Digital Commons Network^™

The Knottiest Of Gordian Knots: Article 17 Of The Copyright Directive, Mark Hyland, Thomas Perry

Articles

This article analyses the much debated Article 17 of the EU Copyright Directive (Directive 2019/790) in the light of last year’s comprehensive European Commission guidance. The aim of the guidance is to support a correct and coherent transposition of Article 17 across the EU27. Following the recent landmark judgment in Case C-401/19, Poland v European Parliament and Council of the EU, some commentators have now suggested that it might be timely for the European Commission to issue further guidance on Article 17.

Automation, Ai, And Future Skills Needs: An Irish Perspective, Raimunda Bukartaite, Daire Hooper

Articles

This study explores insights from key stakeholders into the skills they believe will be necessary for the future of work as we become more reliant on artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. The study also seeks to understand what human resource policies and educational interventions are needed to support and take advantage of these changes.

Single-System And Dual-Process Accounts Of Explicit And Implicit Memory, Rory Wilfrid Spanton

School of Psychology Theses

While some expressions of memory are accompanied by conscious awareness, others do not elicit this awareness yet still impact task performance. Theorists have long questioned whether these explicit and implicit forms of memory are governed by separate cognitive systems or a single system. There is much behavioural evidence for multiple-systems and dual-process accounts, mainly focusing on studies of recognition memory and long-term repetition priming. However, experimental results and mathematical modelling have shown the ability of a single-system account to explain the relationship between various forms of explicit and implicit memory. This thesis uses behavioural experiments and mathematical modelling to further …

Graphene-Based Biosensors For Quantitative Characterisation Of Dna Methylation, Mina Safarzadeh

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

DNA methylation is associated with various diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, making it a potential biomarker to diagnose and prognose these diseases. Hence, a tool to detect and quantify DNA methylation can be valuable to improve clinical tests. In this thesis, we report two different biosensors for the detection and quantification of methylated tumour suppressor gene, O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which is a potential biomarker for brain tumours and breast cancer. Both of the reported biosensors in this thesis are based on screen-printed reduced graphene oxide electrodes (rGO SPEs) and are electrochemical biosensors. In the Ab/ssDNA biosensor the …

Phenomenology From Lattice Field Theory Simulations, Gaurav Sinha Ray

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Lattice QCD is a well-established ab initio probe of the Strong interaction in the low energy nonperturbative regime. As a systematically improvable numerical tool it has proven an effective means of validating the Standard Model against observations from particle physics experiments. In this thesis two topics of phenomenological importance are studied on lattices generated with the Nf = 2+1+1 Highly Improved Staggered Quark action, the spectroscopy of hybrid charmonium mesons, and the hadronic vacuum polarisation. Chapters 1 and 2 serve as a brief introduction to the lattice and provide the relevant background on the theoretical concepts. Basic ingredients such as …

Optimizing Flow Routing Using Network Performance Analysis, Muna Al-Saadi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The main task of a network is to hold and transfer data between its nodes. To achieve this task, the network needs to find the optimal route for data to travel by employing a particular routing system. This system has a specific job that examines each possible path for data and chooses the suitable one and transmit the data packets where it needs to go as fast as possible. In addition, it contributes to enhance the performance of network as optimal routing algorithm helps to run network efficiently. The clear performance advantage that provides by routing procedures is the faster …

Immersive Multidimensional Data Visualisation Using Geon Based Objects, Marius Varga

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In an ever-expanding technologically driven society large amounts of data are being generated daily. The sheer volume of data is becoming a challenge to understand or use in the decision-making process. This is not only limited to businesses, politicians or scientists but it is becoming more relevant to the general public as well. The data has become a commodity, but its value is closely tied to our ability, as data owners, to extract meaning from it. Typically, the process is complex and mainly reserved for proficient data scientists who are familiar with the process of extracting information and the specialised …

Developing Entrepreneurial Skillsets Amongst Rural Women In Uganda, Sylvia Gavigan, Thomas M. Cooney, Klavs Ciprikis

Articles

Purpose: Rural women in Africa have less entrepreneurship opportunities than men. This is mainly due to societal expectations of women, but it may also be caused by a lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills due to their work in agriculture-related activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial skillsets of rural women working in Uganda and how such training influences their entrepreneurial activity.

