ESWN members have identified increasing their professional networks as one of the most important needs for advancing their careers. As part of ESWN, members have reported gains in a number of aspects of their personal and professional lives including: knowledge about career resources; a greater understanding of the challenges facing women in science and resources to overcome them; a sense of community and therefore less isolation; greater confidence in their own career trajectories; professional collaborations; emotional support on a variety of issues; and greater engagement and retention in scientific careers.

Pursuing common agendas: a collaborative model for knowledge translation between research and practice in clinical settings.

PubMed

Baumbusch, Jennifer L; Kirkham, Sheryl Reimer; Khan, Koushambhi Basu; McDonald, Heather; Semeniuk, Pat; Tan, Elsie; Anderson, Joan M

2008-04-01

There is an emerging discourse of knowledge translation that advocates a shift away from unidirectional research utilization and evidence-based practice models toward more interactive models of knowledge transfer. In this paper, we describe how our participatory approach to knowledge translation developed during an ongoing program of research concerning equitable care for diverse populations. At the core of our approach is a collaborative relationship between researchers and practitioners, which underpins the knowledge translation cycle, and occurs simultaneously with data collection/analysis/synthesis. We discuss lessons learned including: the complexities of translating knowledge within the political landscape of healthcare delivery, the need to negotiate the agendas of researchers and practitioners in a collaborative approach, and the kinds of resources needed to support this process.

Explaining Authors' Contribution to Pivotal Artifacts during Mass Collaboration in the Wikipedia's Knowledge Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halatchliyski, Iassen; Moskaliuk, Johannes; Kimmerle, Joachim; Cress, Ulrike

2014-01-01

This article discusses the relevance of large-scale mass collaboration for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research, adhering to a theoretical perspective that views collective knowledge both as substance and as participatory activity. In an empirical study using the German Wikipedia as a data source, we explored collective…

Improving Virtual Team Collaboration Outcomes through Collaboration Process Structuring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dittman, Dawn R.; Hawkes, Mark; Deokar, Amit V.; Sarnikar, Surendra

2010-01-01

The ability to collaborate in a virtual team is a necessary skill set for today's knowledge workers and students to be effective in their work. Past research indicates that knowledge workers and students need to establish a formal process to perform work, develop clear goals and objectives, and facilitate better communication among team members.…

NASA's Indigenous Capacity Building Initiative: Balancing Traditional Knowledge and Existing Remote Sensing Training to Inform Management Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCullum, A. J. K.; Schmidt, C.; Palacios, S. L.; Ly, V.

2017-12-01

NASA's Indigenous Capacity Building Initiative is aimed to provide remote sensing training, mentoring, and research opportunities to the indigenous community. A key programmatic goal is the co-production of place-based trainings where participants have the opportunity to address specific natural resource research and management issues facing their tribal lands. Three primary strategies have been adopted to engage with our tribal partners, these include: (1) the use of existing tribal networks and conferences such as the National Tribal GIS Conference, (2) coordination with other federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal liaisons at regional Climate Science Centers, and (3) connecting with tribes directly. Regional partner visits with tribes, such as meetings with the Samish Indian Nation, are integral to cultivate trusting, collaborative, and sustained partnerships and an understanding of how Earth Observations can be applied to the unique set of challenges and goals each tribe faces. As the program continues to grow, we aim to increase our incorporation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into technical methods and to develop trainings tailored to thematic areas of interest to specific tribes. Engagement and feedback are encouraged to refine our approaches to increase capacity within the indigenous community to utilize NASA Earth Observations.

Biological inquiry: a new course and assessment plan in response to the call to transform undergraduate biology.

PubMed

Goldey, Ellen S; Abercrombie, Clarence L; Ivy, Tracie M; Kusher, Dave I; Moeller, John F; Rayner, Doug A; Smith, Charles F; Spivey, Natalie W

2012-01-01

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which >50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in class and in labs, which are devoted to building authentic research skills through open-ended experiments. Students develop core biological knowledge, from the ecosystem to molecular level, and core skills through regular practice in hypothesis testing, reading primary literature, analyzing data, interpreting results, writing in disciplinary style, and working in teams. Assignments and exams require higher-order cognitive processes, and students build new knowledge and skills through investigation of real-world problems (e.g., malaria), which engages students' interest. Evidence from direct and indirect assessment has guided continuous course revision and has revealed that compared with the course it replaced, Biological Inquiry produces significant learning gains in all targeted areas. It also retains 94% of students (both BA and BS track) compared with 79% in the majors-only course it replaced. The project has had broad impact across the entire college and reflects the input of numerous constituencies and close collaboration among biology professors and students.

