Search Results (45)

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms are increasingly influencing how universities manage experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation-oriented educational activities. Challenge-based capstone and graduation projects play an important role in this context because they connect technical learning with teamwork, stakeholder engagement, project management, and applied innovation. However, many universities still rely on fragmented and highly manual coordination processes, which can limit scalability, transparency, and effective alignment between project requirements and participant capabilities. This study presents Smart Innovation Hub, an AI-enabled information system developed to support challenge-based innovation and capstone-project coordination in higher education. The platform brings together challenge intake, participant profiling, AI-supported recommendations, mentor coordination, workflow governance, and human review within a shared educational innovation environment. The system operationalizes an Innovation Bridge ecosystem model that connects students, faculty mentors, research centers, and external partners through a data-supported coordination framework. A Design Science Research (DSR) methodology guided the development and pilot evaluation of the platform within a public university environment. The pilot evaluation relied on several evidence sources, including platform logs, coordinator records, stakeholder surveys, milestone documentation, and partner feedback collected during implementation activities. Early pilot observations suggested an approximate 60% reduction in average team-formation cycle time, together with positive stakeholder perceptions regarding workflow usability and recommendation quality. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary implementation indicators within a single-institution pilot environment. The study contributes an AI-enabled educational innovation ecosystem architecture, a hybrid semantic-structured recommendation framework for challenge-based coordination, and a structured workflow model that integrates explainability and human oversight into educational innovation management. The findings further suggest that AI-enabled information systems may improve the transparency and coordination of challenge-based innovation workflows while preserving institutional governance and human decision-making. Full article

Bottom-up approaches to climate resilience are increasingly promoted, yet there remains a gap in understanding how science-society connections can be operationalized in everyday contexts to support adaptive land-use practices, particularly in small towns and peripheral regions. This paper addresses this gap by examining how Living Labs (LLs) can function as process-oriented interfaces between scientific knowledge, local experience, and participatory negotiation, rather than as instruments for producing novel biophysical and social-learning insights. Drawing on selected case studies from the Biodiversity Hub and the Department for Building and Environment at the University for Continuing Education Krems (Austria), the study applies a qualitative, transdisciplinary Living Lab approach combining regular shared site walks, emotional communication, and cross-sectoral ecosystem services assessment matrices (aligned with established classifications and quantitative data collection). Resilience is grounded in the literature as a social–ecological capacity for adaptation and transformation and is operationalized pragmatically as the strengthening of connectedness between people, place, and ecological processes. The key findings show that short, place-based, and experiential interactions—such as shared walks and co-creative ecosystem service assessments—can lower participation barriers, mitigate power asymmetries, and enable rapid integration of scientific perspectives into everyday land-use decision-making. Rather than producing directly replicable outcomes, Living Labs generate transferable process principles, including emotional correspondence, structured negotiation, and the use of simple boundary tools to support collective learning and action. The paper contributes to resilience and land-system research by demonstrating how Living Labs can enhance local adaptive capacity and climate resilience through process design, immediate feedback, and continuous experimentation. It thereby complements conventional, indicator-driven assessments by illustrating how resilience can be enacted through participatory, place-based governance practices, offering practical guidance for municipalities and regions facing climate-related risks such as heat stress, drought, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and increasing pressures on the secure provision of food, materials, and drinking water. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nutritional management is a core component of care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and nephrology nurses play a key role in education and clinical monitoring. However, how nurses develop and enact nutritional competence in daily practice remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to explore nephrology nurses’ perceptions and experiences of nutritional management in CKD care. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 22 nephrology nurses. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke. Methodological rigor was ensured following trustworthiness criteria, and reporting adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. Results: The thematic analysis of the interviews identified six main themes: (1) Professional identity and nutritional competence, largely developed through clinical experience rather than structured education. (2) Interprofessional collaboration, perceived as essential but inconsistently implemented. (3) Nutritional education in practice, embedded in daily care and tailored to individual needs. (4) Experiential learning through self-directed nutrition updating. (5) Patient-related challenges, including adherence issues, generational differences, and cultural/educational barriers. (6) Nutritional assessment and decision-making, grounded in routine clinical monitoring and personalized judgment. Participants also highlighted the potential of decision-support tools to enhance personalized nutritional management. Conclusions: Strengthening structured nutritional training, improving interprofessional integration, and implementing shared protocols may enhance the consistency, quality, and safety of nutritional care for patients with CKD, supporting more effective translation of evidence into clinical practice. Full article