Design/methodology/approach: The primary data set for this study comes from surveys of rural women working in agriculture who participated in a specific entrepreneurship training programme in Uganda. A …

Enhancing The Thermo-Optic Tuning Performance Of Whispering Gallery Modes In A Microcapillary Resonator Filled With Nematic Liquid Crystals, Zhe Wang, Arun Kumar Mallik, Fangfang Wei, Zhuochen Wang, Anuradha Rout, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

We investigated both theoretically and experimentally, the thermo-optic tuning of whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in a microcapillary resonator filled with nematic liquid-crystal (LC). The tuning of WGMs was realized due to the photo-thermal effect of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) on the surface of a fiber half-taper connected to a pump laser source, resulting in temperature-induced refractive index (RI) changes of the LC material. Based on perturbation theory, we analyzed the influence the RI and the wall thickness on the sensitivity of the proposed tuning scheme. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrated that increasing the thickness of the MNPs coating on the fiber taper surface …

Racialization Of Muslim Students In Australia, Ireland, And The United States: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Melanie C. Brooks, Miriam D. Ezzani Miriam D. Ezzani, Youcef Sai, Fida Sanjakdar

Journal Articles

The purpose of this qualitative cross-cultural case study was to better understand how Muslim students living in Australia, Ireland, and the United States navigated racism to identify ways in which school leaders and teachers can better address the structural, historical, and socioeconomic roots of racial injustice, discrimination, and ongoing oppression. Data collection was guided by a shared interview protocol that asked questions regarding family background, personal interests, identity, and friendships with a focus on their experiences of anti-Muslim racism in secondary schools. Findings suggested that Muslim students navigated racialization by (de)constructing their Muslimness, seeking voice, navigating between inclusion and exclusion, …

Interfacing Between Blended Case Teaching And International Case Competitions As Undergraduate Student Inquiry And Literacy In Marketing Programmes, Roisin Donnelly, Roger Sherlock

Journal Articles

This practice example explores the inquiry-based relationship for students between case teaching and international competitions in Marketing. This work is based on the premise that undergraduate Marketing students in a College of Business should experience learning through and about inquiry and enhance their research literacy as a result. Although for many students research-oriented ways of engaging them with inquiry are fairly passive experiences, we believe student engagement in case study competitions offer a primarily active and exciting learning opportunity. In a broader sense, the framework offered by Healey & Jenkins (2009) which is explored in this example, is based on …

Workplace Implications For Female Leaders From Stereotype Threat In A Video Conferencing Context, Roisin Donnelly, Anthony Ryan

Journal Articles

Purpose – This study considered the use of video conferencing virtual backgrounds with employees located in a large multinational corporate organisation in Ireland and the USA to discern if background images evoking gendered stereotypes of leadership can cue stereotype threat in female technology workers undertaking a leadership activity, thus negatively effecting performance. This study aims to contribute to the body of research on stereotype threat by establishing whether virtual backgrounds used in video conferencing software are inherently identity safe or whether their use could have a negative performance impact onmarginalised groups.

Improving Teaching Quality In Higher Education: A Practitioner's Guide To Using Formative Teaching Analysis Poll, Thies Johannsen, Henning Meyer

Practice Papers

Teaching Analysis Poll (TAP) has become an increasingly popular tool for evaluating teaching quality and enhancing student learning outcomes in higher education. It requires, however, additional human resources. This paper presents a modified version for easy implementation: Formative Teaching Analysis Poll (FTAP). It can be used by an individual educator and is nonetheless an effective practical method for practitioners in higher education to improve their teaching quality and enhance the learning experience of their students.