Biological Inquiry: A New Course and Assessment Plan in Response to the Call to Transform Undergraduate Biology

PubMed Central

Goldey, Ellen S.; Abercrombie, Clarence L.; Ivy, Tracie M.; Kusher, Dave I.; Moeller, John F.; Rayner, Doug A.; Smith, Charles F.; Spivey, Natalie W.

2012-01-01

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which >50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in class and in labs, which are devoted to building authentic research skills through open-ended experiments. Students develop core biological knowledge, from the ecosystem to molecular level, and core skills through regular practice in hypothesis testing, reading primary literature, analyzing data, interpreting results, writing in disciplinary style, and working in teams. Assignments and exams require higher-order cognitive processes, and students build new knowledge and skills through investigation of real-world problems (e.g., malaria), which engages students’ interest. Evidence from direct and indirect assessment has guided continuous course revision and has revealed that compared with the course it replaced, Biological Inquiry produces significant learning gains in all targeted areas. It also retains 94% of students (both BA and BS track) compared with 79% in the majors-only course it replaced. The project has had broad impact across the entire college and reflects the input of numerous constituencies and close collaboration among biology professors and students. PMID:23222831

Social multiplier effects: academics' and practitioners' perspective on the benefits of a tuberculosis operational research capacity-building program in Indonesia.

PubMed

Probandari, Ari; Mahendradhata, Yodi; Widjanarko, Bagoes; Alisjahbana, Bachti

2017-01-01

The Tuberculosis Operational Research Group (TORG) implemented a capacity-building model involving academics and practitioners (i.e. clinicians or program staff) in an operational research (OR) team in Indonesia. This study explored academics' and practitioners' perspectives regarding the benefits of participating in a tuberculosis (TB) OR capacity-building program in Indonesia. We conducted a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 36 academics and 23 practitioners undertaking the TORG capacity-building program. We asked open-ended questions about their experience of the program. Data were analyzed via content analysis. The findings demonstrated the social multiplier effects of the OR capacity-building program. Both academics and practitioners reported perceived improvements in research knowledge, skills, and experience, and described additional individual- and institutional-level benefits. The individual-level benefits level included improvements in understanding of the TB program, motivation for research and self-satisfaction, the development/enhancement of individual networking, receipt of recognition, and new opportunities. The additional benefits reported at an institutional level included improvement in research curricula, in-house training, and program management and the development/enhancement of institutional partnerships. The program improved not only individuals' capacity for conducting OR but also the quality of the TB program management and public health education. OR should be included in research methodology curricula for postgraduate public health/disease control programs. The capacity-building model, in which academics and program staff collaborated within an OR team, should be promoted.

Building Arguments: Key to Collaborative Scaffolding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cáceres, M.; Nussbaum, M.; Marroquín, M.; Gleisner, S.; Marquínez, J. T.

2018-01-01

Collaborative problem-solving in the classroom is a student-centred pedagogical practice that looks to improve learning. However, collaboration does not occur spontaneously; instead it needs to be guided by appropriate scaffolding. In this study we explore whether a script that explicitly incorporates constructing arguments in collaborative…

Coordinating Centers in Cancer-Epidemiology Research: The Asia Cohort Consortium Coordinating Center

PubMed Central

Rolland, Betsy; Smith, Briana R; Potter, John D

2011-01-01

Although it is tacitly recognized that a good Coordinating Center (CC) is essential to the success of any multi-site collaborative project, very little study has been done on what makes a CC successful, why some CCs fail, or how to build a CC that meets the needs of a given project. Moreover, very little published guidance is available, as few CCs outside the clinical-trial realm write about their work. The Asia Cohort Consortium (ACC) is a collaborative cancer-epidemiology research project that has made strong scientific and organizational progress over the past three years by focusing its CC on the following activities: collaboration development; operations management; statistical and data management; and communications infrastructure and tool development. Our hope is that, by sharing our experience building the ACC CC, we can begin a conversation about what it means to run a coordinating center for multi-institutional collaboration in cancer epidemiology, help other collaborative projects solve some of the issues associated with collaborative research, and learn from others. PMID:21803842

Effective nursing leadership of older persons in the community - a systematic review.