Yacuri National Park (YNP) is a Ramsar site located within Ecuador’s Podocarpus-El Cóndor Biosphere Reserve. The Park faces critical threats from illegal mining, livestock grazing, wildfires and the harvesting of wax palms. This study employed participatory action research to co-design a Communication, Education and Public Engagement (CEPA) plan with park managers and local communities as equal partners. Moving beyond traditional, top-down information campaigns, the CEPA framework establishes a co-governance model that integrates indigenous knowledge with local socio-economic realities. The plan implements four targeted interventions: (1) strengthening community fire brigades (BRICOM); (2) promoting culturally appropriate alternatives to Holy Week wax palm harvesting; (3) establishing participatory waste management; and (4) engaging tourists as conservation allies through experiential learning. Strategic alliances with municipalities, universities, and civil society organizations provide institutional backing and secure resources, while a participatory monitoring system using SMART indicators tracks behavioral and ecological outcomes. Ultimately, the findings demonstrate that conserving culturally complex, biodiverse landscapes requires social legitimacy, environmental justice and equitable power-sharing. Recognizing local communities as co-managers is essential to ensuring the long-term protection of Andean ecosystems. Full article

Sustainable pedagogical reform requires more than teacher preparedness; it depends on how school leaders interpret and coordinate the conditions that enable change. This focus is particularly critical in contexts where Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is introduced within predominantly traditional, exam-oriented pedagogical environments, requiring careful consideration of leadership’s perception of system-level readiness to support such shifts. This study investigates how Chinese K–12 school leaders conceptualize readiness for institution-wide implementation of PBL. Using Q methodology with 42 school leaders, four distinct leadership logics were identified: leadership-mediated cultural readiness through recognition, belief-driven pedagogical practice, externally anchored system-level readiness, and experientially grounded cultural readiness. These viewpoints reveal different ways leaders prioritize cultural alignment, belief formation, structural coordination, and experiential learning when organizing reform conditions. Despite these differences, participants showed several areas of shared positioning, particularly around coordination, expertise-based responsibility distribution, evaluation alignment, and adaptive responses to reform conditions. The findings extend change readiness research beyond teacher-focused perspectives by demonstrating how leaders interpret readiness as a multidimensional and system-level phenomenon. By illuminating distinct leadership logics for coordinating reform within centralized governance contexts, this study highlights the importance of aligning beliefs, professional relationships, institutional structures, and student learning improvement goals to support sustainable pedagogical transformation. Full article

Prosignification is defined as the process through which the subject generates new meanings by engaging in aesthetic experience, critical reflection, and creative action. Unlike general theories of meaning-making, which primarily describe the cognitive organization of experience, prosignification foregrounds the symbolic–expressive dimension as the central site of meaning production. It refers to the individual and collective capacity to construct meaning from expressive and symbolic experiences, integrating cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural dimensions of learning through intentional creative mediation. Prosignification operates between knowledge construction and subjective experience, enabling learners to connect conceptual understanding with personal interpretation and emotional involvement. Whereas knowledge construction emphasizes epistemic development and transformative learning focuses on perspective transformation through critical reflection, prosignification centers on the aesthetic reconfiguration of experience through symbolic creation and interpretation. Rooted in constructivist and experiential approaches, it unfolds through active, student-centred methodologies, particularly in Project-Based Learning contexts. However, its distinctive contribution may lie in integrating reflection, expression, and creation as interdependent mechanisms of meaning generation. Art education constitutes a particularly relevant context for this process, as its symbolic nature fosters the embodied and shared construction of meaning. Thus, prosignification cannot be reduced to cognitive restructuring or attitudinal change but involves the expressive re-symbolization of lived experience. Full article