Based on a review of literature and personal experience using FTAP, in this paper we provide an overview of the underlying methodology of FTAP, its …

Towards Building A Framework For Continuing Engineering Education In Higher Education Institutions: A Comparative Study, Sonia M. Gomez Puente, Christopher Smith, Matias Urenda Moris, Bente Nørgaard, Hans-Ulrich Heiss, Patricia Caratozzolo, Katriina Schrey, H-R Myllymäki, Rigas Hadzilacos

Practice Papers

Continuing engineering education (CEE) is becoming an attractive notion of continuously enhancing and upgrading the engineering skills required by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Current developments in science and technology and the challenges to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda require updating theoretical knowledge, skills, and specific practical work. Even though higher education institutions (HEIs) can provide CEE or CPD (Continuing Professional Development) within or external to degree programs, CEE focuses on training engineers as lifelong learners to meet societal and industrial needs. A comparative study was conducted among eight universities to analyse the …

Work Performance Evaluation As A Motivational Approach For Early-Career Self-Management, Francesc Torres, Santiago Silvestre, Ariadna Llorens, Antoni Elias

Practice Papers

This article presents the main characteristics of an academic experience based on the concept of "work performance evaluation", whose objective is to facilitate a smooth transition to the technological labor market. Its aim is to motivate STEM graduates to acquire relevant early professional skills and a self-management attitude in their careers. The results of a satisfaction survey after a pilot course experience with 30 bachelor engineering students at UPC, within the framework of the Engine4STEMers project [Torres, 2022], are also presented. This experience starts with the concept of “direction of service” and the rapid change in attitude and work methodology …

Stem Education And Research At The University Of Aruba For Sustainable Development Of Small Island Developing States: Case Studies On Energy Efficiency And Waste Management., Alba De Agustin Camacho, Mieke De Droog, Wim Van Petegem

Practice Papers

SISSTEM “Sustainable Island Solutions through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” is a higher educational programme created in 2019 at the University of Aruba in response to the need for engineering education and research in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In this contribution, the SISSTEM programme is introduced, and how SISSTEM equips engineering students with hard and soft skills while addressing local sustainability challenges is showcased through two case studies. The first case study presents a bachelor course that combines sustainability theory with a teamwork project in which students conduct an energy audit to a local institution. With this course, students …

Amplifying New Voices And Making Space For Alternative Knowledge Systems In Engineering Curricula – The Example Of Ubuntu, Anita Occhio, Fiona Caroline Saunders, Gladson Chikwa, Dawn Theresa Nicholson

Practice Papers

Engineering projects are ubiquitous; from developing COVID-19 vaccines to building new cities and developing climate change solutions. An inclusive approach to teaching engineers how to master the complexities of engineering project management is vital to the deliverability of sustainability and net zero initiatives (Hockings 2010). Yet, our engineering curricula remain deeply rooted in Western epistemology (Winter et al. 2022, Mbembe 2015). Arguably, this is an opportune time to consider decolonising our curricula. At a fundamental level, ‘decolonising the curriculum’ means introducing previously ignored voices, images, authors, theories and arguments into our teaching (Rogers et al. 2022). This is a challenge …

Management Education In An Engineering Environment. The Case Of Bme, Mária Szalmáné Csete, Emma Lógó, Bence Bodrogi, Tamás Koltai

Practice Papers

Engineering higher education institutes need to integrate new skills and competences into their practice and curricula to accelerate the sustainability transition.

This paper introduces the interdisciplinary upskilling of engineering students enrolled in engineering programs at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and which has been provided by the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (GTK) since 1998. The BME GTK delivers an educational experience that fits into the environment defined by the engineering faculties at BME. The BME GTK has experience of more than a quarter of a century in engineering education related to socio-economic and management upskilling. …

Challenge-Based Learning In Courses: The Implementation Continuum, Adina Imanbayeva, Robin De Graaf, Cindy Poortman

Practice Papers

Given the increasing criticality and complexity of societal challenges, higher education institutions are urged to equip students with the ability to develop sustainable solutions for 'wicked' problems. Consequently, the Challenge-based Learning (CBL) framework has attracted considerable interest in higher engineering education. However, transforming existing course curricula to CBL is a challenging endeavour since it requires careful and paced execution for maintaining the quality, synergy, and flow of existing education. Therefore, this paper proposes a perspective on CBL implementation that exemplifies a gradual transition towards educational CBL innovation while reflecting on the alignment, consistency, and coherence educators aspire to when designing …