PubMed

Holm, Anne Lise; Severinsson, Elisabeth

2014-03-01

The aim of this systematic review was to increase the knowledge of developing effective nursing leadership and management in order to improve the outcomes of older persons in the community. There is a need for increased knowledge of nursing leadership and management in order to improve the outcomes of older persons in the community. A review of the literature published in different databases between January 2000 and May 2012 was conducted. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated by means of thematic content analysis. Six themes were identified: Ability to change the attitudes towards older persons; Building trust; Ensuring efficacy in management decisions; Lack of knowledge about how to overcome relational challenges; Health system collaboration to achieve goals and visions; and Staff members' experiences of the meaning of and possibility to influence their work, all of which are of importance for effective nursing leadership and management in the care of older persons. Advanced nursing knowledge is necessary in order to improve the work and vision involved in nursing leadership and management. Findings indicate that relational and organisational abilities are necessary components of effective nursing leadership and management. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm based on weighted SimRank and social trust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Chang; Zhang, Butao

2017-05-01

Collaborative filtering is one of the most widely used recommendation technologies, but the data sparsity and cold start problem of collaborative filtering algorithms are difficult to solve effectively. In order to alleviate the problem of data sparsity in collaborative filtering algorithm, firstly, a weighted improved SimRank algorithm is proposed to compute the rating similarity between users in rating data set. The improved SimRank can find more nearest neighbors for target users according to the transmissibility of rating similarity. Then, we build trust network and introduce the calculation of trust degree in the trust relationship data set. Finally, we combine rating similarity and trust to build a comprehensive similarity in order to find more appropriate nearest neighbors for target user. Experimental results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper improves the recommendation precision of the Collaborative algorithm effectively.

Innovations in nutrition education and global health: the Bangalore Boston nutrition collaborative

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background India has a wide range of nutrition and health problems which require professionals with appropriate skills, knowledge and trans-disciplinary collaborative abilities to influence policy making at the national and global level. Methods The Bangalore Boston Nutrition Collaborative (BBNC) was established as collaboration between St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI), Harvard School of Public Health and Tufts University, with a focus on nutrition research and training. The goals of the BBNC were to conduct an interdisciplinary course, develop web-based courses and identify promising Indian students and junior faculty for graduate training in Boston. Results From 2010, an annual two-week short course in nutrition research methods was conducted on the SJRI campus taught by international faculty from Indian and US universities. More than 100 students applied yearly for approximately 30 positions. The course had didactic lectures in the morning and practical hands-on sessions in the afternoon. Student rating of the course was excellent and consistent across the years. The ratings on the design and conduct of the course significantly improved (p <0.001) from 2010 to 2012. Through open-ended questions, students reported the main strengths of the course to be the excellent faculty and practical “hands-on” sessions. A web based learning system TYRO, was developed, which can be used for distance learning. Four faculty members/graduate students from SJRI have visited Boston for collaborative research efforts. Conclusion The BBNC has become a well-established capacity building and research training program for young professionals in nutrition and global health. Efforts are ongoing to secure long term funding to sustain and expand this collaboration to deliver high quality nutrition and global health education enabled by information and communication technologies. PMID:24400811

Innovations in nutrition education and global health: the Bangalore Boston nutrition collaborative.

PubMed

Kuriyan, Rebecca; Griffiths, Jeffrey K; Finkelstein, Julia L; Thomas, Tinku; Raj, Tony; Bosch, Ronald J; Kurpad, Anura V; Duggan, Christopher

2014-01-08

India has a wide range of nutrition and health problems which require professionals with appropriate skills, knowledge and trans-disciplinary collaborative abilities to influence policy making at the national and global level. The Bangalore Boston Nutrition Collaborative (BBNC) was established as collaboration between St. John's Research Institute (SJRI), Harvard School of Public Health and Tufts University, with a focus on nutrition research and training. The goals of the BBNC were to conduct an interdisciplinary course, develop web-based courses and identify promising Indian students and junior faculty for graduate training in Boston. From 2010, an annual two-week short course in nutrition research methods was conducted on the SJRI campus taught by international faculty from Indian and US universities. More than 100 students applied yearly for approximately 30 positions. The course had didactic lectures in the morning and practical hands-on sessions in the afternoon. Student rating of the course was excellent and consistent across the years. The ratings on the design and conduct of the course significantly improved (p <0.001) from 2010 to 2012. Through open-ended questions, students reported the main strengths of the course to be the excellent faculty and practical "hands-on" sessions. A web based learning system TYRO, was developed, which can be used for distance learning. Four faculty members/graduate students from SJRI have visited Boston for collaborative research efforts. The BBNC has become a well-established capacity building and research training program for young professionals in nutrition and global health. Efforts are ongoing to secure long term funding to sustain and expand this collaboration to deliver high quality nutrition and global health education enabled by information and communication technologies.