The All of Us Researcher Academy Internship Program provided a 3-month experiential learning opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to train on analyzing health data from the All of Us Research Program. Thirteen interns were paired with mentors who have ongoing projects using the All of Us Researcher Workbench, a cloud-based data analysis platform. Interns also participated in networking activities, attended weekly internship supervisor and mentor meetings, and had access to virtual courses. The internship concluded with virtual presentations to share project results. Topics studied included sickle cell disease, cancer, diabetes, sleep disorders, allergic conditions, cardiovascular health, mental health, and healthcare access. The purpose of this evaluation study was to assess the All of Us Researcher Academy Internship Program’s impact on student outcomes during the first two cohorts (2023 and 2024). The study employed a post-only evaluation design. Ten interns completed post-internship surveys that inquired about their overall internship experience, Researcher Workbench use, and research skills development. The 2024 cohort also participated in a focus group discussion that probed their perceptions about the internship experience. Evaluation results revealed that 90% of interns strongly agreed that their overall research skills and self-efficacy improved, and 80% of interns reported interest in future use of the Researcher Workbench. Interns offered positive feedback on their mentorship experiences and reported a strong sense of support and belonging. The All of Us Researcher Academy Internship Program offers an effective model for skills-based experiential learning in biomedical research. Full article

Live case studies are widely used in higher education to support active learning; however, their pedagogical potential is often limited by weak integration with learning theories and assessments. This research-to-practice study examines the systematic design of live case studies by integrating Kolb’s experiential learning cycle (ELC) and authentic assessment (AA) principles. This paper presents a framework that conceptualises live cases as the learning context, ELC as the learning process, and AA as evaluative logic. The framework is illustrated through a case study of an undergraduate Quality Management module in industrial engineering at a Mexican university, involving 31 final-year students. The study is design-oriented and illustrative, aiming to demonstrate framework enactment rather than evaluating causal effectiveness. Using a case study methodology, the instructional design and enactment were documented using the ADDIE model. Data were obtained from educational artefacts, assessment results, and student feedback surveys. The findings suggest that aligning teaching and assessment activities with the ELC stages and the AA principles effectively supports learning trajectories. This support covers experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and application. Live case studies enabled the integration of multiple assessment methods around shared organisational problems and supported personalised learning through students’ case selection. This study contributes a design logic and operational framework for distributing authentic assessment across Kolb’s experiential learning stages within live case pedagogy. Rather than offering statistical generalisation, the framework serves as a foundation for adaptation and research, emphasising transferability across disciplines, educational levels, and delivery modes. Limitations are acknowledged regarding the conceptual scope, methodological design, and empirical context. Full article

Engineering programmes have been giving more weight to experiential learning, largely because many students still find it difficult to see how classroom theory connects to the work that engineers handle on the ground. With this in mind, a robotics-centred Project-based Learning (PBL) module was introduced to first-year general engineering students as part of the faculty’s engineering spine. The module asks students to design, build, and program small autonomous robots capable of navigating and competing in a set arena. Even a simple task of this kind draws together multiple strands of engineering. Students shift between sketching mechanical layouts, wiring basic circuits, writing code, testing prototypes, and negotiating the usual challenges that arise when several people share responsibility for the same piece of hardware. To explore how students learned through the module, a mixed-methods evaluation was carried out using survey responses alongside reflective pieces written by the students themselves. Certain patterns appeared repeatedly. Many students felt that their technical skills had grown, particularly in breaking down a messy problem into smaller, more workable components. Teamwork also surfaced as a prominent theme. Groups often had to sort out issues such as a robot veering off course due to a misaligned sensor or a block of code producing unpredictable behaviour. These issues were undoubtedly challenging for the students, but they also had a certain pedagogical flavour, with many students describing them as a source of frustration as well as a learning opportunity. Later iterations of the module may benefit from more targeted support at key stages. Despite the many challenges, robotics has been shown to be an attractive way for students to step into engineering practice. The project helped them build technical capability, but it also encouraged habits that matter just as much in real work, such as planning, communicating clearly, and returning to a problem until it behaves as expected. Taken together, the experience offers useful guidance for curriculum designers seeking to create early learning environments that feel authentic and manageable and for motivating students who are just beginning their engineering journey. Full article