Enhancing Professional Skills Among Engineering Students By Interdisciplinary International Collaboration, Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Melissa Fong-Emmerson, Christoper Blöcker

Practice Papers

Providing necessary knowledge and skills for engineering students to become successful professionals is a tricky task. Besides disciplinary knowledge, e.g., communication skills, ability to work in teams, and international experience are often mentioned as important. Regarding internationalization, most engineering programs in Sweden rely on either student exchange or low-level internationalization-at-home, such as international literature and lecturers. This paper explores sustainable international experiences for students on their home turf provided through an international interdisciplinary collaboration where engineering students in Sweden and marketing students in Australia work together on a project. The setup simulates a consultancy firm with development and marketing offices …

Continuous Assessment In Electric Power Engineering For Marine Engineers, Jimmy Ehnberg, Stefan Lundberg

Practice Papers

To tackle the climate challenge, all sectors need to contribute, including electrified shipping. Electrified shipping is not only propulsion but also loading and unloading equipment. This transformation requires increased skills and understanding of electric power engineering for the personal onboard, not least for the marine engineers. Therefore, a changed in the curriculum was needed. However, when more theoretical course content was added to two consecutive courses, the student view and passing rate dropped. Although the student view improved quickly, the passing rate recovered slower. To address this issue, continuous assessment was introduced to counteract the drops. The aim of this …

Embedding Sustainability In The Engineering Curriculum: Meeting The Requirements Of Professional Accreditation, Darren Carthy, Richard Manton, Louise O' Gorman

Practice Papers

Professional accreditation agencies are increasing requirements on sustainability in engineering education as a response to ethical obligations, industry needs and emerging academic best practice. In 2021, Engineers Ireland increased sustainability requirements in new accreditation criteria. This paper reports on a thematic analysis carried out by Engineers Ireland on the self-assessment and achievement of these new accreditation criteria on sustainability. The analysis was conducted on the self-assessment reports from a large Irish University, referred to as University A hereafter. The results indicate that, for the purpose of meeting accreditation requirements, University A has interpreted sustainability in their programmes as either meeting …

Centering Meaning-Filled Design Within Engineering Education: Recommendations On How To Integrate Interdisciplinary Architectural Design Charrettes, Community Engagement, Sustainability Principles, And Adapted Agile Methodologies Into A Student-Centered, Project-Based Engineering Program, David D Gillette, Michael Haungs, Thomas Fowler

Practice Papers

The Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies program (LAES) is a hybrid engineering and humanities degree housed in both the engineering and liberal arts colleges. LAES requires the same required math and science courses of standard engineering degrees, adding upper-level concentrations split equally between advanced engineering and humanities courses.

LAES was designed for retaining and recruiting a diversity of students in engineering, and to address recent innovations in industrial practice, technology design, and community-centered education. Through fifteen years of trial and error, the LAES program has developed a set of meaning-filled design guidelines for project work, combining engineering and humanistic problem …

Mapping The Sustainable Developmental Goals And Student Perspectives On Skills Development Using Alternative Assessments For Engineering Education, Janet Mckennedy, Zeinab Bedri

Practice Papers

Student-created video and in-class debate were introduced in the assessment of education for sustainable development (ESD) in an environmental engineering module. This work was undertaken with a group of structural and civil engineering students in their stage 3 of study for a level 8 degree. There were 63 students registered for this course: 40 civil and 23 structural. Prior to any intervention, a linking exercise was undertaken to map the words in the module descriptor to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This informed the design of the assessments.