Global medical education partnerships to expand specialty expertise: a case report on building neurology clinical and research capacity.

PubMed

Kaddumukasa, Mark; Katabira, Elly; Salata, Robert A; Costa, Marco A; Ddumba, Edward; Furlan, Anthony; Kakooza-Mwesige, Angelina; Kamya, Moses R; Kayima, James; Longenecker, Chris T; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Mondo, Charles; Moore, Shirley; Pundik, Svetlana; Sewankambo, Nelson; Simon, Daniel I; Smyth, Kathleen A; Sajatovic, Martha

2014-12-30

Neurological disorders are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African, but resources for their management are scarce. Collaborations between training institutions in developed and resource-limited countries can be a successful model for supporting specialty medical education and increasing clinical and research capacity. This report describes a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to enhance expertise in neurology, developed between Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, USA. This collaborative model is based on a successful medical education and research model that has been developed over the past two decades. The Ugandan and US teams have accumulated knowledge and 'lessons learned' that facilitate specialty expertise in neurological conditions, which are widespread and associated with substantial disability in resource-limited countries. Strengths of the model include a focus on community health care settings and a strong research component. Key elements include strong local leadership; use of remote technology, templates to standardize performance; shared exchanges; mechanisms to optimize sustainability and of dissemination activities that expand impact of the original initiative. Efficient collaborations are further enhanced by external and institutional support, and can be sequentially refined. Models such as the Makerere University College of Health Sciences - Case Western Reserve University partnership may help other groups initiate collaborative education programmes and establish successful partnerships that may provide the opportunity to expand to other chronic diseases. A benefit of collaboration is that learning is two-directional, and interaction with other international medical education collaborators is likely to be of benefit to the larger global health community.

Alwyne (Wyn) Cooper Wheeler (1929-2005) and the libraries of the Natural History Museum, London.

PubMed

Datta, Ann

2009-01-01

As a senior scientist working in the Fish Section of the Department of Zoology at the Natural History Museum, Alwyne (Wyn) Wheeler was a regular library user and well-known to library staff. Always amiable and helpful, and possessing a broad general knowledge of natural history as well as expertise on fishes, Wyn interacted with library staff at all levels. A close working relationship developed where he contributed to section library management and collection building. He also published catalogues of some of the library's most important art collections. This paper celebrates the collaboration between Museum scientist Wyn Wheeler and librarians at the National History Museum.

CHARIS (Contribution to High Asia Runoff from Ice and Snow) Lessons Learned in Capacity-Building for Hydrological Sciences with Asian Partner Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodzik, M. J.; Armstrong, R. L.; Armstrong, B. R.; Barrett, A. P.; Fetterer, F. M.; Hill, A. F.; Hughes, H.; Khalsa, S. J. S.; Racoviteanu, A.; Raup, B. H.; Rittger, K.; Williams, M. W.; Wilson, A. M.

2016-12-01

Funded by USAID and based at the University of Colorado, the Contribution to High Asia Runoff from Ice & Snow (CHARIS) project has among its objectives both scientific and capacity-building goals. We are systematically assessing the role of glaciers and seasonal snow in the freshwater resources of High Asia to better forecast future availability and vulnerability of water resources in the region. We are collaborating with Asian partner institutions in eight nations across High Asia (Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). Our capacity-building activities include data-sharing, training, supporting field work and education and infrastructure development, which includes creating the only water-chemistry laboratory of its kind in Bhutan. We have also derived reciprocal benefits from our partners, learning from their specialized local knowledge and obtaining access to otherwise unavailable in situ data. Our presentation will share lessons learned in our annual training workshops with our Asian collaborators, at which we have interspersed remote sensing and hydrological modelling lectures with GIS and python programming, and hands-on applications using remote sensing data. Our challenges have included technological issues such as: power incompatibilities, reliable shipping methods to remote locations, bandwidth limitations to transferring large remote sensing data sets, cost of proprietary software, choosing among free software alternatives, and negotiating the formats and jargon of remote sensing data to get to the science as quickly as possible. We will describe successes and failures in training methods we have used, what we look for in training venue facilities, and how our approach has changed in response to student evaluations and partner feedback.