Background: Effective communication is a fundamental competency in veterinary medicine that shapes the quality of veterinarian–client relationships, shared decision-making, and animal welfare. However, consistent and systematic integration of communication training across veterinary curricula remains uneven worldwide. Methods: This scoping review mapped and analyzed educational programs aimed at developing communication competencies in veterinary education and professional practices. A systematic search was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, identifying 37 eligible studies published between 2005 and 2024. Results: Most publications were in English and originated from North America, particularly Canada (n = 15) and the United States (n = 8). Regarding target populations, 15 studies (40.5%) focused on veterinary students, 12 (32.4%) on practicing veterinarians, 8 (21.6%) on animal owners or clients, and 2 on veterinary educators. 18 studies (48.7%) described structured programs that used active learning strategies such as role-play, clinical simulations, peer-assisted learning, and formative feedback. The competencies frequently emphasized include empathy, active listening, nonverbal communication, conflict resolution, and rapport building. Notable best practices included the Calgary–Cambridge model, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and reflective video analysis. Conclusions: The available evidence indicates a growing emphasis on clinical communication within veterinary education, primarily implemented through experiential and practice-based approaches. However, substantial gaps persist in the representation of Latin American contexts and in the systematic, longitudinal integration of communication skills across veterinary curricula. Addressing these gaps may contribute to more coherent, equitable, and context-sensitive communication training in veterinary education. Full article

Contemporary interpretations of psychedelic spirituality are dominated by the “mystical experience model,” which emphasizes that psychedelics can lead to well-being through bringing about ego dissolution and a unitive mystical experience. Rooted in perennialist and dualist assumptions—often derived from Christian mysticism, Vedanta, and Plotinian Neoplatonism—this framework has shaped both scientific discourse and popular understanding of psychedelic states. However, the mystical experience model is controversial: (1) secular critics consider it as too religious; (2) it is a form of mystical exceptionalism, narrowly focusing on only certain extraordinary experiences; (3) its ontological assumptions include a Cartesian separation between internal experience and external reality and a perennialist focus on ultimate reality; (4) it neglects psychedelic learning processes; (5) in the ritual and ceremonial use of psychedelics, shared intentionality and practices of sacred participation are more important than the induction of individual mystical experiences. This article proposes an alternative and complementary model grounded in theurgy, based on the Neoplatonism of Iamblichus and the participatory ontological pluralism of Bruno Latour. Unlike the mystical experience model, which privileges individual unitary experiences, theurgy affirms ritual mediation, ritual competence, and both individual and collective transformation. Theurgic ritual practice makes room for the encounter with autonomous entities (framed by Latour as “beings of religion”) that are often reported by participants in psychedelic ceremonies. By examining how the theurgic framework can expand our understanding of psychedelic spirituality in a way that is truer to psychedelic phenomenology, especially the presence of autonomous entities, imaginal realms, and the centrality of intention and ritual, this article argues that theurgy offers a nuanced and experientially congruent framework that complements the mystical experience model. Framing psychedelic spirituality through theurgic lenses opens space for a vision of the sacred that is not about escaping the world into undifferentiated unity, but about individual and collective transformation in communion with a living, differentiated cosmos. Full article

This study examines the added value of territorial cooperation within the LEADER approach, a key pillar of the EU’s rural development policy. Both interterritorial and transnational cooperation projects empower Local Action Groups (LAGs) to tackle common challenges through innovative and community-driven strategies. Drawing on over 3000 projects since 1994, LEADER cooperation has proven its ability to deliver tangible results—such as joint publications, pilot projects, and shared digital platforms—alongside intangible benefits like knowledge exchange, improved governance, and stronger social capital. By facilitating experiential learning and inter-organizational collaboration, cooperation enables stakeholders to work across territorial boundaries and build networks that respond to both national and transnational development issues. The interaction among diverse actors often fosters innovative responses to local and regional problems. Using a mixed-methods approach, including case studies of Italian LAGs, this research analyses the dynamics, challenges, and impacts of cooperation, with a focus on learning processes, capacity building, and long-term sustainability. Therefore, this study focuses not only on project outcomes but also on the processes and learning dynamics that generate added value through cooperation. The findings highlight how territorial cooperation promotes inclusivity, fosters cross-border dialogue, and supports the development of context-specific solutions, ultimately enhancing rural resilience and innovation. In conclusion, LEADER cooperation contributes to a more effective, participatory, and sustainable model of rural development, offering valuable insights for the broader EU cohesion policy. Full article