After completion of the respective assessments, student surveys were used to understand …

Engineering Student Belonging To Prevent Early Leavers Through Curriculum Decolonization, Academic Self-Concept, And Psychologically Safe Teamwork, Neil Cooke, Jacqueline Chetty, Claudia Favero, Zena Green, Neil Drury, Pieter Joubert

Practice Papers

The proportion of early leavers from engineering degrees closely follows the higher education sector throughout Europe; around 10% leave before graduation. Students are more likely to drop-out if they do not feel that they belong in the learning community. While research shows that academic achievement is a primary factor contributing to student drop-out, other student-centric social factors, such as belonging are equally important to student drop-out rates within higher education. The aim of this paper is to present a model constructed on student belonging. The model consists of 3 pillars, namely academic self-concept & professional identity, psychologically safe teamwork, and …

The Use Of Peer Assessment And Group Peer Moderation To Develop ‘Soft’ Skills In Engineering Students Researching Sustainable Energy, Reena Cole

Practice Papers

Since the change to an outcomes-based approach in Engineers Ireland’s accreditation criteria almost 20 years ago there has been an emphasis placed on ‘soft’ skills such as teamwork and ensuring graduate engineers are not only well versed in their chosen discipline, but that they can communicate their knowledge – to other Engineers and also non-Engineers. Energy Management is a module taught to 4th year Mechanical Engineers, and the learning outcomes are best assessed by how students can communicate the energy topics they are researching. As an individual they will research an area that interests them and write a paper at …

Improving Motivation And Continuous Assessment In Engineering Classrooms Through Student Response Systems, María Dolores Merchán Moreno, Elena Pascual Corral, Cristina Prieto Calvo, Mario Miguel Hernández, María Jesús Santos Sánchez

Practice Papers

The use of Student Response Systems (SRS) is highly recommended to encourage the active and meaningful learning of students in each lecture. SRS promotes the motivation of students and improves the system of continuous assessment. One of the most popular applications designed for SRS is Socrative (Socrative n.d.). The use of Socrative gives real meaning to continuous assessment, since the teacher has an easily manageable record of the evolution of their students‘learning and will help the teacher to schedule both formative and summative assessment. The application allows the detection of topics that each student may not have understood and determines …

Project “Acércate A La Ingeniería”: Impact Assessment And Satisfaction Questionnaire, Annabella Narganes-Pineda, Roberto E. Araña-Suárez, Mariana Hernández-Pérez, Paula González-Suárez, Pedro M. Hernández-Castellano, María Dolores Marrero-Alemán

Practice Papers

Engineering is a key discipline in today’s society, as it is sustainability. Therefore, this are concepts that must be introduced in early educational levels. In this context, the project “Acércate a la Ingeniería” (Get closer to Engineering), designed and carried out by the Department of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands in collaboration with the Industrial and Civil Engineering School (EIIC) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), has arisen. This project brings together eighteen secondary schools (IES) from five of the eight Canary Islands. The aim of this project is to educate students to …

Experience With Remote Laboratories For On-Campus Engineering Degrees, David P. Reid, Timothy D. Drysdale

Practice Papers

Remote laboratories extend the teaching and learning opportunities available for oncampus courses, by increasing the overall capacity for practical work and enabling new types of activities. We present three case studies from different types of usage within the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh over the last three academic years. Each case study provides an overview of the experimental hardware and user interface, the learning context and reflections on their development from our perspective as providers of the system. The case studies include a pendulum lab that provided large cohorts of students access to lab equipment in a …

Eng+ | Ethics For Sustainable Development In Engineering Programmes A Praxis Report Of Tu Berlin’S Think Tank Technology Reflection, Sabine Ammon, Mareen Derda, Tim Hildebrandt, Stefan Kühne, Nadine Klein

Practice Papers

Many technical universities alike, TU Berlin is in a future-oriented process of programme transformation to invite a holistic perspective on technology which includes critical thinking and ethical reflection. To this end, TU Berlin recently issued a general study guideline calling for an orientation of all programmes toward sustainable development. Accordingly, students should know about the historical, social and cultural contexts of science and technology and learn to reflect on the ethical consequences of their actions. Together with training in good scientific practice, this content should comprise 12 ECTS in each respective BA and MA programme. With only minor integration of …