Placing "Knowledge" in Teacher Education in the English Further Education Sector: An Alternative Approach Based on Collaboration and Evidence-Based Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loo, Sai Y.

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on teacher education in the English further education sector, where the teaching of disciplinary and pedagogic knowledge is an issue. Using research findings, the paper advocates an approach based on collaboration and informed research to emphasize and integrate knowledge(s) in situated teaching contexts despite working in a…

Creating and testing the concept of an academic NGO for enhancing health equity: a new mode of knowledge production?

PubMed

Robinson, Vivian; Tugwell, Peter; Walker, Peter; Ter Kuile, Aleida A; Neufeld, Vic; Hatcher-Roberts, Janet; Amaratunga, Carol; Andersson, Neil; Doull, Marion; Labonte, Ron; Muckle, Wendy; Murangira, Felicite; Nyamai, Caroline; Ralph-Robinson, Dawn; Simpson, Don; Sitthi-Amorn, Chitr; Turnbull, Jeff; Walker, Joelle; Wood, Chris

2007-08-01

Collaborative action is required to address persistent and systematic health inequities which exist for most diseases in most countries of the world. The Academic NGO initiative (ACANGO) described in this paper was set up as a focused network giving priority to twinned partnerships between Academic research centres and community-based NGOs. ACANGO aims to capture the strengths of both in order to build consensus among stakeholders, engage the community, focus on leadership training, shared management and resource development and deployment. A conceptual model was developed through a series of community consultations. This model was tested with four academic-community challenge projects based in Kenya, Canada, Thailand and Rwanda and an online forum and coordinating hub based at the University of Ottawa. Between February 2005 and February 2007, each of the four challenge projects was able to show specific outputs, outcomes and impacts related to enhancing health equity through the relevant production and application of knowledge. The ACANGO initiative model and network has demonstrated success in enhancing the production and use of knowledge in program design and implementation for vulnerable populations.

Informatics, evidence-based care, and research; implications for national policy: a report of an American Medical Informatics Association health policy conference.

PubMed

Bloomrosen, Meryl; Detmer, Don E

2010-01-01

There is an increased level of activity in the biomedical and health informatics world (e-prescribing, electronic health records, personal health records) that, in the near future, will yield a wealth of available data that we can exploit meaningfully to strengthen knowledge building and evidence creation, and ultimately improve clinical and preventive care. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2008 Health Policy Conference was convened to focus and propel discussions about informatics-enabled evidence-based care, clinical research, and knowledge management. Conference participants explored the potential of informatics tools and technologies to improve the evidence base on which providers and patients can draw to diagnose and treat health problems. The paper presents a model of an evidence continuum that is dynamic, collaborative, and powered by health informatics technologies. The conference's findings are described, and recommendations on terminology harmonization, facilitation of the evidence continuum in a "wired" world, development and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and other knowledge support strategies, and the role of diverse stakeholders in the generation and adoption of evidence are presented.

Science Partnerships Enabling Rapid Response: Designing a Strategy for Improving Scientific Collaboration during Crisis Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mease, L.; Gibbs, T.; Adiseshan, T.

2014-12-01

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster required unprecedented engagement and collaboration with scientists from multiple disciplines across government, academia, and industry. Although this spurred the rapid advancement of valuable new scientific knowledge and tools, it also exposed weaknesses in the system of information dissemination and exchange among the scientists from those three sectors. Limited government communication with the broader scientific community complicated the rapid mobilization of the scientific community to assist with spill response, evaluation of impact, and public perceptions of the crisis. The lessons and new laws produced from prior spills such as Exxon Valdez were helpful, but ultimately did not lead to the actions necessary to prepare a suitable infrastructure that would support collaboration with non-governmental scientists. As oil demand pushes drilling into increasingly extreme environments, addressing the challenge of effective, science-based disaster response is an imperative. Our study employs a user-centered design process to 1) understand the obstacles to and opportunity spaces for effective scientific collaboration during environmental crises such as large oil spills, 2) identify possible tools and strategies to enable rapid information exchange between government responders and non-governmental scientists from multiple relevant disciplines, and 3) build a network of key influencers to secure sufficient buy-in for scaled implementation of appropriate tools and strategies. Our methods include user ethnography, complex system mapping, individual and system behavioral analysis, and large-scale system design to identify and prototype a solution to this crisis collaboration challenge. In this talk, we will present out insights gleaned from existing analogs of successful scientific collaboration during crises and our initial findings from the 60 targeted interviews we conducted that highlight key collaboration challenges that government agencies, academic research institutions, and industry scientists face during oil spill crises. We will also present a synthesis of leverage points in the system that may amplify the impact of an improved collaboration strategy among scientific stakeholders.