In the context of accelerating digital transformation and growing sustainability imperatives, entrepreneurial ecosystems increasingly rely on open innovation and strategic collaboration to foster resilient, knowledge-driven growth. This study aims to examine how leadership behaviors and strategic alliances interact as enablers of sustainable innovation across macro (systemic), meso (organizational), and micro (individual) levels. To achieve this, this study employs a literature review, supported by bibliometric analysis, as its core methodological approach. Drawing on 86 influential publications from 1992 to 2024, two major thematic streams emerge: leadership dynamics in entrepreneurial settings and the formation and governance of strategic alliances as vehicles for innovation. The findings underscore the pivotal role of transformational and ethical leadership in cultivating trust-based inter-organizational relationships, facilitating digital knowledge sharing, and catalyzing sustainable value creation. Simultaneously, strategic alliances enhance organizational agility and innovation capacity through co-creation mechanisms, digital platforms, and crowdsourcing, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper highlights a mutually reinforcing relationship: effective leadership strategies empower alliances, while alliance participation enhances leadership capabilities through experiential learning in diverse, digitalized environments. By bridging leadership theory, open innovation practices, and digital transformation, this study offers critical insights for entrepreneurs, managers, and policymakers seeking to drive inclusive and sustainable innovation within interconnected global markets. Therefore, this study provides practical guidance for business leaders aiming to strengthen alliance performance through adaptive leadership and for policymakers seeking to foster innovation ecosystems through supportive regulatory and institutional frameworks. Full article

Transformative digitally integrated pedagogy can enrich learning experiences, diversify the curriculum and broaden access to industry-relevant advanced clinical education for remote learners in medical education. Clinical skills are characterised as the portfolio of practical and interpersonal skills required by practicing clinicians. The purpose of this project was to design a new wholly online post-professional university subject for clinicians in different healthcare disciplines to advance these skills, which would traditionally be taught and assessed in-person. Our methodology included critically reviewing existing evidence of relevant medical skills which need to be included in the curriculum and approaches to their assessment. We designed a subject which dovetailed learning experiences with continuing clinical practice, and developed a new framework for remote video assessment of practical skills. Our pedagogical approaches included a backwards design coupled with a Four-Component Instructional Design Model (4C-ID) approach, which increased access and contextualised learning opportunities for diverse and practicing clinicians. Our narrative synthesis critically shares our experience and insights of embracing digital-technology opportunities while problem-solving to move past barriers. Our impact evaluation and experiential insights offer a platform to reimagine emerging possibilities for future digitally integrated education in medical education and other clinical-skills professions. Full article

Despite the emphasis on consumption and production patterns in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), plastic pollution remains inadequately addressed. This research contributes to the limited literature on sustainable consumption and disposal of plastic in developing contexts and demonstrates how universities can effectively integrate sustainability competencies into a subject-specific curriculum. This study examined how teacher training programs can address plastic pollution through curriculum innovation and experiential challenge-based learning. Focusing on technology student teachers (TSTs) at a South African institution, the research explored their experiences with community-based problem-solving activities related to plastic consumption and disposal. The polymer module was restructured to combine theoretical knowledge with practical sustainability actions, engaging students in real-world environmental challenges. Data were generated via focus group interview, reflective journal, and photovoice. Working in teams across four communities, TSTs conducted plastic audits in households, shared findings with community members, and collaboratively developed sustainable solutions. This approach bridged the gap between academic learning and environmental action, addressing the critical global plastic crisis that contributes to fossil fuel depletion, ecosystem damage, and greenhouse gas emissions. The findings highlight the potential of teacher education to cultivate environmentally conscious educators who can inspire sustainable thinking and action across educational settings. The practical implications of this research extend beyond the classroom, offering a replicable model for teacher education programs to empower future educators as change agents who can facilitate sustainable community action through knowledge co-creation and context-specific environmental problem-solving. Full article