Building co-management as a process: problem solving through partnerships in Aboriginal country, Australia.

PubMed

Zurba, Melanie; Ross, Helen; Izurieta, Arturo; Rist, Philip; Bock, Ellie; Berkes, Fikret

2012-06-01

Collaborative problem solving has increasingly become important in the face of the complexities in the management of resources, including protected areas. The strategy undertaken by Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in north tropical Queensland, Australia, for developing co-management demonstrates the potential for a problem solving approach involving sequential initiatives, as an alternative to the more familiar negotiated agreements for co-management. Our longitudinal case study focuses on the development of indigenous ranger units as a strategic mechanism for the involvement of traditional owners in managing their country in collaboration with government and other interested parties. This was followed by Australia's first traditional use of marine resources agreement, and development of a multi-jurisdictional, land to sea, indigenous protected area. In using a relationship building approach to develop regional scale co-management, Girringun has been strengthening its capabilities as collaborator and regional service provider, thus, bringing customary decision-making structures into play to 'care for country'. From this evolving process we have identified the key components of a relationship building strategy, 'the pillars of co-management'. This approach includes learning-by-doing, the building of respect and rapport, sorting out responsibilities, practical engagement, and capacity-building.

Building Co-Management as a Process: Problem Solving Through Partnerships in Aboriginal Country, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zurba, Melanie; Ross, Helen; Izurieta, Arturo; Rist, Philip; Bock, Ellie; Berkes, Fikret

2012-06-01

Collaborative problem solving has increasingly become important in the face of the complexities in the management of resources, including protected areas. The strategy undertaken by Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in north tropical Queensland, Australia, for developing co-management demonstrates the potential for a problem solving approach involving sequential initiatives, as an alternative to the more familiar negotiated agreements for co-management. Our longitudinal case study focuses on the development of indigenous ranger units as a strategic mechanism for the involvement of traditional owners in managing their country in collaboration with government and other interested parties. This was followed by Australia's first traditional use of marine resources agreement, and development of a multi-jurisdictional, land to sea, indigenous protected area. In using a relationship building approach to develop regional scale co-management, Girringun has been strengthening its capabilities as collaborator and regional service provider, thus, bringing customary decision-making structures into play to `care for country'. From this evolving process we have identified the key components of a relationship building strategy, `the pillars of co-management'. This approach includes learning-by-doing, the building of respect and rapport, sorting out responsibilities, practical engagement, and capacity-building.

Linking Research, Education and Public Engagement in Geoscience: Leadership and Strategic Partnerships.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moosavi, S. C.

2017-12-01

By their very nature, the geosciences address societal challenges requiring a complex interplay between the research community, geoscience educators and public engagement with the general population to build their knowledge base and convince them to act appropriately to implement policies guided by scientific understanding. The most effective responses to geoscience challenges arise when strong collaborative structures connecting research, education and the public are in place to afford rapid communication and trust at all stages of the investigative and policy implementation processes. Educational programs that involve students and scientists via service learning exploring high profile issues of community interest and outreach to teachers through professional development build the network of relationships with geoscientists to respond rapidly to solve societal problems. These pre-existing personal connections simultaneously hold wider credibility with the public than unfamiliar scientific experts less accustomed to speaking to general audiences. The Geological Society of America is leveraging the research and educational experience of its members to build a self-sustaining state/regional network of K-12 professional development workshops designed to link the academic, research, governmental and industrial communities. The goal is not only to improve the content knowledge and pedagogical skills which teachers bring to their students, but also to build a diverse community of trust capable of responding to geoscience challenges in a fashion relevant to local communities. Dr. Moosavi is building this program by drawing on his background as a biogeochemistry researcher with 20 years experience focused on use of place-based approaches in general education and pre- and in-service teacher preparation in Research 1 and comprehensive universities, liberal arts and community colleges and high school. Experience with K-12 professional development working with the Minnesota Mineral Education Workshop and an undergraduate service learning research program related to beach erosion and the BP Oil Spill on Grand Isle, Louisiana are of particular value to this effort.

Evidence-informed capacity building for setting health priorities in low- and middle-income countries: A framework and recommendations for further research.

PubMed

Li, Ryan; Ruiz, Francis; Culyer, Anthony J; Chalkidou, Kalipso; Hofman, Karen J

2017-01-01

Priority-setting in health is risky and challenging, particularly in resource-constrained settings. It is not simply a narrow technical exercise, and involves the mobilisation of a wide range of capacities among stakeholders - not only the technical capacity to "do" research in economic evaluations. Using the Individuals, Nodes, Networks and Environment (INNE) framework, we identify those stakeholders, whose capacity needs will vary along the evidence-to-policy continuum. Policymakers and healthcare managers require the capacity to commission and use relevant evidence (including evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness, and of social values); academics need to understand and respond to decision-makers' needs to produce relevant research. The health system at all levels will need institutional capacity building to incentivise routine generation and use of evidence. Knowledge brokers, including priority-setting agencies (such as England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and Health Interventions and Technology Assessment Program, Thailand) and the media can play an important role in facilitating engagement and knowledge transfer between the various actors. Especially at the outset but at every step, it is critical that patients and the public understand that trade-offs are inherent in priority-setting, and careful efforts should be made to engage them, and to hear their views throughout the process. There is thus no single approach to capacity building; rather a spectrum of activities that recognises the roles and skills of all stakeholders. A range of methods, including formal and informal training, networking and engagement, and support through collaboration on projects, should be flexibly employed (and tailored to specific needs of each country) to support institutionalisation of evidence-informed priority-setting. Finally, capacity building should be a two-way process; those who build capacity should also attend to their own capacity development in order to sustain and improve impact.

Evidence-informed capacity building for setting health priorities in low- and middle-income countries: A framework and recommendations for further research

PubMed Central

Li, Ryan; Ruiz, Francis; Culyer, Anthony J; Chalkidou, Kalipso; Hofman, Karen J

2017-01-01

Priority-setting in health is risky and challenging, particularly in resource-constrained settings. It is not simply a narrow technical exercise, and involves the mobilisation of a wide range of capacities among stakeholders – not only the technical capacity to “do” research in economic evaluations. Using the Individuals, Nodes, Networks and Environment (INNE) framework, we identify those stakeholders, whose capacity needs will vary along the evidence-to-policy continuum. Policymakers and healthcare managers require the capacity to commission and use relevant evidence (including evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness, and of social values); academics need to understand and respond to decision-makers’ needs to produce relevant research. The health system at all levels will need institutional capacity building to incentivise routine generation and use of evidence. Knowledge brokers, including priority-setting agencies (such as England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and Health Interventions and Technology Assessment Program, Thailand) and the media can play an important role in facilitating engagement and knowledge transfer between the various actors. Especially at the outset but at every step, it is critical that patients and the public understand that trade-offs are inherent in priority-setting, and careful efforts should be made to engage them, and to hear their views throughout the process. There is thus no single approach to capacity building; rather a spectrum of activities that recognises the roles and skills of all stakeholders. A range of methods, including formal and informal training, networking and engagement, and support through collaboration on projects, should be flexibly employed (and tailored to specific needs of each country) to support institutionalisation of evidence-informed priority-setting. Finally, capacity building should be a two-way process; those who build capacity should also attend to their own capacity development in order to sustain and improve impact. PMID:28721199

The Relation between Prior Knowledge and Students' Collaborative Discovery Learning Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gijlers, Hannie; de Jong, Ton

2005-01-01

In this study we investigate how prior knowledge influences knowledge development during collaborative discovery learning. Fifteen dyads of students (pre-university education, 15-16 years old) worked on a discovery learning task in the physics field of kinematics. The (face-to-face) communication between students was recorded and the interaction…

The Knowledge Web: Learning and Collaborating on the Net. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenstadt, Marc, Ed.; Vincent, Tom, Ed.

This book contains a collection of examples of new and effective uses of the World Wide Web in education from the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) at the Open University (Great Britain). The publication is organized in three main sections--"Learning Media,""Collaboration and Presence," and "Knowledge Systems on the…

Knowledge Translation and Interprofessional Collaboration: Where the Rubber of Evidence-Based Care Hits the Road of Teamwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zwarenstein, Merrick; Reeves, Scott

2006-01-01

Knowledge-translation interventions and interprofessional education and collaboration interventions all aim at improving health care processes and outcomes. Knowledge-translation interventions attempt to increase evidence-based practice by a single professional group and thus may fail to take into account barriers from difficulties in…

Collaborative Learning and Knowledge-Construction through a Knowledge-Based WWW Authoring Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haugsjaa, Erik

This paper outlines hurdles to using the World Wide Web for learning, specifically in a collaborative knowledge-construction environment. Theoretical solutions based directly on existing Web environments, as well as on research and system prototypes in the areas of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) and ITS authoring systems, are suggested. Topics…

A Collaborative Multimedia Annotation Tool for Enhancing Knowledge Sharing in CSCL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Stephen J. H.; Zhang, Jia; Su, Addison Y. S.; Tsai, Jeffrey J. P.

2011-01-01

Knowledge sharing in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) requires intensive social interactions among participants, typically in the form of annotations. An annotation refers to an explicit expression of knowledge that is attached to a document to reveal the conceptual meanings of an annotator's implicit thoughts. In this research, we…

Education Management Organizations' Collaborative Leadership Practices for Low-Performing Urban Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cupidore, Calvin C., Jr.

2017-01-01

Educators have regarded building leader-member relationships using collaboration as a fundamental component to successfully improve students' academic achievement. Ineffective collaborative leadership practices may lead to achievement deficits particularly for many urban charter schools operated by educational management organizations. The purpose…

An online app platform enhances collaborative medical student group learning and classroom management.

PubMed

Peacock, Justin G; Grande, Joseph P

2016-01-01

The authors presented their results in effectively using a free and widely-accessible online app platform to manage and teach a first-year pathology course at Mayo Medical School. The authors utilized the Google "Blogger", "Forms", "Flubaroo", "Sheets", "Docs", and "Slides" apps to effectively build a collaborative classroom teaching and management system. Students were surveyed on the use of the app platform in the classroom, and 44 (94%) students responded. Thirty-two (73%) of the students reported that "Blogger" was an effective place for online discussion of pathology topics and questions. 43 (98%) of the students reported that the "Forms/Flubaroo" grade-reporting system was helpful. 40 (91%) of the students used the remote, collaborative features of "Slides" to create team-based learning presentations, and 39 (89%) of the students found those collaborative features helpful. "Docs" helped teaching assistants to collaboratively create study guides or grading rubrics. Overall, 41 (93%) of the students found that the app platform was helpful in establishing a collaborative, online classroom environment. The online app platform allowed faculty to build an efficient and effective classroom teaching and management system. The ease of accessibility and opportunity for collaboration allowed for collaborative learning, grading, and teaching.

Coordinated Implicitly? An Empirical Study on the Role of Social Media in Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xi; Chen, Hui; Ordóñez de Pablos, Patricia; Lytras, Miltiadis D.; Sun, Yongqiang

2016-01-01

As social media is widely adopted in collaborative learning, which places teams in a virtual environment, it is critical for teams to identify and leverage the knowledge of their members. Yet little is known about how social media influences teams to coordinate their knowledge and collaborate effectively. In this research, we explore the roles of…

Studying Research Collaboration Patterns via Co-authorship Analysis in the Field of TeL: The Case of "Educational Technology & Society" Journal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zervas, Panagiotis; Tsitmidelli, Asimenia; Sampson, Demetrios G.; Chen, Nian-Shing; Kinshuk

2014-01-01

Research collaboration is studied in different research areas, so as to provide useful insights on how researchers combine existing distributed scientific knowledge and transform it into new knowledge. Commonly used metrics for measuring research collaborative activity include, among others, the co-authored publications (concerned with who works…

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opportunities to take advantage of our residential and commercial buildings expertise. Here's how you can work commercial and public sectors to improve building energy performance is central to its mission. Learn about available for collaborative research opportunities. Commercial Solutions NREL's Commercial Buildings team